SEP 4, 17 .. ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA .. THE TEMPLE MUSEUM OF CHOIJIN LAMA

The first two photos below show one of the more famous scenic views in all of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 

Each photo was taken from outside of The Temple Museum of Choijin Lama. This museum is also, and more commonly known as, The Choijin Lama Museum.  These two photos show part of the museum in the foreground and The Blue Sky Hotel and Tower in the background.

I have been looking at, and photographing, and 'oogling' over, this magnificent scene for better than two years.

The below photo shows the proper and the official name of the museum.

Immediately to the West of the museum is Millie's Espresso.. Thanks to Gullible, Millie's has become one of my favorite restaurants in Ulaanbaatar.

The Veranda, another of my favorite restaurants in Ulaanbaatar, is also immediately to the West of the Choijin Lama Museum.

When I dine at The Veranda, I like to sit outdoors and look across at the Choijin Lama Museum from my table.

Why have I mentioned these two favorite restaurants of mine? 

Because I have been dining at them, and photographing the Choijin Lama Museum from the exterior, for over two years and, until three weeks ago, I had never ever once entered the museum.

Then, one sunny day, I suddenly, on the spur-of-the-moment, decided to explore the museum and its temples and grounds. Being a sunny day was a huge part of my decision. We had a very wet, rainy and overcast month of August.

Below are several other photos that I snapped from outside of the museum.

Below is a photo showing the wall that completely surrounds the museum. The below photo also gives you an idea of the size of the museum grounds.

"The time has come the Walrus said to enter The Temple Museum of Choijin Lama."

In the next two photos below, we are approaching the entrance to the museum.

If you look closely at the left side of the first photo below, in the far background, you can see Millie's.

When I entered the museum, I happily paid the 8,000 Mongolian Tug (U.S. $3.28) entrance fee. The admission clerk could not make the proper change for me. Finally they were able to do so. Come on kind and gentle folks, get your act together. Oh yes, I did get a small, free postcard. I did NOT get any other information about the museum however.

IF you want to snap so much as one single interior photograph inside of one temple the charge is 50,000 Mongolian Tug (U.S. $ 20.49). If you do pay this ridiculous and, in my opinion, exorbitant fee. you can take interior photos in five temples. This was a real turn off for me and I did not pay his 'photo fee'.

We are now inside the museum grounds. I am not going to say much about the below photos because I feel that they speak-for-themselves. 

Yet a third manner in which they name the museum.

A very modest Buddhist Prayer Wheel. Unlike many, if not most visitors to Buddhist venues, I never just idly turn them as a matter of course. I turn them slowly with reverence.

Ahead is the major temple.

Exterior views looking to the sides of the above temple.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. 

I absolutely love these next four photos taken from within the museum grounds with The Blue Sky Hotel and Tower in the background.

More small temples. Five of the temples were open to be entered. Yes you could enter them but you were not 'allowed' to snap photographs. I did not think seriously about attempting to sneak a photo or two.

The time has come to leave the museum grounds.

Am I happy I visited The Choijin Lama Temple Museum? YES. Am I thrilled I went? YES. Was it wonderful? YES.

For me it was a REAL .. Ah-h-h-h-h .. At last .. I have seen the museum from the inside out.

Smiling .. Cap