6/28 Ulaan Bataar and Sükhbaatar Square

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 13^th 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

6/28 After 6,000 miles on the Trans-Siberian

We just arrived in Ulan Bator after spending the last 4 nights on the Trans-Siberian. I wrote about this in my earlier entries, but time and space were very difficult to keep track of. Each day consisted of instant ready boiled water products, discussion sections in steamy cars, a couple hours of readings and dying of heat exhaustion in between. The trains were made in the GDR and were engineered to retain heat during the winter, making the cars incredibly uncomfortable. At night when the temperature finally came down, hang out sessions in the cabins - with a bottle of vodka, wine or champagne of course. 

Trans-Siberian Feast

Two packets of Big Bon Ramen and half a can of sardines

Fun Nights in the Trans-Siberian

The changes in scenery were pretty incredible. We first started in a deciduous forest with birch trees as far as the eye could see. Then we entered the territory of rolling hills and lakes, the biggest being Lake Bikal - the largest body of fresh water in the world that lasted for about 2 hours of the train ride. Then when we got into Mongolia the land flattened out and we started to see gers (monogolian tents) in the distance.

Hanging Out on the Trans-Sibbbbb

Somewhere in Siberia

So one of the nights we were all getting super drunk when our Mongolian train stewardess approached us with a bunch of dolls. Our Russian translator Emliano told us that she wanted us to hold on to them through customs and he accepted 4 of the gifts. Then she proceeded to come back with 10, 15 and 20 more for us and everyone in the program. The next morning we told our professors and returned them to her. As we started to approach the border we saw more sketchy business of the passengers putting things into hidden compartments. I don’t think it was drugs, the Mongolians on the train were definitely moving Russian or western goods into Mongolia tax free.

Sketchy Doll Contraband?

The lost doll

The system used for customs was very different then anything I had ever encountered before. The Mongolian and Russian authorities, at different times, spent about two hours going through all the different compartments. During this time the train was stopped and no one was allowed out and windows were shut closed, baking us inside the cabin. Then some of the guys decided to break out some orange juice to fight the heat when a border guard came by asking for our passports. After we handd him our passports, Junho asked him if he wants some oj. He graciously accepted it, said thank you and moved onto the next compartment. I guess we were all in it together.

After 6,000 miles on the train, we have finally arrived in Ulan Bator. Cannot wait to finally take a shower!

6/25 Ekaterinburg

This Morning we arrived in Ekaterinburg, an industrial city that was closed to the outside world during the Soviet period because of its importance as a hub for military industry. It is located in the Asiatic side of Russia, right across the Ural Mountains, which serves as the border between Europe and Asia. In preparation for our group discussion, we read a piece by Mark Bassin called Russia between Europe and Asia: The Ideological Construction of Geographical Space. This academic article discusses the concept of continents and how Russians picked the arbitrary border of the Ural Mountains and a small stream of little geographical significance to align itself closer with Europe, the most metropolitan and progressive part of the world at the time. 

Back to Ekaterinburg. When we arrived at the train station, we went to a lunch and then jumped on a bus for a tour the city. Our first stop was at an old factory that was used to produce military equipment. Today, chunks of the factory were being changed by the landowners into apartments because the industry of Ekaterinburg was transitioning from an industrial city to an service oriented economy. En route to the factory, we saw a giant phallic structure that stood higher than everything else. This was a TV Tower built during the socialist period to show the strength of the government, but ironically, was left uncompleted at the collapse of the Soviet Union. Due to the cost of deconstruction being too high it continues to stand as an eye sore that is seen from any part of the city. This structure seemed very similar to the TV Tower of East Berlin was meant to showcase the power of the socialist government. Today, there is a competition to do something with the TV Tower before the World Cup that will be held there in 2018.

Giant Phallus in Ekaterinburg

Ekaterinburg's Incomplete TV Tower

After the factory, we stopped by an abandoned water tower at the side of a gas station. The outside of the building was a dilapidated white with graffiti everywhere. There were holes in the ground and exposed steel frames that were covered by cement. As we went up the stairs that had no guard rail and looked as if it was about to crumble at any second, four little kids came running down the stairs. WTF. Super super sketchy. After we climbed to the top I took an obligatory selfie and admired the view of Ekaterinburg. To the north there was a giant forest and to the south industrial complexes. On my way down, I caught a view of the empty water chamber that was covered in graffiti. I climbed down and found some wooden planks that we could jump onto to enter the area. After we entered, the four kids started yelling at us in Russian trying to communicate with us! When it became clear that we couldn't understand what they were saying, within seconds they climbed into the tank with us and showed us that they had just tagged the ground below us in white paint and were waiting for it to dry. We then took pictures with one another, ran some laps around the periphery of the tank and then waved good bye to our new friends.

The White Tower

Our New Graffiti Artist Friends

We then made our way to the Ekaterinburg Museum when students of the local university joined us for our tour. Many of them were looking to practice their English and although the museum was in Russian and I could understand a thing, I had an incredible conversation with Olga regarding the identity of Russian People. We first spoke about the concept of freedom and how in the west it is based on respect of each others space and free will to allow what the individual wanted to do. However, in Russia, free will is not proved by the ability for one to act on their own accord, but the ability to have the power to subjugate others or to express your own freedom by using force. She said that she believed that this mindset arose after being under Mongol Yoke in the early 13^th century. When I asked her about current events, she said that she was not in support Putin and blatant disregard for international law by seizing Crimea, but also stated that her opinion was shared by a small minority of the population that was only about 10% in size. Although Putin's tactics may be frowned upon in the West, he is a strong leader that has consolidated his domestic power.

With Olga we also discussed the difference of European, US and Russian philosophy. She said that the thinkers of German Philosophy like Kant and Hegel thought of things in the abstract whereas in the US, the philosophy is very practical and applicable in the frameworks of capitalism. However, Russian philosophy is hidden away in literature. During literature humanities, a core requirement at Columbia University on masterpieces of western literature, we read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I would love to reread that incredible text and gain more insight into the Russian psyche through their foundational texts.

Fyodor Dostoevsky

After our conversation and more grocery shopping, we went to an incredible feast of a dinner at a local artists café. Meat Dumplings, Vegetable Dumplings, Squash Dumplings, Duck Dumplings, Bread, Salmon Pie, Salmon Steak topped with Caviar, washed down with Jaws Pilsner and followed with a espresso and chocolate cake. After dinner we boarded the bus to the outskirts of town to a local banya, a Russian bath. We arrived at a wooden cabin with a sauna, pool, shower and wait, don’t forget the billiards and ping pong table on the floor above. We changed into our bathing suits and I brought out my bottle of vodka – to do it the true Russian way. I made my way into the sauna, which was 10 times hotter than the sauna at the Moscow Marriott (Disclaimer: We did not stay there, crashed the hotel for free wifi and pool services from 1:30-3:30 our last night in Moscow). Alexy, our connect, pour water over the coals and soaked birch branches in a pan of water. When it was my turn, I lied down on the ground and they began slowly hitting me with the branches. The wet branches rhythmically hitting against my body released all the tightness from my muscles and the “beaters” applied more and more force, not only taking me to Russian Sauna heaven, but filling my nostrils with a fresh scent of birch. After finishing my massage, I ran out of the room and jumped into the pool. If it was winter, we would’ve jumped into the snow. 

Picture Coming Soon!

Before this trip, the only context that I had learned about the banya was through Anthony Bourdain's trip to the Banya on his show No Reservations. Although I love his show, his portrayal of the Banya as a masochistic Russian was completely misleading and makes me wonder what type of creative freedoms he has taken in other aspects of his show.  

Living the Anthony Bourdain Life

We finished up at the Banya at 2am and made our way to the train station en route to Ulan Bator. Now the true Trans-Siberian journey begins!!!

6/24 First Day on the Trans-Siberian

First day of the Trans-siberian was quite a trip. We got on the train around 12pm in the evening and I honestly thought that we would go to sleep right after we boarded because everyone was so exhausted from the long day of meetings. That was definitely not the case. I shared a cabin with Juno, Anton and Emiliano and after we had our bags stored away christened the room by taking shots of vodka and even inviting Professor Armstrong in for a round. Then everyone joined us and we crammed 9 people in the room for rounds of shots and relaxation. I guess we started off the trip the right way.

Christening our Cabin

First Night on the Trans-Siberiaan

The next morning we recapped our visit to Moscow and Beijing in our discussion sections. The discussion sections consisted of 5 people and were very engaging and intimate. I could have seen each section lasting 2- 3 hours because everyone had so much to speak about. One of the most interesting things that came up was there Soviet Union and how the name of the country was not based on geographic location, but solely on political ideology. After the discussion sections, I took a nap and then ate cup noodle. Over the course of the day I ended up eating 5 bowls of cup noodle. On my first day on the trans-siberian I ate more cup noodles than my entire college career. 

One thing that is incredibly difficult to adjust to is the time changes. Not only are we constantly moving through time, we are dealing with the white night so it gets dark at 12 and the sun begins to rise at 3:30. I think everyone has no conception of actual time, just levels of exhaustion to cope with.

At 9 in the morning our crew woke up exhausted and defeated because we were looking forward to seeing the obelisk that marks the border between Europe and Asia. At around 7, I woke up to Anton and Gaby staring out the window waiting for the obelisk. At 9:30, when were discussing about how bummed we were to have missed the obelisk, Junho yells out "I see the obelisk!" Anton and I jump off the top bunks and press our faces against the glass to catch a view of the obelisk, but to no avail. We then break out of our cabin and sprint down the hall chanting "Asia Asia Asia!!" at the top of our lungs and catch a view of the obelisk out the back window. It was a small structure, shorter then the power lines, but we had seen it regardless. 

Peace out Moscow - Its been real

Yaroslavsky Rail Terminal

A couple hours later we arrived in Ekaterinburg, the fourth largest city in Moscow for the day. I'm excited to see what the rest of the day holds for us!