UB

UB
From Susan 10/12/08

UB is the tourist short hand for Ulaan Baatar, the jumping off point for nature treks. It reminds of an Alaskan town, a little rough around the edges, but basically good. City proper has Soviet blocks of apartments, with a few glass skinned buildings. The sidewalks are inconsistent and it’s dusty. We walk the tourist drag and I purchase some felt items made by the Tsaan. The Lutherans have underwritten a store front to keep the craft alive and provide income to the nomads. We viewed the great Chingiss Khan statue in Suhkbataar Square and found a memorial to the Beatles. Most of the restaurants have picture menus in both Mongolian and English. Most of the items were not available, only mutton dumplings. I find a glass Mongolian coke bottle for my collection.

Equipped with a phrasebook and city map we attempt to get a taxi to an ethnic folk performance. We alight from the taxi after deciding he hasn’t a clue. Throat signing was the order of the night, with horse head fiddle coming in second. Like most UB buildings, it was grossly overheated and my layering for the evening became my disrobing during the performance.