Day 21: Ulaanbaator (MNG). “After such a long time, isn't it nice to see smiling faces”, I joked to Karen as we stood in front of the Gandan Monastery. Russia had been a great experience for us but in general, we had found the people to be relatively cold and unwelcoming. Mongolia on the other hand was a very different place. Bright, colourful, intriguing - it's people seemed happy and genuinely glad we were there. Oh, how nice that felt!Ulaanbaator, is a truly fascinating place. Not only is it the coldest capital on earth, with temperatures ranging from -49C in winter to +38C in summer but it also has the most diverse of populations: Nomadic herders from the countryside have moved in to the city filling much of the urban sprawl with their ger tents; retaining their traditional dress and practices, sharing the capital with a growing breed of wealthy professional urbanites. And some how, this strange combination of people have found a way to live together, harmoniously.
And it wasn't just the people, the cost of living here in Central Asia was very different to what we had been used to. Having paid £4 for a coffee in Moscow, it was refreshing to have a bed for the night for a fiver and a two course meal with drinks for about 4,000 Togrogs (about £2). And good food it was too: Mutton and Vegetable Soup, following by Mutton Dumplings (can you start to see the theme here...?)
Interestingly enough, the guide books talk about Ulaanbaator being quite a dangerous place to visit, with violent crime, and incidents of pickpocketing on the increase but so far we felt quite relaxed in the city. Crossing the road though, was a different matter altogether: That felt like one of the most dangerous and violent activities we have ever encountered with drivers seemingly speeding up and deliberately heading towards you as when ever you dared to step off of the pavement!
Day 21: Total Mileage to Date: 6,596: Number of Time Zones Crossed: 9; Number of Countries Visited: 7; Number of Transport Modes Used: 14, Maximum Temperature Encountered: +8C, Minimum Temperature Encountered: -23C.
5 comments:
Really enjoying the blog and the humour, insanely jealous of the adventure sounds marvellous.
Not sure the Russians will forgive you now you have compounded the potato insult and called them unfriendly. bit cowardly to post after you left Russia!
I really look forward to the posts.
I feel really weedy now, looking at the cold temperatures you've encountered. I'm never going to complain about being cold in the office again... Not really!
Did you believe me, Karen?
Hello! I only just remembered that I had contacted Karen before you headed off on your journey and that she had sent me the blog link ... oops - sorry, but we've had a lot going on! We used to work at DRS and although we are not travelling to such exotic places on our trip, we have been on and off the road since last May. Now I have your link I will be checking in regularly. Sounds like you are having THE most amazing time - keep enjoying yourselves. Scott, Alice (and our daughter and dog!)
Great journey and blog.
Re David's comment re Russians not smiling: When we went to Russia last year the Russian girl who showed us round when asked " Why don't Russians smile very much on the street?" She answered that "you can tell who are the tourists because they are the only ones smiling..." she said most Russians have a hard life so do not see much to smile about in public. We also wondered if years of being watched by their authorities and any contact with foreigners being viewed with suspicion meant that they tried to ignore strangers in public. On a one to one basis we found idividuals friendly.
Hi, Caren and David!
Now it's around 2 years that we met at the Hostel in Ulaanbaatar.
Your travel was an inspiration for me, so I startet in July 2010 for my Asia trip. Now I am in Vietnam and will fly back to Austria from Bangkok in March 2011.
I wish you the best for the new year and hope that you are fine!
Take care!
Gerhard
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