Changing Ulaanbaatar

Rather than standard tourist pictures of Ulaanbaatar (Gandan monastery, Sühbaatar Square, etc.) this collection of photos is intended to show how much Ulaanbaatar (or UB as almost everyone calls it) has changed over the past 15 or so years. I've tried to match up, where possible, photos showing at least the same general area over time to give an impact of the degree of change. Other photos here are just to show quite what it was like in the early 1990s. I still recall, for example, the surprise when I toured the then-new exhibition on the democratic revolution in the National History Museum. "Wow!" I thought to myself. "I didn't realize bread ration coupons where now considered historical. I think I've got some at home somewhere." And indeed, part of the exhibit was the ration coupons you used to need to buy bread. I did go home and find mine, and frame them. If I can find what box they are stored in, maybe I'll put a scan of them up here. I obviously can't reconstruct quite the shock of the change, but hopefully these will at least give you a hint of what UB has been through in the last decade and a half.

Maybe I'll eventually put up the more standard tourist shots as well.