A Couple of Sojourners: Our Time in UB

*Peace Corps purists should probably skip this post.

Ah, life in the big city. It's complete with heated hotel rooms, authentic ethnic restaurants, and shops with western food products galore. We have definitely thrown our Peace Corps philosophy aside for a bit and we have been living it up. As I've said before, Christmas is a big deal for us and being away from home during the holiday season is difficult. Instead of being a couple of sad pandas, however, we have decided to make the most of it. Using a bit of our personal savings to supplement our rather modest PC living stipend, we are enjoying a nice little Christmas vacation -- and it does really feel like vacation.

After staying a couple of nights with our friend Tia, a fellow PCV who works here in UB, we checked into our hotel yesterday. Our room boasts a king-size bed, a remote-controlled heater, cable television, and an en suite bathroom complete with a hot shower. Considering that for the past 6 months we have been sleeping on mesh hamocks, using an outhouse, and bathing twice a week at a public shower house, we are in heaven. I took two showers and a 30-minute bath yesterday alone.

So far our stay here has been quite relaxing. Except for a few bits of Peace Corps business, the only reason we have to leave our hotel room is to eat and grocery shop -- and believe me, we have been doing plenty of both.

Those of you who know Ashlee know that she does not slack when it comes to planning a vacation, and this trip has been no exception. Between the internet, the advice of our fellow PCVs, and our friends at Lonely Planet, she has done a fair amount of research. As a result, we have a list of restaurants to dine at, sights to see, and stores to shop at.

Now I know that we eat well in Olgii, especially with Laura's help, but we have been eating amazingly well here in the city. Our hotel provides an "international breakfast" where every morning we feast on fresh fruit, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, rolls, cheese, and salami. For lunch we have discovered a Cuban-owned American-style cafe about a 10-minute walk from our hotel. We have been there two days in a row so far. Simply put, the food is awesome. Just today I had had a club sandwich with chicken and crispy bacon, something I haven't had since we left America. Ashlee had a Cuban sandwich stuffed with freshly roasted pork. Topped with an array of hot sauces, it was divine. Although we were stuffed to the gills, our sweet teeth would not allow us to leave without sampling some of the excellent lemon cake they had to offer. Of course, we also had to have tea and coffee.

Dinner has been equally indulgent. Last night we went to Altai BBQ, the self-proclaimed "original Mongolian barbecue since 1206." A little like Chuck-E-Cheese, it seemed like a hot-spot for locals with a little coin in their pockets. An all-you-can-eat place, we definitely showed we meant business. I can't remember the last time I ate so many fresh vegetables -- broccoli, carrots, cabbage, onions, celery, zucchini, and fresh garlic. There was a surprising number of Mongolians dining out, too. While we were loading up on the veggies, they had their eyes on the meat: beef, lamb, pork, chicken, horse, and liver. There bowls were all heaping mounds of a vegetarian's worst nightmare.

As for shopping, we've been visiting a few of the stores that carry many of the products that we completely took for granted six months ago: hot sauce, flaming hot cheetos, caramel corn, and Dr. Pepper. We also walked through all six floors of the State Department Store, where I finally found a pillow!

So yeah, our vacation has been wonderful so far -- and we still have three more days!