"Welcome to Ulaanbaatar!" said the Korean Air flight attendant. And not a moment too soon. Twenty-seve hours after taking off from Lexington, I stepped off the plane and caught my first glimpse of my new world.
As I proceeded to Customs and Immigration, I noticed that most of the signs were in Mongolian and English. Though I recognized a few of the Mongolian words (the most important ones anyway), the sight of English hammered home the fact that this country and the English-speaking world are becoming more connected. Customs was a quick process. Baggage claim however was not. I was a little surprised that so many people were on the plane. We flew from Incheon on an Airbus 300 - eight seats across - and it was jam-packed. Not an empty seat so about 260 passengers.
Hatnaa and his brother-in-law were at the airport to greet me! I was so happy to see them. We gathered my belongings and off we went to downtown Ulaanbaatar. By midnight Sunday morning, I had traversed the globe more than 8,000 miles and arrrived at my new home for the next two weeks. Check in at the hotel was fairly quick and soon I was sleeping in the Land of the Blue Sky!
I woke up this morning around 8:30 a.m. and caught my first glimpse of Mongolia during the daylight hours.
As I proceeded to Customs and Immigration, I noticed that most of the signs were in Mongolian and English. Though I recognized a few of the Mongolian words (the most important ones anyway), the sight of English hammered home the fact that this country and the English-speaking world are becoming more connected. Customs was a quick process. Baggage claim however was not. I was a little surprised that so many people were on the plane. We flew from Incheon on an Airbus 300 - eight seats across - and it was jam-packed. Not an empty seat so about 260 passengers.
Hatnaa and his brother-in-law were at the airport to greet me! I was so happy to see them. We gathered my belongings and off we went to downtown Ulaanbaatar. By midnight Sunday morning, I had traversed the globe more than 8,000 miles and arrrived at my new home for the next two weeks. Check in at the hotel was fairly quick and soon I was sleeping in the Land of the Blue Sky!
I woke up this morning around 8:30 a.m. and caught my first glimpse of Mongolia during the daylight hours.
View from the Ramada Hotel Ulaanbaatar
I'm meeting Hatnaa for lunch and then off for a city tour and a visit to the National Museum! Only three weeks ago, the newly elected government opened the National Museum to the general public for the first time so this is a real treat. Hatnaa snagged us a couple of tickets, and I can't wait to see the historical artifacts of this former empire of Chengis Khan.
I'll have more pics later, but for now, it's time to hit the shower and get ready for my first adventure out in the big city.
Talk with you soon!
Баяртай (Goodbye!)
It is so great to hear about your adventure...the Visa thing sounds kind of stressful. Sarah W., UK Martin School
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah! Yes, the VISA episode was a little stressful. I've concluded that these kinds of hiccups are just a normal part of travel these days. While not pleasant, they don't make the journey any less enjoyable. I don't mind rolling with the flow. However when it comes to things like my passport and VISA, I don't ever want to take a risk. In any case, CLARITY prevailed and everything went smoothly. Thanks for all of your help!!
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