Russia - Mongolia (Ulan Ude - Erdenet)

As I mentioned, I took a bus across the Mongolian-Russian border instead of a train. The drive was quite beautiful on the Mongolian side of the border, oddly no so much on the other side. There were two stops along the way. The first bathroom break, and the border/lunch break. The first bathroom break was awesome. Boys on the left side of the road, girls on the right. BYOTP, if you know what I mean.

I met some travelers from France that were pretty interesting. This couple started from Paris, and hitchhiked to Helsinki. They took a bus to St. Petersburg, the Trans-Siberian, and are now planning on finding a Mongolian countryside family to stay with for about a month. And that's not all. After that they're going on to S.E. Asia and will fly back home from Cambodia a year after they left. My mind is blown.

Crossing the Russian border was another FUN border experience. A Russian soldier came aboard and checked everyone's passports and visas. Then we got off and scanned our luggage. Then we stood in line for someone at one of those booth thingys to check our passports and visas again. Thanks to someone along the trip, I had two pen marks on my visa. This is not allowed. Well, it's allowed but you have to wait 5 more minutes than everyone else in line. Luckily a lady appeared from the other side and asked if she could help in translating. Then we filled out exit, and entry cards. Got back on the bus. Another soldier came on and checked our passport stamps. They really need to expedite that process.

The Mongolian side of the border was another story. A soldier got on the bus and started checking passports again. Here we go again, I thought. He checked about five and then got off. hahah, YES. Then the Mongolian booth thingy guy asked me how long I would stay in Mongolia. I started to chat with him in Mongolian explaining how I was a church/English teacher years ago. Then he just said, as closely as I can translate, "Well come on in."

After some sweet Mongolian food, super cheap and tons of it, we got to Darkhan around 4pm. I was the only one to get off along with a lady that got on to exchange money. She helped me find the first car to Erdenet. So I got in with three other guys and we were off. Of course we had to make a stop just outside Darkhan at a store. The guy in the passenger seat comes back with, what else, a bottle of vodka. Oh Mongolia, how I've missed you. Let the good times roll.

I've done the drive between the towns of Darkhan and Erdenet about half a dozen times. It is so beautiful. Of course, you have to honk a number of times for herds of horses and sheep on the roads, but the rolling green hills, big blue sky, and clouds that extend forever is one of my favorite things.

One of the guys passed out after his share of the vodka and was quiet the rest of the way. The other two were old friends and chatted the rest of the way. I spoke with them about a few things. They asked me why I'm not married and offered to introduce me to some hardworking countryside girls.

The driver was an Erdenet local so I asked him to take me to a hotel he thought was cheap. Thus began my entrance to the 'Pyramid Karaoke Hotel.' I went and saw the church that we broke ground for while I was in Erdenet as a missionary and then I got really nostalgic. It was surreal to smell the food, see the landscape, see the people, and hear the language. So I went to my old missionary apartment, and passed by the water fountain in the city center that dances to music- a recent addition that has become quite the hang out.

Before I went to sleep I decided to do one of my famous bathtub laundry loads. I learned in Moscow that the washing is pretty easy, it's the drying you've got to get right. I spent about an hour wringing out the clothes I had washed. My hands were raw. Then I was sung to sleep by some really... hmm... awesome karaoke being sung by inebriated citizens the floor below me.