Bleak skies and cold waters. 4 more days and I am headed home to UB
Ah, the 'Going back to England for Christmas' faux pas.
Don't feel bad Mandy, it's kind of a rite of passage.
There'll come a time when you get over the food, too.
Save the UK for August.
This trip was been a mixed bag, the main reason for going back was to see my grandmother who is in the mid-stages of dementia; it's depressing as fuck- if I had enemies, I wouldn't even wish it on them. As for staying in Mongolia I got an email from work cheerfully informing me the air is so toxic the school has to remain closed for another week. At least I'll have a week to rest from the flights. I hate making big decisions.
Perhaps before you go, you can go shopping for a respirator with ultrafine filter ? With extra cartridges...
Yes and no,OhOh- it seemed to depend on the time of day, better in the morning than evening, that's for sure. While it is always nice to have a short trip "home", the depressing side is seeing people age. Now this is inevitable, but it seems more stark to me due to not having seen them for so long...I guess.
Yes some live very fruitful lives and suddenly it's obvious they are struggling. Then it's watching them withdraw into their own world. Sad but many are ending up that way these days, as physical care is available to the masses in many countries.
^^Just be glad you’re still only seeing it in other people, Mandy.
It’ll be in your passport photos soon enough.
Went to a lecture this weekend on what this can do long term it did not make for happy listening. The air is back to its normal winter self and I am grateful to be in a position where I can buy masks and an air purifier without having to take a loan about, those up in the ger districts don't have it so lucky. I think I will be moving on in June, I've enjoyed my time here but I am also rather keen on having working lungs.
^yes, lungs are important, especially in the long run. The past week, I've been exposed to volcanic ash due to the Taal volcano explosion, and it's not good. They say that volcanic ash is like glass and it doesn't get dislodged if in the lungs already. I wear N95 mask outdoors.
Anyway, re: your work, why not try S. Korea or Japan? Bettyboo has been in Korea for many years and seems to like it there. PB has also had good experiences, accdg to her stories. As for Japan, Wally is there, as is Dicky. You could ask them for opinions re: teaching jobs. Cheers and good luck in your future endeavours!
Where's your fancy this time?
A bit hungover today so a bracing walk into town was on the cards, I unexpectedly found some ice sculptures in the main square.
Not the best photos, but in defense my hands were slowly turning into an ice-sculpture
Martial Law is incoming, at least the air is nice. This overreaction is getting a little annoying. Rumor of foreigners being expelled are doing the rounds; Mongolia has a real problem with fake news. At least I hope it is fake. More likely seems road closures to limit movement, I am expecting somewhat quarantine half-arsed measures.
Been pretty lazy with the photos this year, but this year I went for a long(ish) hike.
Is there any ski touring going on there, Mandy?
I'm not sure, there is a small ski slope on the edge of UB, it's small but fun enough and has 3 slopes of varying difficulty. For a while some chap was renting out cross-country skis in one of the central park. which was a fun way to kill a few hours. There's another very small slope in sleepy Erdenet, some 5 hours out of UB. Not really worth the trip for that alone but a fun way to break up a roadtrip to the lakes.
Been a snowy weekend, but it looks like deep winter is over, it's a balmy -10 in the sun
Snow is mostly gone and it is much nice for chill walks to get out away from staring at four walls
...^no wonder Genghis Khan was eager to get out...
Touch of cabin fever,eh? Why don't you go to the beach or something...?
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