“Not all those who wander are lost…” - J.R.R. Tolkien
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| (Zaisan Memorial, Ulaanbaatar) |
Day-02: Monday 02/09/2019
Destination: Ulaanbaatar City Tour
Hotel: Hotel Nine Ulaanbaatar
We arrived at Chinggis Khaan International Airport, Ulaanbaatar around 04:15 and were met by our guides Mr Gur and Mr Torgu. We performed our Subuh prayers and changed foreign currency to Mongolian Tugrug before we boarded the mini bus and drove to Ulaanbaatar for our city tour.
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| (Chinggis Khan International Airport) |
Ulaanbaatar, literally means ‘Red Hero’, is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. The city population was over 1.3 million, almost half of the country's population. The city is in north central Mongolia at an elevation of about 1,300 m in a valley on the Tuul River. It is the country's cultural, industrial and financial heart, the centre of Mongolia's road network and connected by rail to both the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia and the Chinese railway system. The city was founded in 1639 as a nomadic Buddhist monastic centre. It settled permanently at its present location, the junction of the Tuul and Selbe rivers. The city is beautiful, modern and clean.
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| (First glimpse of Ulaanbaatar and Tuul River) |
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| (One of the Power Plants in Ulaanbaatar) |
Our first visit was to Zaisan Hill, where the Zaisan Memorial lies in the foothills to the south of Ulaanbaatar. It was built by the Russians as a monument to Soviet soldiers fallen in World War Two. A tiled mural lies within a huge concrete ring, which is raised about 5 m above the ground. The Zaisan memorial lies about 20 minutes’ walk up a steep hill of 321 steps. It was worth the climb to enjoy the spectacular views of the city from the top of the hill.
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| (A slow and steady climb to the memorial) |
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| (The sun is rising on the horizon) |
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| (A monument for the fallen Russian Soldiers) |
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| (A panoramic view from the top of the hill) |
Although it was still early in the morning, there was a large crowd of foreigners and local tourists visiting the memorial. The excellent views over Ulaanbaatar give one an appreciation of the size of the ever-sprawling city, and a good view of the Tuul River as it winds its way from the heights of Terelj National Park down between the factories and power stations of Ulaanbaatar.
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| (A tiled mural depicting WWII events) |
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| (A story behind each scene of the mural) |
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| (A good view from the top of Zaisan hill) |
By 08:00 we were already able to check-in at Ulaanbaatar Nine Hotel and had a hearty breakfast of cereal, bread and egg omelette. The hotel restaurant served non-halal dishes as well on the buffet spread, so one need to be extra careful to choose. After more than eleven hours on the plane, we had a good 3-hour rest in our spacious and cosy room. It was unusual for tourists to be allowed to check-in early, but this time luck was on our side.
We performed our prayers and skipped lunch as we were still full. By 13:00 we gathered at the lobby for our next visit but we were made to wait for over an hour when our guide went to buy sim cards. This errand should have been done earlier while we were rested in the rooms. Later, we went for a drive around the city of Ulaanbaatar and visited the Hard Rock Café for some souvenir shopping.
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| (Hard Rock Cafe, Ulaanbaatar) |
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| (A must visit for Hard Rock collectibles) |
Next destination was the Sukhbaatar Square previously known as Chinggis Square. It is the central square of Ulaanbaatar. The official name was changed in 2013 in honor of Genghis Khan, considered to be the founding father of Mongolia, and then changed back in 2016. A large colonnade monument to Genghis Khan, as well as to Ögedei Khan, and Kublai Khan dominates the square's north side directly in front of the Saaral Ordon, the Government Palace. The center of the square features an equestrian statue of Damdin Sükhbaatar, one of the leaders of Mongolia's 1921 revolution. The square at this time of the day was busy with preparations for the visit of the Russian Premier, Vladimir Putin to sign a Landmark Treaty with Mongolia. A lot of streets were expected to be closed in the evening.
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| (Sukhbaatar Square, Ulaanbaatar) |
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| (Equestrian statue of Damdin Sukhbaatar) |
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| (Parliament Building in Sukhbaatar Square) |
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| (The statue of Genghis Khan) |
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| (A Mongolian in a traditional attire) |
From the Sukhbaatar Square, we walked a short distance to the National History Museum. The museum is a cultural, scientific, and educational organization, which is responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of the objects under its curation. The first museum in Mongolia, was established in 1924 and became the basis for other museums, including the National Museum of Mongolian History. Exhibitions cover prehistory, pre-Mongol Empire history, Mongol Empire, Mongolia during Qing rule, ethnography and traditional life, and twentieth-century history. The ethnographic collection has significant displays of the traditional dress of various Mongolian ethnic groups. We paid for a guided tour and visited almost all the sections. Audio-guided tour was also available but unfortunately, photography was not permitted.
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| (A short distance from Sukhbaatar Square) |
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| (The National History Museum of Mongolia) |
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| (Genghis Khan at the museum entrance) |
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| (Nine exhibition chambers) |
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| (Time for souvenir shopping) |
Before going back to the hotel, we stopped at the State Department Store to buy food provisions. The 6-floor store is a place where you could find everything you might need under one roof. There is one whole floor dedicated to souvenir hunting.
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| (Ready for dinner at Hotel Nine) |
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| (Quite a large portion for one) |
After freshening up in the hotel, we drove to Ankara Turkish Restaurant for a sumptuous pilaf rice and chicken dinner.
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(A large serpent at the entrance)
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Tonight, feeling overly exhausted and sleepy, we slept early and rested our tired body well.
