As our train rolled into Ulaanbaatar (aka Ulan Bator...or simply UB), the seven dust-covered, wide-eyed tourists emerged to find the city in "upheaval"...or so we were warned. Because of riots following the election prior to our arrival, the local government administered a 10pm curfew as well as a ban on alcohol sales. This would not have gone over smoothly with our incredibly thirsty group had we not stocked up on booze during border patrol. Luckily, good ol' Johnnie, Robert, and Mou would keep us company during these times of hardship. On a more serious note, the city was facing a real dilemma with a young government being run by a pro-communist political party remaining in office and a nation of residents in opposition to the election results. The Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party's office was burned, hundreds of citizens and over sixty police injured, and five were killed in what was cited as a drunken melee by the losing party, the Democratic party, and outraged citizens. What was visible to us as visitors was a few buildings with broken windows and quiet streets strewn with armed military officers on foot patrol. We would later notice stark contrast with the bustling and peaceful mood of UB streets following the Habitat build and our return to the city.
Carrying on with our travels as life in UB pressed on, we visited the Buddhist monastery once destroyed by Soviet Communists and resurrected following the downfall of communism in
Mongolia in 1991.Our knowledgeable tour guide, Nasa, then took us to the Mongolian His
tory Museum, the Mongolian Intelligence Museum (a gem of an experience adorned in fuzzy slippers), a hilltop monument to a growing nation, a visit to the black market, and a lunch fix at bd's...yes, bd's.
