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ULAANBAATAR
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After I left the monastery, I found lunch at the small café serving
Mongol food I mentioned earlier. It was yummy. Nearby was this statue of
an argali sheep, which seemed slightly prophetic since my next and last
stop was going to be to back to Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve to
see the argali sheep which I had helped study on my first trip to
Mongolia in 2005. |
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Schoolkids leaving the Natural History Museum. |
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Just think what might have happened if the Mongol Horde had had modern
energy drinks. We might all be living in gers! |
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Mongolia has been known as an almost impossible place to travel if one
is a vegetarian, but now fruit and vegies are imported from all over,
especially Chile. I saw lots of vendors all around the central business
district. |
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Sukhbaatar Square with a statue of Damdin Sukhbaatar, the "Hero of the
Revolution" of July 1921 . The State Parliament House is getting a new
facade. You can also view a "before" picture from my 2005 trip. From
what I could see the new front is going to be more "Mongolian"
than the staid, plain one behind it. Like a proper ger, the front
faces south. |
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Damdin Sukhbaatar declared Mongolia's independence from the Chinese in
July 1921 and shortly thereafter declared "The People's Government of
Mongolia", making it the world's second communist state. This promised
to be a big improvement for the people, who had been suffering under a
reign of terror inflicted upon them by one Baron von Ungern-Sternberg,
a White Russian renegade, whose story has to be read to be believed.
It's covered in the Lonely Planet Guide to Mongolia. |
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The Palace of Culture on Sukhbaatar Square, still one of my most
favorite buildings. |
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In a country where the idea of dogs as pampered family members barely
exists, it surprised me to see this advertising poster with a pretty
collie on it announcing that new items have arrived. I'd be surprised
to find out that there was a single collie in the country, except for
any a foreigner might have brought with them. Our family dog is a
tri-color rough collie, so I naturally had to get a picture. |
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The famous State Department Store or "Ikh Delgur", which dates from the
communist era, is a one-stop must see in UB. The fifth floor has a fabulous
selection of Mongolian products and souvenirs, ranging from dels, boots
and hats to inexpensive (read: grossly underpriced) original art, felt
goods, miniature gers, dolls, maps, books and music CDs. On the first
floor is a Nomin supermarket, which had my favorite brand of biscuits.
The rest is a western style department store with the addition of
wonderful Mongolian cashmere (the world's best). |
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Prev: Two Hours at Gandan Monastery, Ulaanbaatar |
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Next: Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve |
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