It is quite surreal to think that we have finally arrived in Mongolia. This was one of the stop we were extremely curious about, and we haven’t been disappointed.
We arrived in the capital at around 6 in the morning after having crossed the Russian-Mongolian border by train during the night. First impressions: Ulaanbaatar is extremely cold, but strangely very dry at the same time. Static shocks are a common occurence. The cost of living is very low (€3 is sufficient to have a really good main course). The people are friendly and wear beautiful coats.
We were told by many different backpackers that UB wasn’t really worth sticking around and that it was more of a stop which allowed tourists to travel to different parts of Mongolia using organised tours. Even though we didn’t exclusively stay in UB (trip to Terelj Park will be covered in a separate article), we actually found that the city had quite a lot to offer.
We visited several temples, which resembled Tibetan Buddhist temples. All pretty magnificent.
We also visited the famous Zaisan memorial which offered a pretty spectacular view of the city.
One of our favourites sights was what is locally called the “Black Market”. For those of you who have been to Bangkok and experienced the Chatuchak weekend market, this is like a smaller version of it – minus the food. The stalls are filled with fabric, mongolian winter boots etc. Very colourful and definitely worth visiting (even if you’re not buying anything).
Despite having loved our stay there, the cold weather was a bit of shock to the system and, if we do get the chance to go back, it will be in Summer 🙂
A Year With The Sullys 