Mongolia
This is the capital UlaanBaatar (Ulan Bator). It's a pretty featureless flat city filled with Soviet-era apartment blocks. However, it's suprisingly modern and has a few new skyscrapers and tons of international food - esp Korean and Indian. A godsend after eating nothing but Russian/Georgian food for weeks (which is pretty good surprisingly) Mongolian food can be summed up in one word: Mutton
Statue of Genghis Khan
Gers (Yurts) where we stopped for lunch. I had only 2 days to explore the Mongolian countryside so I took an excursion out to the nearby National Park
The falconer offering photos for a price
Lots of wide open spaces just a few miles outside the capital
View of the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park from a Temple we hiked up to. This is late Autumn - and the brown is grasslands. In the Spring/Summer imagine the entire landscape in green.
I stayed overnight in a Ger with a local family. Other than it being a huge tent, it had electricity, satellite TV, and everyone had smartphones. However, no running water and the whole yurt was heated by a large stove. We dined on Mutton with Rice for Dinner, Mutton with Noodles for Breakfast, and Mutton dumplings.
A massive statue of Genghis Khan they built in the middle of nowhere
Back on the train heading thru the Gobi Desert towards China
Reading the timetable on the train is key as it tells you how long until your stop and how long you are pausing at each stop. The attendants try to keep everyone close by but the train does not toot it's horn before it leaves. So if it leaves without warning and you're not on it, you're SOL. If you plan it right you can have a look around the station, buy some snacks, use a real bathroom, etc.
Final Stop...China