Mongolia : Day 2

Well, technically, J already got to day two yesterday, because we arrived in UB the day after we left Beijing, but that's ok. I'll just continue from where he left off, and we'll see how far I get before I am summoned by our cold and springy bed.

In true Ong fashion, one of the first things we did when we arrived in UB was to hunt for food. Wait, that's not true. The first thing we did was get settled in our body-odoriferous (gotta love those backpackers), though very clean, room at the hostel.

And by "get settled" I mean "let Josh roll around in his long underwear." Note that two of the beds were conveniently pushed together to form one superbed, while Justin had a little twin in the corner. Cute.



So, back to the food. On the train, as J thumbed through our borrowed Lonely Planet Mongolia guide and made exclamations about various eateries, Justin ventured, "Would I be right in saying that you two are...food-centric travelers?"

Are we really that transparent?

So, the guys decided we needed to start off Mongolia "right" by hitting up a place with Mongolian BBQ--which, surprise, surprise, did not originate in Mongolia--on our first night. The LP Guide, which will heretofore be referred to as "The Book," told us about a place called Modern Nomads that sounded pretty good. Unfortunately, when we perused the menu, it turned out they did not in fact offer Mongolian BBQ. The waiter did, however, manage to slip us a flier for BD's Mongolian BBQ in another part of the city. Yes, that's the same chain we know and love in the States. In fact, there was one in Ann Arbor...

We all shrugged and figured we'd go ahead and eat there anyway, so we proceeded to order out of a menu that proudly bore a time-honored Mongolian saying: "Meat for man, grass for animals." 'Cause, seriously, who needs fiber anyway?

Our first plate arrived with a flaming animal bone surrounded by various slabs of meat floating in a sweet and smoky sauce.

From Beijing Dou

We also got a plate with all manner of doughy exteriors wrapped around ground meat (and the occasional potato carrot mash).

From Beijing Dou

So it wasn't exactly couture dining, but it was reasonably tasty and filling. Actually my favorite part was the crispy bread.

Here's Justin sporting a mixture of trepidation, hunger, and slight bowel discomfort upon his countenance. But it's really only because his beer (Chinggis Beer, to be exact--remember that name) has not yet arrived.

From Beijing Dou

After our meal, we are stuffed to the brim, and J and I somehow trick Justin into walking back to our hostel despite talk of hailing a cab. We shower (also a more comfortable experience than at our apartment in Beijing, seeing as how there's no poo splatters to think about), spend a few minutes emailing our families, and pass out not too much past 10pm. A simple first day, but we wanted to start the next morning bright and early, since we only had one day to spend in the city before heading out to the countryside. Stay tuned!