Safely Home/Veterans Day

I am now safely home and today was invited by my granddaughter Anne to participate in her school's Veterans Day Honors.  The two pics above tell the story of the event.  Following the ceremony at Mohawk Trails Elementary in Carmel, Anne invited me to have lunch with her and her girlfriends from the first grade.  They were all quite chatty and I enjoyed the day thoroughly as a nice respite from busy days in Mongolia.

Am now at my Indy office downtown typing this post as one of my final essays of the trip.  I feel that I accomplished much but know that much is left to do as we help the country move ahead democratically. For now, I intend to submit my written recommendations derived from the two day national conference to Global International which in turn will deliver them to the Mongolian Government for its consideration. And so it goes...

Heading Homeward

Am currently at the Inchon Airport, considered by travel magazines to be the best airport for travelers in the world and I agree.  The amenities are superior to anything experienced elsewhere.  The second pic is of a traditional wedding ceremony in Korea staged in the center of the main lobby. 

The first pic was taken last night at the Korea House where the GI staff took me for my farewell celebration.  Most of the staff was there and we certainly left no scrap of Korean food or wine on the table, retiring at 9 pm as I had an early call this morning.  They and I are pleased with the success of the national conference and the training sessions so am leaving tired but feeling good about this mission.  Their gift to me was a fifth of Chingiss Kahn  super premium vodka in a special edition bottle.  It has been carefully packed away in my bags for future sparing use.

I am in the midst of a long layover here, then onto Atlanta and finally to Indy.  And so it goes...

Final Work Day-Nov. 7

On this final day I find myself quite busy.  This morning I was interviewed by a reporter for the Daily News as to the state of the media and free press issues in Mongolia and my recommendations to improve same.  I mentioned that my overall impression is a good one, that the country has the best climate in the area for a successful democracy but that there is room for improvement in the free speech, free press arena and I gave my recs.  The above shot is of the reporter and my interpreter taken during the interview.

Finally I want to give a shout out to my sister and brother who are headed for Colorado for the wedding of her youngest son, David, and his fiancée, Krista.  I would be there too but for my schedule here.  I send my heartiest congratulations to David and Krista on their special day.

Now on to my last lecture.  And so it goes...

The Big Chill

No sun today which resulted in an extra chill in the air.  Everyone is bundled up now as wintry days are on the way.  I suppose this is a signal for a Westerner like myself to look homewards.  I packed today as tomorrow I have my final training sessions for journalists at Global International. Then I arise at 4 am on Friday morning to start my trip home.  It will take 28 hours and 30 minutes to return arriving in Indy late Friday night.  Miles to go before I sleep-thank you Mr. Frost.

The above pic is of Bogd Kahn Mountain in the background, most of
 which I climbed earlier on this trip. This shot was taken in front of the State Department Store so you can see that the UB sits in a bowl with a series of  low mountains surrounding it.  These mountains are capped in full snow now.

Upon my return I intend to do compile a series of recommendations stemming from the two day national media conference that GI can give to the government.  We will then see if anything comes of our effort.  Hopefully it will assist in nudging those in power to loosen up the restrictions on a free press and free speech just a little more.  And so it goes...

Visiting Ataturk

The above photo is of Ataturk who founded the Republic of Turkey in 1922 and who is revered in Turkey as its greatest statesman (died 1938).  On the way home the other day, I came upon this statue and through conversations with the office I learned that it fronts the Ataturk High School, a premier school, established in 1957 by Turkey in honor of Turkey's close relationship with Mongolia. There still are Turkish tribes in outer Mongolia that continue close ties with Turkey but are loyal to Mongolia. 

Now for the rest of the story...Several years ago Lynne and I went on a sailing cruise with my old Army buddy and his wife, Alan and Chris Klavans, ending the trip in Istanbul.  We found the city of Istanbul and its secular government and sophisticated ways to be surprisingly impressive.  Turkey still follows the ideals of Ataturk but is having a problem with a growing muslim population.  The Turkish government continues to hold to non-involvement with all religions but this is becoming much more difficult to sustain. Anyway, hats off to the Turkish tribes of Mongolia and this high school in the UB,  and to our old and dear friends, Alan and Chris.  And so it goes...

Happy Chingis Kahn Birthday!

The office called me and said that today is being celebrated as C. Kahn's birthday by parliamentary decree and the office is closed in celebration.  No one knows the actual birthdate so the government selected this day for the occasion and this is the first year for this new national holiday.  Who knew?  Not me until a call last night.  Above is his statue in S. Square guarded by his two favorite generals.

So I am taking this time to get organized for my exit on Nov. 8.  By the way, I heard a rumor that Lenin's statue in front of the Ulan Bator Hotel has also been removed this.  So on a whim and on the way to dinner I diverted over to the UB hotel grounds and sure enough, the statue has been removed.  Thus both his museum and his icon have no presence here.  I have inquired as to the reason for this additional move and have been told that Lenin is no longer "relevant" to today's society.  For a pic of this statue and a report on Lenin who died at age 54 see my earlier post of last year published on Sept. 12, 2012.  And so it goes...

Shubh Diwali!

No, I have not gone native.  Today is Diwali Day, a Hindu high holiday that starts today and ends five days forth.  I learned about this today when people from the office sent me the above greeting.  Hindus are a minority sect here but not so in India, Singapore and Fiji.  Most people here are atheists since religion was forbidden from 1921 to 1990 when the Communist Party was in control.  Buddhism has made a comeback, however.  Christians are not more that one half of one per cent so one of the smallest minorities.

But again I digress.  The above pic is of the State Department Store which was founded by the Communists as a shopping place for the elite of the party.  It was founded in 1921, then went private in 1990 and was heavily renovated with a lot of glass utilized for the facade.  Note the Christmas tree that just went up this weekend. They tell me that Christmas is the number one holiday here (but apparently disconnected from any religious theme). This building sits about two blocks from the GI office so my shirts are laundered here as this store has every service that one needs in order to survive.  The first floor has an excellent grocery store with all things that might be needed. The other floors house items with brand names and things like cashmere products, dishware, fur coats, kids clothing, all quite similar to Penney's.

I plan to go to the Blue Sky in a few minutes  to have dinner at the Jade Palace which is the top Chinese restaurant in the country.  Again, I thank Don for giving me this luxury.  And so it goes...