UB is an interesting mash-up of cultures and styles. The mode of dress can range from traditional robes to very modern/hip/chic. Casual dress is a weird mix of Japanese and western fashion. Teenagers look like teenagers the world over. Both men’s and women’s professional dress is your standard biz suit. Ads are definitely influenced by Japanese style and I’m not sure where they get the stuff they put on TV. Architecture is a mix of old and new, but the building that were built just 10 years ago look like they’ve been here since the fifties. This is the apartment building we are staying in for the next couple of nights. It’s only 10 years old. The building on the right are luxury condos, the buildings on the left are Soviet era apartments.
Went thru the liquor aisle of the grocery store yesterday looking for a small bottle of Jack Daniels. No small bottles, but they did have a 3 liter bottle of the stuff. I didn’t even look at the price. Never seen a 3 liter bottle of Jack.
Walking down the street today some kids saw that I was listening to an MP3 player. They pointed at it and then pointed to their ears. I served them up a dose of Green Day and then some Foo FIghters. I thought they were going to jump out of their skin. They didn’t speak a word of English, but music is universal, especially for teenagers and rock and roll.
Had Huevos Rancheros for breakfast this AM. We’re leaving Thursday AM for the first road trip. I guess
we’ll start on the Mongolian food then. Oh, and by the way, all those Mongolian BBQs you see all over the place? That ain’t how they do things here.
roadtripmongolia 