Ulan Ude - My last stop in Russia

This was the first place had nothing booked and everyone I met in Irkutsk just seemed to be passing this place by and heading straight for Mongolia. I guess now I understand why, no youth hostels = no backpackers. Following the guide book, I booked myself in at the cheapest hotel I could find. Right next to the market and where all the chinese merchants have based themselves. I only realised the next day when I met one of the locals that this was one of those seedy hotels. I didn't really care, I had a room, with a wardrobe and a sink, I was paying the cheapest rate so far in Russia and it was very central. Of course coming into ulan Ude so unprepared left me a little worried and looking around town, which now was so different to the Russia I had seen so far, a very distinctive asiatic feel about it and it felt therefore not as safe, I thought to myself why didn't I just follow the normal tourist trail.

But this is why I love travelling so much, you nevr know what or who is around the corner. I walked into the town centre the next morning and there, just while asking directions, I bumped into Natasha. Thanks to her and her friends my last three days in Russia have been absolutely amazing. Natasha immediately took me in, cooked for me ,introduced me to her friends and acted as my own personal guide all around the beautiful city of Ulan Ude. I have learnt so much from you Natasha, hopefully, one day I can return the favour.

I was a little scared of wondering around town on my own but not I had Natasha and Lislot looking after me and keeping me company. We first went to the village of the Old believers who welcomed us with warm smiles and such beautiful costumes. This group of people believe in self-sufficiency and I guess i'd call in communal living. They have their own traditions and were thrown out of Russia for not following the orthodox ways. For example when praying and crossing themselves,they use three fingers instead of the two and te orthodox church thought that this was dirty. Anyway, later on a group was ent back from Poland to this part of Siberia and other groups also exsist around Canada and other places in the world. They showed us some of their customs during a marriage ceremony. In order not to breed bad blood they have to remember the past 9 generations and make sure that there is no intermarriage between these generations. Then like in the olden days, the wife is bartered for, the more talented she is , the more the groom has to offer. They sang for us and then fed us a huge meal. It's rude not to suff yourself and clear the table but there was just far too much food, all prepared using fresh produce from the garden at the back.

oh yeh, drinking Vodka is a tradition on it's own. There have to be 3 toasts, one for the guests, one for the hostess and the las for love. Not just vodka but any toast requires dipping your finger into the drink and spraying it before drinking it. An old Russian tradition. I constantly have to reind myself that I am still in Europe. Russia seems so different from what I know of Europe and Siberia especially, seems just a whole different world away.

Next day, Natasha took us to the Ivolginsk Datsan (a buddhist monastery). This was the first big surprise to find out that Buddhism in Russia and especially in Buryatia region (an autonomous region in the Russian Federation) exsists to such a big extent. From there our visit to the Shaman's sacred place 'obo' in the Yangazhinskoi valley was another surprising connecion that I would never have made. And the connection between shamanism as I know it from South America and Buddhism is very strong. Can you imagine Buddhists monks or even nuns in a trance after some ayahusca or some similar hallucenogenic:) As Natasha says, to know Russia, you actually have to come to Russia. And even then it is full of surprises. I have been fortunate enough to know the Buryat region, thanks to Natasha and and her immense knowledge and passion but even when this region seem so vast, I just cannot imagine or even comprehend the vastness of the northern region of Russia. Russia seems so huge and immense that it seems there will always be more to see and do and then there will be a whole lot that will be completely inaccessible to the rest of the world. I can't wait for my next visit to Russia.