Today I am feeling somewhat whimsical, and somewhat nostalgic, so I think that means it's time for more Mongolia pictures.
To perfectly encapsulate my mood, perhaps it's best I give you pictures taken inside the Natural History Museum.
I visited this museum because I wanted to see a Tarbosaurus Bataar skeleton, and say what you will about this museum, no one quibbles with the Paleontological display, which is small but includes a complete Tarbosaurus and the hands of Deinocheirus, whose name means Terrible Hands. (We're not sure about how terrible or not the rest of him was, because to the best of our current knowledge we've only ever found his hands; but one can extrapolate.)
Sadly, current museum policy is no pictures of Tarbosaurus, so I can only tell you that walking through the doors in lighting that can best be described as Soviet-era-on-a-fading-budget to find yourself standing beneath his gaping jaws was AWESOME, and well worth the cost of entry.
But the museum also has other … delights.
this was the closest i got to a dino photo. yes, that is an inflatable dinosaur mounted in a picture frame. DO YOU BEGIN TO SEE HOW BOGGLING THIS MUSEUM IS?
The Lonely Planet guide says: The general impression, however, is that you've stumbled into the warehouse of a long-deceased taxidermist, rather than into a serious scientific exhibition. Some of the animals have been fixed with puzzling expressions, as if they remain perplexed as to how they ended up in such an unfortunate state.
And I have to say I agree.
from the bear being reunited with his favouritest tree ever...
...to the rodent chased up an inverted autumnal branch by a - is that a zombie squirrel?
...to the beaver apparently determined to commit inanimate suicide...
…the place is, well, quite a lot of fun, actually, in its way.
