Happy Chingis Kahn Birthday!

The office called me and said that today is being celebrated as C. Kahn's birthday by parliamentary decree and the office is closed in celebration.  No one knows the actual birthdate so the government selected this day for the occasion and this is the first year for this new national holiday.  Who knew?  Not me until a call last night.  Above is his statue in S. Square guarded by his two favorite generals.

So I am taking this time to get organized for my exit on Nov. 8.  By the way, I heard a rumor that Lenin's statue in front of the Ulan Bator Hotel has also been removed this.  So on a whim and on the way to dinner I diverted over to the UB hotel grounds and sure enough, the statue has been removed.  Thus both his museum and his icon have no presence here.  I have inquired as to the reason for this additional move and have been told that Lenin is no longer "relevant" to today's society.  For a pic of this statue and a report on Lenin who died at age 54 see my earlier post of last year published on Sept. 12, 2012.  And so it goes...