Mongolia > Entering Ulaanbaatar

Mongolia - The Choijin Lama Monastery lies amid skyscrapers

We wake up with the sun on the tent. It immediately gets warm inside. What a wonderful view of the sand dunes when opening the tent. At our leisure we drink coffee, make a toasted sandwich, and prepare an omelet. Only after midday do we set off. Perhaps this was the last time during this trip that we slept in our tent? The road to Ulaanbaatar is just over three hundred kilometers. The road is excellent. As we approach Ulaanbaatar, the traffic becomes busier and busier. Yet it’s surprising that twenty-five kilometers before the city there is still hardly any sign of buildings. This changes quickly as we drive into the Mongolian capital. A busy traffic artery leads into the city. Strangely enough, almost everyone drives on the left side of the road. Overtaking is then done on the right. This doesn’t seem to be the original intention, but we adapt. We drive to the coordinates we received from the motorcyclists. They already arrived yesterday. When we get there, we are not at the hotel but at the KTM dealer. They made a mistake with the coordinates. We quickly drive on to the hotel. A fine hotel, less than two kilometers from the central square. In the evening we take a taxi to a good restaurant. A fine steak is on the menu here. We end the evening with a walk across Sükhbaatar Square. The parliament building and the statue of Sükhbaatar are beautifully illuminated. The center around the square consists of tall tower blocks. The city center looks lively and pleasant. What a difference from the Mongolian countryside. This city is a perfect place to spend the coming days.