Ulaanbaatar

Ulaan Baatar (or Ulan Batar and other variations) is the decidedly odd capital of Mongolia and a place any visiter will almost certainly pass through if travelling in the country. I say odd because UB is a city of 1 million people in the most sparsely populated country in the world and a polluted, Soviet built modernity sandwiched between the Steppe and the Gobi. Regardless if you enter the city by plane or train most visiters comment on having seen uninhabited beauty for miles and miles to be suddenly slapped by grey tower blocks and factories sprawling out infront of them. This is true-UB is definitely an ugly place at first look but give it a few days and ...  Read the complete review

As we approached Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, on the trans-monglian railway, it almost looks like a small city has been plucked from civilisation and dumped in the middle of a vast desert seemingly unconnected to the outside world. On Arrival: As the train draws nearer, the first thing you notice, apart from it's isolation, is the abundance of tower blocks surrounding the city centre. For some reason it is quite an unexpected sight, for somewhere so remote and where the climate is so harsh. Ulaanbaatar train station is not for the faint hearted. It is very busy and hectic, full of locals desperately trying to offer accomodation and ...  Read the complete review