The city of chaos

True, there are many chaotic cities... in traffic, population, overall (visual, audio and air) pollution, in many different aspects and I've already been to some of them (of course I believe that are a LOT of them that I still don't know), but Ulaanbaatar is, I believe, special.

Half of the country's population lives here (over 1,300,000 people) and in the past 25 years the number of its inhabitants doubled, which means an average of new 26,000 people per year. With no time to built the necessary infrastructures and urban planning being a strange foreign word, the city grew and it grew in its one way. What does this mean? 

It means that you can have a modern glass building, next to an old sovietic neighborhood, next to a set of gers. Or having a huge abandoned building with one of the most visited museums hidden on the back in a discrete building (it could be a 2 story apartment building)!

It means a chaotic traffic where you can get stuck for a loong time and not even be surprised by it. And a traffic where the drivers are kind of... well... crazy. They drive fast! And don't often brake because of someone crossing the street, which makes this a very challenging and risky activity. Even locals always run when crossing to the other side. And yes, even on the cross walks. It's an adventure! 

It means that the pollution level, with many factories and a power plant just at the entrance of the city, is way beyond what it should be.

It means that many old buildings that deserve a special attention (with a reconstruction of the surrounding area, and of the building itself) are second priority to the demanded construction work of new dwellings.

It means a lot of things...

But to show you better, here are some photos... A general overview of the city, with comments!

A modern apartment building and a ger on its surroundings

A high voltage power line in the middle of the city

Apparently this building burnt a while ago. The Intellectual Museum, one of the biggest attractions of the city (and a really cool one, I can add), is behind it and it's a bit tricky to find.

This path (that looked a bit abandoned), in the opposite direction led to the Gandan Monastery. On the back, beyond the city, it is possible to see the untamed mountains. 

The prayers are done by spinning them. On each one is written a prayer. The Gandan Monastery was a place where I forgot all the craziness of the city and felt at peace.

There were MANY pidgeons on the Monastery grounds, like, MANY MANY

The one with the big hat is the master(?) buddha

And there, among the confusion of restaurants and Karaoke places, there were a few hidden treasures like this french bakery. The pictured boy is the son of the bakery's owners (the painter is the mother)

Why is there a monument to the beatles in Mongolia in the shape of an apple? I have no idea!!

My feet and the main square :p. This must be a rare photo because it is actually forbidden to seat on this ledge

The statue in the middle of the main square dedicated to Sükhbaatar, a local hero 

And Chinggis Khan. We were told that every best thing there is labeled as "Chinggis Khan"

Just near the main square, you kind find plenty of men playing chess. All men, no women.

The doctor's appointment and google translator

There are those things in life that are very hard go through but that, at the end, bring great rewards! It was the case of my huge burst blister!! No nothing very deep, only a blister! A big, nasty one that I've made on the walk to the dry lake (the one with no water in Lake Baikal). The big problem with it was that I couldn't exactly stop walking. Walking is something that is usually necessary, but when you are travelling it becomes even more imperative as your body (and your belongings) won't move themselves alone.
So yes... I had a burst blister that made itself noticeable every time I gave a step. But things were not so bad until the time it started to look funny,... funny as in "almost infected". And it wouldn't get better with normal Betadine.

I never took a photo of the blister itself but here is how it looked with the bandage on top (the yellow thing is the Betadine)

That was why we decided (I say we because it was something that was actually discussed during one night) to try to find something for it. Next morning we (me and Isa) went to the pharmacy.
They spoke no English (and Portuguese even less) and our Mongolian was no better.
I take off my tennis, my sock and show them the wound (by this time it looked like one). They gave us something that ressembled Betadine (which we already had). After a few minutes of "this is what we recomend" (should be read as "Ahasfjq spguahaf najf") and "But we already have that, we need something better" they point us to a Hospital that was just around the corner.
We go there... again... no English, of course! The girl at the reception asks for the passport (which I understood at the 5th try) and Isa starts to rub her hand trying to explain I have a wound. It seems that the girl understood (I had my doubts) and writes a number, 209, the room number where we were supposed to go.
We climbed up the stairs and... its the Dermatology section (which was even written in English!). We look at each other and laugh but I go in anyway. Better a dermatologist than nothing!

Room 209. Dermatology section

Inside there is the doctor. English? Of course not. Again, I take off my tennis and my sock and show her the wound. She doesn't seem to understand. And this was when Isa had a stroke of genious!! She saw the computer and thought that maybe it had internet. She asks the doctor if she can use the computer and goes to google translator!! Brilliant! We write (we because Isa wrote half and I wrote the other half - we were both on top of the doctor's sit) that I have a burst blister and try to translate it to Mongolian... So... Malaio, Maltês, Norueguês..) wait, where's the Mongolian??... There was no Mongolian!! I think we all (doctor included) spent about 2 minutes looking for the Mongolian on the list, until the doctor (bless her!) points to, "Indonesian"!

No Mongolian on google translator

We finally could communicate although the doctor preferred gestures to google translator. At the end we got out of there with a couple of photos, a prescription for 3 different things and a bill of 4000 Tugriks (less than 4 Euros).

The doctor advising me how to protect the blister

A new friend in Ulaanbaatar

To get the medicines we went to the same pharmacy that had pointed us the hospital. When I handed them the prescription their expressions were something like "Oh, so this was what they were looking for!!"

A pack of antibiotics and 2 balms for the next days and, finally, we went back to the hostel to begin another day!

The presciption