Saturday, 15 July.  The city will henceforth be called UB.  There’s a lot of a’s (sometimes).  I’ve given up trying to get it right.

Flight on Air China was surprisingly good.  Surprisingly because it’s ranked 97 in the world.  Beijing Airport is all a status seeking country could hope for.  Big.  Not crowded.  Customs is no different than anywhere else.  On the big board describing what’s not allowed in carry-on baggage is a snowbulb.  People laughed, but I think I’ve seen the ban somewhere else.

UB is hot today.  It’ll be cooler tomorrow.  It’s a third world city with third world challenges.  It’s what I expected.  Lots of nice statues among lots of permanently under-construction apartments.  I walked to the below statue near the hotel.  The hotel is top notch.  An island in the rubble.  Driving is on the right, though there are many cars with the steering wheel on the right.  Mongolia is a bridge between past Soviet and new Chinese influence.

The tour proper starts tomorrow.  Our first meal was extremely nice and proper.  Our escort/guide speaks better English than I do (faint praise).  We have a 40-passenger bus for all 10 of us.  Who needs lodging?