Nice-Milan-Moscow-Ulaanbaatar

So, finally the day for our long-awaited holiday to Mongolia was upon us. And we had actually prepared pretty well for this one, for a change. Flights were booked, visas sorted out, all the equipment (tent, sleeping bags, torches, you name it) purchased, accommodation booked. We did have a bit of last minute panic the night before our departure, as we decided to do a bit of research on the ‘net about the guesthouse we had booked. Turns out the owner of the place is a bit of a dodgy character, so in a last-minute frenzy we tried to change for another hotel (since we hadn’t paid yet). Much to our relief, we managed to get a room confirmed at the Chinggis Khaan hotel, one of the swankiest addresses in Ulaanbaatar.

So that worry out of the way, we boarded the train for Milan on Thursday night. 5 hours later, we arrived in Milan, and even managed to find our hotel easily enough. Too tired to paint the town red, we went to sleep pretty much straight away.

After a nice enough Italian brekkie, we took the shuttle bus from the train station down to Malpesa airport. From there, our exciting journey continued with Aeroflot via Moscow to Ulaanbaatar. We landed on time, and figured that 2 hours and 40 minutes should surely be plenty for the changeover. But alas, it seems as if though plenty of red tape from the good old days of Socialism still remain, as it turned out (a couple of passport controls, at least 2 security checks, and a very slow terminal transfer later) we barely managed to catch our connecting flight.

Fortunately, there was no more drama, and we landed safely at Chinggis Khaan airport (not only is the airport named after that legendary warrior, but also our hotel, as well as the best vodka and beer brands in the country). The car we had ordered was even waiting for us, and whisked us to Chinggis Khaan hotel.