Day 22: Walking Around Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia

Friday, October 7, 2016

The October temperatures of zero degrees (freezing) and below in Ulaanbaatar kind of caught me off guard. While Beijing had been thankfully more autumn-like, I suddenly stepped into winter. My layers of shirt, sweater and sweat shirt, paired with tennis shoes, were definitely inadequate. I did buy camel wool socks and some warm but thin gloves that allowed me to use my camera without taking them off. But overall, I decided to keep moving on, rather than get caught in a blizzard along the way to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Helsinki. So I went to the train station, bought an overnight train ticket for later than evening, and went out on foot to explore more of the capitol.

Taiga Hostel is right off of Peace Street. Nearby is Peace Tower. I'm kind of a fan of peace.

Another landmark building helped me find my way back to my neighborhood.

I was surprised to see these SWAT Army Shops around Ulaanbaatar. I think of Buddhists as very peaceful people.

Souvenir shop near the train station. There were also many in my neighborhood. Many beautiful things are Made in Mongolia.

Besides meat, the main diet in Mongolia consists of potatoes, carrots and onions, all of which store well through the winter.

As an avid environmentalist, I'm always excited to see progress of recycling in third world countries. Now, if Americans could get onboard with the Germans and Swiss, I'd be really happy. Best recycling I've ever seen.

Even though this woman is clearly a model and probably airbrushed with Photoshop, I saw equally beautiful Mongolian women walking around the capitol in their boots, leggings, short skirts and fur coats.

I also wasn't expecting to see Zac Efron on a billboard in Mongolia either. Can someone help me translate the title and identify the blond woman to the right?

Although I haven't met many Mongolians in America, it looks like they're applying for visas.

Stealing a group shot. I'm not sure if they work or study together.

Impressive Buildings border Chinngis Square. In the Western world we call the famous Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan. Seems to be a similar mispronunciation to Peking - Beijing. Footnote: the Beijing Airport code is still PEK, and their specialty dish is still called Peking Duck.

Government Palace facing Chinggis Square, complete with statue of Chinggis Khan seated at the top of the stairs. I asked what's inside the building, but no one could tell me. I was short on time because of my train reservation, and looking for the National Museum of Mongolian History, which I found across the street. Unfortunately, this fabulous museum doesn't allow any photographs, but I highly recommend it.

I assumed this was a statue of Chinggis Khan, since that's how the square is called today. However, it's actually revolutionary hero Damdin Sükhbaatar, who declared Mongolia's independence from China here in 1921. The name of the square was changed from Sukhbaatar Square to Chinggis Square in 2013, although locals often refer to it by its original name, despite their national pride in Chinggis Khan.

A closer look at the Government Palace. I wish I had photos from the amazing Museum of Mongolian History across the street, but photography was not allowed. Inside I met two American women who had taken a day trip to a nomad village, shared lunch inside a yurt and rode horses and camels. I almost skipped my train trip to Ulan Ude, Russia, but figured one lost train ticket was enough for this trip. However, I shall return in the spring or fall someday.

I found my train easily as it clearly says Ulaanbaatar - Moscow. I would just ride it overnight across the border to Ulan Ude, Russia.

These soldiers were also traveling on the same train, however none of them were in my train car.

 

The older Mongolians still dress more traditionally. I learned from the American women in the Mongolian History Museum that many of the young people are leaving the nomadic lifestyle in favor of city life in Ulaanbaatar, leaving just 30% of the country's population in the steppe region.

 

Not taking any chances, I board the train early and settle in to wait. No more missed trains for me. This overnight train cost $50, a lot more than my first one, because it's international.

Au revoir, hasta luego, Ulaanbaatar, not goodbye. I'm sure I'll be back again...hopefully before Mongolia requires Americans to get visas, like Europeans and Chinese do now.