Dear Reader (2026-08-01 published simultaneously on FB), I get a kick out of visual and conceptual collisions. These are usually urban views where two or more contrasting elements appear next to each other. Though I only had a three nights in Ulaanbaatar I did have a couple of enjoyable wanders near our hotel, including a visit to the National Museum of Mongolia. So, here is a collection of observations from Ulaanbaatar in this the third post in the Mongolia series.
Notes on Photos
~ 01 – Here is a curiosity. Left – partially repaired moai (13th – 15th C AD) from Easter Island. Middle – recreated moai (20th / 21st C AD) outside a restaurant with gorgeous windows open to the sea on Easter Island. Right – recreation of a Nogoonnuur stone statue Uyghur period (8th / 9th C AD). I was struck by the similarity in the hands.
~ 02 – Driving into Ulaanbaatar from the airport, which is outside the city by around 50 km, there is beautifully paved and empty 6 lane highway (3 lanes in either direction) until one. Then one gets to the city and traffic comes to a crawl.
~ 03 – There are multiple signs of Russian architectural influence
~ 06 – In the central square. To the left out of the image is the Parliament of Mongolia
~ 07 – Outside the parliament building it was graduation day
~ 11 – An open door led me up a flight of stairs to a small contemporary art collective and cafe
~ 12 – LED’s embedded in the edge of a crumbling sidewalk turn green when it is OK to cross this road.
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