Gur

Ulaanbaatar Mongolia, stimulating city, traffic undisciplined yet no fender benders but at least a million close calls. No road rage despite everyone cutting off everyone else at every opportunity. Constant unrelenting lane changing making two lanes into three? Four? Yes!

What a change from “up north”. Maybe ten cars go by the House per day. Many more silent golf carts go by than cars but they use the grassy fairways and stop to hit the little white ball and utter profanities now and again.

But here too, 12,000 miles from home Golf is played too. I found an immaculate luxurious course only a few years old. The upper crust were seen there so I was inserted amongst them and heads turned. I had a caddie to boot and it was fun handing her the clubs as seen on TV.

Buddha. Lots of him around here. At a monastery there is a 40 foot tall golden image in the center. Shiny spindles with images and attached metal inscription plates surround the statue. People spin the spindles and say a prayer. Incense wafts throughout the temple. Monotone humming comes from nearby “chapels” somewhat like a Gregorian Chant but no harmonics at all.

A few vendors hustling visitors with paintings of the iconic images of horses, two humped camels, herdsmen, and gurs, the transportable houses of the locals. I buy one painting that depicts artistically what I see for 20,000 kurks. About eight bucks.

The people are delightful. Friendly, well groomed, devoid of tattoos. Healthy looking. Western dress predominates. Children bounce along, running in and out of danger. We all remember that!

Now, since 1992 the yoke of Communism is gone and the spirit of freedom and democracy is bustling, hustling, tussling, muscling in!

Now off we go to the gur. A mobile home of sorts. It can be taken down, moved, and put back up in a day. But ours is a ritzy one for tourists. As a land locked country tourism is vital.

Significant rainfall made everything cleaner, the hills greener, and the rivers higher than in recent memory. Two cars were seen marooned on an island that was a jetty earlier in the day.

Now, the good-byes and the long trip home. Megan, out daughter, newly minted Dr. of Education will start her two contract as the principal of the elementary school. We fly away with memories and more memories of so far away.