Ulaanbaatar II

The next day, I took a shower and spoke with Bobbi a bit about the upcoming trips. I had two, one towards Orkhon Valley and the other towards Gobi Desert. I was going to be with Emily for the former and so I also wanted to get to know her a bit more before going. Emily and Rohan went to Terelj National Park today, I was also offered to join last night but I was too tired and wanted to explore the city a bit more today.

I first set off for Gandantegchinlen Monastery. I really like arriving at night as the city was still shrouded in darkness, today was really the first time I am seeing Ulaanbaatar. It seemed quite old with a lot of Soviet style architecture and dusty cars but it also had a certain rustic charm to it. I passed by a statue of Yellow Tara, I was quite happy to recognize her and finally see her for myself. I also passed by a shaman camp but they were still closed so I proceeded further up the street towards Gandantegchinlen Monastery. The middle island had a huge flock of pidgeons which made my approach to the monastery really memorable. I was looking to purchase a ticket but there wasn't anyone at the booth and after waiting for a long time, I went ahead to explore the surrounding areas. I first went to the statue of the child Buddha and spun some prayer wheels. I went to the biggest building on the left side to find that there was a Buddhist prayer ceremony going on. It was quite a vibe in there and I grabbed a seat at the back and did some meditation and absorbing the sounds around me. I went to another temple on the right side this time, there were so many prayer wheels here that I just had to spin them all, hoping to get some of their benefits. The path led me all over the temple grounds and out where there were several larger prayer wheels that required my whole body to push. I checked the ticket booth again and it really seemed like the guy in charge wasn't planning on going in so I decided to just go to the main monastery where a giant golden statue of Boddhisatva Avalokitesvara was enshrined. On the way, I accidentally interrupted a cat on the hunt and cost it a meal, or perhaps I saved a pidgeon's life that day as it flew away? The main temple of Avalokitesvara was huge with a larger than life golden statue towering above everything else. I did my prayers and went around the whole temple spinning prayer wheels while surrounded by hundreds of tiny Buddha statues. The wheels were cold to the touch and spinning so many of them required some effort but it was a really nice experience. Outside, I saw people were ringing the bells on the incense pot so I went ahead and did that too. I was curious as to what was inside the shops so I peeked and had an idea to try and find a singing bowl. The second shop I entered had it, I wanted to buy another for Janelle and I got a slightly bigger one at another shop with some incense as freebies.

I passed through the shaman tents again but seems like they still weren't open. I went ahead to check out the Zanazabar Fine Arts Museum next which was one of my main highlights. I was really happy to be able to see a lot of these beautiful Buddhist artworks. I went to have chicken linguini for lunch before heading back to the guesthouse to chill and relax for a bit and talk with Bobbi some more. She gave me some moisturizer to use and advised me where to get one as well. I set off once again, this time the weather was a bit more cloudy.

I went to the National Museum next, it was interesting but I much preferred the Fine Arts Museum, it focused a bit more on the traditional clothing and way of life of the Mongolians as well as the history of the country all the way from the prehistoric ages. A block away the museum was Sukhbaatar Square, where a giant statue of Chinggis Khan sat overlooking, flanked by two horse-mounted soldier statues. There were also police men on horses stationed at the square, while a concert stage was erected and played loud Mongolian pop music. I wanted to go to Choijin Lama Temple next, and on the way I was able to see the classic landmark, the Blue Sky, one of the finest pieces of modern architecture in Ulaanbaatar.

In Choijin Lama Temple, the ticket clerk seemed to have a sense of humor as he gave me ten tickets and my reaction made him and the female staff roar with laughter. I was lucky to have the whole temple to myself, it looked quite ancient but the interiors were so colorful as is usual with Vajrayana Buddhism. The Buddhist figures were so intricate and exotic, each building was very unique.

I had planned to also visit the Bogd Khaan Palace but it was closed, I still tried to go, slightly hoping it would be open. I passed through statues of a camel caravan and saw Bogd Khaan Palace from a distance, it covered a huge area but it was unfortunately closed. It also started to rain a bit, I continued a long walk towards Zaisan, taking a few breaks every now and then.

I got to Buddha Garden first, where a giant golden Shakyamuni Buddha stood tall. It was the perfect place to rest. The sun was up and shining again so it was the perfect time to do a hike, though my legs were a bit worn from walking since morning. I went up Zaisan Hill to see the Zaisan Monument, a tribute to the Soviet soldiers who died arm-in-arm with the Mongolians during their war for independence. The artwork had a really nice style to it, reminiscent of old war propaganda. The panoramic view of Ulaanbaatar was something to behold as well, with so much buildings, factories, and the smog. Makes it hard to believe half the population of Mongolia lives in this city. The wind was really strong here and it seems like a sandstorm was heading my way so I quickly descended and started to wait at a bus stop. Some sand already hitting my face as we all tried to take cover from the dusty winds. My bus finally came and it was a smooth ride back to the guesthouse despite the traffic, I was quite happy to be able to rest my legs.

Back at UB Guesthouse, I shut myself in the room to just rest and integrate the day. I overheard Emily asking Bobbi if I was around so I showed myself out and started to talk to her and Rohan. We agreed to go out for dinner and maybe the Jazz club or Karaoke. I also had to buy some moisturizer for the trips outside of town. We went to get my moisturizer first and then went to this popular restaurant that has been around for a while. Emily and I got some chicken with pineapple while Rohan got only a single piece of dumpling. We also went to have desert at the place next door called Belchika, we thought it had Mongolian deserts but turns out to be just normal western stuff but it was still pretty good. To end the night, we went to have karaoke and it was a blast! So similar to the Japanese styled karaoke booths, we sang our hearts out and went back as better friends.Read more