Ulan Bator

Ulan Bator, Mongolia is an exciting little city with little to do. We're looking forward to getting out of the city, but so far we've been enjoying ourselves.

Yesterday, we went to Gandan Monastery (Buddhist). Certainly not one of the most exciting places of worship I've seen in Asia, it had it's own little charm. There was a nice little courtyard with pigeons, kids scaring pigeons, people feeding pigeons, and people dodging pigeons. Damn pigeons. Besides these upiquitous and evil birds, the three of us wandered into the main place of worship. Inside, a very large amount of monks sat chanting, hitting drums, blowing horns, and praying. We sat on the sides with the locals and took in the sensory overload. It is hard to describe what I witnessed there - a profound experience. Photographs were not allowed, and since I cannot even come close to capturing it in words, I will just keep this to myself...

After the monastery, we headed to the supermarket for something to drink and for ice cream. As we entered the store, we were bowed to by an adult male in a bumblebee suit.You have not lived until you have been bowed to by a bumblebee....... In the supermarket, I decided to purchase Seabuckthorn juice, a favorite of Mongolians. This not-so-tasty drink was some what enigmatic - it tasted watered down, yet full of a flavor that we decided resembles that of PlayDoh. We sat outside the market and ate ice cream, watching the locals as they stared us down, intrigued by the foreigners.

People watching in Mongolia is hands down the best. The population is split in two - people who are extremely intriguing looking (not necessarily unattractive, just interesting) and those who are absolutely drop dead gorgeous. The three of us did not expect Mongolia to be a breeding ground for the most attractive people in Asia (or perhaps the world). As for the youngsters, we have decided that six years old is the age in which Mongolians transform from the cutest frickin' babies ever, into extremely bizarre looking children. Then at about fifteen, the metamorphosis begins as some come out intriguing and others butterflies (I still can't get over the swarms of butterflies!) Mongolians are also the best dressed, most stylish people on a whole. Completely surprising.

For dinner, we caught up with our good friend Stephane, the Frenchie. Stephane's wit is sharper than the edge of a diamond, and leaves us laughing at every second - especially when he says, "rubber ducky" in a thick French accent. The four of us went to a literal hole in the wall, where no one spoke English, the menus were in Mongolian only, and we were stared at as though no Westerners had every set foot in the establishment (if one could apply such a title to a hole in the wall). A few minutes of looking at the menu and pretending like we knew what we were doing, was culminated in the decision of simply pointing at something and wishing for the best. It turned out to be a success, the food was delicious! After dinner, we went to find a bar. On the outside, Millstar Bar looks like an absolute dump, but on the inside, the atmosphere was beyond comfortable. Leather sofas hugged us as we sat in soft mood lighting. Western pop artists serenaded us from the speakers as we sipped our Mongolian beers. We chatted and laughed for quite some time. Stephane will be missed for sure - but luckily we will reconnect in Beijing for a bit!

Today, we set out to go to Sukhbatar Square before making the several kilometer walk to the Winter Palace. As we strolled the streets, we were baffled by the amount of young children looking dapper as can be. Little boys got their swag on in sparkly suits, while little girls clutched balloons in puffy white dresses. The second Sukhbatar Square came into view, the three of us turned to each other and exclaimed, "what the f*ck?!" The square was PACKED. Wandering around, gawking at the carnival games and happy families, we had yet to realize that today was Children's Day. Perhaps the cutest of all holidays (especially since Mongolian children are the cutest babies on Earth), we said, "awww" more times than a bratty pre-tween (oxymoron) says, "like" (like oh my god, these kids are like the cutest things like ever!)

Once we finished signing adoption papers for all of the children of Mongolia (not actually), we headed to the Winter Palace. The long walk was paused only for some ice cream (yes, we like our ice cream, don't judge). Since most foreigners hitch a ride to the palace, our walking threesome made for quite a sight for the locals as we made our way off the beaten path. Upon our arrival, we realized that the beautiful structure was closed, so headed back to the monastery that we had been to yesterday. The relaxing stroll through the monastery's grounds was followed a little bit later by a reunion and dinner with the Commonwealthers - the last time we'll see them on this trip (but hopefully not forever). Their group is one of epic personalities - the friendliest, funniest group of people we've met thus far. We said our goodbyes and returned to the hostel.

Tomorrow, we are off to the East! I'll be offline for a few days - look for a few updates in four days!

PS - Thank you