August 9, 1995 - Wednesday
I have a definite hangover
this morning. The train ride was great, but now we get into the bus
which takes us to a nice hotel. After one hour rest, it is time for
breakfast and a full day! First we go to a Buryat
Monastery and village which are about one hour outside Ulan Ude (at
breakneck speed over questionable roads). The village is far
out, very poor, and on an unpaved road with massive pot holes but our
minibus makes it! After returning to Ulan Ude for lunch, we went to see
a remarkable collection of Buddhist relics from all over Russia in a
museum / storehouse. They need much more space to show everything
properly. We also go to a local market. When we return for dinner we
find that they are not expecting us. We decide to order light - bread,
cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers, fruit and tea for 6 = 80,000 roubles
(about $18). After dinner we go for a short walk in the rain through a
rough neighborhood along the busy industrial waterfront - probably not
smart anywhere in the world - but we get back OK. Finally to bed.
August 10, 1995 - Thursday
It's raining. We all feel like there is not much more to see or do
in Ulan Ude - maybe this part of the trip was a mistake. But we head
off with our guide Tatyana and her husband Bob, who is from Hawaii. We
go 70 kilometers outside Ulan Ude to the Big Village of Koonalai. The
trip takes us along the Selenga river. We stop at a spot that has been
sacred to the Buddhists for thousands of years (Tatyana says that in
ancient times it was used for animal sacrifices) - We walk up hill, up
hill, up hill and then climb rocks to the top - I went?...Yes! The view is magnificent and worth the climb. Back in the minibus,
Tatyana takes us to the home of a woman that she has known since her
childhood. The woman proudly invites us into her cabin and offers us
fresh milk from her cow. We
all hesitate knowing that the milk is not pasturized, but how can we
turn her down? So we drink this wonderful, creamy, ice cold milk. A new
experience. It is so rich and sweet it tastes like ice cream. It was
also interesting to see her refrigerator - a room in the
permafrost. Then we keep going until the pavement ends - and then keep
going. We finally arrive at a village of Old Believers. The village
well has delicious water but even in August when the air temperature is
warm they have to break through the ice that
forms due to the permafrost. They farm wheat, rye, buckwheat, cows,
sheep and pigs. The houses are small, close together, but beautifully
kept with decorated fronts of carved windows and shutters. The shutters
are closed at night and to keep out fierce storms that sweep across the
steppes. We visit the house of an old widow who (with the help of two
friends) has prepared a feast for us - potatoes and pork, salted omul,
curd, fat back, tomatoes and cucumbers, fresh berries of three kinds,
and homemade breads and cakes. In usual Russian fashion (I think) all
the food comes out at once including dessert. Wow. After dinner the three ladies sing for us; dressed in local costumes that have been
handed down through many generations. The ladies are part of an ensemble
that performed in New York, Boston, and France. They sing in
old Russian language in perfect harmony. Then we are asked to
sing - embarrassed again! But we have fun and the ladies seem satisfied
with Bob's Hawaiian dance. We head back to Ulan Ude for dinner. Tatyana
and Bob invited us to join their party for dinner at a Buryat
restaurant. It turns out to be a wedding party for them. There are
Buryat singers in full costume. It is Pam and Andy's anniversary today
and they are presented with champagne, chocolates, a white scarf
signifying long life together, and a wooden bird called Goruda
(a Buddhist symbol for life). Everyone treated us
like family. We all danced, toasted, and ate large volumes of
delicious Buryat food! What a day - a big surprise and an incredible
experience! We return to the hotel at 11:30 PM. It's pouring rain and
we find the building completely dark and locked up. Our car and driver
have pulled away, so I guess we'll have to solve this one ourselves.
After banging on the door for a few minutes, a woman comes from behind
the reception desk with a candle in hand. It seems the power is out so
they locked the place up for safety. She lets us in when she sees our
keys. The flashlights we always carry come in handy for finding our
rooms. It is definitely the right time for sleep!
August 11, 1995 - Friday
Still raining! Because of the washed out roads, they
decide not to take us to Genghis Khan's fortress but to a nature museum
instead. Nothing great there. Shopped for a few items on the way back
for lunch. Not many souvenirs in town. We decide we want our trip to
Lake Baikal in spite of the weather, but the tour guides have other
ideas. Since we have to catch the train back to Irkutsk at 9:00 PM, they
delay long enough that it becomes impossible. Tatyana takes us to the
Tibetan Health Center where Bob has been receiving treatment for high
blood pressure and where they have both been living while Bob receives
treatment. We see an IV bottle with tube and needle still attached,
ready to use again. We ask how the IV and acupuncture needles are
cleaned. The nurse states they are cleaned very thoroughly and then
placed in an autoclave (quite old). At this clinic, they have treated
children from Cherynobl using alternative methods of health care
such as acupuncture, massage, and herbs The staff seem quite dedicated
and concerned for their patients. The building is only three years old.
There is an attractive communal dining room and a living room with a TV.
While we were visiting, the water system was not working. We then go to
see the ethnology museum - an outdoor exhibition of Yurt encampments,
pre Christian shamanism, and old Russian houses (including the one in
which Tatyana grew up). Yurts, utilized by nomadic steppe inhabitants
are covered with very thick wool blankets and can be moved and set up in
one and one half hours - by the women of course. Men tell the women
where to put the Yurt. There are camels and llamas roaming free. On the
way back to Ulan Ude, we find out that Svetlana has canceled our dinner
arrangements in case we went to Baikal! Oh well. Dinner at the hotel
was fine. We are just about to begin toasting with a guy from Oregon who
is in the forestry business in Ulan Ude (the only American we saw in
Ulan Ude except Bob - our guide's husband) when it is time to leave for
the train. On the train, all the bunks are booked so Nate and Andy sleep
in a compartment with two Russian men who had apparently been partying
pretty heavily. The women get a cabin to themselves. Of course we
first enjoy a few toasts, and stories. We sleep quite well and arrive
in Irkutsk early in the morning.
Next
Return
to Siberia Homepage
©entire contents copyrighted
by Nathan Lipsen, 1995