I just wrote a great entry only to have it be lost when the page timed out. So here is my quick one because I don't have the heart to write about everything twice.
I started late in the day with a bubble tea and then hopped on the bus to the Bogd Khan's winter palace. Not much a palace and it looks really run down. The place hasn't see a gardener for years and the paint is peeling. It makes it look more original this way compared to the constantly renovated Chinese temples. What makes this place unique is the mongolia specific buddhist artwork and the ger made of 160 leopard skins. Falsely stated in my guide as all snow leopard. I could distinctly see that the majority of skins were regular leopard. In anycase it was cool place to go to and I snuck some photos without paying for the photo ticket (which is a common fee for every attraction).
Next I walked up to the big buddha, also not maintained properly, and then walked up to the Zaisan monument. It's a lot of stairs but the view is worth it!
After that I explored the Tuul river under the bridge and made friends with two boys who went swimming. They were 12 and 13 years old and they love basketball. I went into the water too about waist high, the temperature was great and the kids love swimming against the current. It doesn't seem that dangerous and so a lot of locals seem to do this. The kids walked bacl with me and we played basketball with some other boys we met up with. After an hour though I said goodbye and hopped on the bus back. I ended the day with a a trip to the grocery store to make some sort of potato carrot stew thing.
I'm planning my trip to the Gobi desert with two others so hopefully I'll be more active tomorrow! Also, I just checked, there is no bakery called The Gobi Dessert. I think it is a great opportunity here in UB! Someone get this started!
