The day started badly. The materials of construction of our hotel had strange properties: the walls were producing cracking sounds as they were being heated by the sun in the morning (5.00 am). This made it impossible to sleep. We cancelled the second night with the hotel and after quick deliberations decided to go towards the border with Mongolia today rather than later. What was missing is washing clothes. We found a self-service laundry just a street away and then had a nice stroll under the scorching sun in Ulan-Ude while our clothes were being washed and dried. Then we headed towards the Mongolian border. As we drove South of Ulan-Ude, the land started to feel barren - burnt by the sun, but there were some agricultural fields.
On our way, in Ivolginsk, just South of Ulan-Ude, we went to the Buddhist temple. It is famous for a Buryat lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, who (who's body) is 167 years old and is mummified/alive(?). Some say that he is in a deep state of meditation and is currently breathing out. Others say he is indeed dead. You can read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashi-Dorzho_Itigilov.
We then drove to Khyagt (Кяхта) at the border with Mongolia enjoying beautiful views and more winding roads. This reminded me a lot of Tuva. As we approached Khyagt (Кяхта) village, border control police stopped us for document checks and as Pablo did not have a permit to be in the border area, we were advised to continue to Mongolia without spending a night in the village. Otherwise, we could have been fined. So we continued directly to Mongolia.
Once at the Mongolian border (Russian border was already behind us), a Mongolian guy asked to borrow our compressor to inflate tires. We told him to leave the compressor beside our car once he is done while we were going through the border formalities. I went to check it out some time later: no guy, no compressor. Thankfully, he simply moved his car and I spotted him. The border agent that I addressed for help told him something and the guy went to the car to bring the compressor, which he conveniently put on his front seat. His intentions to return it are still unclear.
As we cleared the border, it was already past 10pm. It took us 2.5 hours to pass - we were damn lucky as there were no queues. We saw a "hotel" in the Aldynbulag village - just outside the border and decided to stay there. I am sure there were nicer places, but we were too tired. The room was hugely overpriced for what it was. "No frills" at its most - not even a shower: there was a basin for a shower, but no pipe. No curtains either. Bed linen seemed clean and this is what mattered, but the mattress was on the hard side. There was plenty of noise coming from outside - children playing well past 11pm, but ear plugs did magic. Just an experience to go through on this trip.
Ulan Ude's opera house, the one and only in the Russian Far East and Eastern Siberia
European and American tourist crowds. I (Pablo) feel just like another ordinary tourist. Before Baikal I felt like I was quite exotic.
No comments:
Post a Comment