in transit

here i am sitting in a beijing hotel coffee shop, killing time until my flight to genghis khan country is called early evening tonight.  by this time, had the schedule been followed, i would be lunching with amber — probably on mongolian barbeque.  but no, ulaanbaatar weather is not cooperating.  it couldn’t be heavy snow and low visibility that won’t allow the plane to land. it’s the onset of spring, according to fellow stranded travellers.  most likely there’s too much wind blowing from — where? - the gobi dessert?  

flight is delayed for almost 9 hours. good thing the airline put us up in a hotel.  grateful that i can change nappies and brush my teeth! beijing weather as i make this entry is a lovely 15-16 degrees celcius.  my boots and pashmina are coping well. hotel room is okay but food sucks! two american guys are lolling at the other table, one dominating the entire conversation. boors. my roommate, a mongolian lady working with the ministry of agriculture was carted off by a french hunk from the EU office in beijing. i’m green with envy.

in transit between beijing and ulaanbaatar, in transit perhaps to a new life and a new home? should this trip be successful, by this time next year i would have probably learned to ride a horse and/or speak a new language, built a new support network, established a mongolian chapter of the house of joy. in short, created a new life that is unique in itself but with shades of the old.