Ulaanbaatar looked like a work in progress when I arrived two months ago. Getting on a bus along the main street that stretches through the city from East to West for more than ten kilometres, the traveller can see construction activity on pavements, pipe lines, new buildings and reforms everywhere. It is the most magnificent buildings that draw our attention first, of course. There are plenty, some also under reform, some others waiting restoration, all of them diverse, showing a great diversity of shapes and styles. It was more recently, two weeks ago, walking around the centre and towards the mountains of the south of the city, that I could appreciate that what looks like a desire for diversity in buildings was also present in pavements. It looked like almost every street had different tiles or a different pattern. So, on my way for a day hike with a group of friends, I quickly took some pictures before we reached the unpaved road and slightly snow-covered paths to the mountain. |