Ulan Bator, Mongolia
October 23, 2013
I had a very restless sleep last night for some reason. I was very tired but tossed and turned until about 5am and didn’t get up until about 11:30am for some reason…..that’s ok though, it’s not as if I had work today!
I got myself sorted and headed our for a walk to the Gandantegchinleng Khild Buddhist Monastery. It was a strange walk to be fair. Not too far from the Hostel or the city centre but you suddenly come to the end of the road which is lined with advertising boards then on the opposite side of the boards it turns into a maze of muddy tracks and ramshackle wooden houses. The more modern city suddenly stops and abruptly turns into slum housing. It’s such a contrast in the small space of just crossing the road. In the center of this muddy frozen maze of streets and lanes is the Monastery.
It’s the home to 150 monks and you see them moving around from Monastery to temple going about their business. It’s very popular with the locals and travelers alike. In particular the locals like to come along and feed the swarm of Pigeons that live here with old ladies dotted about on little wooden stools selling bags of seed to feed them. The monastery itself is very impressive, particularly inside where this a huge golden statue of Migjid Janraisig. It must be at least 30ft tall and glistens within the dark interior. After braving the swarms of pigeons I took a wander round the small muddy lanes taking in the locals that go about their daily business. It’s strange to see. They live in nothing more than basic hand built wooden huts and gers but there are also the usual corner shops, hardware stores, cafes and also cars parked up among it all. It’s a strange combination.
From there I headed South towards the hills that surround Ulan Bator and then looped back up to see if the Choijin Lama museum was open today as I only got to see it from the outside yesterday. Sure enough it was so in I went. It’s quite spectacular. Small yet colourful, with 4 individual temples within the small grounds. As I mentioned yesterday it’s bang in the middle of high rises and new developments but you really do feel a million miles away from all that once inside. It’s quiet and calming. I only saw two other visitors in there for the hour I spent and a handful of monks who attend on a daily basis. A very pleasant place to get away from the city life and spend a little time.
From there I head up the road in search of the Chinggis Club. It’s not really a club but a bar that is built into the Chinggis brewery. Imagine the Brewery tap in Sunderland from years ago built next to Vaux but in Ulan Bator’s local brewery. It was good and the beer is decent there, particularly the dark ale they had on. Very popular with the locals around tea time and worth popping in for a few.
All the walking about makes me hungry and not wanting to buck the trend I try something different yet again as Ulan Bator is awash with a myriad of places to eat and drink. I settle for Sri Lankan and am very impressed with the Devil pork I order that warms my tonsils up somewhat.
Back to the hostel after a few more beers to try yet again for the early night and decent sleep I’ve been desperately searching for lately.
