Fire Fighting, Mongolian Style

Yesterday while we were putting away groceries I looked out the kitchen window and saw a pretty big fire down the street. We couldn't tell what exactly was on fire, but it had happened pretty recently (or maybe not) as there were no firefighters on the scene yet. So, naturally we grabbed the camera and quickly made our way towards the fire to see what was going on and snap a few photos. When we were almost there, the firemen showed up, and in the time it took us to cross the street, the fire had been put out and all that was left when we arrived were giant billowing clouds of white smoke. Notice the firemen here aren't as lucky as the ones back home: no special wardrobe (unless you count the little cape that says FIRE on it) and no masks or oxygen tanks to help them breathe. These poor guys were just in there, in all that smoke wearing what looked like costumes of canvas. There were more spectators earlier on, but after getting sprayed with the hose accidentally (in 20 degree weather!) they dispersed.





Graffiti in Mongolia is fairly tame compared to back home. We have seen these various messages: "Pussy Cat Dolls" "Bone Thug (singular) and Harmony" "Sega" and the mind puzzler on our own building, "Life is a death, death is a..." I have to say however this little guy might be my favorite. We get to see his bellybutton, nipples and silly smile every morning on the way to the bus stop. We feel so lucky. Imagine if someone sprayed a picture like this on a building with your name and an arrow pointing to it - Whoever "Todoo" is, I wonder if this picture does him justice.