Ulaanbaatar - Nothing but sound and smoke

Ulaanbaatar, the 1.2 million person city, is now home to nearly half of the Mongolian population. Accordingly, it's large, colourful and loud for local conditions. The streets are crowded with constantly honking cars and despite the freezing temperatures, the centre is filled with people. At first, the hustle and bustle, in combination with the fact, that you can't read or understand anything (again!), seems intimidating. But soon you realize that the supposedly aggressive honking is a mean of communication, that many Mongolians will assist you in finding the right place and that the peculiar combination of modern and traditional is somehow sympathetic.

The first thing I noticed was the smog that constantly hangs over the city. The air pollution produced by the cars, but also by the numerous stoves used for heating and the industry is hard to miss. Some people even wear a mask over their mouth as is popular in other Asian cities. Although they help a little against the cold, the masks sometimes make it difficult to do anything. Some days I was totally frozen after two hours despite the multiple layers of clothing and had to warm up somewhere, mostly in my warm, cosy bed at the hostel. The cold somehow made me sluggish and I wasn't really motivated to leave the domestic comfort of warmth. One of the first sights I visited was the Chinggis Khaan Square. The statue of the horseman is not, as you would expect, the Mongolian national hero Genghis Khan, but represents another historical figure, Sukhbaatar. He lead the revolution against the Chinese occupation. The square was originally named after him but was renamed in 2013 to honour Genghis Khan who the Mongolians see as their founding father. His statue on the north side of the square stands out especially at night when it is beautifully lit up. The vast square is surrounded by old buildings as well as modern glass and concrete buildings and there are construction sites everywhere to build more. A little to the west, in the middle of the so-called ger quarter is the Gandan Monastery. Founded in 1838, it became the religious and intellectual centre of Mongolia. Although the monastery was not spared from the destruction of the soviet government, it could be reopened in 1944 under supervision of the secret police. Numerous pigeons gather in front of its gate and are sometimes fed by the visitors. It was pretty impressive to watch the pigeons dive for the for the food (and the person).

The very limited opening hours of some of the attractions proved to make my excursions even more difficult. The best example is the Choijin-Lama-Temple. I was there on a Thursday afternoon, the guidebook said it was open, the sign beside the door said it was open. But it was closed! I had another look at the opening hours "Open in winter Tue - Sat 10:00 - 16:00" and rattled a little perplexed at the doors. A security guard showed up telling me:  "No, no, closed! Open Tuesday! Come Tuesday!" Any attempt to point out that the sign said something completely different was pointless. Even my search for the fossilized dinosaur eggs was unsuccessful. I was really looking forward to see them. According to my guidebook (2015 edition!) they should be exhibited in the Natural Science History Museum but it did not exist any longer. Although there was no sign of dinosaur eggs in the National History Museum, I could admire traditional Mongolian headdresses that looked as if there from Queen Amidala from Star Wars. Also very fascinating was the fact that girls and young women wore their toiletries consisting of a nail cleaner, a tongue scraper, a toothpick, an ear cleaner and a small perfume container on an amulet around their neck. (Sadly I was not allowed to take pictures in the museum.) Even after some locals participated in my egg hunt, we remained unsuccessful and had to give it up. At least I found the International Intellectual Museum, which displayed many different puzzle games, most of them being wooden. The variety was amazing. There was a ger including furniture made completely out of these wooden puzzle games. I wasn't able to resist buying a small pig consisting of 13 pieces in the museum shop.

In the Black Market in Ulaanbaatar, you can get pretty much everything you need to live; clothes, shoes, household goods, even everything you need to build a Ger  (including the interior) and much more. The market is huge, crowded and busy. Countless stalls roofed with tarps are standing right next to each other in between narrow aisles where you have to squeeze through haggling Mongolians. The crowds moving through the tight spaces make you an easy victim for pickpockets. The Black Market, officially called Naran Tuul Market, is a real paradise for them. Accordingly, it is better not to carry a big bag or expensive items. We took as little as possible and buried it deep down and hopefully safe in our pockets and joined the hustle and bustle. The market is usually visited by locals, throughout the whole visit we didn't see any other tourists. There were no tacky Mongolia souvenirs, nor pushy salesmen but everything else. I was impressed in particular by the beautifully embroidered traditional boots and coats. At lunch time, we visited a small cafeteria where locals eat. The only problem was there was no one speaking English and the menu was only printed in Mongolian. Our first plan was just to close our eyes and point on something but a better opportunity presented itself. The guy sitting at the next table had a very appetizing looking dish sitting before him. We exchanged a few gestures and he pointed at one of the incomprehensible words. At the cashier, we pointed at the same thing and got a delicious, cheap and typical Mongolian dish.

The Zaisan Monument is a thing you should not miss. It was built on a hill south of Ulaanbaatar in honour of fallen Soviet soldiers and overlooks the entire city. Since I had enough time, I could wait for a clear day without much smog but this also meant that it was freezing (-29°C). On the way, I visited the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan, mainly to warm up. It consists of several temples and the "palace" where the Bogd Khan, the former religious and political leader of Mongolia resided in the winter. Actually, it is a very simple and relatively small house, but this is what made it interesting. Apparently not all rulers have to live in oversized, ostentatious residences. I still needed a hot coffee to warm me up so I continued my walk. After passing a large Buddha statue, I had to climb some icy and slippery steps so I could finally enjoy the fabulous view of the city. The circular monument on top shows scenes of the Mongolian Soviet friendship. I had planned to see the sunset there but due to the low temperature I was glad to return to the hostel.

The contrast between Ulaanbaatar and the rest of the country could not be greater . While people outside the town are still living in Gers without running water and obtaining  their electricity through the use of a car battery that is charged by solar panels, they build skyscrapers and shopping malls in UB. While the rest of the country is basically empty, the countless cars in UB plug the streets and the sea of houses stretches to the horizon. The traditional Mongolian clothing  that is worn everywhere else almost disappeared from the city, they wear the same things like in any large European city. Although Mongolia is a Buddhist country there are Christmas trees blinking all over the place and every single business wishes you a "Merry Christmas".

Anyone who really wants to get to know Mongolia should let themselves be fascinated by the vastness and tranquillity of the countryside. Coming back was a small culture shock after the Gobi trip, but I was glad to get to know both sides of Mongolia and was really looking forward continuing my journey along the Trans-Siberian Railway...