First full day on the ground

I had told Bolor that I'd be up around 8 or 9am for breakfast. I slept well, although I was wide awake for a while around 3am. It didn't take much effort to sleep to 10:30. I'm staying in a Soviet-era apartment complex: a four story cinder block building with no frills. Nassan put me in the apartment adjoining her mother and daughter. I will be sharing a bathroom and kitchen with them. The floors are faux wood, the ceilings tall, and the creaking is charming.

Breakfast is included and today it consisted of bread, jam, two biscotti-type cookies, and fried dough with a little spice. D'oh! the fried stuff was my favorite. It was really good with the jam.

I had two goals for the day: find internet access and not get lost. I ventured down the street, when I realized I would need to exchange money, before getting lost or finding the internet. I was still tired and my brain was a little groggy. I ran into a souvenir store, with great stuff, then I realized I needed to exchange money. I headed east and ran into the post office. This is one of the internet locations, then I realized I needed to exchange money. While I was this far East, I took a spin through Sukbaatar Square. It is a large open area with a statue in the middle and the Parliament building directly north. This morning, Bolor told me it was Election Day for Parliament members. I had read that Mongolia has one of the strongest democracies in Asia; although, I didn't see anything that looked like a campaign sign. A statue of Genghis Kahn sits predominantly in the middle of the Parliament building. I have a new respect for him. He brought religious tolerance and mandated education, and these legacies survive today. To the west is the governor's building, a lovely lime green color.

I backtracked and found the currency exchange. After pocketing my bills (I don't think they have coins), I went next door to the internet. They were closed. I walked down the street to another internet sign. They were closed. I walked several blocks to the grand internet cafe, but they were closed, too. I outlasted a 30 minute downpour and returned to the post office. Even on a Sunday afternoon, they were open for business. Following e-mail updates, I returned to Nassan's. I dropped my gear and read a little in the guidebook. It highlighted a very authentic Mongolian restaurant just around the block, so I thought I'd try it. I ordered buuz (muuton dumplings), although the boiled lamb's head was hard to pass up. I was given ten dumplings with a pile of pickled, shredded beets (?). It didn't seem to have the texture of beets, but it was my best guess. The buuz was good and got me excited for my next culinary experiment.

I returned to Nassan's only to stay awake until 7:15 pm. However, the day was successful: I found the internet, and I didn't get lost!Leer más