I'm pleased with the way I have adapted to the cold. I certainly benefited from coming in the summer and getting used to the weather gradually. A volunteer came to Mongolia in November from the Philipines, +30* straight to -10*. That must be a shock. The middle of last week saw two very cold days, both with a "high" of around -25* during the day. On Wednesday though, it was the wind that really stung. I was walking through UB for a meeting, and the icy wind got up and tore straight through me, making my eyes water (which worried me as I was afraid the tears would freeze!).
There are two things which bug me about the winter:
1) My glasses steam up EVERY time I go inside, even if I've only been outside for a few minutes. I can't see a thing. At first I used to wipe them, but now I can no longer be bothered, so I stay blind for a few minutes while they clear. They clear from the centre of the lenses outwards so have tunnel vision for a few moments before they clear completely.
2) Sweeping the pavements. When it snows, the street-sweepers are sent out early the next day to sweep the snow from the pavements. This results in a nice looking clean pavement, fresh with a thin layer of ice caused by the sweeping, ready to catch out unsuspecting people like me. Luckily I have only fallen over once (amusing the locals no-end), but have had countless near misses.
The worst place has to be Sukhbaatar Square. When they were planning the Square, the conversation must have gone along these lines:
"So, it's below freezing for 6 months of the year, covered in ice and snow, and really slippy at the best of times. What surface shall we use? Any ideas?"
"How about marble?"
"Brilliant! We'll use marble!"
Marble covered in ice is just an accident waiting to happen. And happen a lot.
For the pavements which are not swept there is a thick layer of compressed snow which for the most part is fairly sure underfoot. However, the kids like to slide along the ice - so there is a narrow icy trail down the middle of the pavement to be avoided. If I've learnt anything in Mongolia, it's how to judge icy surfaces!!
Maybe the ladies here have the right idea - high heels! They never seem to slip or fall. I guess the heels just dig right in. I might have to give it a try!!
On Sunday I went to Zaisan with some other volunteers. Zaisan is in the south of UB, only ten minutes by bus. There are mountains and the river. The river now is completely frozen, which still seems strange to me. People drive right onto the river, park up and play on the ice. There is a game where they devide into two teams and slide a stone to eachother, making sure the stone rests by the feet of the other team, moving further apart after each go until one team starts to miss.
I plan to go the ice festival in Khovsgol at the end of February, which I am excited about. A massive frozen lake. It should be good fun. Each day is filled with blue skies and sunshine - I haven't seen rain in months (yay!!). Despite the cold, I prefer the weather here to UK weather any day. (Although, -30* is taking the mickey a little bit!!)
More photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/chris.guinness/
