A little inside of the Mongolian Capital

Mongolia. Ulaanbaatar. The country itself is a vast landscape full of little wonders and unique beauty. The city, the capital, well so very different from the rest of the country, it could be an island. It is very modernized but you still can feel and see some of the old Mongolia. You can pass modern skyscrapers, shops, homes or shopping center, turn around the corner and suddenly there is an old temple or building.

In the outskirts of the city, you can even see some typical yurts and small houses with colored rooftops. From far it looks very amazing, like a colored belt around the city.

The mornings are very calm, even deserted. The people of Mongolia are late risers, only around nine or ten o'clock will you see shops and cafés starting to open, people wandering around, the traffic coming into life and the public transportation.

On the other hand, the night is full of vibrating life, there are bars, clubs, lounges everywhere, a lot of karaoke places and Irish pubs, wich is very funny. If you like singing you can sing yourself through the city. Almost every second building is either a karaoke place or an Irish pub.

Oh, and drinking, yes you can drink in this city! Their favored specialty is vodka, my guess will be the Russian influence. From what I saw and experienced they love to get drunk and then dance, sing, shout, fight, having fun.

Concerning the music, what they listen to the most is rap, rock and folk music. Rap is very famous in the city and actually very good, I´m not a big rap fan but their rap I can listen to easily, one of my favorite bands is Mohanik. They are very fond of the Beatles too, in the early ages of the Capital, they were forbidden in Mongolia, so they started smuggling their cd´s into the city and listen to them at night time and play and sing their songs. One square is dedicated to them, the Beatles Square. Where nowadays the youngsters meet, hang out and still listen to music, a different kind, though.

Sightseeing can be very interesting, there is much to see and experience. If you like history and/or art it would be a very good choice for you to go.

Religion there is quite mixed but the majority I believe to be Buddhist. There are also many Christians and some shamans.

It is a very exquisite and fascinating city to visit! And the people, I almost forgot to mention, they are one of the most welcoming, warm and friendliest people I have met. Most don´t speak English and will be a little bit confused if you talk to them but if you manage to find a language in common they will open up to you as if you already knew each other for ages. They always help you if they can, they even go out of their ways to assist you when you are in trouble.

The weather is very very hot and dusty, in summer. Then again in winter it is very very cold. Pollution is also a big issue in winter because they use coal for heat wich leaves a heavy smoke in the city what can be very uncomfortable.

I think the food is the only thing I really didn´t like about Mongolia. In the city it´s still quite easy to get any food you want, there are various restaurants with different kind of food from all over the world, like in most cities. But the typical Mongolian food has a very required taste, for starters, it is mainly meat, very few vegetables. Then the seasoning isn´t the best. Their land is very dry so they can´t really grow anything. Especially no herbs. And salt is also very uncommon. On the other hand, they use a lot of milk. Now you can use your imagination for what their cuisine could be.