The Inauguration

I saw a cool sight yesterday. We went up to check out the progress on a new luxury apartment that the company is building. And we climbed up to the 15th floor penthouse, which has balconies with 360 degree views of the city. It's really stunning. We reached the top at noon, and it so happened that the new president of Mongolia was being sworn in at 12:06 that day (1206 being the year Chinggis Khan was crowned, and so naturally a very lucky number in Mongolia).

We could see the crowd gathered on Sukhbaatar Square, in front of the new Parliament building built in 2006 (the 800th anniversary of 1206) and paid for by some Kuwaiti emir. They were flanked by two brand new office buildings, and behind them were the ger districts, slums which extend for miles up the valleys north of the city where the majority of the city's population lives. It was a perfectly symbolic image of modern Mongolia.

The crowd doesn't quite compare to January 20th on the National Mall, but oh well. Note the ger districts on the hills above.

As for Elbegdorj, the new president, people are pretty excited. He's part of the Democratic Party and is the first ever non-socialist president. Apparently the last guy was corrupt as can be, so people are glad to see him gone, but many are skeptical that this guy will be any different. Corruption is a huge problem, and most politicians are just in the game to make as much money as possible.

By the time we got down to the square, the important people were filing out, but we could see the statue of Chinggis looking down at his newest successor.

ps. If you or anyone you know is looking to make a profitable investment in a developing country, or just want a vacation spot on the other side of the world, try an apartment in the luxurious Regency Residence, conveniently located in downtown Ulaanbaatar! Buy one from me and I can make a juicy commission.