MoM's AdVenTurEs In MoNGoLia!

Coming to Mongolia is difficult. You have one 14 hour flight after of course you have take a flight from wherever you live in the states to an international airport and then when you get off that 14 hour flight you have another 3.5 hour flight from Seoul to Mongolia. It is a trek to say the least! Initially, mom was suppose to have a flight leaving around noon on Friday from the states (makes it Friday night in mongolia). However her plane had a tire malfunction and so she couldn't leave til that night (which was Saturday morning our time.  This meant that by the time she got here she had already traveled 30 something hours. And because we already had an extremely tight schedule so we could get to my site as well as ride a camel in the Gobi we had to leave only  a mere three hours after she got here. Since her flight was messed up, her baggage didn't make it to UB with her. Not only did this cause frustration for her, but also for me since I could see her wandering around looking for her baggage and had explained numerous times to security that she needed help and didn't speak Mongolian, and they wouldn't let me in to talk to her. After basically walking past the guards after everyone had left, and ignoring their huffs about crossing into the baggage area like I had previously seen three Mongolians do, I quickly used what little Mongolian pertaining to this problem I had. I also called a Mongolian friend to help translate. They stated moms bags would be in Mongolia tonight so we decided they would drop the baggage off at Marc's and mom and I would go shopping and get her some clothing and then head to Arkhangai in a private car since there would be no way to make the bus.
I was really excited about the private car to Arkhangai but soon realized that I had made a mistake when the driver started driving like a bat out of hell on the not so great road. It was absolutely terrifying and we didn't stop until we made it to the halfway point three hours later (it usually takes about 4, and even longer since the road has been dug up). After a brief stop where we felt like we were running around because this guy was in such a hurry we got back into the car and finished the trek which took another 3.5 hours but probably should have take 4.5 or more.
 After checking in to Fairfields it was lights out!

 The next day ma and I gradually woke up got dressed, had breakfast and headed to my Ger to meet my Khasha Family. My Khasha mom and dad were very pleased to see me and came running out to greet me and meet my mom. Seeing the ger for the first time was interesting for my mom I think. Though she wasn't completely shocked at where I lived because she had seen it before, it was such a different atmosphere from her experience as a PCV in Guatemala City. I was also introduced to my Khasha puppy, who they named Johnny. I have decided that they probably thought Johnny was the male version of Jenny. It was also here where mom got her first taste of Suuteatea. The Mongolian milk tea. She didn't like it. She also got to experience the exuberant amount of food Mongolian's always have on hand. I explained it was ok for her not to eat it and to say no. They also didn't pour Mongolia Vodka which i was happy about, as was she. Pretty much all of my counterparts were away in the countryside and the only other person I could visit was Nara, and English teacher. It was nice for mom to get to talk to her because she speaks such great English! After a brief visit with her it was onto the school to see where I work and then back to Fairfields through a quick detour through the black market, and then it was onto the hot springs.  

Since I accidently had upgraded our room from a ger to an actual room in the resort with a bathroom, we were needless to say very comfortable. The hot springs are fed from a natural spring through pipes and were empty when we arrived so after putting our things down and changing we enjoyed the rest in the hot springs for about a half hour, until a hail producing thunderstorm hit! It was a lot of  fun to watch. Unfortunately they had to wait to turn the water back on because it would get murky and muddy if done too soon, so the water was warm instead of hot. We were also told that there was a chef that they flew in from the Philippines, but it was clear that a Mongolian cook was working because the food was very typical Mongolian food. Rice in a mound, one egg, salad with mayo, etc. It was a good thing we did not go for the food. While the resort was beautiful and the room rustic but comfortable, you could hear every sound, including the guy snoring in the next room. Mongolian's also tend to party a great deal and sometimes children tend to be left to their own accord. Needless to say I had to say stop please and quite etc, to get kids to stop screaming and jumping around next door to us and outside our door. Luckily, everyone quieted down pretty quickly after I said something. While the hot springs were not busy at all during the day, at night it got packed. Everyone had decided to come out, but only stayed for about 15 minutes. Mom and I were able to stay till everyone had gone and relax a bit before taking a shower and heading back up to the room.

 The next day, I showed mom where the springs come out. She really enjoyed it and the views around the area. After a quick dip where we rushed out because we thought it was an hour later than it was, we sat outside and waited for our food to be ready. When we sat down at the table for lunch, our meal was still not ready even though I had said we had to eat at a specific time because a car was coming to collect us.  As do most things in Mongolia, it worked out. We finished our meal and headed back to Fairfields to catch the next car that would be taking us to Ulaanbaatar. Unfortunately on the way back we had the same driver as on the way there and it was even more terrifying then the first time! The driver was falling asleep, even hitting a pothole that destroyed one of his tires, leaving an irreparable slice in it. When it became dark it was worse. We were just waiting for a head on collision or a side swipe. When we got back to the outskirts of the city he had even more disregard for our life, almost crashing into the back of a car. Had mom and I not screamed we would have most likely been in a horrific accident. We prayed after getting out of the car that we would never see the guy again. Little did we know, we would see him two more times!

In UB we spent one night in the Ulaanbaatar hotel and one in the Blue Sky Hotel. The UB hotel was beautiful for how old it was. We even got to see part of Suukbaatar Square if we craned our necks towards the left side of the window. It was nice to sit still after such a terrifying ride.

At breakfast we had a delicious array of foods that made us feel much more awake and lively. Since we could not check into our hotel yet, we went shopping after dropping our bags at Marcs and sorting through what we would need. First stop was the cashmere Factory.

We both found gloves and scarves and I got a nice had and blanket. Mom also got cute little booties for a friends baby.  We then went back to Marc's to drop off our shopping successes and grabbed our night bag and the next couple at the Gobi and headed to the Blue Sky. Since I had called months ago and requested a good room and a discount for my mom and I, we somehow finagled the 18th floor. It was everything I had asked for and more, and I was really excited they had actually listened to my requests. After checking in a vegging a bit we headed to the State Department Store (Ick Del Gor),
 

and then Mary and Martha's, which has felt Khasik and Mongolian goods, like purses, ties, scarves, christmas ornaments etc . I found an amazing dress and we got lots of tidbits for people. In the first day of shopping we managed to get all of the Christmas shopping completed. It was a good day! For dinner we went to Ivy's and had a delicious meal with Marc. It was the perfect night to the perfect day.

                                                              
The next morning we headed to the airport to go to Dalandzag. It was a quick trip, about and hour and a half and our driver Hishgee was waiting for us. He drove us another 2.5 hours to the flaming cliffs and camels. The entire ride I was expecting to see sand dunes and camels but it was all rock and dust. It was a surprise for sure. When we got there we went into a nomadic families ger to wait. about 30 minutes after waiting for the family to go pick up their camels, a German couple came in as well. It was amusing to see them so confused, waiting for the camels to come. It was only when we had gotten there that we were told we would need hats and water for our hour ride. Since we didn't have hats, we used our shirts as bandannas. Everyone was very amused by this. When it was time to ride the camels, the German couple rode less than 15 minutes but mom and I bucked up and rode for the full hour. It was fun but my camel clearly wasn't having it that day and made quite a noise. In order to make it sit at times, the Khasha brothers were twisting it's tail because it would not sit down to let me off. Black camel, as mine was called made quite a noise. Mom's camel was named Brown camel and it was pleasant and easy going. We walked all the way to the water well and the camels wouldn't drink for the life of them. It was clear by their pace on the way back that they just wanted to get home and rest. This specific Khasha family has over 100 camels and they move 8 kilometers away in the winter. Since hills are in the direction where they are pointing I can only assume that it provides some protection from the harsh winter winds. After the ride, we were able to eat dried meat and rice with the Khasha family. It was a delicious lunch and even mom was impressed!

On the way back we saw the flaming cliffs. I had hoped to see them at sunset but it just didn't work out. The cliffs were not at all what i thought they would be, and if you have seen Santa Fe sand and rocks and cliffs or the Grand Canon, it was a bit underwhelming.  We got back to town about 5:30 and went to where we thought we would be staying, the DZ hotel. 20 minutes later I realized I was wrong and we were actually staying a few blocks away at the new hotel Khan Uul. The lady did not appear amused. After checking into our room we just wanted to rest in AC and clean up after the dirty day. Unfortunately,  there was no ac. It was nice to rest with nothing on our agenda for the night after a long few days of travel!

The next morning at the crack of dawn we got up and drove to the airport to come back to the city. After landing back in UB and repacking everything for the third time we made our way to the Naraantuul (the black market). After shopping we headed out but took a wrong turn towards the exit and ended up in the food container section with big trucks and sketchy people. It also started to rain heavily. 

As we made wrong turn after wrong turn and went from one alley to the next it became more and more clear to everyone that we were lost. After one last turn, a man pointed us in the right direction. It was evident we needed to go right instead of left. After hopping in a cab that took us back to Marc's we got our bags and headed back to the Blue Sky. We got the same room as before, it was exciting! That night we went to the Step inn at the British Embassy to meet some of mine and Marc's friends. It was great fun and mom enjoyed meeting everyone! After, we went to Blue Fin for some sushi and other tasty morsels. It was a wonderful last night and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves.

The next day mom and I did a lot of resting with some shopping of last minute gifts for people in between. We ordered pizza and relaxed until deciding to go out for Mexican at Mexihan for our last meal.
After gathering our things from the hotel, Marc and I took ma to the airport. It was a sad departure filled with tears but I couldn't be happier that she made the arduous trek to have an adventure with me in Mongolia.

Pictures of us are pending since we took all of them on Mom's phone!