Days 28–30, Ulaanbaatar
Day 28
Choijin Lama temple
First place we decide to see in UB (Ulaanbaatar) is the Narantuul Market. On the way there we stop by the Choijin Lama Temple.
Of course, an Irish pub suddenly appears.
It’s curious to see skyscrapers looming over these traditional buildings.
What’s the difference between a Euro and a Mongolian tögrög ? 1 Euro!
Indeed, 1,00 € is worth between 2 700 and 2 900 MNT. Our entry fee to the musuem was 6 000 MNT.
I took a few photos inside the first temple before being told off.
After that we cross a park where there happens to be some sort of japanese festival with stands and music.
Narantuul Market
On the way to the market, traffic and foot traffic gets denser. One gets the feeling of crossing into a poorer side of town, the buildings and streets look run down. I put my bag from my back to my front, we’ve been told there a pickpockets.
The market is huge, I’ve never seen anything like it.
You can buy anything, from clothes to bikes, bags to hats, pots and pans, electronics, home appliances, camping gear, pens and paper, carpets, souvenirs, sweets… and then some.
We bought some local cheese to taste, couldn’t tell if it’s from cow, horse, yak or goat. It wasn’t very nice, sweet and sour at the same time.
Is there something on our face? We get stared at a lot. In the middle of the market is a shopping mall, which is actually a collection of more market stands on four floors.
We have a meal on the top floor, which is pretty tasty and served hot, putting many French restaurants to shame.
We call it a day and head back to our hostel.
Do you Toyota Prius much? In UB, they do. 50% of cars here are Priuses, which means traffic is quiet.
Day 29
Gandantegchinlen Monastery
This area is a collection of temples, that white building with the green roof being the main attraction and we’ll find out why soon enough. But first we wander into one of the smaller buildings.
Oops, there are a group of kid monks in here, and a teenage monk patiently waits by the door for us to leave before closing it behind us.
No matter, we go into a second one which is empty, with a sign saying “shoes off”.
We walk up to the big temple and pay an entry fee of 4000 MNT each, (that’s less than 2,00 €).
Ok, maybe it’s hard to tell the scale of this statue from the photo.
Prayers are written on cylinders which people spin as they walk by. They are present all around the room, and can be found everywhere on the monastery grounds and in temple courtyards.
On the other side along the walls are countless statues of buddhas.
We haven’t reached China or India yet and I’ve already overdosed on golden Buddha statues. Still, it’s a welcome change from all those orthodox paintings of Christian saints with halos.
Ulaanbaatar’s biggest souvenir shop
On the sixth floor of a modern shopping center was a pretty big shop full of many beautiful and expensive things.
Time for lunch, or dinner, … tea? It’s 17:00 and we are hungry.
We finish the day by heading to Ghenkis Khaan plaza.
After being nearly run over by a toddler in a small electric toy car, I take pictures of statues and the sunset.
Day 30
Bogd Khaan musuem
Bogd Khaan was the first Khaan of independent Mongolia, in 1911.
Zaisan monument
Ah, I forgot to take a picture of this monument. Essentially it celebrates the friendship between Mongolia and the Soviet Union.
I wrote earlier that traffic is quiet. Actually, UB has a big problem with traffic, you don’t hear many engines, but people honk a lot. Junctions are congested, so at every major junction there is a policeman.
Ulaanbaatar gives the impression of being poor, and yet there are many signs indicating that it is in full development. Many luxurious skyscrapers are being built, some areas of town look swanky while others made me feel uneasy.
Tomorrow we are taking a bus to go to Terelj national park.
