Zula and I had a dinner date at my apartment; I came home, got busy working on class materials, reading a little more, and generally pretending that I'm retired ('busy' teaching, but not with much else).
It was about 6 when I realized that I didn't have any food in my apartment (somethings never change, no matter where you are); it was time to strike out for the State Department Store, which is about a kilometer from my post.
It was -40 tonight. That's an amazing temperature to experience. What was more amazing was that I decided to walk (rather than take a cab).
These were my two options:
1. Walk on the icy sidewalks for 20 minutes in temperatures sensational (and sometimes numbing too)
or
2. Catch a 'cab' (i.e. stick out my hand for any privately owned car driving along Peace Ave.) and sit in the stunning UB traffic for, perhaps, 30 minutes, maybe more. And pay 1000 tugriks ($.80).
The other notable part of the outing was when I entered the State Department Store. I was wearing my glasses (the frame of which had been 'burning' my skin from the cold), and in Denver and everywhere else I've every lived I've grown accustomed to 'measuring' the cold based on how quickly they fog up when I enter a building.
When I walked into the State Department Store, I realized that they've never, ever fogged up here: we're too close to the Gobi - they stay clear even when going from -40 to 60 degrees in 2 seconds.
Is that interesting? Maybe not. I have to amuse myself here.
On my walk home, I laughed it was so fascinatingly cold. How does it DO that? I wondered. maybe giggled.
***************
And, another thing you're missing out:
the cucumber and bacon pizza with cheesewhiz on top that I foolishly ate last night.
That was another spectacular thing.
3 comments:
And remember that -40 degrees is the SAME on both the C and F sides of the thermometer! In Choibalsan, my scarf would actually become stiff with ice from breathing through it. I'm actually surprised the city GOT that cold.
That couldn't possibly taste worse than it looks, could it?
OHHHHHHHH, you better believe it, B.
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