Hold on ladies, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

When we landed in Ulaanbaatar at 11pm, we found our driver who was taking us to our apartments. He loaded us and our suitcases in the van and off we went. Now this is where the panic attack comes... Even though there are some-what paved roads with lines down the middle, it does not mean you have to be aware of the lines. Mongolian drivers are CRAZY! Apparently it is okay to pass a slow person in front of you while almost running the car in the other lane who is coming towards you, off the road. I guess they will move out of the way right? And the whole rule about trying to stay at least one car's length away from the car in front of you must have jumped out of the airplane on the way over here. Our driver was so close to the car in front of us that you probably wouldn't be able to get a pencil through the gap. For those of you who know me, I have my own set of breaks in any car... these must have also jumped off the plane on the way over. The whole ride to our housing was deathly as we nearly escaped fender-benders, being t-boned, and Lord knows what other kinds of accidents. A scary vision is seeing an oncoming car's headlights about 10 feet away from you, but don't worry, we can squeeze by right? Thank goodness Laura and I were sitting in the backseat... oh and did I mention, there were no seat belts! Very reassuring. The thing is though that everyone over here drives like that so you kind of know what drivers are going to do. I think that is why I haven't seen any accidents here yet. Dr Noble has been here for a couple months now and she said she rarely sees them... SO DON'T FREAK OUT DAD!
Another thing about the roads. Even though they are paved, that means nothing. They should have just left the dirt roads. There were so many bumps and potholes that my bottom didn't touch the seat for more than .25 seconds. You just have to hold on for dear life and pretend you're on a roller coaster.
Walking across the street in Mongolia is a death sentence. There is no "pedestrians have the right-a-way" here. If you walk out in a busy intersection thinking the cars have to wait for you, you'll be sadly mistaken and will probably end up in the hospital. The first time I walked across an intersection I was scared for my life! I guess you just get used to it when you live here. Weaving in and out of cars is their lifestyle. You also have to be aware of manholes, loose bricks, and holes in the side walks. I think Mongolia wants heighten their people's senses and peripheral vision. Dr. Noble says, maybe they are trying to thin out their population haha. But just so all of you know, I am safe and haven't been hit by any cars. So far, so good.

This picture doesn't really do justice to what you usually see. I guess I caught the traffic at a good time.

Nicole