Getting There

Hi All, this is my first post on my travel blog to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. I cannot say that traveling here was easy, but I am finally here and settled in an apartment downtown. My flight to Beijing from SFO was smooth although long (12.5 hours). I thought that having some sleeping pills prescribed would be a good idea but instead I found myself hallucinating in my seat tin some half-dream world where I could barely contain my limbs...pretty great. But once I got over that, I was able to sleep, watch terrible movies, and read. Once landed in Beijing I successfully navigated to my new gate and waited to board my flight to UB. Little did I know...storms in both Beijing and UB delayed my flight over night. This is where the adventure begins. Ushered by Chinese airport employees, Chinese, Mongolian, and a few American travelers were brought out of the airport, crammed into little busses, and brought to a hotel about 15 minutes from the airport. Here, we were paired and put into rooms for the rest of the night. By this point, I was delirious from traveling for 26 hours and although disappointed, was happy to have a bed to sleep in and a shower. I shared a room with a 30 year old Mongolia woman named Mugi who lives in Germany. Along her travels she met two other Mongolian women who spent their time in our room chatting and most importantly answering all and any questions that I had about UB and Mongolia. These women were so friendly and we all ended up exchanging e-mails.
After a solid night of sleep, we were treated to a Chinese breakfast of hard boiled eggs, pickled seaweed and bamboo shoots, dumplings and lots of green tea. We were crammed back onto busses and eventually flew out of Beijing at 2 p.m.
The entry into UB by plane was most extraordinary. Mongolia is incredibly beautiful; vast, green (once past the Gobi desert), and from the airplane I could see gers (tents that the country people live in) and flocks of sheep, goats, and scattered horses. The city fits inbetween mountains on all sides but the east and even though the storm had not yet left, I could really understand why this country has been dubbed "the country of blue skies".
I landed and was met (fortunately) by the director of the school, Nyamsuren. She is a fairly young Mongolian woman with great English and a very friendly demeanor. We drove into the city and arrived at her apartment which she has so graciously given to me and Dennis (travel buddy from Santa Cruz who will arive here today) for the summer. Her apartment is right in the center of the city and is a very special place. With two large bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom, I couldn't have been happier with accomidations for the summer. She took me out to eat and grocery shopping and then left me to the apartment for the night.
Today, I have wandered the city although wary because I do not speak or read Mongolian. I am excited to see Dennis this evening. I will post pictures soon. Miss you all, my sweet potatoes.