Ulaanbaatar is surprisingly walkable in many areas, and traffic can move at a snail’s pace or come to a complete gridlock, so walking often feels easier and more enjoyable.
The most interesting place I visited was a “Winter Nomad” tour, where my friend and I went to the filming location of Physical: Welcome to Mongolia.
At this winter camp, we enjoyed traditional Mongolian foods and live Mongolian music, including the морин хуур (Morin khuur, horsehead fiddle), folk songs and praise chants. We also witnessed winter herding of different livestock.
One of the highlights was going on an hour-long horseback ride across the open steppe covered in snow. We even tried camel sleighing. It truly felt like a winter fairytale.
As part of my visit to my nomadic family friend, we also stopped by the school where she teaches. It’s a secondary school, and we visited two of her classes: one sixth-grade and one twelfth-grade.
The small town is called Баянхангай (Bayankhangai), a soum in Töv Province, Mongolia. The students were incredibly welcoming and had so many thoughtful questions for my friend and me.
We spent half a day with the school and the community since it was the day before the first day of Tsagaan Sar, and classes ended early in preparation for the holiday.
