Entering the world of Genghis Khan …

As usual, it rains as we leave Russia (morning of 22nd), so Karen would say that Russia is crying because we are leaving.

At the border, we all sit quietly in our cabins, while the Russian guards take away our passports and do whatever it is they do with them.  Once they have collected all of the passports and done some customs checks (with sniffer dogs), we are allowed out onto the platform. (clearly no photographs of this procedures ... the guards even told us to close our curtains ... to keep us from seeing out or the outsiders from seeing in? ... we'll never know)

It is a very quiet little town where not much of anything is happening.  Once off, we realized that our locomotive is gone, as is the dining car, such as it was.   We drift around the little town, buy some beers, and occasionally look back to see if there is any sign of a new locomotive.   Eventually, we are ushered onto the train rather quickly despite the absence of an engine.   Some 45 minutes, later there is a series of major jolts which we assume to be the engine attaching itself (hopefully it’s not the dining car or the beer will be impossible to open).

Since we will be alighting at 6:30am next morning, we all (the professor, the pilot, fraulein und mutter, and us) convene in the new dramatic-looking Mongolian dining car for a nightcap, thereby ensuring another bad and short night’s sleep.

Off to find Zaya’s hostel, which turns out to be a major bargain … a big double room, ensuite, and breakfast … all for USD $38 per night.   We’ll be back here for another night after our birthday excursion to the ger camp tomorrow.  Meanwhile, it’s a wander around Ulaan Baatar to see what non-nomadic life is like for the Mongolians.   Badly broken roads, badly wounded cars, lots of car horns blaring, almost a  50:50 mix of RHD and LHD cars all come together to make street crossing a game of chicken, but one played with big smiles by all concerned.

UB is not a pretty city, and suffers from all of the problems of rapid growth, migration to the cities, unemployment, alcohol, etc.  But it does not feel dangerous (in the sense of pickpockets etc), in contrast to what most of the books say … perhaps because we’re not yet into the tourist season.   We collect our tickets for the final leg to Beijing and after updating the blog (takes hours if the internet connection is slow), we head for dinner in a real original Mongolian BBQ (not the local arm of a US chain!!).

Magnificent … all we could eat of fantastic food … plus 3 wines and 3 beers (Khar Khorums of course) … all for 42,000 Tugruk (just over $30).

The making of a cool dude in Mongolia ... at the BBQ

De Goin' home after 14 years