Creating Culture and the Leaning Tower of Ulaanbaatar

UB is a phenomenon that has not been seen in several decades at least, and perhaps even in centuries. Cities, as we know them today, are established well before we were born. They have history, they have culture, the people know when restaurants are open and which streets have good bars. Food costs an average amount and there are areas that are nicer than others. UB has culture and history enough, but not city culture, or city history. This is a city being built today, founding itself now. People are moving in from the countryside, in gers (yurts), parking their gers in the city, and when they get enough money they build themselves a house. Before long what was once their neighborhood in the outskirts becomes part of the city center, as people keep pouring in. 100 years ago this country was almost 100% nomadic. Today UB comprises of 33% of the entire population of Mongolia, 1 million citizens. Five years ago there was no Mongolian word for a traffic jam.

Today their word means "Road Block," because cars cannot move in the streets - the growth of population is far exceeding the infrastructure expansion required for such growth. Restaurants open late and close early - and each one has a different idea about good business hours. Food is priced at all different levels, even for the same thing. This city is sprouting out of nowhere and discovering itself - making a culture. It's amazing to think that Brian and I, as part of a collective of visitors to this baby city, by walking into a restaurant late when it's closed or leaving a place that's overpriced, are not being just tourists - we're helping to establish a culture.

A perfect example of how unprepared this city is to be a real city is this. Next to the main square is a skyscraper that some investors had built to take advantage of the businesses and offices that are needed now in the city. It's about 40 stories tall (maybe less), and has a beautiful whale tail-like design running up the back spine of the building. The outside windows are a deep reflective blue, and it looks like it could go in any modern city. With the exception of the fact that it's leaning.

That's right; UB builders were so eager to have a skyscraper like every other city, they forgot to make sure it was straight up-and-down... and built it at a slight angle. Now it's empty and awaiting demolition because it is uninhabitable.

***

Woke up at 6:30, couldn't fall back to sleep, so I called a few people back home and passed the time until I woke Brian up at 10:30.

By 11:30 we had hit the streets. We stumbled into a Korean restaurant, which we only realized after we sat down and saw the menu. We ordered far too much food but enjoyed it nonetheless.

We wandered down to the National Culture Park, but it was closed, ironically symbolic of Mongolia's culture 20 years ago - closed.

Back to Сукбаатар Square, and on to the National Museum.

The museum was small, and only 3 floors, so we bought our tickets (5000T for 2! Circa $4 total) and were in and out within an hour. It was interesting but I think there's more to learn on the streets of the history in motion of UB than in that museum.

Walking towards the State Department Store for some souvineer shopping, we passed a familiar face. I grabbed Brian and said "that's Cia and Tal!" we turned around and found Cia, Tal, and Byra, our friends from the Transsib, talking on the street. Like yesterday with Marcel, I marvel at how small this world (and this city, I guess) is. We exchanged numbers in the hopes of meeting up later, and went our separate ways. We never heard from them again, until Brian got an email from Cia explaining she'd lost my number.

Brian and I went to the department store, buying two souvineer Mongolian traditional communal shotglasses in a shop, bringing the total number of shotglasses bought on this trip to 39 (6 in St. Pete, 32 with the chess set, and this one for me).

We spent some time on the top two floors of the store, looking for souvineers. Brian bought a book for his office on Mongolian Business Tycoons (who are making almost $6,000 a year!) but we got nothing else.

Walked back to the hostel and arrived just past 5 for siesta.

At 9 we were still in the hostel and relaxing. We hadn't heard from Cia or Tal or Byra, so we went out to dinner. Stopped on Seoul Street at BD's, a Mongolian BBQ Flattop-type restaurant. We had an all you can eat buffet of Mongolian deliciousness.

When we sat at the restaurant we tried to order a beer. They said no one in the city is allowed to serve alcohol on the first of the month. There went our plans for drinks tonight with the Transsib people anyways...

At 10:30 we paid and went back to the hostel.

At 12:30 we were contemplating packing for the train in the morning when Brian decided to call home - and we found out my Grandpa Seymour, my mom's dad, had died the night before. It was sad news but we were relieved to know that he chose how he wanted to die and that he didn't want to be a burden to his children. I really do admire this selfless act of caring. And his time had come, when he decided it had (as he lived his whole life). There is nothing sad about a long life well lived (well lived except for the 2 packs of cigarettes a day for 70 years).

At 2 we settled in for 3.5 hours of sleep.