Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

I woke up today after a cold and nearly sleepless night (thankfully I did manage to get some sleep – also, I did notice that it is only pitch dark in Mongolia this time of year for about four hours – 23:00-03:00). The woman renting the bed to me came in and made me breakfast (toast, eggs, and coffee) and I packed my bags to travel back to Ulaanbaatar. She waved down a random automobile to take me to the airport for a small fee (the Mongolian way!). During the drive, the woman behind the wheel tried to ask me questions but only knew about ten English words – her daughter knew about eleven. Also, on the way to the airport, I got to hear a Mongolian ballad that has been playing continuously throughout this country on the radio during my time here (it seemed to play all day yesterday).

I checked into the airport and soon I was off to Ulaanbaatar, looking out the window of my Fokker-50 (operated by Hunnu Airlines). I reached Ulaanbaatar in about an hour and fifteen minutes, got a taxi cab at a reasonable price (15,000 ₮), and had a terrifying drive back to the guesthouse I had stayed at before. I checked in and then hurried up to shower, do laundry, and pray. I then went to the State Department store to buy a bottle of Seabuckthorn alcohol (16%); it tasted like the juice I had had earlier, only less sweet and tangy and a decently strong alcohol taste. I also had a bottle of aloe vera juice which was very refreshing.

After finishing off the bottle of seabuckthorn alcohol and hanging my clothes to dry, I went out to eat at a Broadway Pizza restaurant (a chain restaurant found throughout the city of Ulaanbaatar) where I had an Americano, Chinggis Khan beer, and a Broadway Pizza (naturally). I then went back to the guesthouse and talked a short while with some of the other guests. In the late evening I packed most of my belongings for tomorrow and then went to sleep. It was a rather uneventful day.