The girl who went into the cold

Mongolia: land of the big blue sky, Soviet-et architecture and not of Mongolian beef barbeque (this sentence sounds much better if it's hummed to the tune of Genghis Khan's Moscow, another 'Mongolian' entity which is actually completely unrelated to the country).

Having been here almost 6 weeks, I have accrued quite a few pictures. Here are some of them:


Most Mongolians live in gers, portable felt and wooden houses. They have been springing up throughout the city as nomadic peasants move here to look for work throughout the Winter months. They're quite cold inside, and people heat them with wood, coal or rubbish.

This causes much of the pollution in Ulaanbaatar.
They can be ornately decorated, and quite beautiful inside.





The new and special Beatles statue. Please note the authentic windows, heater, guitar and tiles.












Here's the other side of the Beatles statue. L-R: Paul, George, Ringo and John.
It's kitsch.

Beached whale statue outside Tenghis Cinema.

Where there's a whale, there's a way.











My building! It is over 100 years old, so predating the Soviet presence in Mongolia.
Our office is in the bottom left-hand corner, and Melody's office is directly above.









The view from my bedroom after a recent snowfall. Love the socialist play equipment.
The Ger is where the construction workers (see the brick "fence" below the basketball court) sleep, live and eat.