finally made it to UB (Ulan Baatar to you guys). Reached here today morning after a longish 48 hours through Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.
At the immigration at chennai airport, I was given the same look most of you guys gave me when i told you I am going to Mongolia for a holiday. He just couldn't digest the fact that i was going there. Thanks to this extremely inquisitive and un-believing guy, i spent a long time at the immigration counter. He actually called a superior looking officer who finally let me go but not after reprimanding me for coming to Mongolia (Philistine!!!!)
At the hotel at KL, during dinner (a buffet), I was looking for the Indian section so that i could eat my normal yellow daal (unfortunately, there was none :((((() Spotted lots of Indian's at KL so i never really felt away from home. This feeling vanished as soon as i reached Beijing.
I had heard about the progress made by the Chinese but was totally taken aback. it is like a futuristic comic book. Beijing looks like a new york or La Defense (Paris) with the most modern looking buildings and the latest of malls. The people are dressed in the brightest of colours (pinks and yellows) and in the latest of Armani's and Versace's (I was looking for people dressed like the cast of Crouching Tiger.....). All the women look even cuter than Zhang Ziyi (sigh!!!!!!). There is so much construction happening everywhere that one is really taken aback.
Today on the flight from Beijing to UB, I was the only non-Chinese looking guy and there was a constant chatter of Chinese / Cantonese / Mandarin / Mongolian (it was a bit like being in Chennai and not knowing Tamil. Been there done that!!!!!!!). Even in Beijing, it is extremely difficult to communicate. English doesn't work and neither do gestures (my gestures slowly gave way to a puzzled look - this look later became perennial on my face).
Coming back to the flight - throughout the flight we were all glued to our windows. The mongolian landscape looked extremely pretty. When the announcement was made that we are about to land, one could still NOT see any sign of habitation (UB is an extremely small city). One could
just see an ocassional Ger (mongolian tent). As we left the airport, a sudden feeling of openness - the sun was out, the weather was good (23C) and everyone was out despite the fact that it was a friday afternoon. My host told me that when the weather is out people just go out to the river (or anywhere else they feel like) and camp (with beer naturellement). since there is no concept of landownership, they can just about go anywhere they feel like and plonk themselves there (hows
that for freedom!!!!). This possibly accounts for a very happy-go-lucky satisfied look on most peoples face. (very different from the cold and hurried look of most Beijing people).
Today i just walked around UB (a surprisingly modern city in parts) but what still hasn't sunk in is the feeling of openness here. I will like it here :)
(July, 2004)
