MAY 19, 16 .. ULAANBAATAR TO HONG KONG ON MIAT

After settling-in at my Ulaanbaatar apartment for the months of March / April and up to May 18th I had a bit-of-a-challenge leaving my apartment I like so very much.

But leave I did today the 19th of May.

I walked down the 114 steps of my building from my apartment to the street level at 4:30am this morning (because the elevator is turned off from 12am midnight until 6am FOR REASONS I CANNOT FATHOM!) to meet my taxi at 4:45am. He was on-the-button prompt and waiting for me.

So far after a year and a half I am neither bored nor tired-of or fed-up with what I am doing here in Asia.

I was at Chinggis Khaan International by 5:15am for my 7:25am flight.

I was first at the check-in counter and first into security.

Never .. NEVER EVER .. until this morning have I experienced a full-body search.

After passing through the ‘doorway’ of the primary metal scanner and the usual pat-down check and then the hand-held scanner-wand the security staffer called another over saying to me ..

“Sir will you accompany this security agent to the private room.”

“You want me to do what?” .. “Drop my trousers.”

Well I lived to tell this tale of a full-body security search.

Below are some photos of Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar.

30-minutes later I was sitting in the departing passenger’s lounge.

I was so early that it was not crowded yet. Could it have been that I was ‘far too early!’

I was just sitting there minding-my-business when another security person walked up to me saying ..

“Sir may I see your boarding pass and your passport?” .. “Of course.”

“Sir will you come this way with me?”

Down three flights of stairs we walked having passed through several locked doors en route to the very heart of the bowels of the airport’s baggage screening area.

“Sir is this your suitcase.” .. “Yes.”

“Sir will you open it please?” .. “Yes.”

I will never know what this drama was all about. They went through my opened suitcase with a fine toothed comb and accompanied me back up the three flights of stairs.

More photos of Chinggis Khaan International Airport.

Very nice and exceedingly tasteful shops.

The restrooms are immaculate.

With soap and a state-of-the-art hand dryer.

Time to board my flight to Hong Kong.

When I made my reservation last February I selected a window seat in aisle 5.

When I got my boarding pass I was in seat 32D on the aisle in the back of the plane.

I said to the steward .. “I specified a window seat?”

Now it gets good .. very good.

The man in the window seat immediately got up and said .. “Please sit here I will sit on the aisle Sir.”

Meet Mister NARALDAI.B the 35-year old CEO of his 400 staff firm that mines gold in the extreme North of Mongolia.

We two really hit-it-off. IF I did anything for him it was this: I asked him to listen to my ipod music on my Bose noise-cancelling Headphones saying that as much as he flies he really needs a set of these. He was flying from Ulaanbaatar to Hong Kong to sign a document and then immediately return back to Ulaanbaatar A.S.A.P.

We have pushed away from our departure gate.

We have lift-off.

My old friend the MIAT horse is with me again this flight.

We don’t want to get lost!

The center seat was empty. This is a very good thing. My backpack is out from under my feet.

My view looking straight ahead.

Notice the magazine at the bottom above. I think that I will flip-through it.

Chinggis Khaan is everywhere in Mongolia.

My opera house was in the magazine also.
Time to eat! I can hardly wait to open-up my meal.

Chicken with rice and a salad and some trimmings.

I really enjoy the food service on Mongolian Airlines.

Only dessert remains along with my orange jucie / water mixture.

At mealtime it is so nice to have the center seat empty.

Some photos out-the-window.

We are back in Hong Kong.

When we landed he took my carry-on-bag down from the overhead compartment and off we two went with him leading-the-way. We have here a take-charge do-it-now CEO!

Much Joy .. Cap

• ← MAY 17, 16 .. THE VIEW FROM MY APARTMENT
• MAY 24, 16 .. A DAY I KNEW WOULD ARRIVE SOONER OR LATER →