I guess I’ve
already warned you about the spitting. Again, this seems normal on this side of
Asia. On our side, however, we usually raise our eyebrows when someone does
this, especially without warning. When in UB, it’s time to practice your
Patintero skills, not just with spitting locals, but with motorists as well. A
blog I’ve read somewhere has stated that crossing a street in UB is like an
exercise for suicide. I kind of agree with this statement. He does, however,
also say that tourists must be ready for the Mongolian car driver. As a
Filipino, I don’t agree with this one. For someone who has been taking the
daily commute around Metro Manila all his life, I’d say that it should be the
Mongolian driving his vehicle who should get ready for me, the Pinoy
pedestrian. Haha. Hahahaha.
Chingeltrei is
another district occupying some parts northwest of the city. Again, I just
placed the district name on the title to give readers an idea of the different
zones. When you are busy window shopping and observing the daily happenings
around you, you wouldn’t notice that you’ve already crossed district borders.
Let’s not get too technical here. Moving on, let me narrate what I did for the
day.
I was supposed to
try my luck and catch the 4 PM bus to Terelj, which is said to go back the next
day at 8 AM, early enough for me to catch my 4 PM train ride back to Zamyn Uud,
but then I got lost and found no bus, so no Terelj for me. Instead, I walked
around the northwest part of the city up to the area of the Gandantegchinleng
monastery. Pardon the spelling errors, hard to remember. Please don’t ask me
why I always get lost. I like getting lost! My travels are not complete without it.
What else did I do then? Shopping, or maybe just “buying”. Let’s not
exaggerate. Despite the low tourist arrivals, UB has no shortage of souvenir
shops which sell a lot of things from national costumes to boots to the typical
souvenir plates and shirts. Prices vary though.
They have this
black market they call Naranthul. I did not go there because: a) I hate
haggling; b) I’m really gullible; and c) I think I’ve reached my quota in
getting ripped off for this year. So, no, thanks. Instead I went to the State
Department Store, which claims to have the biggest souvenir shop in the city.
They are not lying. They sell some books in there like the kiddie Mongolian
phrase book I bought complete with illustrations. I never used it while I was
in UB. It’s just a souvenir and an addition to my book collection. Mongolian
seems to be an interesting language but I have no more room for another foreign
language in my languages-to-learn queue. They also have picture books and guide
books, travel books about Mongolia auf Deutsch and en français. And then you
have the table top souvenirs: dolls in Mongolian costumes, black plates with
golden linings, etc. You can also buy keychains, wallets, boots, winter wear
(fur, leather, cashmere, name it, they have it) and a lot more!
I walked out of
there with a book, mother’s souvenir plate, one t-shirt each for me and my
brother, and two keychains. Since it is a department store, expect that they
would be selling the good for a little bit more than the price somewhere else.
Think Filipino cultural shop at any SM branch. It’s similar to that. Anyway,
this department store, I think, is the oldest in UB, and is the one that
closely resembles an SM Department Store. There is a food court on one of the
upper floors next to the bookstore. The other floors have the usual department
store goods like furniture, appliances, and clothes.
Walk out of the
State Department Store and go straight. You’ll see a round building from afar.
That’s the Mongolia National Circus. Along the way you would be walking down an
avenue with a monument for the Beatles and a statue of God knows who. You’ll see
a gazebo upon crossing the street before reaching the circus. Looking from the
outside in you’d think that it is a grocery store. I went in and found out that
the circus was closed. The red curtains were down and the outer surrounding
area is occupied by stalls selling some clothes and school supplies. I don’t
know if the circus has been permanently shut down or if they only have weekend
shows. You might want to check with the Tourism Bureau.
I went back north
after my little circus detour. I saw a German café so I decided to pause for a
snack. The cake was delicious. The chocolate shake was a bit bitter but it
worked for me. Back on track I saw a modern building or two before passing by
some Buddhism Meditation Center with a stupa in front and the Zanazabar Museum,
which I called “Zanzibar” in the video. Sorry about that. I’m just human. My
wandering feet next brought me to the Freedom Square, which is not as
impressive as Sukhbaatar’s but also spacious. There are two cinemas nearby, one
to the north and one to the east.
I stood there
frozen for a while listening to Katy Perry’s Firework (the cinema to the east
was playing it) as the sun baked me alive. The weather here is much freakier
than the one we have in the Philippines. One minute it would freeze you only to
toast you the next. I suggest bringing long sleeves with you. It is not
uncommon to see some Mongolians wearing them. It makes sense. It could keep you
warm when it’s cold, and protect your skin when the sun is being KSP. Oh, cashmere
coat, the warm feel you had when you brushed against my skin at the Altai
Cashmere store. But you cost a hundred dollars, damn it. I really suggest
buying one. This would probably be the best souvenir you could buy here. And
they come in green!
The day ended
early, way too early at around 5 PM. I was back at the guest house and only
came out again to eat at around 6 PM. But my trip around the city did not end
at the Freedom Square. I went west after that for some temple hopping, or
“temple sightings” to be more apt. Just follow the road going west. When you
reach the intersection you’ll see a temple/monastery (sorry, I can’t distinguish
one from the other, definition please?) to your left, to your far right, and in
front of you, all of them across the street. You could take pictures from where
you are if your camera has powerful zoom lens. If not, a little bit of walking won’t
hurt.
You’ll also see
some sort of slum area to the northwest (across the street from the temple on
your left). Honestly, I don’t know if it was a slum area. It looked like one,
although it did look unique because of the gers. If you are not Buddhist, I
don’t know what business you’ll have in a temple. As a tourist you could
probably admire the architecture, or the arts through the sculptures, or
satisfy your curiosity by hearing the chants or observing the worshipers. I
don’t know. As for me I am usually amazed by the structure of the buildings and
religious sculptures. The chanting creeps me out though, no offense.
If you follow the
street going south of the temple to your left, you would reach Peace Avenue,
which is the main artery of the city. Don’t love it though; traffic is always
heavy in there. This is also the part of the avenue where you would see the
Naranthul Hotel, in front of which the bus to Terelj is allegedly stationed. I
don’t know if the bus is invisible or I’m just an idiot with no sense of
direction. The sad thing is, I believe more in the second theory. Back on
topic! Look north! It’s a bird! No, it’s a plane! No. It’s the road going
straight up to the Gandantegchinleng Monastery! Tongue twister of the day,
linguistic practice!
The hill going up
is not steep and the road is paved, so don’t be such a wuss and just head
north. There are two or three temples on the way up. Some of the shops also
look like temples so again, I apologize for my lack of skills when it comes to
identifying structures built for worship. There’s a Grab and Go by the main
gate if you need some refreshments. The ticket booth to the left is actually a
food stall. The one to the right is the correct one. Pay 3,500 Tugriks and you
receive a leaflet which serves as your entrance ticket. You could go straight
ahead if you want to see the main temple housing the tall golden Buddha. You
have to pay to take a picture or grab a video, so I just opted not to. If you
want to see the other temples, head right from the ticket booth and enter the
other gate. The area is small and has a lot pigeons. I hate pigeons.
I walked all the
way back to the guest house because I don’t have an idea which bus to take,
which wouldn’t have been that hard since they all traverse Peace Avenue, duh.
Okay, fine! I didn’t know where else to go! I wanted to check the very big park
near the guest house but I thought I've already seen enough and I was bored so I thought I’d walk and maybe
find an interesting place to see. Unfortunately I found none. So there, Hello
guest house. We still have tomorrow.
CHINGELTREI: 01 - If Only I Bought A Cashmere Coat
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