Day 2 - Ulaanbaatar

Lots of rain today, but temperature not bad so we head out. This will be our only full day in Ulaanbaatar so need to make the most of it. First stop is the large complex at Gandan Tegchenling Monastery.

Entrance to Gandan Tegchenling Monastery

Spinning the giant prayer wheel, clockwise of course.

Sit in on puja at Duinkhor College (in Gandan T).

During a puja, the monks chant on benches in the center of the room, while visitors can walk around the edges and leave offerings at the alter (right center on this video). You are meant to walk clockwise around the room, though in this video some people are going the wrong way.

Ticket for Dinosaur Museum, which is small but well organized. A lot of emphasis on Tarbosaurus bataar, a skeleton of which was returned to Mongolia from the US in 2013.

Sukhbaatar Square, as flat and expansive as you would expect from the Soviet model of public spaces. A statue of Genghis Khan is just visible in the center front of the building.

A lot of wedding photo ops at Sukhbaatar Square, as this Monday is apparently an auspicious date. Meet a local who is upset that Khorolooglin Choibalsan is still revered as a historical figure (d. 1952), seeing that he took a page from Stalin in purging the nation of those unwilling to form collectives (about 27,000 killed). The conversation followed from there....

“At least they took down the statue of Stalin,” he shrugged, adding “Oh! And another thing! They have Marco Polo this and that all over the place...”

“And he never even came here,” I completed his rant.

“Exactly! He never even came to China. He just copied accounts from Persian traders.”

On this note we enter the National Museum of Mongolia, which has a ton of exhibits from prehistoric times onwards. Of particular note is the traditional costume display, of which many regions of the country are represented.

Of note, one exhibit of state-issued medals from the 1921-1989 period is captioned:

“Rather than reward superior production with money, the Communist system rewarded such action with medals, ceremony, certificates, and other markers of recognition and prestige”

Eat terrible sandwich at the Nice to CU Cafe and wander downtown for a few hours, as well as buy some postcards and stamps at the cavernous post office building. Go back to hostel and set O free in the playground, where she finds some kids to race around with.

Eat dinner near Beatle’s Square, at a sushi place.

Mongolia