Ulaan Baator, Mongolia.

I made it here from Tokyo okay. Got a bit teary-eyed on the bus on the way to the airport as it was so sad to leave Tokyo and especially all my mates. But after a relatively painless 6-hour flight, I made it here ok. First I had to change money at the airport, but nothing was open. In attempting to ditch a taxi tout who had attached himself to me like a magnet the second I got off the plane, I met some security guards in the deserted departure lounge upstairs. Those guards knew how to make a quick buck! One of them led me down a long back corridor of the airport and opened a closet. There she got out her purse and we calculated the exchange (not the best rate but beggers can't be choosers). Voila - Mongolian cash. Now how to get to the hotel? The taxi tout found me again and this time I relented - he quoted me $5 to the "Dream Hotel" where I was booked in for the night (yip - actual name). Locals would have likely paid 50c but compared to Tokyo it's still cheap and there were no buses anyway. The tout assured me he knew where the hotel was. On the way in I felt like I was in an episode of The Simpsons - you know when they all pile into their pink car and head off down a long straight road somewhere for miles, and there are all these enourmous billboards evenly spaced along the side of the road: "Welcome to Mongolia" and "Ulaan Baator 5 miles".

Of course the taxi driver didn't have a clue where the hotel was and after a long tiki tour around town and several stops at wrong hotels and asking for directions and then a small argument about not paying him any more, I was shown immediately to a room - no check-in at all... I think I am the only person at the hotel. Most amazing thing is, it's 8.00 at night and broad daylight! It didn't start to get dark until after 10.00. I decide to go for a wander in search of dinner. There are lots of cafes and restaurants but few menus that I could see and none I could read anyway. I attempt to find one of the spots listed in the welcome letter from Christine, our local Intrepid tour guide who arrives with the rest of the group today. But I can't find any of them without a map (and let's face it, even with a map I'd be useless). So eventually settle on a bottle of water purchased from a rather dirty supermarket and a visit to one of the cafes. I point to something a family is eating at the next table. Two please :-) They bring out some kind of fried bread triangle with lamb or mutton and onions in it. Not dissimilar to a cornish pastie. Not bad. I'm not sure but if I've got the exchange rate correct, dinner cost me 18c.

Today is chilly and I have to find something warmer to wear. Have now managed to purchase a map, after a visit to the Fine Arts Museum this morning. I have to go back to the hotel and check out now because this morning I got a phone call from the local Intrepid tour operator and we won't all fit in the Dream Hotel so I need to move. Looking forward to meeting the rest of the tour group tonight.