Buryatia

Buryatia is a mountainous Russian republic in eastern Siberia. A stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway, Asian-influenced capital Ulan-Ude is home to Russian Orthodox Odigitrievsky Cathedral and a giant Lenin sculpture. Open-air Ulan-Ude Ethnographic Museum explores local culture, while colorful Buddhist monastery Ivolginsky Datsan houses a Buryat art museum. On the republic's western border lies massive Lake Baikal.