Rain Rain Rain In Ulan-Ude, Siberia
Some days are better than others when you take to the street in a new town, especially if the right weather equipment is missing and everyone speaks Russian.
Cats and dogs were missing on these Siberian streets because they all took for cover once the flooding started. Ulan-Ude's center is compact and, despite the damp atmosphere, a walk through the streets is recommended and necessary. Although taxis roam for those whose rain gear is no longer serviceable, don't expect any (that means NOT ANY) English to be spoken. Coming north from Mongolia, you may regret not working on Mongolian while there, as it closer to Russian than anything you will hear until you leave this country. Gloomy weather does not stand in the way of street photography where there is Buryatian wooden architecture to absorb, so jump the puddles and jaywalk around town looking for variations on the century old construction, each is a uniquely crafted survivor of minus thirty winters and summer flooding. A little rain is nothing new to these old bones.
For more on Russia and Siberia, see also:
https://www.heathersimonds.com/blog/shuttered-windows-of-ulan-ude-siberia
https://www.heathersimonds.com/blog/lenin-watches-over-russia-from-plazas-across-the-nation
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