Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar (cleaning day)

A good relaxing day, I opted to stay in most of the day and simply not move. The sheer number of flies I have killed here is phenomenal. We are fairly certain they have grown in number due to the excess of garbage in and around the building.

A few days ago the worst smell imaginable permeated the neighborhood. A garbage truck parked itself outside our door, filled with garbage. With the strong winds here the smell carried quite a distance and was even unbearable to the Mongolians used to it. Taking the already frightening elevator was also difficult as swarms of flies found the little box of an elevator an unlikely hot spot for a cesspool. These, of course, follow the passengers off and into the apartment.

The truck sat there for about two days, always someone in it digging as well. Once garbage leaves the room, it’s fair game for anyone to rummage and pillage. Our professor has shared many stories of finding her own trash at the black market. The saying "one man’s trash is another man’s treasure" is highly significant here.

We are still dealing with these clever flies, however, they seem to spawn rapidly doubling daily. Can’t kill them fast enough. The hot days probably contribute to their in-house migration as well. Hopefully garbage burning and pick up can be planned more efficiently for the city in the future. One of many aspects still needing organization and development.