Ulaanbaatar, First Impressions

This building reminds me of northern Europe somewhere

First of all, late September is a very nice time of year to move here. I never missed autumn in the tropics, but now that we’re here I’m enjoying the way the air feels. Those cliches about how the cool, crisp air is energising? Actually true for me, and I’ve been walking all over trying to learn my way around.

This building near us houses some kind of school or youth program (Save the Children also has an office nearby), and I love the look of the drying laundry on the fence.

The older buildings around Ulaanbaatar form a series of courtyards, and these courtyards create a lot of open space, with trees, paths, benches and often playground equipment.

These areas don’t look particularly well-manicured, especially now that it’s autumn and the grass is dying and leaves are falling, but it’s public space where people can gather. (In Malaysia, we found that people use the shopping malls rather than outdoor spaces for their strolling/chatting/hanging out time. Which is understandable in the heat, but disappointing.)