Friday Night in UB

After the introduction speeches, we went a block or two away to what would be bet described as a pizza place. It was noisy and fun, we ate with a table of Spaniards, err Catalonians. We were surrounded by tables of local 20 and 30 something's.  What dawned on me with the contrasting old school map on the wall painted to look like parchment that spanned Peking to Venice and showed old trade routes is Mongolia is part of the area where tables of 6 girls can actually go out together, wearing whatever their fashion sense thinks is cool, drink wine, laugh all night and give each other presents (my deductive prowess is guessing birthday party) and have also the economic means to pay for their night out.  That's a crucial indicator to me of a place I want to visit, and a place that's on a decent track.