June 2nd- Ulaanbaatar!!!!

 

San Ban-0? (How are you!)

Today was FUN! We woke at 7 and had breakfast at 8a.m. We then got on the bus to head into the city for our rabies and Hep A shots as well as walk around the city. We were told after our Rabies shot to not get bit for 6 weeks (dog bites seem to be very prevalent around the countryside).

We got a flat on the way, which is quite normal for the rough terrain. It took a bit of time to change it but definitely not as long as it takes for triple A to show up in the states!

When we got our shots at the Peace Corps office we were taken in groups to tour the city. Our Peace Corps Training leader was Ned. He was hysterical and quite calm about everything.

 It was a nice change from the security training we had the previous day.  Here are some warnings we received yesterday from the Peace Corps Security Administration:

-In UB pick pocketing is prevalent, so don’t bring a big bag or purse

-People with tattoos are often looked at as being part of a gang

-A previous Peace Corps Volunteer was once walking alone down the street when out of nowhere a Mongolian male slapped her.

-People will slit open your backpacks with a knife

- a female once was checking into a Hostel alone at night, stopped to get cash at 3 am and was followed by a Mongolian Man. I think he tried to slit her bag open but she managed to curb it by turning around before he could.

-If a Mongolian man starts a fight with  you run away because his friends will step in and for lack of better words kick your ass*. There have been Peace Corps Volunteers that have ended up in the hospital because they tried to fight back.

-Never bring all your money because it will get stolen, as well as place your money in separate areas.

So basically do not travel at night, avoid fights, and always be aware.

When I went to UB, I brought my huge purse, all of my money, and money to exchange.  For those of you who know me well, clearly leaving my bag at home was not an option! I did however store a good portion of my money in my boots.  M-24 (our group name) managed to come back to our Gers (pronounced Gars) with all of our money, possessions an more importantly cell phones. There was a running pool going from current volunteers about how many of us would misplace our cell phones the first day we received them.  None of them said zero! No faith!

 While we were in UB, we saw the Parliament Building

There were guards out on the steps. Much like the guards in front of the queen’s palace in England, they do not smile, and do not move. Sometimes they put on shows where they march but, we were not around for that.

Ghengis Kan,  which is really pronounced CHENGIS KAN; There is a statue of him in the very front center of the Parliament building because he was responsible for the fall of the Chinese. He is a very important and respected leader in this country and it is well represented on the Parliament building!

                               

This is the Blue Sky Building. It is a luxury hotel and as you can see is quite trendy and has an amazing view of the city and the countryside!

While these pictures represent the amazing views that you see while walking in the city of UB, the winter air tends to be polluted due to the coal and dung that is burnt to keep warm. Clean energy is costly and it does not exactly correspond with the traditions of the Mongols.  At times, the smog is so bad that planes cannot land in UB.  To curb the traffic in UB, people with certain numbers or letters at the end of their license plates are unable to drive certain days. There is public transportations, buses and cabs, however there is also preliminary discussions of building an underground transportation train system. Since change in UB takes time, this probably will not be built for at least 5-10 years. Pictured below is a coal plant!

Walking around the city, the Mongols tend to keep to themselves. They do not smile or say hi, much like the people of Boston. The traffic is also similar to Boston, and crossing the street is like a free for all.

The cars have steering wheels on both sides, and those cars that do have a steering wheel on the right side have a mirror on the front left side of their hoods.  Mongols also drive on the same side of the road as we do, which really surprised me.

Since the traffic, smog, and risk of pick pocketing risk is higher in the city, they are placing less people in UB. While it would be nice to live in a city of 1.5 million I have decided that a Ger will probably be my preference to live in. While it can be harder, no running water, you have to chop your own firewood and burn your own coal, It is also warmer than the spotty electricity and heat that are in apartments. When it is 50 below, I would rather be warm than have conveniences.

My Group today!

Kaitlynn, Laurie, Karissa, Ned, and Shane. Kaitlynn was my roommate in Washington and we have been inseperable ever since she came up to me at Orientation and apologized profusely for having her clothing strewn from hell to breakfast in our hotel room.  Neither she, nor I even realized we would be having a roommate in Washington!  She is from Kansas and has quickly become a great friend!

NEXT STOP:

DARKHAN (Pronounced Darhan)