Gobi sand on my pillow...

After only two days in Mongolia, Ulan Bator, I have got a heart for the country. The people here are some of the most friendly, big-hearted and care-taking people I have met so far on my journeys. I feel safe here.

After some complains about the norwegian language at this homepage; I will write in english from now on...

So, my journey started off in Russia, the 26th May, with 12 hours at the Moscow airport. Enough time to observe the vulgar, loud speaking, down-to-earth russian women with good humor and clothes designed form the 90s. Much of the time went to work and sitting at the "Pektopak" which is "Restaurant" in English (source: Jakob Grandin, see picture)

Well, after 8 hours flight to Beijing, I easily found Leo Hostels which was a great tips from Marthe Røgeberg (http://mblogg.blogg.no/). The hostel was full with people, design inspired by the 70s with christmas accessories all over and Jimi Hendrix live concert shown at a monitor loud in the common area. Lots of people walking in and out, I was wondering what they were doing. Many backpackers, but also some lonely souls looking for a partner. You could easily see that the place had been open for some years. The standard was okey and we payed 60 YEN (60 SEK, easy calculations!) per person per night. Fantastic price! Stuff that we did was: Went out at a place called "Propaganda", danced and had GREATE FUN! Home at 7 am :P Met the chinese culture, pink "Little Kitten" accessories, a lot of spitting, misunderstandings, nice food, huge crowds and the well-working sub-way system. Went to the Great Wall with a Chinese friend of Irina, ate a lot of noodles, had H.U.G.E problems with the language and to get around, went to the Beijing Planning Exhibition Museum (fantastic, and got inspired to the GCSF course at Cemus) and met a lot of greate people (including Mr.Rush which helped us with the tickets to UB)

The 2nd of June we were off to Ulan Bator (UB), with more struggle of getting hold of the tickets than you can imagine. We payed 1350 SEK for the train trip (quite expensive?) for 29 hours to UB. But what a ride! Crazy views of timeless landscapes! The train trip was amazing! Though we hit two sheeps along the way, and could see the results of the drought on bones/sculps from dead animals along the railways. Sad, but my eyes opened on how the hard life in the desert could be like. 3rd of June I woke up with a layer of sand from the Gobi desert on my pillow, with sand in my nose and ears. I slept well anyways, but felt a bit filled with foreign particles.

At the UB station we were met with Tunga (my local contact from the University), and her brother (Chinså). We went straight to the apartment to drop of our stuff. Great apartment! Huge and very nice facilitated, a terrace, big bed and all basic every-day-life devices. The day after we went horse-back-riding in the steppes some hours out of UB. SO AMAZING! As I was galloping alone out on the steppes, up on great hills, I could feel freedom and good inner feelings of exploring new parts of the world. The horses was owned by a family in a Ger (Ger=Nomads/Mongols tents) that we also visited where we tasted some of the dairy products that they made there (to be honest; I have tasted better...but I better get used to it as I will stay with a family like this for 2 weeks :))

Well, with sore buts and thighs we went to the National Museum of Mongolia and the Contemporary Arts Museum of Mongolia the day after. This is also the day that Irina was going home. It has been so nice traveling with Irina, and it felt quite sad the moment she left. But today (day after) I woke up with sun-shine, did yoga, ate breakfast with horse fiddle music and now I am all busy and into the work I will do here. So, I have more than enough time to keep myself busy. I am at the moment sitting at the Cafè Amsterdam with a cup of Cappuccino.

Well, I will try to keep you updated on my adventures. The internet is not connected in the apartment yet, so I am dependent on these internet cafès at the moment.

I hope you all are good at home, and even though it seems like I am busy with all my new impressions; you pop up in my head now and then. For you that think this is just amazing and fantastic; it is also a lot of organizing, culture chocks, practical difficulties, hassle with easy every-day-doings and sometimes extremely tireding :P Just so you know ;)

(Pictures from my phone, will upload the ones from my camera soon)

To be continued...

Russian Restaurant (Jakob ;))
Beijing at night
We met some swedes along the way!

Propaganda Club in Beijing

Beijing 7am :)
"Morin Khuur: The Horse Fiddle. Symbol of the mongolian nation, the sound is expansive and unrestrained like a wild horse neighing, or like a breeze in the grasslands. Horse is the most honored and spiritual animal in Mongolia among the 5 traditional ones. The magic sound is to touch everyones heart. It is marked as a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of human identity by UNESCO. The body of the fiddle is made of cow bladder or crusted scum of newly born calf." - National Museum of Mongolia.

I am reading " Sult" av Hamsun at night, such a great language!

A light keeps me sleepy and reflective over all impressions during the day...