Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaSaturday, December 5, 2009
The arrival of Sinterklaas or St. Nicholas is eagerly awaited by Dutch children each December 5th. Even in far off Ulaanbaatar, Sinterklaas was found to be making his rounds this afternoon. Where else would folks wait for such an arrival but at a lovely place called Cafe Amsterdam? And there we waited until he arrived with his sack of toys and his "Book of Sinterklaas" (which looked suspiciously like a dressed up hymnal). It is in this book that Sinterklaas keeps track of all the good girls and boys (not unlike "he knows when you've been sleeping, he knows when you're awake").
A gave a cry of delight when the old fellow rounded the corner on his horse. True, it was not the white stallion that usually accompanies Sinterklaas on his rounds, but when in Rome...
To read more about Sinterklaas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas
