1st Impressions--Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia--March 2017

Many of you know we are now living and working in Ulaanbaatar (UB) Mongolia...been here just shy of a month and our first impressions have exceeded our expectations...

Mongolia is the 19th largest country in the world with 603,000 sq miles, is landlocked and is the most sparsely populated country in the world with only 3 million TOTAL inhabitants.  To give you an idea of it's size, Mongolia is a bit over 2x the size of Texas or just shy of the size of Alaska.  Elevations range from the lowest point of 1,700 ft to the highest peak in the west of the country of 14,350 ft and an average altitude of 5,183 ft.  UB sits in a bowl surrounded by hills at 4,300 ft, is the capital and is home to over 1/2 of the country's population with roughly 1.5 million people in the city.

The geography consists of  2 mountain ranges, alpine forests, fresh water lakes and rivers, salt lakes, marsh lakes, sand dunes, desert, rolling grasslands, permanent mountain glaciers, hot springs and extinct volcanoes.  Russia borders Mongolia to the north and China to the south.  The closest ocean is the Pacific at over 400 miles away.  

There are over 257 cloudless days, which may be one of the reasons why Denver is its sister city.  Precipitation is highest in the north of the country with only 7-13 inches/year and in the Gobi Desert in the south, almost zero most years.

Below zero temperatures are common around the country from November-March (-40 is not uncommon), with freezing temps April and October making winters long, cold and dark.  Extreme high temps can reach up to 100 F in mid summer.

Almost anything is seemingly available here.  Imported goods come from Russia, China, Japan, Korea and even as far away as eastern Europe, Australia and the US.  We've seen Sony, Samsung, Canon, Toyota, Mercedes, Kia, Range Rover, Nissan, Levi, Ugg, Sorrel, Crocs, Merrell, Patagonia, Kraft, Heinz, Timberland, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut and so much more.  Mongolian goods are ample as well, which we try to buy first and foremost.  Local cashmere is gorgeous and plentiful.  Local color and style is beautiful...here are a few shots from our 1st few weeks walking around...

The city from 8 stories up...

View of the Choijin Lama Temple, built in the early 1900s, which is now a museum rich in Mongolian history...it is located downtown surrounded by now modern buildings.

Walking the city streets

A bit chilly out (in the teens!)...we wear the masks in the winter due to the poor air quality.

Government Palace (also known as Parliament) in Sukhbaatar Square, houses the office of the President and the VP among others, with statues of Chinggis Khaan, and 2 Mongol Soldiers out front.

Chinggis Khaan (or as westerns spell it Genghis Khan) outside the Government Palace.  Born in the 1100s and considered the founder of the Mongolian Empire, Chinggis conquered more than twice as much land than any other person in history, roughly the size of the entire continent of Africa and is credited with bringing eastern and western civilizations into contact.

The Peace Bell at the main square

The National Theater across from Sukhbaatar Square

A view from Sukhbaatar Square, with the statue of Sukhbaatar in the foreground along with the modern city and the hills in the background.

Sukhbaatar statue--it was he who declared independence from China

Marco Polo supported and contributed to Mongolia and was a member of the court of Kublai Khaan, the great grandson of Chinggis and a statute in his honor rests on one of the downtown streets.

We saw some very colorful people while out...and the day we took the below photos was International Women's Day.  Most were dressed to the nines...we are not sure what the medals nor certificates were for, but we do know that Mongolians are proud people and do acquire medals for many events, including education, literacy, medical, science, sports, local and international competitions and more.  Your guess is as good as ours on the below...

We then went indoors...inside a Cashmere store, as Mongolia is the worlds 2nd largest producer.

We later found a large 'department store' called 'State Department Store'...which was once run by the state...it has withstood 3 periods in Mongolia--national revolution, socialism, and democracy and today is one of the largest stores in Mongolia, with 6 floors, selling almost EVERYTHING on earth and is known by almost every Mongolian...it was definitely not what we were expecting...see for yourselves...we were amazed at the brands and the choices but took most of our photos in the Mongolian section...

It was more like a mall actually and is quite the tourist attraction...

With a very fully stocked food section...

That's it for this update...we have only been in the country a few weeks and have lots more exploring to do...we look forward to sharing those explorations...stay tuned...