The Postprandial Thoughts: My First Day in Mongolia: February 24,2011

So after the delay in my passport and visa, I'm finally here in UB ( what usually expats call UlaanBaatar). I left Manila on the 24th at 12:30 am and was already in South Korea at 6 am and wandered around the Incheon Airport while waiting for my flight at 1:30 pm. I had traveled alone before in Hongkong so I was used to ask for directions (even the stupidest you can imagine) and confidently present myself to the Immigration Officer. However back in Manila, I was interrogated by two Immigration supervisors and kept on asking for my work permit or contract. Since, I am working as a volunteer, I have not had with me a work permit instead presented them with a letter from VSO Bahaginan declaring that I am a VSO volunteer and will work with the Ministry of Health of Mongolia.

Fortunately, Korean Airlines were not too strict with the allowed weight of the luggage. The service was commendable and the food (even in economy class) was superb! I was seated in the window view (beside a Pinay nurse who has been working in New York for 30 years and was so helpful with some technicalities in the plane, me being an ignorant). But the flight was too early so I had not seen a lot of scenery on my way to Incheon.

My 2 am Breakfast in the plane. Tasted like Chicken Adobo, but I don't know actually what this is called.

I arrived in Incheon around 6 am (Korean time is one hour advanced from Philippine time) and went straight to the Korean Airlines Lounge. I slept in the reclining chairs for an hour and wandered around the duty free shops. During lunch , I decided to eat my lunch in KFC and ordered chicken set 1 that costs 8,200 won. The two Koreans beside my table were always staring at me and at my meal because what I ordered was Chicken Set 1 (3 chicken breasts, 1 regular fries and soda). So maybe they thought how would I be able to finish the whole meal. Haha! They had underestimated me but I was kind of expecting that what I ordered included one cup of rice and the 3 pieces of chicken- tsk tsk the Pinoy constructor in me! In the end, I had the remaining one piece chicken wrapped and gave to the janitress cleaning the comfort rooms . I also met a Pinoy mother and son in the comfort room near my boarding gate. They were bound to San Francisco and were actually late for their boarding call. It's nice to meet complete strangers in your travel, it makes me realize that there are indeed no accidents in chance meetings.

I left Incheon at 1:30 pm boarded the Korean Airline and enjoyed my window view and in-flight entertainment. The video selection included new hollywood releases, classical, action, asian and korean movies in english, korean and mongolian subtitles. Out of the 20 plus movies, I watched Drew Barrymore's new movie: "Going the distance" and related well with the challenges of having "long distance" relationship. Oh, I miss Bie so much.

I took some pictures on my window view, but I was so stupid of not taking pictures of the Gobi Desert. There's really something magical of seeing the place for the first time, but I realized that there's more admiration in seeing a place for the last time than the first time. It's like when you know the fact that you are seeing the place or people for the last time, it makes you feel more grateful of that last chance.

Here are some of my window view pictures on my way to UB:

Central heating in UB

Once again, I was interrogated here in Chinggis Khan Airport by a Mongolian Immigration Officer but not as intense of what I went through in NAIA. When I arrived here in UB, the temperature was -15 degrees Celsius so I wanted to leave the airport as soon as possible. I was told by Bunny that Leah ( Australian VSO volunteer based in Uvurkhangai District) will be the one who will pick me up from the airport. I was waiting for her on the lounge for 20 minutes or so, because I was expecting that Leah is blonde so I didn't recognize her from the people waiting in the arrival area. One Mongolian taxi driver was too kind to offer me his mobile phone to call up any of the VSO staff. Offering your phone to a total stranger would never happen in Manila so imagined how warm and hospitable Mongolians are. Anyway, I tried Enkhmaa's mobile phone and was not able to reach her; but Leah had already approached me.

My first impression of Mongolia is that it is like a big air-conditioned smoking area room. The air smelled like smoke, like when my Lola is burning our garbage in our backyard in San Antonio. That's why they are encouraging us especially those based in the UB to visit the countryside once in a while. After we dropped off my things in the Lotus Guesthouse, we went straight to THE STRINGS ( a famous local pub) for VSO Social Night along with my supposed ICT batchmates Dorieka, Alylose and Debra. In spite of my sleeplessness, I managed to stay awake for the whole night and caught the Filipino band 24 K in their first set. I had met a lot of VSO staff and volunteers in the socials including some UNV.