Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaMonday, September 7, 2009
Finally we did it. Not only did we manage to purchase an ironing board yesterday (which barely, barely fit into our car), but miracle of miracles, we even bought an iron. The next time you go out to purchase a small home appliance, I beg you to think of us.
First of all, irons (and ironing boards) are outrageously expensive here. Or outrageously cheap, depending on where you buy them. One colleague bought her iron several weeks ago at the so-called "Black Market." It cost her about $3. The downside, however, was that she later realized that its cord is approximately 4 feet long. Have you ever tried to iron with a 4-foot cord? Having borrowed her iron, I can now honestly say that I don't recommend it.
At any rate, after much searching, I found a somewhat reasonably priced iron at a large department store downtown. I marched up to what I thought was the cashier, and that's when things got complicated. First, it seems, I needed to go to another floor to pay for the iron--and no, I couldn't take the iron with me. Apparently I was just viewing a "sample" iron. The actual iron was to be picked up (or so I understood) on the first floor.
Meanwhile, Frank and A were waiting for me at the car. I called Frank and assured him that I had now paid for the iron and would be picking it up on my way out of the store. Just a minute, I promised him.
When I located the electronics pick-up window, I thought that my quarry was finally within reach. But first the "dumbwaiter" had to be activated to retrieve my purchase from the 5th floor. And then. And then the fellow at the counter proceeded to carefully unpack my iron and test it. Once he had showed me that that the iron was, indeed, getting hot, I was asked to sign a copy of my "guarantee." Not only do we know have an iron, but a 6-month guarantee as well.
Mission accomplished.
