We pay for our stay so far (At 300 roubles per head, this is the cheapest and best stay so far.) We all pile into the Volga again; apparently Tola had prepared an interesting outing for us for today. We head north, leaving Barguzin and eventually stop in front of a Datsaan (Buryatian Buddhist temple). This too, is a hyper-holy place. The massive wooden temple had been demolished during the Soviet years and now we stand in front of a smaller, more economical shrine. Behind the temple lies a forest were all the trees are adorned with ribbons and drapes in the colours of the rainbow. Amid all the shocking swirl of colour and bustle stands a rock upon which the dancing figure of a God is engraved. We stop for lunch by the banks of the Barguzin. These rushing wild waters are the very same that we had crossed a few days ago on horseback up North. Tola demonstrates how to unpack from the boot of the Volga various items for cooking: wood, cast iron pot, water, potatoes, corned beef and a tea pot and how to conjure wonderful tea and potato broth in ten minutes and then serve it to us on a table made of four pine logs and a kneading board. Naturally he serves all this with fresh rye bread and a green salad. We struggle to polish all the wonderful platefuls off. In the afternoon we explore the Eastern side of the Barguzin Valley encountering the most beautiful villages on our way. We see no cars whatsoever but finally do see industrial machines cutting and gathering hay not driven by engines but towed by horses. We meet plenty of friendly families working away on their fields with wooden prongs. We stop in the village of Suvo. Ancient blocks of basalt guard the gentle hills surrounding us and the valley is striped with the colours of wild flowers. It’s hard to move on from here but we finally head back home where Sveta awaits us with a huge and final dinner. Following our meal we pack our bags into a small van and set off for Ulan Ude. From here on some of us fly straight for Moscow, others take the train to Irktus and then board a plane and there are also a few who make the journey by train till Budapest. We don’t spend too much time mulling over our trip. The experience of all that we have seen and felt is too recent, too strange and too raw to be able to process it, just yet. One thing is certain though: there will be ones who shall return.