Back to Ulaanbaatar

So another couple of days in the van, 2 more days of stunning scenery, another Buddhist temple and another 2 nights of camping. This completed our trip and although it was sad it was over, secretly we were all looking forward to a hot bath, clean clothes and a comfortable bed. We parted agreeing to keep in touch and we really hope we do as Eric & marie were great travelling companions. Ulaanbaatar looked just the same as when we left so we headed straight for the Indian restaurant and a slap up curry meal! Oh we needed that, after 2 weeks of pasta was great to eat something else. They couldn’t quite run to a glass of wine so we settled for a beer to go with it. We spent our last day packing and a trip to the post office revealed such extortionate postage prices, we had to repack all our souvenirs and gifts, hoping the postage will be cheaper in Beijing. So our last evening in Mongolia, we met up with Eric & Marie again for a meal out. We said our final goodbyes and stocked up from the supermarket ready for the 29 hour train ride the next day. then off for a reasonably early night as we were due to be picked up at 6.15am Words we learnt in Mongolia (our spelling - not theirs!) Bueno - hi San Bueno - hello Yow ya - lets go yowee - lets go Bikecla - thank you Bikete - goodbye Mach gui eack duch - I don’t eat meat Unduck - eggs Tumus - potatoes Bulda - rice Neetlet - potato salad We realise also that we haven’t described Ulaanbaatar to you. First, imagine your best Russian style concrete block city, Then imagine it all unfinished, built but nothing finished. Chuck in some roads with huge (and we mean huge - road size) potholes and add some parky bits with grass which is never cut, and that’s Ulaanbaatar. It isn’t dirty but it is very very dusty. It isn’t dangerous but it is edgy. It isn’t communist anymore, but it is very Russian-esque, it isn’t in the poverty trap but it does have poor people. It certainly isn’t a city you would want to live in but there are signs that it is trying to modernise (one very modern sail shaped glass building) but we think that might be a shame if it does. One of the things we have said about every city we have been in on this trip is that we could be anywhere. Ok so taking aside landmark buildings like the Sydney Opera house, then it could be Auckland or Vancouver. Bangkok could be Phnom Penh. Montreal could be Beijing. They are all fundamentally the same. Except Ulaanbaatar. it is its own place, with it’s own very unique identity and not trying to be anywhere else. And we liked it for that. Mongolian Steppes Guesthouse Room rating: dorm 5/10 private room 7/10 Location: 10/10 - both very central Staff: 7/10 - brilliant to start with, tapered off at the end Value for Money: 8/10 Other comments: very clean and Eiggy who runs it was very helpful with good advice and information Stay again? probably not as the beds are not very comfortable Overall area experience: 10/10 Mongolia was out of this world!!!