Mongolia without a yurt

The world-class Hotel Blue Sky is the latest skyscraper situated on Peace Avenue, opposite the city's central Sukhbaatar Square. Photos By Todd Balazovic / China Daily

Visitors feed pigeons flying around Gandan Buddhist monastery.

The planet's most sparsely populated country is a land of contrasts, reports Lee Hannon, offering untold mineral wealth, smart new hotels and warm hospitality, but lacking the elegance of some other Asian countries.

An almighty thud reverberated down my spine as I turned to see the man crash to the floor of the bus. It's 11 am in Mongolia and I have just been head-butted by a local so drunk that when he staggered to take his seat, he missed - and accidentally propelled himself onto me. Nobody on the packed bus batted an eyelid. It was as if the overwhelming stench of alcohol had created a force field around him so strong that nobody dared go near.

Eyes wild, face wind-chapped and booze-bloated, he looked equally dazed and confused as he gripped the dirty floor like a child who had lost his step on a bouncy castle.

It was not the lack of compassion from his fellow passengers that troubled the weatherworn fellow, but the location of his bottle of rocket fuel that had fallen away in the melee.

He slurred a rambunctious sentence I couldn't find in my phrase book and even if it existed, I wasn't about to ask him to repeat it. For the next 40 minutes of my bus ride I could feel his breath as if it was burning the skin on my neck, and as we continued along the route picking up more passengers, it was clear he was not alone.

Ulan Bator is like the last Wild West frontier sandwiched between China and Russia, where even in the midst of summer it gets cold at night. For those brave enough to travel in winter, expect temperatures that dip to -40 C.

Visitors can feel the history and culture of Mongolia through the traditional architecture.

While it is not uncommon to see people who have had one too many, the contrasts of modern life awkwardly juxtaposed with traditional Mongolian culture make it a fascinating place to visit.

And you don't even have to stay in a yurt anymore.

The traditional wooden circular framed homes, covered with a white felt blanket, have been housing the nomadic tribes since the 13th century to the present day.

But sadly, sometime in the 21st century, the backpacking brigade with their beanies and bongos decided the semi-permanent tents were "cool" and so began a generation of wannabe warriors on yurt gap-year vacations. Unfortunately, for every destination with unspoiled culture, there will always be 10 dreadlocked students with badly tuned guitars.

But rich in vast mineral reserves, Ulan Bator is on the move, and so is the landscape of travelers venturing into this desolate region.

Arriving at Chinggis Khaan International Airport offers an instant impression of the most sparsely populated country on the planet.

Rolling green hills - the stuff of computer screen savers - appear as far as the eye can see. About 3 million people live in this landlocked nation that is slightly smaller than Alaska.

The airport walls are emblazoned with huge portraits of Genghis Khan and his descendant rulers - feared warriors who look as intimidating in paint as the legends depicted in history books.

It was once, and still is, a place of inconceivable contrasts, but the capital Ulan Bator, fueled by trillions in untapped minerals, is witnessing a makeover.

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