The Dust of Ulaan Baatar
The springtime in Mongolia feels of dusty desolation. As you walk in the capital through barren side streets past the old decrepit facades of communist apartment blocks, you can’t help but wonder how this land once became the center of the world. Ulaan Baatar is neither ugly nor beautiful. It is just one valley among the many rolling hills of Mongolia where the masses decided to settle in a jumble of brick and ger districts, the nomadic tradition taking a city’s shape. Confined to only 3 to 5 kilometers by the hills to the north and south, the city has been forced to sprawl east and west and is now around 10 km long.
The city center shows signs of a country still trying to find its place in the free market. Everywhere are bars and banks, cafes and money changers. One would think that all the people of U.B. do is visit the ATM and be merry, but this is not the case. Outside on the streets wander orphaned street kids who live in U.B.’s underground, the only refuge against Mongolia’s frigid -45 degree winters. Pickpockets are on the rise and whether or not people are frequenting the numerous bars in large numbers, there are plenty of people getting drunk on $3 bottles of vodka. Broken bottles litter the streets and countryside and fistfights are a common sight. The drunks love to approach foreigners, sometimes with malice, but usually just to blather on in Mongolian and shake your hand for five minutes. Ask any Mongolian and they’ll agree that vodka is “big problem.”
It’s generally pretty safe to walk around the city and I wander the streets daily, watching out for open manholes and rogue soccer and basketballs coming from courtyard playgrounds. I walk past empty fountains, old train cars used as garages, and the strange mix of fashion; half from the countryside and half from the runways of Europe.
When the country became a democracy in 1990 everything except the airline, national circus, and land became privatized. Recently the rest has started this process with a healthy dose of corruption thrown in for good measure. Regardless of Mongolia’s problems it still feels like the country is on the move. Tourism is expanding, infrastructure is being improved, and the economy is growing at between 8-9% annually. Even better news is that the ratio of growth to debt is shrinking.
There is poverty here, but it is minus the profound desperation felt in other places I’ve been, namely Cambodia and rural China. It feels poor because this is a hard place to live and it will always be the case. Here vegetarians are laughed at because here the animals give you everything. It is difficult living through these winters and tending to the herds but the realities of life are straightforward and people seem comfortable with their lives. It’s why I feel so comfortable here.
Tags: Eurasia: Marco Polo-in' it, Mongolia
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