Everyone except the Americans seemed to remember that today was Independence Day. It was amusing that they were all wishing us for it...
Today we didn't venture far, but we made several stops. Apart from photo and bathroom stops, our first one was to a hospital. One woman had hurt herself falling. It was still sore so they wanted x-rays. They saw her within five minutes and the whole episode cost 7500T, about $5!
The main highlights of the afternoon was a stop to the Kharakhorum museum. Kharakhorum was the ancient capital under Chinggis Khan's son. It only later as the capital for forty years and it's all buried now. The museum was ultra-modern (with really nice bathroom facilities!). I'd say the museum is a good step in preserving history as well as providing venues for tourists to visit.
We then headed to the Erdene Zu monastery, another place that was preserved and then restored. But before we entered, it started to hail! The hailstones were the size of marbles. (See the picture.) It went on for ten minutes before it turned to rain. We tried to sneak out into the monastery in a window, but ended up getting drenched. I don't remember much about what I saw because I was so cold and wet, but I've included a picture.
Tonight, we're staying at another ger, although it's a permanent camp with real showers. It's been pouring, so we have a fire lit in the stove.
Tomorrow, we're heading on a nine to ten hour drive towards the Gobi desert. It's only 280km, so it's bound to be a bumpy ride!
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