Russia let us out, Mongolia let us in

With our 30 day tourist visas almost expired, it was time to leave Russia.  From Ulan-Ude, we headed to Ulan Bator, Mongolia.  Our research had told us that taking a bus was faster (10-12 hours' drive versus a 24 hour train ride), easier (the bus would make rest stops, while the trains are stopped at the border for 5-6 hours, during which time you can't leave your compartment and the toilets are closed), and cheaper (always nice when combined with other advantages).  So we started our travel day at the Ulan-Ude bus station bright and early at 7 AM.

I forgot to get a picture of the inside of the bus, but it was decked out in pink, purple, and rhinestones.  I had no idea a bus to Mongolia would be so sparkly.  As we left Ulan-Ude, the Russian countryside was pretty.  We got a kick out of locating ourselves in Google Maps and marveling at how far away the results made us feel.

After a few hours, we arrived at the border of Russia and Mongolia.  We expected that entering Mongolia would involve some waiting and scrutiny.  What we didn't foresee was how long it would take to exit Russia.  In every other country we've ever left, we've pretty much just....well, left.  No big deal.  Russia, however, scanned all of us and our belongings and then put each of us through as much scrutiny to leave as we got coming in (which, both times, included an intimidating Russian stare down as they compared our passport photos to our faces at least two separate times).  While the lady was examining Bob's passport she stopped, picked up the phone, and started talking to someone....we thought things might really get interesting then, but eventually she stamped an expiration date on his visa and on we all went.  But not before a lady at the door and a person who boarded our bus checked to make sure that we had an exit stamp....Russia really wanted to make sure everything was legit.  As the bus pulled out of Russia, I breathed a sigh of relief that the tiny white slip of paper, given to each of us at entry and which is required to be given back at exit, was finally no longer my responsibility.

We then drove about 20 feet and repeated basically the same process to enter Mongolia.  Take everything off the bus, cram everyone from the bus into a small, unventilated building......wait a long time and watch people try to jump the line even though we're all on the same bus.....after over 2 hours of all this, the kids' patience (and ours, frankly) was starting to wane.  But eventually we were let into Mongolia.  Mongolia!!!  Bob and I were pinching ourselves.

After the border, Mongolian women jumped on the bus and started trying to exchange currency with anyone who met their excited gaze.  We declined their offer of a rather poor exchange rate for rubles (Russian) to tugriks (Mongolian currency).

We stopped at a restaurant in the Mongolian border town, where we got to self-make our cups of coffee by adding one of these packets to a mug of hot water.  I'm not sure if it was the inferior quality of coffee, the already-added sugar, or the pre-mixed powdered milk that gave it the "American flavour".

The ger (yurt) on the passport stamp is fitting, given that most Mongolians outside the capital live in these traditional homes.  Once we got on our way in Mongolia, we started to see them dot the countryside.

We spent the rest of the bus ride reading, napping, and watching beautiful Mongolian countryside go by.  Lots of hills, lots of cows, goats, and sheep.....not a lot of people.

Mongolia is the 19th biggest country by area, but also the least densely populated in the entire world.  This graphic shows the size of Mongolia relative to the United States.  That's a lot of land for not a lot of people!

Here's a short video of the road ahead....this clip does not, however, feature some of the cows we almost hit (I'm starting to get used to the adrenaline rush of almost (but just barely not) hitting a cow with riding as a passenger in a moving vehicle).

I thought the sign for this rest stop was amusing...it had been quite a while since our last stop, so I know at least 4 people on the bus who were feeling this way when we pulled in.

We arrived in Ulan Bator just before 9 PM local time.  It was really interesting to see gers set up, often next to businesses, even after we were within the sprawl of the Ulan Bator.  From the chaotic bus station, we proceeded to cram 7 people (driver + 6 passengers) into a Toyota Prius, head to our hostel, and then eat a quick dinner and head to bed.  A full but exciting travel day from Russia to Mongolia!