Ok, time for my official first post! If you are using this as a way to keep track of me, you are sorely mistaken. As soon as I leave the capital I'll probably have no internet. This is just for fun and to help me remember my trip!
Travel time was a total of 23 hours according to my plane tickets. Sleep was hard to come by this time but I managed to only let my mouth hang open a couple moments. But for the long haul flight, the unfortunate thing was that my entertainment system didn't entertain. No music, no plane location, nothing. I had a lot of time to think about everything that could possibly be thought of. Oh and before I boarded my flight, the Air China people told me I had to have a return ticket. I knew from my research that you don't need a way out of Mongolia (because of the Trans-Siberian railway, the Mongol Rally etc.) but I hastily whipped out my laptop and bought a ticket for the 21st of September. Unfortunately it's a bit earlier than I wanted an 300 dollars more than I wanted. I can change it, but then part of me thinks 3 weeks is enough time to see the big things I want to see and then I'll have more time to prepare for my future in China.
I arrived a bit earlier in Ulaanbaatar then expected, and the while in the air I could see rolling hills and ridges that just looked like you could run over them forever. The city from the sky looks a bit dingy. LOTS of gers surround the city, which is itself a mix of old soviet buildings an modern apartments. It kind of looks like a poor version of China. Or more like someone playing SimCity but had no idea what they were doing. Oh ya, it's really hot here, 29 Degrees Celsius.
Anyways, I made it to my hostel, immediately made friends with my roommates who all except 1 was leaving the country. So after showering and a small nap I went out to a nearby pub and had my first Mongolian beer and later I found a street food tent which served lamb skewers with garlic toast and veggies. So yup, I'm eating meat again. Kind of have to when Mongolian food culture circles around meat and dairy. At least I can feel good about everything being free range! I saw a small herd of horses leading themselves beside the free way, no fence of course. That is about as free range as it gets.
So now that I've sort of adjusted to the +13 hours time zone, I'm going to be heading out today in the city and will probably report back tonight if I'm not too tired.
