I had breakfast with BeeBee, Elizabeth, and Mariane. After breakfast I went to Blue Sky Travel to confirm my tour. It's all set. Tomorrow, I meet them at 10am.
I bought 2kg of bread for the 4-5 day trip, and two Snickers bars. After being robbed my belongings have shrunk to nil.
I'm really getting used to hand washing. The air is so dry here, clothes are dried in about 12 hours.
I took some more photos for the hotel staff. They really get a kick out of keeping the pictures. A Mongol girl came in and practiced her English with me. She was writing in a blank pamphlet, so I asked her if she could get me a pamphlet like that, since I had no writing paper of my own (all stolen). She said she could and politely refused any money for the errand. We talked about 1/2 hour, then I went for lunch.
The Mongols are so nice, yet this present economic state is turning many to become more greedy. So many are drinking vodka. After 8pm most people don't go out, because a lot of young (and not so young), drunk men are roaming the streets. I remember one day when James and I were walking the streets and a young man called to us. He was with his friends, sitting on some steps, drinking vodka. His English was good. He kept asking us to take a swig, but we declined. Eventually, he said his father had kicked him out, because of his drinking. We shook hands and went our way. Today, as I was walking to Blue Sky I saw a middle aged man flat on his back on the street. His arms were twitching slightly, his eyes were barely open, and he was foaming at the mouth. I didn't know if he was dying or having a fit. Several people were around him, including a policeman.
The girl came back with a pamphlet and I thanked her. We talked some more and then BeeBee came by. She left, then BeeBee and I shared a beer and talked about life.