Sat 31 May Chita to Ulan Ude

Leaving early today for a long ride in "new" conditions. The weather fortunately cleared and were soon into snowy hills, and huge rolling landscapes with lots of trees and livestock. The trees were a suprise. I was expecting barren landscapes, not miles of birch trees.
After lunch the lanscape improved but the roads deteriorated into some very rough broken road surfaces, needing to be taken at low speed.
However we made it intact no suprises except that the GPS co-ordinates were pretty useless other than as a rough guide. On arrival we roamed round the Hotel until we spotted someone waving on the footpath. My suggestion that prehaps we might have left the mutli coloured and very visible bike and sidecar on the road may have helped was met with derision. Odd response, but on looking back perhaps the start of the power struggle. Follow me or find your own way. Odd for a guide I thought.
However Ukan Ude was to be home for two days. Nothing was planned, so pretty much down time as apart from a very large Lenin in the square there was little to entertain a group of foreign bikers. The locals were friendly. Had a night out with some of them.
The following day was a rest day with little to do in an industrial city with little else to do but walk the streets. Good thing we hurried to get here for this.
nzl07