Let's talk about the weather...

Lowest temperature captured on my iphone Jan 27th

According to the locals, this winter has been exceptionally cold. No kidding!  As it is only the second winter I have endured in Mongolia, it is difficult to gauge if it was any colder than my first.  In fact it might be because I'm not sure when one ended and the other began!!  Anyway, as far as I can tell, once temperatures plunge below minus 20 it's stupendously cold and what you need to do to stay warm and survive is much the same as at minus 40.  Whatever the temperature, living in the coldest capital of the world hasn't been too much of a challenge...providing you have access to all the modern conveniences :)


Although winter's here are intense they are definitely not bleak.  The sun seems to be forever shining and the sky more often than not is a vivid blue -unfortunately UB is located in a basin surrounded by mountains which prevents smog from dissipating, so you may need to step out of the smog-filled capital to notice!  The air is extremely dry (a bonus for those of us that have to dry our clothes indoors without a dryer) but it also means it is very unforgiving on the body, it's very dehydrating, lips crack easily, and skin becomes dry and flaky with or without attention.  Dressing is also tricky. The questions being, do you rug up for the cold and suffer abominably in overheated restaurants and shops or do you brave a measure of cold to survive your indoor destination. After suffering more than a few distressing episodes of spontaneous combustion in my double layer of thermals, these days I'm happy to take the risk and wear none!


One of the many pitfalls of extreme cold temperatures is slippery roads and pavements. Although there is not a lot of snow, what does fall becomes icy and slick and becomes even more slippery once compacted by use.  According to data released by the National Trauma and Orthopaedic Research Centre between 180 and 200 people are injured each day! due to falls on icy streets with many people becoming seriously disabled because of their injuries.  Unfortunately, I've seen quite a few people with missing fingers due to frostbite (commonly caused by excessive alcohol consumption and then falling asleep outside).


Despite the extreme temperatures our discomfits are actually quite minor. You don't have to look too far to see how it is for others.  Some freezing cold mornings after a snowfall, I wake to see our ger-dwelling neighbours below making adjustments and sweeping snow from the roof of their ger. This is mainly a job for the women and children as they are much lighter and won't damage the struts as easily.

Roof sweeping. The rectangle structure in the foreground is a sea container connected to the ger in which a family with 5 children and 4 adults live (plus at least 1 dog and 4 puppies!)

Early morning adjustments

...for many of the population in the city there is limited sanitation, little electricity and water can only be accessed by carting it. Hard enough in the summer months but in winter....I can't begin to imagine.

It does surprise me though how quickly we learn to adapt to our surroundings. I look back on the photos of us in our first few months where I was rugged up against the elements with barely my eyes showing and I remember still  being cold and that wasn't even taken in the coldest months of December and January!
Now we would consider some of those warmer winter days almost balmy where hats and gloves are not an absolute necessity unless outdoors for extended periods and like I mentioned previously, the thermals stay in the cupboard!


So for those of you who are constantly expressing your amazement of the extreme weather conditions in which we live and wonder how on earth do we cope, I can honestly say, "very well, thanks!"


Lastly, checkout this video of one of the perks of winter transport in Mongolia-using the frozen rivers as highways and byways to make great progress against the horrendous traffic congestion within the city. We use the frozen river on a weekly basis to get quick access to the countryside. It does add a little excitement to the trip!

SEASON'S GREETINGS!

Technically, Christmas is not celebrated in Mongolia.  Two separate festivities have been compounded into one holiday -The New Year.  All the same, all over Ulaanbaatar, streets and shops are bedecked with all manner of Christmas decorations, lights and Christmas trees.  We are left in no doubt that the festive season is upon us!

Even in Sukhbaatar Square there is a giant Christmas tree which at night is adorned with a brightly lit red star ★  (looks  much like  a homage to Russia, or a remnant from a Pre-Independence box of Russian Christmas treasures!!!).

We've lived in Mongolia for almost a year now and all I can say is that it has been the most incredible experience... where every day is an adventure and where expecting the unexpected is a state of being.

So with that, I thank you all for following my blog and for all your  positive emails/comments over the past year.  I welcome your  input.

Wishing you all  the very best over the holiday Season and a Happy New Year!

I look forward to sharing more of my Mongolian adventures with you in 2012.

999 Horse Head Fiddles...

Celebrations are well underway for Mongolia's most important festival of the year, Naadam. 

This year marks the 805th Anniversary of the Great Mongol Empire and the 90th Anniversary of the People's Revolution.

As we lead up to the "big three"; horse racing, wrestling and archery, we will be treated to a prolific schedule of events including military parades, musical concerts, dancing,  cultural events and many rounds of Shagai (sheep ankle bone shooting!) 

Today it was the 999 Horse Head Fiddle (morin khuur) orchestra.  The morin khuur usually accompanies traditional Mongolian performance arts and is considered a symbol of the Mongolian nation.  

Quite a sight!

The musicians looked dazzling in their yellow and white costumes. And it was with much anticipation we waited, and waited and waited...for the event to start. VIPs and ministers were predictably (and overly) late and as time went on it seemed like there was little much to do except to try "hold your ground" in the expanding crowd and do a recount of the orchestra!

so regal...

Mongolians definitely know how to dress for special occasions in their striking head gear and costumes in brilliant shades of red, blue and violet.  (It'd be nice to have that vantage spot (below) when taking photos).

And while we waited and waited...
some got comfortable, 
whilst others slept ...

some made calls...

and others looked a little fed up!

Finally, about an hour after the scheduled time, Sukhbaatar Square rang out to the sound of 999 fiddles playing in unison.  Bizarrely, it was accompanied by a hyperactive pop/techno backing track which kind of killed the majesty of the fiddle. 


What made them think 999 horse fiddles wasn't enough??

Sukhbatar Square today 

Sukhbatar Square 1957. The building has a new facade now

Note the pink  Opera House on the left (featured in a previous blog)

Notre Dame Orphanage revisted

Not too far from the city centre, across an inconspicuous bumpy dirt road, stretch the humble gates of Fraternite Notre Dame, the home of 25 Mongolian orphans.  (There are more than 40 such orphanages in Mongolia).  Much has happened since we were last there but I am happy to report that despite Sister Marie Francoises' sudden departure after 7 years of service at the orphanage, that the children have adapted well and have been doubly blessed by two replacement Sisters who seem to be cut from the same extraordinary mould as Sister Marie Francoise.

The surrounding neighbourhood as seen from the window

Girls dorm below. Recreation room above.

The purpose of our visit  was to deliver a new organ donated by a Catholic parish in Brisbane who responded in kind when hearing about the needs of the children. 

After the nights festivities, it's easy to see how much ongoing joy this donation will bring to the daily life of the orphanage.

We brought with us food, drinks, party hats, poppers and friends. After sharing a delicious meal we were treated to a medley of songs in English, Mongolian and French! 

The national anthem is sung with such reverence!

...so angelic

Ole And Colin

All the children signed a Thankyou.

"The Choir"

Julie Veloo and Sister

Introducing Khushuur...

a very popular  Mongolia snack food, similar to a fried meat pie.  It's made from a simple mix of beef or mutton, flour and onion.  Looks much like a pastie.

Moi!

No one started until all food was dished out, drinks poured and prayers were said... such impeccable manners :D

Cutie!

Robyn

Scrummy!

And last but not least, a special guest, The Most Reverend Bishop Jean Marie .  When we arrived he (aka the picture!) was downstairs in the main building.  Somebody cared enough to bring him up stairs to join in the celebrations!

The Bishop founded the Fraternite Notre Dame religious congregation in 1971 and now operates humanitarian missions on four continents.

Zaisan Memorial

I love this picture so I stuck it on top!.  It's one part of the circular mural depicting scenes of the Russian space Program. (Just a tad idealistic!!).  You can just see the city below.

Ash and I making our way up.  Its a lot more challenging than it looks!


We live at the foot of the Zaisan Memorial, just a quick hike up the wrong side of the hill! The conventional route is a bit further away and requires tackling around 300 stairs.

The monument was built in honor of the Soviet and Mongolian soldiers who died in WWII. It features a statue of a soldier, a circular memorial depicting mosaic scenes of friendship between Russia & Mongolia and a large granite bowl with an eternal flame.  It has panoramic views of Ulaanbaator and surrounding hills (on a clear day!).

Our Apartment Block as seen from half way up. Our block is the first on the left.

Mosaic scenes are encircled in this concrete halo.

 Ash trying to keep warm.  Would have been around -20

 Russian soldier

The Eternal Flame the following morning after a light snowfall.

View taken from the monument as the sun was rising the next morning! (and as the clouds were moving in!! :(

Notre Dame Orphanage

Sister Mary has been in Mongolia for 9 years. Currently she has about 25 children in her care. Most of the children she has nurtured since they were born.

Recently Sim's company were able to help upgrade both the heating and power at the orphanage.
Sundays visit was to follow up with that progress, spend time with the kids and share Pizza together.

One of the co-workers had organised for his family and friends back home in Australia to knit 35 woollen beanies which were also handed out.

Highlight was seeing their images on the camera.