Mongolia or bust!

I'm  not a morning person, but for some strange reason any flight we get has to leave at ungodly hours of the morning.... like 9 AM. We have to be there 3 hours before boarding so arrival at the airport at 6 AM. That means we need to leave home at 5 AM, hence wake up at 4 AM to have a heart starter coffee and shower. Why the hell did I wake up at 3AM?

This trip is going to be a bit different to previous trips. Firstly we are travelling with our daughter Francis, who is also a horse rider. Secondly, we have 3 legs before we get to our final destination of Ulanbataar in Mongolia. We decided to bite the bullet and fly business class where we can. We are flying with the best airline in the world Singapore air, and the quality of the service is second to none. The perks of business class are priority baggage, security screening and immigration, not to mention the excellent menu available for pre-order. You also get free entry to the lounges where food, coffee and drinks are in abundance. It is going to be hard when our final leg is just plain ol' economy.

Business Class Perks

Sitting in the Silver Krisflyer lounge at Changi is quite relaxing, and although I have been sleep deprived I am not feeling travel weary yet. Mind you, it was only a 6 hour flight and having the extra leg room does make a difference.

Silver Kris Flyer Lounge

We arrived at Beijing just before midnight and the terminal looked like a ghost town. The only sign of life was our flight and a queue at the Starbucks coffee shop. After negotiating another security  gate, we tried to find somewhere to rest up for the next 8 hours. There is a transit lounge where you can get some sleep supposedly. It has a darkened area but unfortunately for me a mother and young child came in and I had very little sleep as the youngster was continually talking. Was it worth $129 AUD, for 6 hours? no way, but its a lesson learnt.

Beijing Transit Lounge

After our rest we made our way to the gate and waited for boarding.  It was still pretty quiet but this gate was at the far end of the terminal. Finally we boarded for the 2 hour flight to Ulanbataar or UB as the locals call it. We were back on cattle class for this leg and it showed. No in flight entertainment, and as this was an Air China flight, the meal offering was a poor attempt at a hot ham and cheese roll for breakfast. 

Our arrival at UB was pretty straightforward. Immigration was quick and efficient as was customs. Our guides were waiting for  us and in no time we were on the road to the hotel. The rolling hills were dotted with yurts and horse herds to begin with. Slowly the concrete jungle took over and the traffic built up to almost gridlock proportions. The sky started to turn grey and a few claps of thunder marked the start of the rain. Coincidentally this was just as we were arriving at the hotel. 

Time to check in and catch a nap now so will continue later.