The Russian Dacha

While in Moscow, I never had the opportunity to go to a dacha, which was an experience that I sorely regretted. Fortunately, I was invited to go to a dacha my first weekend in Ulan-Ude. I was gathered from the dormitory at 9am, and then we visited a local super-market to obtain the food and supplies we would need for the day. Then, we hit the road, which wound through the mountains of Buryatia. If we had stayed on the road for about 6 hours, we would have ended up in Irkutsk. However, the dacha was only about half an hour outside of Ulan-Ude. We left the main highway, drove through some back roads, honked the horn, and the gate to the dacha slowly opened.

It was wonderful. The dacha itself was a small, two story cottage with an oven inside and a primitive connection to electricity. Our water was obtained from a well with an electric pump. Surrounding the dacha, however, was one of the most magnificent gardens that I’ve ever seen. Potatoes, flowers, and all sorts of berries were to be found in the grounds of the dacha. I was immediately put to work digging up potatoes and picking berries. In particular, there were orange berries that were absolutely delicious. After gathering potatoes and vegetables, I prepared shish-kabobs from pork, onions, and peppers. In the middle of the afternoon, we sat down to a feast of fish, shish-kabobs, bread, cheese, potatoes, tea, wine, and I’m not sure what all else.

After stuffing ourselves, I went for a stroll down the banks of the Selenga. The Selenga is one of the rivers that flow through Ulan-Ude, the other being the Uda. The dacha was nestled in a valley between mountains, at the very bottom of which flowed the Selenga. There were some fisherman and a true Russian man who went for a swim in a tiny Speedo. When he emerged from the water, we asked him how the water was and he told us, “Hot!” It wasn’t. The weather was unbelievable. I’d guess that the temperature was between 65 and 70 all day and it was sunny with a few stray fluffy clouds in the sky.

After kicking a soccer ball around some, we went back to work at the dacha, this time painting the railing of the balcony. From the balcony, the Trans-Siberian Railway was visible and several trains passed by while I worked. As the sun started to set, it was finally the men’s turn in the banya.

Real Russian men like the banya hot. By the end, I could scarcely breath from the steam, heat, and of course, branches that are used to cleanse the skin. The shock of the freezing cold water that is used between sessions did nothing to help. The conversation was pleasant and afterwards, I felt the most relaxed I’ve felt since, well, the last time I was in a banya. By the time we were done in the banya, it was time to gather everything and set of for home.

While we were driving home from the dacha, I saw one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. The road to Ulan-Ude winds around with the Selenga. The moon was veiled behind thin clouds. The Selenga glowed more brightly than the night sky. Then, slowly, the bright windows of the Trans-Siberian Train appeared one by one from around a bend in the river. The bend was located at the very base of a tall range of mountains. There is something incredibly peaceful about the sight of a train traveling at night, and if it happens to be at the base of the mountains on the Selenga, it is absolutely breath taking.

I arrived back at the dormitory late, but I brought a cup filled with berries, my body relaxed from the banya, and my mind was completely at ease following a day filled with friendship and beauty.