Hello again, Ulan Bator!

After our tour of the Mongolian countryside, we had another 6 nights in Ulan Bator before we were scheduled to head to China.  We definitely had more time in the capital city than we needed, but the time went by quicker than we originally thought it would.  We started our days slow at Zaya Hostel (one of the very best hostels I have ever stayed at--so clean, comfortable, and friendly!), we went to a movie, we meandered through town, we found plenty of playgrounds, and we did research and legwork for our onward travels.  While we were ready to move on by the end, it was nice to know one city really well and have plenty of time to relax.

One of the things we really enjoyed after returning to UB was hanging out with some of the other members of our countryside tour.  Maria and Arthur left right after the tour ended, but Vipasha, Caroline, and Olivier stuck around for a few days.  We ate dinner together every night and did some sightseeing together.  We also checked out the Blue Sky Lounge, at the top of one of the tallest buildings in the capital.  We got there just before sunset and enjoyed the views, cocktails, and each other's company.

Emmett was really proud to order his first mocktail, declaring that he felt "really grown up".

We took a day trip to Terelj National Park with Caroline and Olivier one day, as well.  We walked through a Buddhist meditation center and enjoyed beautiful views of the area and the temple.

These are the prayer wheels that lined the walls outside the temple.

We stopped at Turtle Rock and hiked (sometimes rock climbed) into the turtle-shaped rock mound.

We also stopped at an enormous Genghis Khan statue.  This 40 meter (131 feet) tall monument to the most revered leader of Mongolia was built in 2008 and towers over the surrounding countryside.

We also really liked the smaller statues of soldiers nearby, all designed differently.

After saying goodbye to all our new tour friends, we were the last ones left in UB.  We spent our remaining days at a slow pace, visiting a few more sights and relaxing.  One afternoon we walked through the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan complex.  The contrast between this historic set of buildings and the new construction of UB that surrounded it was striking.

On the walk there and back we passed this fun set of camel statues.

And we stopped at a local park so the boys could play for a while.  We're all happier when we find playgrounds along the way.

We also visited Naran Tuul (the "Black Market").  The English translation implies illegal activities, but it's actually just a massive market on the outskirts of UB.  We went to the top of a nearby building, from which you could see just a section of the tarps that cover the outside vendors.

Our favorite part was what we called "Ger Mart", where one could buy anything and everything to construct and outfit a ger.

These felt pieces are used to encircle the wooden structure.

We saw lots of vans that were crammed with people coming from and going to the market. It was hard to get a good shot, but this picture gives an example...some of them appeared to have around 15 people inside.

One of our most memorable experiences was eating at a North Korean restaurant, appropriately named Pyongyang.  I'm fascinated by North Korea but it's not on the itinerary this year, so eating in a North Korean restaurant is as good as it will get for now.  I tried a cold buckwheat noodle soup that was really good!

Even better than the food was the performance that the waitresses put on, complete with lots of flashing lights and multiple costume changes.

Here's a fantastic video clip that really highlights the full experience, including what Colin thought of the whole thing....

And with that, our time in Mongolia came to and end and it was time to move on.....to China!