Relaxing Shabbat day off in Mongolia

It was Gab and Delphine's last day. They headed back to Irtkusk around 7:00 p.m. I don't think I'd talked to them much before today, but that instant connection while traveling thing is really bizarre. They're probably among the most relaxed people I know, and always radiating positive energy.



I woke up around 10, and it was extremely cold outside. I was contemplating whether to go to work when Alex came in and grabbed me to drink coffee with Gab and Delphine at Café Amsterdam. Having heard it to be a complete tourist rip-off, I'd never ventured inside despite walking past everyday.

Located on the main drag on Peace Avenue, the café is a pretty standard Western-style coffee shop with pastries, sandwiches and English newspapers . The prices were rather outrageous, but we had not had real coffee in a while. We sat outside for about an hour, smoking cigarettes and sipping $3300 togrog lattes as if we were somewhere in Europe, except that every once in a while a random bum would walk by and try to sell us watercolor paintings of yurts and sheep.

I left early to go to my language exchange with Ganbold. I learned that in such a meat-eating culture in a land deprived of vegetables, vegetarian food is called "tsagaan khool" - literally "white food." I left early to meet Aki to finally visit the elusive vegetarian Cafe Ananda.

I was late, and Alex came to pick me up in front of of the Ataturk statue. It was probably my best meal in Ulaanbaatar so far. What made it better was that all the earnings go directly the Lotus Orphanage. We ate in a circle in a very Buddhist style round room with orange walls and brightly colored cushions and low tables.



I ate things I had not seen for a long time - tofu, spinach, and corn. Happy and satisfied, we all lay down in the room for a long time and did not want to go back into the cold. They commented that I was very "peaceful." That's one thing I like about Europeans - they don't see not being talkative as a bad thing.



A few hours later, Alex's khuushuur addiction started acting up again. I have to say, it is one of my favorite Mongolian foods. It's basically a fried, large half-circle shaped dumpling with mutton inside. We went into a store that had a big sign saying khuushuur on the outside, but the waitress said "bakhgui" - don't have it - probably the most common phrase you will hear when you visit a restaurant in Mongolia. Expect them to actually have about half the items on the menu.

We finally did find some before Alex lost his mind.



When we got back to the Golden Gobi, it was a pleasant surprise to see that Ariel and Adi, both from Israel, were preparing Israeli food for Shabbat. I never thought I'd experience my first Shabbat in Mongolia of all places. While we waited, Bob brought out his customary farewell vodka for Gab and Delphine and we all had a few shots and hugged good-bye.



Then the Israelis brought out two pots of Shakshukah - a steamed egg and tomato-sauce dish with mushrooms and onions, one with cheese and one vegan. They recited from the Torah, and broke the loaf of bread, handing everyone a piece. Then we dug in, while the vodka kept coming around and around and around. It was a very, very good day.