So after our exciting train journey we made our way to the hostel. The first thing you notice is how friendly everyone is here, after Russia a smile was very welcoming! We had to wait a while before we got our room because it was so early so we just sat and chatted with other people from the train, it was quite amusing to swap stories about the now infamous "006" train!

Whilst there we bumped into a guy we had met on Olkhon Island who was looking to do a trip around Mongolia. Bill and his mum Suzanne have done the same trip as us so far and wanted to explore Mongolia like us. The hostel we're staying with organises trips so we all sat down and started to arrange our time in Mongolia. We decided on the 7 days to the Gobi Desert (which had been what we hoped to do anyway).

Once we had sorted our trip we went on an explore of Ulan Bator. The Lonely Planet hadn't really sold it to us, so we were surprised at what we saw. Yes it is very Soviet style and quite run down, but it has such character. The Mongolian people are genuinely some of the most lovely people. There are always smiles and they will help you with anything. I guess this is most noticeable as we had just left Russia where people don't speak English and don't really want to try.

The one thing that also seems to stick out the most is the amount of restaurants in Ulan Bator. This may sound like a bad thing to say, but after not eating much in Russia we were surprised to find every type of food you can imagine!! So our first night in Mongolia we did what anyone would do. Went for a beer and a curry. Very authentic!! Before you all gasp at the lack of culture, don't panic! We only did this because we knew we were about to spend 7 days eating non-stop Mongolian food, so we felt it was allowed.

After only one day we had already met so many people, this hostel has a real travelling vibe so it was nice to swap stories and see what other people were planning. We met lots of people heading to Beijing the same day as we were which now means already we know lots of people in our next hostel.

On day two of Ulan Bator we headed up to the Monastery. It seems a bizarre place to have one right in the city but it nice to get our first taste of Buddhism. On the way there Sarah and Laura were attacked by a gang of street kids crying "MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!". Two of them then proceeded to attach themselves to Sarah's leg. Through Laura and Sarah's giggles, they managed to peel them off so we could carry on our merry way. They knew they were just being cheeky because they apologised as soon as let go of Sarah's leg. The kids are so cute its difficult to ever feel threatened by any of them, however street crime in Ulan Bator is really bad. We have heard so many stories of pick pockets so you always have to be on your guard.

When we got to the monastery complex we were met with the cries of a legless (literally) man begging for money. Once we managed to outrun him by going on the pavement, we entered into the park filled with pigeons and Buddhist articles. It's strange to see so many colourful things all around a religious place - it is very apparent we're not in Europe any more!

We walked through to the main building where the Buddha is stored. We entered to find a three storey gold Buddha looking down on us! It filled almost the whole monastery and was absolutely stunning (sadly you have to pay extra for photos). Around the Buddha were rows of metal barrels that were inscribed with writing, all the Mongolians walk around spinning each one. We later found out that this is supposed to make you have a longer life. On each of the walls were glass cases full of hundreds of porcelain Buddha's, each with different style faces and clothes, people has made offerings of money and gifts to them.

That night we headed to the local 'Irish Pub' for dinner with a few people from the hostel. As we arrived they implied there was no space upstairs so showed us downstairs and opened the VIP room for us. After a lovely meal we received the bill and noticed that a VIP tax had been added in pen! We queried this and, surprise surprise, the waiter seemed to struggle to speak English. After accompanying him to the manageress (the pair of them seemed to be having a good laugh) the charge was removed. You cant blame them for trying. It was a good meal though and we were glad of some 'normal' food.

Afterwards, we headed back to the hostel for a few drinks and an early(ish) night to prepare for our week long Gobi Desert trip!