On the climb to the top of the hill there were several entrepreneurs with art for sale and one with this hunting eagle that you could hold.
The artist also was an accomplished throat singer who entertained us as you can hear on this video.
Throat singer on Vimeo.
At the top is the memorial itself , of which this is a part.
At the bottom of the hill is this immense Buddha and drum
Sukhbaatar square in the center of the city was named for the hero who defeated the Chinese and re-established Mongolia's independence.
It has monuments to Genghis Khan and other warriors and rulers who were central to the founding of the Mongolian empire.
Not long before we visited Mongolia there had been political protests which had led to torching the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party's headquarters.
Concerned about potential reoccurrence we had inquired if the riots were near out hotel and we were told that it wasn't far.
When we arrived we found it was very close, across a very narrow street from the Ulaanbataar Hotel where we stayed.
Glad we weren't there at the time.
Our hotel is in the foreground of the first picture and directly behind the statue of Lenin in the third.
The youngest monk we saw during our visit.
Some of the gers we saw in town,
The wrestling arena, a reproduction of a war command wagon, a "mobile home" sales display and the interior of one we saw in a museum.
As we took off we could see that many of the homes in the city were gers.
Around the city
A Mongolian Rally car in front of the State Department Store, this structure of unknown purpose in a small park in the middle of a highway.
Open air pool tables
Mongolian barbecue had some items you aren't likely to find in the US (horse meat, and fatty sheep's tail for grilling and cow stomach/intestine soup).
Wagon loads of wool and hot water distribution pipes near the railroad into town.
Music and dance shows
These young contortionists assumed some unbelievable positions.
Museums
We saw gold, and intricately carved ivory.
Games and puzzles still common in Mongolia.
Dinosaurs found in the country.
Some of the vehicles we saw at at their war museum.
The International Intellectual Museum is also worth a visit.
See the link at the top or bottom of the page.
Monasteries and temples
The entrance to the Gandan monastery
Brass and huge wooden prayer wheels must be spun clockwise.
A huge Buddha.
Around the grounds
If spinning prayer wheels isn't enough, scarves of various colors can be offered to add to any request.
We inquired and were told that a yellow scarf would be the best to insure a clear day for the eclipse we wanted to see here in Mongolia.
At the end of our trip we returned to Ulaanbataar and visited Bogd Khan's temple/museum.
