VII. Mongolia

George Roerich — Trails to the Inmost Asia

The Siberian Express rushed rapidly through the lowlands of Siberia, with their dark virgin forests of pines and cedars. Early in the morning the train passed Irkutsk and its cathedral, rising against the luminous and transparent sky of early dawn. Then came the beautiful southern shore of the great Lake Baikal with its calm surface girded by mountain ranges. Beyond Baikal, the country became mountainous and the train steamed around forest-clad hills. It was Buriatia, and the Buriats in their pointed fur caps and blue coats became more and more prominent on the station platforms. Late in the evening the train reached Verkhne-Udinsk, the capital of the Buriat Republic. Here we spent three busy days arranging for motor cars to carry us and our baggage to Mongolia.