Buryat

A relatively short daytime journey takes us from Irkutsk, around the south of Baikal and past spectacular lake and mountain views. In fact the majority of the seven hour journey is lakeside in the sunlight, certainly one of the most scenic railway journeys I have experienced, and rivalling some of the Alpine routes.

Our destination is Ulan Ude, the Buryat capital, close to the border with Mongolia. After checking in to the crumbling Soviet-style hotel we take a walk around the city centre, pleasantly surprised at its attractive features and friendly residents. Although mostly Russian in style, the oriental influence is now evident, and many of the people we see are of Buryat or Mongolian ethnicity.

After seeking out the largest statue of Lenin's head anywhere in the world, which is currently surrounded by beautiful ice sculptures, we head down to the Sky Bar,  on the tenth floor of an office block and providing great views of the city.

The following morning it's bitterly cold again, sub - 20°c, but we manage a stroll down to the river via the Cathedral (currently under refurbishment) and a tram trip to explore the suburbs and have a closer look at the local industrial landscape.

By the afternoon (it's now Thursday), we have bought our provisions and mentally prepared ourselves for the forthcoming longest train journey of the trip, 53 hours to Khabarovsk. Read the next post to find our whether we are still talking to each other at the end of the "double overnighter".