This past weekend I took a trip down to the Gobi to visit Hanhongor, to say hello to my friends and former students, to donate some more books to the student center that I started, and to hold two trainings. It was a quick but lovely trip, and I plan to go back in the spring and spend a few days teaching some special classes for the students and teachers. Here are a few shots from my trip.

Where our ger used to stand :(

The new town park complete with benches, a fountain and trash cans!

The new government building. We tried to see around inside, but no one seemed to be working that day...

Another change: live chickens.

Enkhstsetseg with her granddaughter Aminerdene...

and with her grandson Bilguundalai.

A gaggle of cuties at school.

Although the 1st grade class for the last 2 years has had 8 and 9 students, this year's has 26!

I brought cake with me to celebrate all the teacher and staff October birthdays.

Making wishes before blowing out their candles and...

enjoying their noisemakers.

By special request I taught a class on making cookies.

As well as a training on cross discipline subject matter teaching.

Anyone interested in joining me on my next trip?

Between leaving Busan and heading back to Mongolia, we had about 24 hours in Seoul. After checking into our hotel, we went to several of the larger department stores on a failed attempt to buy a waffle iron. Not available in Mongolia, we thought that since you can buy waffles on every corner in Korea that we we would be able to get a waffle iron to take home. Sadly no. Perhaps there is a waffle mafia in Korea and only those with connections are allowed to make them.

On a more positive note, we met up with our friend Ari (of the guest photographer fame) and went to a wonderful vegan buffet in Gangnam. I find it fascinating how creative cooks can be when cooking vegan. There were all sorts of Korean inspired dishes made out of tofu, tvp, seitan and veggies. It was great to see Ari, and hope she is around the next time we make it to Seoul.

On our last day of vacation we decided to go ride bikes alongside the Han river. After getting a bit disoriented (which lead into a discussion on the merits of the journey over the destination led by Brian) we eventually made it to the bike rental place. The bikes were wobbly and old but cheap and had two wheels, so that was all that mattered.

This is a path in the middle of Seoul. Who knew?

The Han River

Brian-Speed Racer

The National Assembly is in the distance.

As always we didn’t want to leave Korea, but we consoled ourselves with the fact that we will be back and by these….

Robert De Nero doing a Robert De Nero impersonation

The world's best souvenir.

Our third day in Busan was spent down near the main port area. After coffee and pastries (vacation is mainly an excuse for us to eat and eat and eat) we hiked rode the escalator up to Busan tower in Yongdusan Park. It is not nearly as tall as the one in Seoul, but the view was lovely anyway.

On the way up to Busan Tower.

Kids playing games in the park.

Picture perfect park.

Nexk we headed over to the Lotte Department store nearby which has a water show every hour. It was an impressive display of water works set to music that involved water shooting up out of the pool as well as falling from the ceiling.

Busan is written with falling water droplets and back lit.

Get down from there!

Korean department stores are epically large, so we went exploring. Up and up we went until surprisingly we came out on the 12th floor roof where there was a free petting zoo. You would only get that here in Mongolia if a goat somehow escaped the dinner pot and hid out on the roof.

This pig just had to be pregnant.

Some jivy kids shaking their stuff on the zoo stage.

Never seen dogs in a zoo before...

Where can I get one of these?

Love locks on the fence around the Lotte Observation Deck.

Next we headed to the Busan Modern History Museum which focused mainly on the Japanese occupation of Busan. It was a fascinating look at a period of history I did not know much about.

Part of the "traditional street" display in the museum.

After a stop for bubble tea we wandered over to an area called 40 Steps that was not quite as exciting as all the guide books made it out to be but was an interesting area of narrow streets, steep staircases, and statues.

A statue dedicated to single mothers.

A bit of surprise art.

Why use stairs when you can use a spiral ramp?

Not super handicap friendly.

Our last act of the day was to eat truck loads worth of Kaiten (conveyor) sushi, but there is no photographic evidence of it. Just wonderful memories.

Well rested and ready to see more of Busan, we headed down to Haeundae Beach. Extremely popular during summer vacation, we had the beach almost to ourselves even though it was a perfect beach day. The area around the beach is filled with cute little stores, guesthouses, pork and seafood themed restaurants, and a really good bakery called OPS. When we were there, preparations were going on for the Busan International Film Festival, including the construction of temporary buildings that looked sturdier than half the buildings here in Mongolia.

Our first stop was the Busan Aquarium which is right on the beach and interestingly enough underground. We wondered if that was to make it easier to pump water into the tanks but are not sure. Our favorites were the otters and jellyfish, but the entire aquarium was lovely. We also got to see hundreds of tiny uniformed preschoolers on field trips. Very very cute kiddos.

The picture definition of a relaxed otter. (Yes, it is alive in spite of appearances).

Tiny colored jelly fish.

Wonderful faces.

After a lunch break of green onion pancakes, spicy tofu soup, and most importantly pastries, we took an hour cruise around the bay. It was great being out on the water and seeing the town from another angle. We also passed an impressive lighthouse, as well as fed shrimp crackers to seagulls.

Some of the birds could catch the crackers in midair.

Looking back at the city.

Two of the larger islands in the habor.

Brian wondering how long it would take him to swim to Japan.

Not quite grasping the concept of a selfie.

Heading back to the dock.

We wrapped up our wonderful day with a peaceful walk on the beach. I can never get enough time on the ocean.

Haeundae Beach

Beach trees.

My feet were so happy.

Busan-where even the parking lots are green and lush.

Brian and I have enjoyed all of our visits to Seoul over the years, but we decided that it was high time we explored some new territory. We took a long weekend to check out Busan which is on the Southern tip of the Korean peninsula and the 5th largest port in the world. While it is a big city like Seoul, it had a different more laid back feel which we thoroughly enjoyed. We flew into Seoul, got a bus to the train station, took the high speed KTX train down to Busan, and finally made it to our hotel by subway. Korea really makes it easy for tourists to get around even when one doesn’t speak a word of Korean.

Busan Station

Our first afternoon there we were pretty tired from our red eye flight, but we managed to get up the energy to take a hike at Igidae park, a lovely little forested park on the coast. I think we were the only ones there not retired or wearing high tech hiking gear, but we survived. The views were lovely, and the air temperature was perfect.

The trails were very well maintained.

Rock cairns alongside the trail.

Looking out over Busan

In case hiking was not enough exercise there were work out stations all along the trail.

I'm so happy not to be wearing a sweater!!

A few post-hike drinks.

The only wildlife we spotted, but impressive none the less.

After our hike we made our way back to our hotel via Brian’s favorite new store.

To round out our day (we were pretty much zombies by this point) we took the easy way out and ate in the hotel.

Goodnight Busan!

When we went to Arkhangai last month we were joined by our friend Ari who was visiting from Korea. She also happens to be an amazing photographer. Here are a few gems from the trip.

Brian sharing our photos with Darimaa and Namjaa

Lovely Darkhuu

What happens when Brian is given too much free time.

His fluffy exterior hides his evil core.

Some giant feet at Gandan Monastery

A few posers.

Here comes super Santi!

We continue to settle into life here in Ulaanbaatar which to our pleasant surprise is a city changing for the better. Traffic intersections are being redesigned, cars parked in the middle of the street are being towed, new stores that stock exciting things like peanut butter and greek olives are opening everyday, and the city is awash with flowers. For anyone who has not been here in a few years I encourage you to come back for a visit. You will be amazed.

Brian is excelling at his job and comes home daily with stories of interesting experiences. I am finding my days are filling up with Mongolian lessons here, volunteering at the Special Center for Child and Youth Education and Training, joining the International Women’s Association of Mongolia, and continuing on my never ending quest to find a fire extinguisher, end tables, and a bench.

We recently have been hosting a friend visiting from South Korea which gave us the excuse to get out of the city and to visit Arkhangai, where Brian used to live. We visited several historical locations including Erdene Zuu a famous monastery from the 16th century, Karakorum the capital of the Mongolian empire in the 13th century, Khar Balgas the ruins of an ancient Uyghur capital, and the Orhon inscriptions which describe the exploits of Bilge Khan and are the first recorded use of the word Turk. We also visited with Brian’s friends and enjoyed the always lovely and refreshing Mongolian countryside. Santiago especially enjoyed swimming.

An ovoo alongside the road.

Brian hanging out with the pooch.

He came, he saw, and he conquered an ancient citadel.

The beautiful Orkhon river valley.

The beautiful Orkhon river a little bit worse for the wear after Santi came by.

Back at home I continue to enjoy the wonders of opening a cookbook, choosing a recipe and then making it without the need to substitute 50-75% of the ingredients. Just thinking about our fridge stocked with squash, eggplant, sweet potatoes, tofu, and other goodies makes me so happy. Aside from occasional cheese, I cook vegan at home and find daily inspiration in Veganomicon and Appetite for Reduction. Last night I made a bunch of banchan or Korean side dishes to go with our bibimbap from this website that I found. I highly recommend it.

You could almost pretend you were at a restaurant.

Happy Nadaam Everyone! This has been a week of celebrations and resting, friends and good food.

On Wednesday we attended the wedding reception of a good friend’s daughter. The bride was gorgeous, the food delicious, and the vodka flowing.

The wedding party.

We were especially impressed by the numerous, and quite frankly, famous singers on hand to entertain us. The first singer was Hongorzul, Mongolia’s most famous long song singer.

We were also entertained by 3 Butuun, or the Three Fat Guys,

and best of all Lkhagva, the lead singer of Haranga which is one of Mongolia’s oldest and best long haired bands.

This song is Mongolia’s rock anthem and in my opinion a great example of how to incorporate horse races into rock music.

Thanks to free tickets from Brian’s employer we attended the opening ceremony of Nadaam in Ulaanbaatar on Thursday. Even though we have been here for years all of our past Nadaams have been in the countryside or hiding in our apartment and so it was our first chance to go to the big show. We were very impressed by how well organized everything was from the registered food booths to the crossing guards and the cast of 3,000 was impressive.

The most people I have ever seen in one place in Mongolia

Hundreds of dancers.

Hundreds of solders standing in the shape of Mongolia.

Gotta love the tiny riding helmet.

Thanks to a program funded by Oyu Tolgoi, Mongolia’s biggest mine, 8 museums in Ulaanbaatar and Omnogobi were free over the Nadaam holiday. Darkhuu, Handarmaa and I took advantage of this and visited the Bogd Khan Winter Palace yesterday. You can’t take pictures of any of the displays but the outside of the Palace had some lovely paintings and architectural features.

The southern gate.

Door detail.

In between all our activities we have also managed to read,

Reading with cats.

visit world famous dinosaurs,

and eat asparagus. Here’s to vacation time!

We are back in Hanhongor for a few days to pack up and see our friends. Most of our things have been boxed up with the furniture to either be returned to the school, used by Darkhuu, or sold. Living in a ger has protected us from collecting too much stuff, but it is still enough to fill the back of a van. We will miss Hanhongor and our little ger but days like today (90F with no wind and an all day power outage) remind us that there are benefits to living in the big city.

Yesterday we walked out to visit Nigel's grave. His rock ovoo has grown impressively over the past two years.

Who says you can't go swimming in the Gobi desert?

Hanhongor after a storm.

This really begs the question why anyone would choose to nap on dung.

Brian on a conference call for work. Seems a lot like his old job to me....

Our wonderful neighbor Sanaa, who is a junior in college, surprised us today with a model ger that he made entirely by himself. It is truly an amazing work of art that will have a place of honor in our new apartment.

Sanaa and his amazing ger.

It comes complete with a traditional stove and chest...

two beds and a miniature mirror....

a horse saddle (not pictured), and a sack for churning your airag (fermented horses' milk).

One thing I do not like is apartment shopping. The prices are usually depressing, the choices, at least here, can be terrifyingly tacky, and there is always the worry that once the landlord sees a foreigner’s face that the price will magically increase. This time around though it was a fairly quick and painless process thanks to Brian’s new employer who helped us. Zula and I first searched online and in the paper for perspective apartments and then passed on the information to a wonderful woman at Brian’s office. She not only made all the appointments for us but drove us around to see the apartments. I could get used to this life

Anyway to get to the point we found a place that is not too far from Brian’s work, near a grocery store, and has no tiger themed wallpaper, orange kitchen cabinets, or wall to wall indoor-outdoor carpeting (something which was featured in our first UB apartment). We still need to move a bunch of things up from the Gobi including the fur babies but after a good cleaning it is starting to feel like home. Come and visit-we have lots of room!

The front entrance way. We plan to get a rug, a bench, and a table at some point so it won't look so barren.

The hallway which is also screaming for a carpet or two.

Our bedroom.

The ceiling leaves me speechless.

Tsendee's room.

Just too much princess for Brian and me.

I don't care if the washing machine takes up half the bathroom-it is the first we have ever had in a home.

Our fancy shower pod.

Our tiny toilet room.

I love the kitchen. Refrigerator! Stove! Running water! What more could I ask for?

Our dining area. The table and chairs are the only furniture we have had to buy so far.

The world's largest couch! (I fear for its safety once the cats show up).

I wish the TV wasn't so small though. I can barely see it from across the street.

The view to the north east. We are right next to an old Soviet era spa which is nice.

On the distant hill is a Chinggis outline made out of rocks. Looking south east.

We are close enough to walk to the Zaisan monument and the Tuul river to our south.