Day 17 (July 17, 2026): Back to UB for one last day



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One of Dalanzadgad’s main drags. There wasn’t a car to be seen, as we left for the airport at 7:20AM.

A typical neighbourhood in Dalanzadgad. Notice the importance of fencing, as well as the presence of yurts alongside houses.

Dalanzadgad’s skyline. It has some high-rise apartment buildings.

Dalanzadgad doesn’t have a lot to write home about. But it does have Dino Land, a dinosaur-themed amusement park, which we passed enroute to the airport.

And there she is again for the return journey to UB: MIAT Regonal’s Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-700 Next Gen.

We took off to the west on Dalanazadgad airport’s (‘DLZ’) runway 29, its only runway.

One last look at the incredibly expansive and flat Gobi from the air. The dark spots are the clouds’ shadows.

In contrast to the Gobi, these are the velvety green mountains just south of UB, upon descent into UB’s International Airport.

In the middle of nowhere, you will spot a yurt standing solitary. This reflects the ongoing nomadic way of life of many Mongolians.

Every Mongolian has the right to claim 700 sq meters of land. And they fence it in to proudly protect it.

Another typical Mongolian village between the airport and UB.

Another village between the airport and UB has a huge eagle statue, indicating how important eagles are to Mongolian culture.

We went back to the same restaurant for lunch today where we had eaten after the Naadam Games opening last Saturday and had Korean food. Kimchi - the small add-on dishes — are an essential part of every Korean meal.

Ulaanbaatar has something we have not seen anywhere else: red and green in-ground ‘walk / don’t walk” indicator lights. Brilliant!

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https://youtu.be/7i9CLYrD494 < click to view:  

One final visit to Sukhbaatar Square in the heart of UB to close out this wonderful experience!

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