Waiting at the airport

So we are now at the airport waiting for our flight to Seoul for a few days holiday before flying home on Sunday. I don't think I've been through such thorough airport security before - not sure why it's so tight here as I can't quite see it being a high risk airport. Once we'd got through security where I thought for a second they were going to ask me to take the shirt off my back, I got to stand in front of the most suspicious passport control person. Did they really need to ask what my name is when it says my full name on my passport!? I was not amused.

Reflecting on this trip as my final meetings finished earlier today I will look back on it as a successful and enjoyable visit. After taking on responsibility for the project in the summer I’d been working with a limited understanding of it – based on the documents I’d read and the second hand reports I’d heard. Yes, I felt I had an adequate enough understanding of what the project was doing and what it was trying to achieve. Yes, I felt I was able to add value to the project and support the team out in Mongolia. But after being out here and experiencing it first hand I now have a much greater understanding of the issues, the challenges, and what's going well. But most of all is the benefit of meeting the staff who are working on the project and those parents and children with cognitive disabilities that they are striving to assist. There is no doubt in my mind that this project is going to be a success.

After my final meeting we got to "do some tourism" and hired a driver to take us out to the largest statue I have ever seen. America has its presidents on Mount Rushmore, St Petersburg has Lenin and Rio has Jesus Christ. But these pale into insignificance alongside what Mongolia has. Just over an hours drive outside the capital stands a massive statue of the legendary horseman, Chinggis Khaan who conquered over half of the known world in the 13th Century, sitting upon an equally impressive horse. The statue stands at almost 50 metres tall and is covered in shiny steel that glistens when the sun shines. We went inside the statue where you can take a lift up and then walk out on the horse's neck, up to his head which acts as a viewing platform where you can stand and survey the steppes for miles around.

It seems that since the fall of communism Mongolians have found their identity in Chinggis Khaan. You can land at Chinggis Khaan International Airport, study at Chinggis Khaan University and stay at Chinggis Khaan Hotel. In the souvenir shops he comes in every form imaginable. With a reputation in some parts of being a bloodthirsty warrior it's probably just the identity Mongolia needs as it sits squashed between the giants of China and Russia.

So it's off to Seoul for a few days now. First time in the city so we'll see what it has in store. Hopefully we wont have any problems when we check into our hotel at around four in the morning. Maybe I can catch a couple of hours sleep on the flight.