Ulaanbaatar

Due to train schedules, I had a fair amount of time in what turned out to be a small city. At least most of the main tourist sites were in walking distance of the main square, Sukhbaatar Square.

This history of Mongolia is like the spirit of its nomadic people, ever changing. They ruled China in the time of Ghinggis Khan. Were ruled by the Chinese for two hundred years. With the help of the Russians freed themselves from the Chinese and was ruled by the eight Bodh Khan, who was both the religious and state ruler. Then was a socialist state and then had a peaceful revolution to a democracy twenty years ago.

I think the cliche is a heavily meat eating country with a beautiful blue sky. But the contrast between the broken pavements and roads and the shiny glass skyscrapers shows a much more complex story. The country is very poor, but the parliment has a new facade of the three great Khans of the great Mongol empire. There is a book of 'The teaching of Buddha' in my hotel room, but after the socialists did their best to wipe out Buddhism in the country, so the people are not anywhere as religious as the Tibetians. In their last election, the 4th since becoming a democratic country, the president is from the democratic party and is very involved in being green. But the people are waiting to benefit from profits from mining which were promised to them.

I think Ulaanbaatar reflects a poor country that has hope although its living conditions are harsh. And with democracy, it is up to its own people to seize this opportunity. But the world financial crisis is a big set back as well. There is a huge impressive curved glass building that was meant to become a hotel. Work on it has ceased. It stands there as a symbol of hope unfulfilled. And then going out into the countryside, and seeing how the people are able to live in spite of all that is against them, you know that the Mongolians are not a people to take things lying down.