The world's coldest capital

At about 4,400 feet above sea level, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, is the coldest capital in the world. In the spirit of its nomadic people, the city has relocated 28 times. Almost half of the country's population live in Ulaanbaatar.

Above 2 photos, Genghis Khan Square, downtown Ulaanbaatar.

That's the iconic Blue Sky Hotel, towering behind (and to the left of) Choijiin Lama Temple. Some Mongolians say it resembles a huge knife poised to slice down into Genghis Khan Square. We're fortunate to have a south-facing room (ie, at the knifepoint) overlooking the square.

After traveling out in the rural provinces, many tourists relish the urban comforts of Ulaanbaatar. For such a small city, there are a surprising number of excellent vegan, vegetarian, and Indian restaurants.

One of my favorite places in Ulaanbaatar --up on a hilltop overlooking the city is the Gandan Khiid Buddhist Monastery.

Kazakh eagle hunters, Western Mongolia

The Eagle Festival takes place yearly in Olgii, Western Mongolia, near the Russian border, home to many Kazakh people. This is a 2-day event that includes several eagle-hunting competitions. It is estimated that there are about 400 eagle hunters in the Olgii region.

We also had the opportunity to visit a nomadic family living outside of Olgii.

The day we visited, the family was preparing to relocate to their winter location, closer in to a nearby village.

Time to fly back to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital. Due to the busy festival weekend, Aero Mongolia asked us to check in at 5 am, even though our flight wasn't until 8 am.

English class, Dundgovi, Mongolia

 Alta and Dawn demonstrating English-learning games to a class of 11-year-olds. Dundgovi province, northern Gobi.

Gobi Desert, Mongolia

 The northern part of the Gobi Desert is about a 4-hour drive South of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.

 Roadside rest stop during the drive to the desert.

 Socialist-era mural at our hotel in Mandalgov, the capital of Dungovi province.

 Mandalgov's museum.

 Camel herder family in their ger (yurt), northern Gobi.

 Traditional Mongolian ger. These vary from region to region in Mongolia.

 I had the chance to take a short ride. Camels here can go a week without water and a month without food, and can carry up to 500 pounds. About two-thirds of Mongolia's camels are in the Gobi Desert.

Above 2 photos, the ride back north to the capital.

Temple of Heaven, Beijing's pagan park

Beijing is a great place for biking. There are about 600 miles of bike lanes in the city, and few hills. The autumn weather is mild, but soon the winter winds will sweep through the city, and it will be time to request the A/C in our house be switched over to heat. The timing is a bit tricky, though, because you only get one shot at it -- i.e., you can't have it switched back to A/C until spring.

 Hou Lakes in Beijing, about a 45-minute bike ride from my house.

 Lately I've been seeing these tiny green caterpillars out on our porch. Cute, but they sting like hell.

 The Temple of Heaven is a 682-acre park in south Beijing. The Chinese emperors used to come here each year to perform ritual sacrifices for a good harvest. Above is a photo of Echo Wall, where supposedly a whisper can travel from one end to the other.

 Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the park's most iconic building.

 The Long Corridor is about 350 yards long, and leads up to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

 This morning one of my stops was at Niujie, Beijing's largest mosque.

 On my way back to the subway station, I spotted this guy with a portable car washing system on his scooter.

At a Beijing wet market recently they for some reason were filming this giant inflatable mushroom.

Forbidden City

Early autumn is here in Beijing, so the days of sweltering mid-90s temps have ended, and it's now relatively cool and pleasant. Thought I'd take advantage of the fine weather and take the subway to visit Beijing's famous Forbidden City. Built in the early 1400's, this is a huge complex, comprising the largest cluster of ancient buildings in China.

A few facts about this amazing place:  it's located in the geographical center of Beijing, about 1 million workers helped construct it, and about 12 million bricks were used.

 A recent change in ticket-selling procedures limits sales to 80,000 a day, and all Chinese nationals now have to buy their tickets online. For foreigners, best to get there early if you want to get a ticket. Entrance fee is 60块, just under $10 US.

 Forbidden City's well-known entrance, with a gigantic picture of Mao hanging front and center. Tiananmen Square is just across the street.

 I had to pay 10块 extra, about $1.50, to see the Treasure Gallery and Nine Dragon Screen.

 (2 of the) Nine Dragon screen.

 During the 30-minute walk from the Forbidden City back to the subway station I snapped some shots. Above includes an I Love Beijing T-shirt.

 Though many Chinese don't seem familiar with it, white tea is supposed to be the healthiest tea in the world.

 It's estimated there are over 2.5 million rental bikes in Beijing.



 Below: heading home, Beijing subway.

Qingdao -- China's beer city

Qingdao, one of China's most livable cities, is located on the east coast, about a 5-hour train ride southeast from Beijing.

 Preparing for departure at Beijing South Train Station.

Tsingtao, China's most well-known beer, is produced in Qingdao, so a visit to the city wouldn't be complete without a visit to the beer museum (bottom 2 photos). Interesting that beer in Qingdao is often sold in plastic bags.

 Qingdao is also known for its seafood ....

 ... and for its beaches.

 Above, Qingdao's large and beautiful Zhongshan Park.

 Above 3 photos taken at Qingdao's Tianhou Temple, built in 1467. Tianhou is the patron of seafarers.

 The Qingdao TV Tower is brilliant at night. We were lucky to have a view of it from our hotel room.

Qingdao's famous May 4 Square. The May 4th movement came about after the Treaty of Versailles "transferred German concessions in Shandong including Qingdao to Japan rather than returning sovereign authority to China."