On July 4, we left Arshan to go to Ulan-Ude - the capital of the Buryatia Republic, Russia. We had a short detour at Nilovka - another thermal water source including radon-containing spring used for medicinal purposes - not sure what it cures. It is located in a gorge and gave me (Anna) a slight feeling of claustrophobia. It looked nicer and better maintained than Arshan. We also visited a small Buddhist temple (дацан) near Nilovka. Then we went back towards Baikal and South-East to Ulan-Ude. This is where we bid farewell to Sayan - also a wonderful host: we had good weather when we needed it and we spent wonderful time in Sayan mountains enjoying beautiful views.
After we rejoined the Baikal motorway, we drove along the lake and at times could see it on our left. It really felt like a see: the other shore was hidden by haze and occasional sandy beaches gave it a feeling of a seaside. The road was winding a lot as we had to cross the Khamar-Daban mountain range. As we were approaching Ulan-Ude, the nature became very similar to what we saw in Tuva and Khakassia.
We arrived to Ulan-Ude quite late and went for dinner to a "local pub" where we had a live performance by a local duo singing Russian and English songs. After dinner, we took a walk down to the Opera House and saw a fountain dancing and changing colours at the rhythm of Vivaldi's four season (Summer) music.
More pictures of Ulan Ude to come in the next post
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