If Yekaterinburg is the geographical start of Asia, it is in Ulan Ude where you feel on the crossroads of Asia. Some 20% of the population are ethically Buryats – a Mongol speaking nomadic people, native to the region, which is the heart of Buddhism in Russia.
Buryatia is also home to the “old believers”; a bunch of Luddites who refused to accept reforms of the Orthodox church in the 17th century, such as sorting out some glaring astronomical errors, which meant the calender was three months out (presumably they're now celebrating christmas in July).
Our two days here were spent touring buddhist monasteries, having lunch in a traditional Buryat yurt and a rather dull visit to an old believers village. Ulan Ude is also famed for having Russia's (and thus the world's) largest Lenin head.
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