I don't really have any good material for a funny title.
This was my second full day in UB and I got to see a little bit more. I realise that some visitors do all the attractions in one very full day where as I'm taking a looooong time to do everything. I don't even have my trip planned for leaving UB yet.
So anyways, I woke up early, had the hostel's free breakfast and then took about 2 hours to go out and explore. I wanted to see Sukhbaatar square very early but I got side tracked and went to the Mongolian Fine arts and Zanabazar museum. I quickly went through it and then headed back to the hostel to have my interview with an English Language School in Xi'An. I think it went really well.
Then after that I was side tracked again by a 5 year old girl who is the daughter of the Hostel's owner. I gave her some coloured markers and we proceeded to draw random things. Then we made paper airplanes. After I while I got hungry and it was a bit hard for her to let me go. The next time I played with her she literally did not let me go. She even tied a bungee cord around me and I let her walk me around the hostel. She was too cute to disappoint and her mother thanked me for keeping her company.
Lunch was a plate of mongolian items. All goat meat I think. I've been hearing a lot of people say they are sick of goat/mutton now that I'm starting to feel that way myself.
After lunch I went to the Mongolian National History museum, which in it was displayed a variety of archeological finds and ehtnic costumes, and some information about the soviets and then independance. For your information, Russia and Mongolia are best friends, while Mongolia remains very democratic.
At the end of the day, after some souviner and postcard shopping I went to the Mongolian Ensemble performance with a French couple. It had everything mongolian, with a great dance put on by the men displaying the different Mongol clans under Chinggis Khaan's rule. There is something just so attractive about Asian male dance culture. China, India, Turkic and Mongolian; they beat the ballet by a hundred miles.
I also got to see a mongolian contortionist hold herself up with her mouth using a bite block like it was nothing. However the best part of the show was the throat singing and the Magtan singing.
After that my eyes got really red, stingy, and watery. I think it was an accumulation of dust particles instead of pollution because I haven't coughed at all. This has been happening twice now so I'll be wearing my sunglasses more.
