A late start was had on our last day in Terelj and we were already tired of living outside. We were eager to get to the hotel in the afternoon. It would be a relatively easy day, with our first stop at Turtle Rock in Terelj on the way to UB. The rock was a massive boulder in the shape of a turtle - representing longevity - standing alone in a valley surrounded by rocky cliffs. It had to be at least 15 stories high. We climbed up the back of it, into crevices and sat overlooking the valley. Below lay a village and a children's summer camp. Another beautiful day of clear, sunny skies.
Our final lunch was alongside a brook before we headed to UB. The drive was uneventful, through small towns and industrial areas in the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar. We took a left turn south of the city which appeared to be newly-constructed and a bypass around downtown. It was the nicest road we had been on all week. Soon we found out why. A massive iron fence with decorative painted stone pillars enclosed an estate in a valley full of evergreens. Through the trees we spied a complex: the president's palace. Lucky dude had brand new roads paved right up to his front door.
The Ramada in the city center was a sight for sore eyes. One of the nicest in the city, although it is showing some age. Regardless, the beds were soft, the linens fresh, and outfitted with robes and a Japanese toilet to boot. I may have taken the the longest shower of my life and scrubbed a few layers of skin off. We were going to meet Eku and his friend for drinks later so Fay and I first went to a neighboring shopping center where I picked up some nicer shoes than just my flip-flops for the evening, then a quick stop at the grocery for additional supplies.
Dinner was nice and basic, some sheep and beef skewers with rice, and also a sheep patty with fried egg and sauce. I loved that dish the best. We polished off a round of drinks and a bottle of wine, then capped it off with another round at a nearby jazz club where we sat outside in the warm summer breeze. We were exhausted then crashed in our hotel.
Oh what a fabulous sleep. Fay was dreaming that she was still fighting with her sleeping bag and forgot where she was when she woke up. I slept like the dead. And woke up with a hangover headache. Breakfast was free and possibly, definitely, the best free hotel breakfast EVER. The selection was enormous, from dumplings to traditional American breakfast foods, to Chinese and Japanese, salads, soups, breads, meats, cheeses, on and on and on. We both made numerous trips back to the buffet. A nap was in order afterward before we had to check out and head to the airport.
We needed that one day to do just nothing, nothing at all. Nothing in the luxury of a hotel. We actually wanted to stay another night because the bedding was so comfortable and the breakfast amazing. It has been a tough week. A tough, amazing, adventurous week. It tested both of our limits. We are ready for the comforts of modern civilization. Onward we move to the other side of the Great Wall.
But we did it. We made it. Through the tough moments and the laughs. Through the cold and the heat of the evening fire. Through sunrises and sunsets. And throughout the vast green landscapes. A truly amazing country, indeed. Not for the faint of heart, but for the strength of the soul. We made it.
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