As much as we were mesmerised by the endless steppe and majestic mountains of Mongolia’s pristine rural regions, it was the country’s capital, Ulaanbataar (UB), that really surprised us. A country of only three million people – half of which live in the capital – Mongolia struggles to connect its two identities and never is this more apparent than when comparing city and countryside. While vast swathes of Mongolia remain blissfully in the 12th century, a booming mining export industry has brought prosperity and modernity to its capital.