really hideous

“I went to Ulan Bator in Mongolia. They brought us to the police round-up centre where they collect all the feral children who live in the heating tunnels under in the streets, because it's so cold. The centre is like a sort of dog pound. It's really hideous and they collect them all up in these old vans and bring them in. It's like something out of Oliver Twist. I don't know how the children survive the winter -- not enough clothing, covered in dirt. As we arrived a new vanload came in, and they looked so terrified. It was really, really upsetting. I had no idea it was going to feel quite like that.”

--Lauren Child, The Times