Late Christmas gift

In addition to the innumerable blessings I have received over the past 8 months, I just had a visitor from home! My friend Ravi stopped here for a couple of days as part of his multi-country trip to India, China and Mongolia. He was excited to see some new countries, and I was excited to see a familiar face. Although a short visit, we did a lot. I warned him ahead of time that it was the coldest part of the year, so he came prepared with appropriate gear. However, at some point no amount of extra clothing can keep you warm in -10 to -20 degree temperatures. Nonetheless, we braved the outdoors for short periods of time, including the main attraction in UB, Sukhbaatar Square. There is a new parliament building with a gigantic statue of Chinggis Khan.

Once in Darkhan, we visited a nearby camel herd and were invited inside the herdsman's ger, as is the custom in Mongolia. We were given camel milk tea, a treat even for a Mongolian! Despite Ravi's aversion to dairy, he graciously tried a little. I guess I'm getting used to Mongolia, because I drank nearly all of mine.

We also visited most of our children, and Ravi talked to them about India and showed them pictures. The kids were fascinated, and especially liked his pictures of the Taj Mahal.

Ravi can boast that he braved Mongolia's coldest temperatures, and in fact while he was here there was even a severe weather warning. That means that even the Mongolians were staying inside! Now that he's gone, I'm officially in hibernation in my apartment until further notice.