Taking the steps down from the footbridge, I arrived at the front door of my next hostel. The hostel was pretty centrally located, though the city is relatively small. After getting checked in, the receptionist was more than happy to help me with a good trip considering my time restraints. He suggested that I walk into the center, where Lenin square is located. From there, I could hop onto mini-bus #97 to one of the Datsans, a Buddhist temple. Upon returning, I should walk along the water until I reach Ulitsa Lenina (Lenin Street) and follow it. During that, it’ll become like Arbat street back in Moscow. After that, there were several places he suggested for me to get local food.

With a great plan gifted to me on a silver platter, I headed off to see Lenin’s massive head. Let me tell you, Lenin’s head was ginormous. Having taken my photos, I waited for the mini-bus to arrive; it was currently running at a 15-minute interval. When it arrived, I hopped on and took it to the end, where it stopped at the Buddhist temple. It’s located high up on top of a hill and provides excellent views of the mini-city below.

I walked about the temple’s grounds, as it had already closed for the day. Following that, I completed the Path of Eternal Life, a wooden path that encircles the temple grounds and provides information on the different Buddhist animal birth years. It came right out where the bus returned to the city when I finished. So, very quickly, I hopped back on the bus and took it to a different stop than I had started to walk along the water, a tributary of Lake Baikal. When I reached Lenin Street, I began to walk down it until it returned me to the center where Lenin’s head sits. I decided it was then time to hunt down one of the receptionist’s restaurants recommended to me. Unfortunately, most places had closed for the night (it was 9 PM on a Monday). However, there was a sushi place open. While I plan to eat fresh sushi in Vladivostok, I have no issue having it before my journey on the train.

After dinner, I ran to the grocery store to buy food and water for the long journey that I had ahead – 2 days and 21 hours on the train to Vladivostok. I planned to buy food along my path, but I got two boxes of ramen and five packets of instant oatmeal. As I write this, it might have been wise to get a third box of ramen, but it is too late now.

When I got back to the hostel, I discovered that I had roommates, but they were quiet. The guy was already passed out, and there was a girl who looked like she had to be up early. I decided to get everything in place now so I didn’t have to make much noise in the morning. I got settled in for the night with about 7 hours until I had to wake up. See you next time!