Saw an old guy on my bus wearing a Ghengis Khan t-shirt. Yup, this is where it happened.
My day started with google telling me that they had blocked my account. So I could not send out the long blog I had about the trip from Irkutsk. And it has apparently disappeared. So I have to rewrite it. I will later.
The bus ride today was long. Thirteen some hours out of a promised 11. Three of that was border crossing. No real glitches, but it was forever.
Mongolia had a few trees far north, but several hundred kilometers ago, it gave way to rolling hills and flat fields covered with sparse grass, an occasional yurt, lots if wandering cows (including on the highway slowing traffic). A couple of times I even saw herds of horses running along. Really pretty.
I was real proud of myself. Got to the city and a couple of taxi hustlers wanted to get me to go into the center. Told me it was seven kilometers. I even found what I assumed was an English couple in the station who sis it would cost me 10000 ($6) to get to town. I decided I would take taxi, but needed money first. It was hard to find bankomat, but I did, and got the money. On the way back to taxi stand, I found a bus. I figured--why not?
I asked the conductor. At first she did not understand, but when I showed her the map and pointed at the big square she knew exactly what I was talking about. So, for 400, I was going to get a ride that would have cost 10000 in a taxi. You get what you pay for.
The conductor told me what I assumed meant she would tell me when to get off. Even named the street. Following along on My map, I got up and moved to the exit at the right time. She said wait. I did three stops later she tells me it was my street (by name) and that my street was "back there," pointing. What she did not say was that it was about a mile back there.
Anyway, I got here.
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