Khushtai National Park to Ulaanbaatar

The wind was howling around the ger in the night, and it is still quite blustery when we get up this morning.

Breakfast

Fried egg and boortsog (fried dough)

Today we are returning to Ulaanbaatar at the end of our exploration of Central Mongolia. I sleep most of the way, apart from during a short stop at Carrefour to buy some Coca Cola. Daari treats us to a curd drink that she tells me is extremely popular here in Mongolia, and very nice it is too.

Ulaanbaatar

As usual, the traffic in Ulaanbaatar is beyond a mess, it is almost totally gridlocked. We inch our way through while Daari points out various important buildings. Part of the city is very modern, clean, and indistinguishable from most contemporary cities. In other parts, however, vestiges of the Soviet era are very much present.

Modern Architecture

Zaisan Hill

On the outskirts of the city, a small hill is topped with a memorial of the same name to honour the Mongolian and Soviet soldiers killed in WWII.

Daari and David climb the 300 steps to the top, while I stay in the car park, sitting on my little stool and sending the drone up.

The panoramic views over Ulaanbaatar from up there are amazing.

I practice with some of the video features of the drone that I don’t normally use, and get it to automatically circumnavigate the memorial.

The circular painting at the top depicts friendship between the two nations.

Choijin Lama Temple

Built in 1908, the complex contains six temples and is an important surviving example of Chinese-style religious architecture in the country, being one of only a handful of religious sites in the country that was not destroyed when the communists took over Mongolia.

Daari explains that it is not the temple itself that is the main attraction here, but the 6,000 or so exhibits in the museum, reflecting Mongolia’s history, cultural heritage, and religious traditions.

Unfortunately, the temple, and thus the museum, is closed today. Oh well. As we wander through the grounds, we come across a kindergarten outing, with all the cute little ones wearing bright yellow tabards.

Millie’s Espresso

Popular with locals and foreigners alike, the café is buzzing with a young and lively vibe.

I order their signature dish: Millie’s Philly Chicken. The bread is fresh and the breaded chicken is tasty.

David enjoys his chicken burger with cheese and also indulges himself in a chocolate milkshake.

Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel

And so we are back where we started, in the same hotel in Ulaanbaatar. Unfortunately not the same room, though, this time we have not been upgraded to a suite. The standard rooms are still very pleasant, so we are not complaining.

One of the first things we do when we get to the room, is to get rid of the homemade milk vodka. I’m sorry Daari, it was very kind of you; thanks, but no thanks.

Tomorrow we are taking a domestic flight that has only a ten kilo checked-in luggage allowance, so we re-pack our combined clothes into one bag weighing around 20 kg. We then take advantage of the comfortable chairs, something we’ve not had in the gers, and chill for a while with a glass or two of the commercially-made milk vodka.

Dinner

When Daari dropped us off at the hotel earlier, she offered to come back later to take us out for dinner, which seemed totally pointless, as she lives some 45 minutes away from the hotel, traffic permitting. We are just as happy to go to the hotel restaurant instead.

The smoked salmon farfalle needs plenty of salt and pepper, and the pasta is al-dente to the point of being undercooked.

Our after-dinner cappuccinos come without spoons, and when we try to ask for some using sign language, we get the bill instead. Singing it to the room and leaving a reasonably generous tip, we leave the restaurant to return to our room. Just as we are getting into the lift, another waiter comes running over, claiming that we haven’t paid the bill. It’s not even our bill he's holding!

This is the end of the first part of our Mongolia adventure. Thank you to Undiscovered Destinations and their local team for arranging this exciting trip for us.