Jetlag, a monk named Harry Potter and composting toilets in UB

I’m in Mongolia!

Alright so jetlag is tough, let me tell ya. The day I got in, I was thankfully left to sleep for much of the day. That night, Sue took me to a nice Indian place and at some point the electricity cut out for a while, so it was a nice romantic meal. Over all, UB (what everyone calls Ulaanbaatar), is a big, busy city, very similar to other big, busy cities in other developing countries. It’s notably dusty and windy at this time of year, and also quite warm. The interesting thing is the contrast between old soviet buildings that have fallen into disrepair, which characterize most of the city, and the rare beautiful old Buddhist or Chinese buildings, also in disrepair, but far from just slabs of concrete. Much of the Buddhist temples (almost all) were destroyed under communist control, but some have been rebuilt. The Gandan Monastery, the major Buddhist center of Mongolia, is located in the capital. It’s a beautiful walled-in area of temples, for worship and study, always busy with monks and pigeons. Again, it’s an interesting example of the contrast between old Mongolia and the new Mongolia, as it’s surrounded by dusty dirt alleys and the crowded run-down neighborhoods of emigrants from the countryside.

The next day, Saturday, was great! I got to do all sorts of interesting stuff. Sue and I walked to the Gandan for a meeting with some Buddhist leaders who had recently participated in the Tributary Fund’s environmental education exchange tot he US. We met with Byambaa, Salsa, Harry Potter, Erdenebat, and of course, Chimga. You may be skeptical that I actually met with monks named Harry Potter and Salsa, and I’ll admit, they do have real names, but these were the names Sue used to introduce them to me—names they earned in the US. I think it has something to do with the fact that we ignorant English speakers have some trouble with Mongolian pronunciations and it got to be quite embarrassing, so, being compassionate and affable monks, they agreed to go by nicknames.

After the meeting, Sue and I were extremely fortunate and received a special tour of the Gandan from Amaraa (Harry Potter). It was very cool and we got special access to places because of who we were with. It was like having a backstage VIP pass at some big concert. So thank you, Harry!

After the Gandan we walked to another meeting with Kent and Katrina from the Boojum Expeditions and Eco-San about the future of composting toilets in Mongolia, specifically the countryside. It turned out to be a fascinating meeting and it looks like composting toilets could save the world. They make a lot of sense for Mongolia, as water isn’t exactly plentiful and waste management in the countryside is somewhat lacking. However, the cold temperatures in the winter pose some issues for the feasibility of the toilets. So that is an issue they are working on. The key to these particular toilets is that they separate the solid and liquid waste right from the start, which addresses many health concerns and other potential problems with the toilets. It allows for the waste to be reused in some great ways and makes the actual toilets less stinky. It was really exciting to be a part of such a potentially beneficial and important project.

The next day Sue and I, along with Kent, Katrina, and Harry, got to go see a site where the Gandan is thinking about putting a demonstration toilet. The potential to have one at the Gandan was a huge step, as it would be the ideal location from which to promote the toilets. The acceptance of the concept of the toilet is very important to its future in Mongolia and there was a surprising level of detailed planning and thought behind everything toilet related, from it’s color, to the signs that indicate where it is in the Gandan.

All in all, it was a very interesting, exciting first few days in Mongolia! I’m looking forward to the work of the next few days, as they it’s sure to be equally as intriguing. I’ll post more soon!

Grace