Viking Gems of China and Japan Day 31 – SUVs, Planes, Vans, Buses, and Traffic
We awoke just before dawn and had breakfast in the dining ger. After returning to our ger, we followed our morning routine, which included taking daily pills, brushing our teeth, and other tasks, before packing the last items into our totes and heading for the SUVs.
We settled our bill (a hat and a couple of drinks) and hopped in the SUV for our final Mongolian massage.
 |
| As we drove, thousands of these small birds flew alongside the SUV, flying back and forth in front of us |
 |
| Departing Dalandzadagad |
 |
| While this was another Cessna C-208 Caravan, the seating was much more cramped and uncomfortable |
 |
| At least the flight was only 1:45, and we could extract ourselves |
 |
| Approaching Ulaanbaatar |
 |
| We made it |
We hopped in a large van for the ride to the terminal. From there, we boarded our bus for the ride to a temple.
 |
| Even though Ulaanbaatar is a modern city, they still burn local coal for most of their power |
 |
| This power plant is right in the city |
 |
| Lots of new high-rise apartments to house the 1.7 million residents |
 |
| And they all have cars and seem to always be on the road |
 |
| Arriving at the Gandantegchinlen Monastery, one of the most important and iconic Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia |
 |
| It was established in 1809, closed during the period of religious persecution in Mongolia in 1939, and then reopened and served as Mongolia's only active monastery from 1944 to 1989 |
 |
| Prayer platforms |
 |
| The main temple |
 |
| Multiple stupas surrounded the temple |
 |
| A large incense burner |
 |
| Lots of local folks rang the bells at the top as they passed by |
 |
| The 26-meter statue of Megjid Janraisig (Avalokiteśvara) |
 |
| Worshipers were coming and going constantly |
 |
| This gives some perspective on how large the statue is |
 |
| Prayer wheels - the man spun each one as he prayed |
 |
| We departed the temple |
 |
| We thought this resembled a Kewpie doll |
 |
| The grand assembly hall of the teaching center for Mongolian Buddhists |
 |
| We left the monastery to head to the hotel - 4km, 20 minutes to drive, and only 35 minutes to walk - traffic was crazy |
 |
| I finally got a photo of the Mongolian flag and a bonus - our hotel in the background |
 |
| The city is built up like this for miles in all directions |
We arrived at our hotel, checked in, and retrieved both the bags we had left here and the ones they had driven from the Three Camel Lodge the previous day. We settled into our room for a bit before walking to the adjacent mall to wander for a bit. There wasn't a lot to see there - high-end fashion shops and a lot of eateries. We returned to our room and relaxed for a while before joining the group back in the mall at Mongolians Restaurant, where we had our farewell dinner.
The meal was served family-style, with three salads and a course of beef noodles, steamed dumplings, and fried dumplings. We thought it was a very nice meal. Then...the main course arrived. It was a huge platter filled with sausage, beef, chicken, lamb chops, bone marrow, fried potatoes, sweet potato chips, broccoli, and more. It was way too much food, and a lot was left behind. It was a nice end to this adventure.
We have one more day, albeit a long one. We will leave the hotel early tomorrow morning for our 30-ish-hour travel day home.
No comments:
Post a Comment