On to Mongolia

We were off early Tuesday afternoon, so there was only time to go for a wander around our local area in Seoul and grab some breakfast before heading to the airport. We were able to explore the Seoullo reclaimed road, which is quite pretty and a nice little urban park in the style of the High Line in New York. Sadly the cafe up there was closed, forcing us to go further afield for some coffee...

We flew MIAT (Mongolian Air) to Ulaanbaatar, always interesting to try a new airline. It was a pleasant contrast to Jetstar in most ways, although the plane was a little dated. Including those little fold down screens which showed a movie everyone could watch together... Still, no real complaints, especially as there was lots of leg room. Gillian loved the way everyone clapped the pilots after we had landed. 

Excitement was building as we touched down and got off the plane to find our driver waiting for us. The first glimpses of Mongolian scenery were already pretty inspiring and we got to see horses (lots of horses) and eagles on the drive into the city. There's something about the scenery that brings to mind Iceland, which we suppose is the lack of trees. Arriving in the central part of the city, you are reminded of the more recent history of Mongolia as you drive through soviet ear buildings. There is so much building going on here. 

We decided to have a relatively early night so only wandered a little way to Sukhbaatar Square. The evening was lovely and warm and there were so many families in the square just enjoying there time together. We wanted to stay a bit longer but the blog and bed were calling.

We're very excited for the big tour starting Wednesday morning, avid readers will have to wait for a while before getting any updates as it seems unlikely we'll have a great internet connection in the Gobi desert...