Breakfast.
Checking out the little convenience store at the condos.
It has a fair amount of necessities.
This dog was up on a balcony.
Statue of little mountain goats playing.
Cool building.
Cool mural.
There's a single line of tiles in the sidewalk with stripes on them, and then just before an intersection, they turn from stripes to dots. I wonder if that's for people who are visually handicapped?
A small mall just north of the main square.
A huge bag.
An optical in this mall, too.
They have Asian fitting frames. I've seen these in some LA optometry offices around Japantown, Koreatown, etc, since Asians don't have as much of a bridge and most glasses tend to slide down their faces.
Lots of different contact lenses.
The only one I recognize is Biofinity, and it's about double the cost of the others.
Food vendors on the south side of Sukhbaatar Square.
We got this hamburger and hot dog, although I don't think it was really hamburger.
Many people playing on the artificial grass.
The yurts are open now.
Inside.
Very decorative.
There is a more western market in the Shangri-La Mall.
Lots of pastries.
And cute chocolate bears.
And donuts from California Bakery.
Lockers; I wonder if this is so you can order in advance and then pick it up later?
Monica found the coffee.
And I found the cereal.
That's not quite Fruit Loops, but it's close.
A few actual US cereals.
Including Frosted Mini Wheats and Frosted Flakes.
Meat section.
Some huge meat selections.
Frozen pizzas.
A pizza place in the back of the grocery store.
They even have sourdough bread.
One optical shop, although the refractionist was on lunch break.
A second one.
Autorefractor and phoropter inside.
Even a slit lamp to look at / in the eye, although he never used it on me.
Trial frame set.
I took out my contacts and he performed the autorefraction.
Then an actual refraction.
He had me walk around with it a bit to make sure it worked.
It's actually very close to my usual prescription.
Not nearly as complete prescription form as in the US. No last name, no DOB, not even the type of contact lens; just the numbers. In fact, you can't even use that exact contact lens prescription for most contact lenses, as you'd have to adjust the numbers a bit since most contact lenses don't come in those parameters.
Ogii's old classmates and coworkers.
And her husband.
A block away from the Shangri-La Mall is another mall.
It's not as westernized, but there are still many stores inside.
The snuff bottle shop that Ogii's cousin's husband co-owns.
Many different snuff bottles.
Green ones.
Even more.
There were many other stores as well; this was massage chairs.
The Choijin Lama Museum in front with the modern skyscrapers in the back.
Closer view.
Chicken and beer.
A stand with a variety of vegetables.
They're repairing this sidewalk.
Sometimes people park even on the main roads by just pulling off to the side a bit.
A big truck slowly pulling into traffic.
I don't know if I would trust this balcony.
Futuristic windows sticking out.
A common song in Mongolia about the mother country.
Ogii opened a bank account here.
The bank employee met us after official hours, so the security guard wouldn't let us in. But Ogii could sign everything here.
And now she has a new Mongolian bank account if she needs it.
Neat mural.
The Haribo gummy snacks are popular here, too.
Penguin and baby statues.
Ogii helping a woman with directions.
Wagon wheels as handrails.
A sidewalk with lots of vendors.
Looks like some sort of eye doctor.
Yep.
A 5.11 store; I like their items.
The camel caravan on the south side of the city.
That evening we went to Nomin and Tulgaa's home. Nomin is Tsogt and Naraa's daughter, and their daughter is Anir. They gave us presents.
Everyone together.
Monica got earrings (and the case had a built-in light).
I got a cool bracelet from the Baigal company. It's from the Zee Bad collection and is inspired by an ancient Mongolian mythical creature which protects from evil.
Ogii got a purse.
Us with our gifts.
Group family photo.
Then we played some old-school fighting games, like Street Fighter.
And Mortal Kombat.
Namuunaa and Ogii playing each other.
Nomin's medals for various activities.
They have a great view of the city.
Some gifts from Naraa and Namuunaa.
Monica with Tsogt and Naraa.
Sisters.
Ogii with a traditional Mongolian thermos from her old coworker.