"This could be an actual gulag." "It was an actual gulag."

100 Euros!!! 50 Euros! Okay 70 cents would be enough.

Turns out the friendly dog was actually supposed to guard the gulag.

I am a Kalmyk, and our Republic is very beautiful, come in the spring, there will be a flowering of tulips

Kalmyks are Mongols and you have heard language in the concert, thats Kalmyk language. I am a Mongolian lives in Ulaanbaatar and i still understand their language even we were apart for almost 400 years.

-Give me 100 euro! -100 euro??? - ok give me 50 euro! - 50 euro?!? Euro or rubel? - ok rubel...

I do hope you realize just how vitally important it is to make records of these precious small cultures. In 200 years, ethnologists will probably know your name.

best GPS = Russian babushkas

Everything that could possibly go wrong whilst making this film did go wrong. The weather, lack of people on the street, accidentally stumbling into one of Russia’s worst prisons and being kicked out the town. All a total disaster! Well at least there was some decent Kalmyk music. Skip to the end if the wind is too intense for your ear drums. Cheers bratans!

"on the horizon, I see watchtowers and barbwire. let's get closer!" what could possibly go wrong

My russian Babushka passed away in March and I miss her so much. Sometimes when you film russian Babushkas I see her - the way they dress, the way they talk. She was the kindest woman ever

Soviet era: Get forced into gulag Modern day: Get forced out of gulag

Soviet wind is trying to ruin the video.

Mr Bald: Let's see inside a real gulag... THIRTY years later exiting: Well, folks.....that was a real gulag. I hope you enjoyed the video...

This is the most interesting youtube channel i have ever stumbled on to, keep up the good work!

I cannot believe the guts you have to just go in the middle of nowhere, with absolutely no pre-planning, and give us an experience that we will never have. One of the best videos.

Haha Haha! That guy wanted 100 Euro's! The look of shock on your face is hilarious Bald! The second he heard you were not Russian, he wanted some of that tourist cash!

I just have so much respect for the effort you put into these videos and your channel. The fact they are so raw is why I watch them.

That guy politely mugged you, haha.

American truck haha. One was french and the other Swedish.

Hey Mate, Thanks to you I had never heard of Kalmykia. But when You first said you were heading that way out of Dagestan, I did some historical research. Super interesting tribe and situation from antiquity as well as the soviet disruption of there culture. If you did not dare to go there I would never have known about such interesting people. So this video is not a failure in any sense, but a huge launchpad to understanding remote cultures to the fog of knowing the easternmost part of the European western world. I applaud your daring and efforts, carry on!

2:38 Mr Baldy sees a Renault and a Volvo: - American truck here in Russia Everything in the world is either Soviet or American :D

This is one of the best travel shows, not only on KZfaq but generally. I really want to go on a road trip across Russia. So little known, yet so many different things to see and explore.

11:23 the sweetest thing, poor doggy just wants some food probably

Very Buddhist of that man to ask for money straight off the bat.

Accidentally wandering into a gulag is the most Soviet thing you can do

Oh, I got goosebumps when the Kalmyk Throat Singing started 12:40! LOVE it. Thanks for sharing another incredible experience

Enjoy your rest Mr. Bald. So glad to know that you're OK. We care about you and worry about you. Take all the time off that you need. KZfaqr burn out is a real thing.

Bald: “It could be, an actual Gulag” *Bald approaches the actual Gulag*

100 rupee guy is pissed off!

Kalmykian here. Come there in the end of April to witness tulip blossom, fascinating thing to do!

Wow! I grew up in Kalmykia, so nice to see familiar sights and this bloody wind :3 I have a feeling that something missing in this video about kalmyks...oh, it's locust)

Never had a desire to travel to Russia. I’ve watched most of your videos and am planning now to visit in 2020. Thanks my Bald brother

Bald asks the taxi driver to drop in the middle of nowhere Also bald: Oh no I am in the middle of bloody nowhere

Weird bald guy sneaking around with video camera: "She wasn't the friendliest"

He sounded so English when he said "Brighton" haha

You need to visit old German tribes in Russia.

I just saw a band in Philadelphia, Pa here in the states called “The Hu”. They are a traditional throat singing metal band from Mongolia. I highly recommend them. Listen to their songs “Wolf Totem” and “The Great Chinggis Khaan”.

Ever since discovering these videos I have found myself looking into Russian language courses, researching and reading about Russian culture, and wistfully looking at entry visa requirements. This guy is truly living my dream. Makes me jealous.

You should travel to Russia’s coldest city Yakutsk it’s the coldest region in Russia

I like how that dude just straight up asked u for cash lmao

"can i have 100€? " i should try that too

Kalmykia is like the wind power house of the world :-) So much wind energy potential :-)

The best travel blog type video on youtube. Very honest, interested in the local population & their lives. Always feel like I'm there with you & enjoying what the people have to offer/ and what simple happiness you bring to their day. People are people, no matter what different culture

WD40 needed in Kalmykia!!!

"American truck!" Points to a Volvo

Hey Mr. Bald! Nice Content! One Question: Can you go to German Villages in Russia, where the people speak the German language? I think you can find them in the near of the River Wolga and i think also in the national Rajons Asowo and Halbstadt.

KZfaq just randomly recommended me one of your videos. I’ve been binge watching you for hours!!! There is something about your nature, that is so pleasing. Thank you for being a breath of fresh air here on this channel. Can’t wait for more

Beautiful Buddhist temple..lots of love frm Tibet 😘😘

The cut to your room was legendary. Nearly pissed my pants.

recently found this channel, bingewatched lot of the videos and came to the conclusion that you have to be the guy to meet the first aliens to represent us :D

The Kalmyk writing in the house of culture says ‘Jangar’, the name of a great hero of the Kalmyk/Oirat people.

Nobody: Bald getting out of a car: UWAGGH

"Nobody gives detailed directions quite like Russian babushkas"

Makes me so happy every time i watch Your adventure. Dont know why but just do. Thanks for sharing and Greetings from WW2HistoryHunter.

This doesn't look so different from some of the plains states in the US. You won't find Soviet style apartment buildings in such areas, but you will encounter the lone gas stations and small roadside stores. Also, I don't think American authorities would appreciate someone approaching their prisons on foot. I love these videos, but what impresses me most is the human interaction between Ben and the locals. I really feel, that except for the language and some of the cultural barriers, the people he meets could be my friends too.

It’s so eerie how everything is completely deserted. This is such a fascinating channel!

It’s all part of the adventure! Just hearing the wind caused me me to snuggle deeper in the blankets!!☺️😂☺️

I had to rewind like 10 times when the dog ran up to him. That was such a good doggo

Have you seen the movie Genghis Blues yet? If not you'll enjoy it. That was some interesting exploring despite the setbacks. I kind of like those weird abandoned places myself. Good thing they didn't find your camera or that could have been bad.

Thank you Bald for showing us part of our nationality,sending lots of love from Mongolia

Will you go to Volgograd( former Stalingrad) Mr Bald? It's one of the most Soviet places in the Universe.

It was very cool! Thank you for this video. I am Russian but never visited Kalmykia. By the way, may be one day you can go to Karachaevo-Cherkessia region. Beautiful place! There are mountains covered with the snow, old forests, cable road running through the forest. My childhood memories! Also, we have a lot of wonderful places on the Black sea: Sochi, Gelendzhik, Novorossijsk. Well, one can travel all his life through Russia. Hope one day to visit England. But Montreal, where I live, is also interesting city.

The dog part was the best!!!!! i love dogs. that dog was so happy to meet u!!!

Mr.100rupees has a long lost brother mr.50rubles 🤣😂

What a dismal looking, deserted village, but the Kalmyk music! Fabulous. You keep amazing your viewers with vlogs from fascinating places off the beaten track.

Come to vlog in Bulgaria. Many babushkas speak russian and there are astonishing soviet relics. We can vlog together for a tour.

I learn more from you about Kalmykia in 14 minutes than my lifetime in school

Absolutely love your videos Bald! Ill immediately stop what I'm doing to watch as soon as they're uploaded!! Fantastic content.

Very interesting. I stayed many years in Mongolia and would love to visit Kalmykia! Looks like the language is the same!

How i love all of his videos. After a long day. A cold milk and a chocolate and his videos. Perfect.

Good you're back. I was fed up with your Norwegian friend

he kept his hood on so the wind wouldn’t mess up his hair

2:38 "American Truck" Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson be like "hold my Surströmming"

Absolutely incredible! So glad you weren't detained for a lengthy amount of time! Thanks for sharing your adventures, don't be so discouraged! Wow that singing at the end was superb, it must take years to get your voice to sound like that! Wow! Thanks brother!

you are the only travel vlogger that I watch and will ever watch...

I love how Bald tries to list all the towns(big and small) he stops at along his journeys so that I can follow his progress on Google maps. 🤗

That's great! I'm Kalmyk. Are you still in Elista? I would like to meet you! Is it possible?

I have been watching you for some time and your hilarious. You have uplifted many of my down days, thank you

"American truck": Pointing at a French and a Swedish truck. :D

Bald comes in with the late-night KZfaq clutch!

you guys ever get jealous of people that haven't discovered bald yet? They can binge watch so many Russian episodes now.

Thank you for sharing all the amazing places you have visited in the former Sovjet Union. Great videos and great experience, I can't tell with words how cool your adventures are. I'm literally jalous and man, you have balls!

everybody: man this place is depressing People from the rural midwestern united states: this looks like where I'm from

You should go to eastern bashkortostan, there is a lot of native speakers of bashkir language

There is an Italian writer who has travelled extensively around these eastern European regions and his books are about that and very interesting and enjoyable to read (even if I don't agree with everything he says). His name is Paolo Rumiz, I'm not sure if his books are translated into English but if they are, I reccomend it. Or else, learn Italian ;-)

You don't disappoint me bc I don't know a lot about the places you visit in Russia or anywhere. I'm just grateful to you for taking us on your journeys. I'm watching you on my huge tv screen. I feel like I'm there with you holding the camera lol

This guy is so respectful of others people's cultures. Cultures I have never heard about.

"well what do you know, it actually was a gulag" lmao

Your channel is amazing. I'am so glad I've discovered it. I actually lived 260km from Elista for half of my life and never even considered visiting it. Now rediscovering folklore and culture of different regions of Russia through your videos. Love from Moscow. Thank you for your work

I like it when the videos don’t quite work out, it feels like we’re travelling and discovering things with you, and sometimes not much happens and we just hang out

Vote for Baldy as Time Magazine's Person of the Year!

It's amazing to see how much hard work and efforts you put in to make video. You research about history, language, origin of people and a lot of Soviet Humor. Unlike most of the others who just walk around with a GoPro. Never forget to like the video even before watching. Content has to be good.

SO unfortunate you didn't manage to hear the language. I hope you'll come back to Kalmykia in April or May, the most beautiful period of time in Kalmykia, eat our national food and meet nice people.

I was born in 1989 in Poland, yet still I can find so many similarities to what I have seen during my childhood. Comparing to those soviet countries You've been travelling and showing for us, there is clearly some common ground, and Im feeling watching all these like in a time machine.

The music was gorgeous. I really love throat singing.

It would be really cool if you could visit an "Old Believers" community in Russia! (similar to the American Amish, they live in isolation, and are self sustaining.)

Thank you very much! That was freaking cosy to be able to indulge in a stroll along this beautiful town of Yashkul without getting out of my sofa..... this was the best one. And these nice looking local dudes who actually heard of Manchester! I'm impressed

“Wind muffler” sounds like something Mr Harald Baldr would purchase! Fantastic videos as usual dude!!