Ulaanbaatar What to Expect

I love the food (buuz rules!) and the people are great, but the mobs of little street kids who mob any white person around the central department store are tiresome! Apparently there were incidents where they even kidnap Mongolian women to be pseudo-mothers. They live underground around the hot water pipes for the city, and just mobbed me even inside the store itself until I just pushed my way through the scrum of 3 foot tall kids grabbing at me (holding my wallet the entire time obviously!!). Then again, it was February, it was -40 I went there to go trekking, so probably I was the only foreigner they had seen for months ;)

There is a totally charming children's playground here.. or at least there was in 1988. check out the dragon slide. also the natural history museum has pretty neat dinosaur reconstructions.

if you like chess-there is a intellectual museum in Ulaanbaatar and there is the worlds biggest chess table with pieces and thousands of chess boards and pieces from around the world. Fantastic!!!

I really liked Ulaanbaatat, but am not sure why. It feels more like an eastern European city than an east Asian one. It's pretty run down in places too, but its got quite a nice 'small town' feel. I was there during the Naddam festival in 2006 which was simply spectacular. Definitely recommended.

I love the food (buuz rules!) and the people are great, but the mobs of little street kids who mob any white person around the central department store are tiresome! Apparently there were incidents where they even kidnap Mongolian women to be pseudo-mothers. They live underground around the hot water pipes for the city, and just mobbed me even inside the store itself until I just pushed my way through the scrum of 3 foot tall kids grabbing at me (holding my wallet the entire time obviously!!). Then again, it was February, it was -40 I went there to go trekking, so probably I was the only foreigner they had seen for months ;)

There is a totally charming children's playground here.. or at least there was in 1988. check out the dragon slide. also the natural history museum has pretty neat dinosaur reconstructions.

Good restaurant on central square! Boeddhistic monastery is worth visiting!

if you like chess-there is a intellectual museum in Ulaanbaatar and there is the worlds biggest chess table with pieces and thousands of chess boards and pieces from around the world. Fantastic!!!

I really liked Ulaanbaatat, but am not sure why. It feels more like an eastern European city than an east Asian one. It's pretty run down in places too, but its got quite a nice 'small town' feel. I was there during the Naddam festival in 2006 which was simply spectacular. Definitely recommended.

I love the food (buuz rules!) and the people are great, but the mobs of little street kids who mob any white person around the central department store are tiresome! Apparently there were incidents where they even kidnap Mongolian women to be pseudo-mothers. They live underground around the hot water pipes for the city, and just mobbed me even inside the store itself until I just pushed my way through the scrum of 3 foot tall kids grabbing at me (holding my wallet the entire time obviously!!). Then again, it was February, it was -40 I went there to go trekking, so probably I was the only foreigner they had seen for months ;)

There is a totally charming children's playground here.. or at least there was in 1988. check out the dragon slide. also the natural history museum has pretty neat dinosaur reconstructions.

Good restaurant on central square! Boeddhistic monastery is worth visiting!

Pour ceux qui arrivent seuls à ulan baatar mais qui veulent bouger dans le pays, un bon plan est de se renseigner dans les guesthouses et les cafes de voyageurs-touristes, il y a souvent des tableaux de renseignements où d'autres personnes cherchent à partager les frais de leurs expéditions, une fois que vous vous êtes contactés, décidez ensemble de votre itinéraire ou de vos centres d'interêt, puis partez, mais attention à ne pas vous imposer chez l'habitant, tourisme responsable quoi!!!