We landed in Ulaan Bataar at 6 in the morning and had a
pretty slow morning. The pace of life here is also slower then both Ekaterinburg and Moscow making our adjustment off the Trans-Siberian lifestyle
a bit easier. At around 10:00am we rounded up a group of 8 of us and found a
hole in the wall place for breakfast. None of us could speak Mongolian, so Junho,
who had been to Mongolia a couple years ago, took the lead. First he attempted
to order one of everything on the menu that was written on a white board. Our
waitress shook her head and then went into the kitchen and came out with what
looked like a giant deep fried dumpling. Junho took a giant bite, confirmed its
deliciousness and after some deliberation at the table, signaled with his hands
“2” and “0” for 20 of these bad boy dumplings. In both Berlin and Moscow we
were able to get away with having at least one language speaker, but in
Mongolia it was as if we were in a completely different world and at the whim
of the native people. Our waitress then came out with 20 massive dumplings and
we feasted. The best part of the meal was when we got the check for 19,000
Tugrik, or about 10 USD. Mongolians know how to do brunch the right way!
Mongolian Meat Dumplings!
In the afternoon we took a tour of the National Museum of
Mongolia with a guest lecture from Professor Bayarsaikhan of the National
University of Mongolia. The tour started from archeological digs, the Mongol
Empire and ended with democratization. One of my favorite parts of the tour was
of the traditional Mongolian garb worn by women, which held an uncanny
resemblance to Star Wars’ Queen
Amidala of Naboo. It was incredible to see the source of inspiration for the
elaborate headdress that she wore in the films that looked civilized, yet
alien. Before entering the last room, there was a large sign that declared that
from 1924-1992 Mongolia was aligned with the Soviet Union and practiced a
socialist model of governance. Yet in the final room, there were only
references to 1992 democratization movements and even a quote from George W.
Bush on the wall. It was as if the museum’s curators acknowledged a period of
socialist ideology, but thought of the time as so insignificant in the
country’s history that it did not need to be addressed in detail.
The Original Queen Amidala
Queen Amidala from Star Wars
After the tour we grabbed a late lunch outside Sükhbaatar
Square. In true Mongolian fashion we shared a giant meat plate and Mongolian
lamb soup. After eating our way to the border of a food coma, we ventured out
into the square. The government palace had giant statues of the three most
important Mongolians, Genghis, Ogodei and Kublai Khan. The center of the city
was impressive, yet the entire idea of the square seemed at odds with the
culture or the heart of the Mongolian people. The square glamorized the nomadic
culture and height of Mongolian influence in the 13th century, over
800 years ago. Mongolia is land locked and Ulaan Bataar has one relatively
small river called Tuul that runs near the city. Creating an urban metropolis
like Ulaan Bataar is an uphill battle against natural forces of urbanization,
yet is essential for the modernization of Mongolia and raising the standard of
living of the average Mongolian.
Mongolian Meat Plate
...and some veggies
The Most Powerful Man in the World - 800 Years Ago
Genghis Khan
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