Traditional Mongolian Deel

I went on a 3 day horse and camping trek with some Australian girls. The first night we spent camping in a national park with a destroyed and rebuilt monastery, then camped of the open steppe. Great weather and a nice chance to get the horses moving.

Cooking on the Steppe

You say, “Chuu, Chuu!” to get horses moving in Mongolia. Mine seemed hard to motivate until I adopted a strap to whack his hindquarters with. Walk to gallop in no time.

Back in UB, I’ve had a few slow days, but did head out to the Gandantegchinlen Khiid Monestary, better known as Gandan Monastery. They boast an impressive 27 meter tall statue of Migjed Janraisig, the Buddha of compassion.

Gandan Monastery

Migjid Janraisig

I was unable to find any groups going to the Gobi Desert that I could join for cheap. Surprisingly, tourism in Mongolia is not cheap. With the general lack of infostructure, trains and long distance buses are not existent. Instead, you can fly (expensive), public mini-bus (slow, bumpy, and completely cram packed), or hire private vans/jeeps with up to seven others. The latter can range from US$25/day to upwards of $90, with most end up paying $40 – 50. Tourist season is tailing off, so I decided to save some money and continue back to China for continuation along the Silk Road.

I really think there are lots of business opportunities in Mongolia, including tour companies and restaurant establishments. There is little to no hiking or biking, and the rest exist in such small number they can charge exorbitant amounts.

For food, in UB there is hardly any vegetarian options, and, get this, no American fast food chains. Apparently McDonald’s has chosen not to pursue business here, which I think is utterly wrong from an economic perspective (morally??). Fast food here consists of establishments such as Berlin Burger and Hanburger (sic), plus a popular Mongolia food one that I can’t pronounce. The Western places’ food sits in hotplates behind glass and is additionally reheated upon order. Good as it sounds. Not sure I would want to be that guy, but whoever opens a McD’s in UB will be rich.

A few further observations:

Attractive Mongolian girls represent some kind of Central Asian supermodels. They are very fashion aware, very Westernized, and very nice to look at.

Customer service is perhaps the worst and most inattentive for any one country I’ve been to. While nomadic families are some of the warmest and friendliest, city Mongolians don’t give a f*ck. Faces are impassive and sour. Tasks are completed slowly, during which all other communication is severed. Often people completely ignore questions and even your presence. This extends to markets, such as the famous Naran Tul or Black Market. In China, bargaining starts at 300-500% of the settled price. Mongolians will have none of it and I never got anyone to come down more than US$1.50. Market stall’s owners mostly sit around and wait for you to initiate conversation, and cut it off if bargaining continues. The answer to most questions is “no” and they have already turned away from you in answering, leaving you staring at the back of a head. Unfortunately, the friendliest places are foreign owned, and while I usually like to shop locally, I don’t feel too bad frequenting them.

It’s been exactly one month here in Mongolia. I feel there is much still to see in this amazing place and I haven’t covered the countryside like I usually do. But it’s financially smarter to move on, and someday when I complete the Trans-Siberian Railway I can fill in the gaps.

Chinggis Khaan

Oh, I’m hilarious… The Mongolia steppe (pronounced ‘step’) is the grassland plains that dominate the scenery. Slightly surreal, my train departed Beijing and passed by pieces of the Great Wall and Gobi desert before completing the 32 odd hour ride to Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar (UB for short), which means “Red Hero.” Yes, the Soviet influence is unmistakable; Cyrillic script, statues of Lenin, colorful and blocky buildings, and all the vodka.

View From the Train

Train Berth

Sunset From Train

Upon arrival, I began the hoof to Sukhbaatar Squre where I met Mendee, owner of Steppe Riders, taking in the scenery along the way. Ulaanbataar is dusty and under construction. Dirt piles and dilapidated sidewalks make walking a day activity. Near the square is a huge parasail shaped building that I am told is creeeeeping along in construction.

The square itself is impressive with a huge statue (above) of Genghis Khan, known here as Chinngis Khaan. I believe it was Marco Polo who popularized the spelling as we know today in the west. Genghis is revered here to a high degree, unlike the villainy he is associated with in the West. And its understandable because this ruler of the largest ever kingdom introduced currency, written language, stabilized the Silk Road, and generally used the brightest minds of his conquered lands in their strengths. I’ll point to Jack Weatherford’s fascinating Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World for more info (the author is actually in UB right now and gave a talk that I missed out on since I didn’t know until several days after!).

Sukhbaatar Square

Mendee is the owner, along with his family and brothers, of the aforementioned Steppe Riders, a horse trekking company I have the fortune of helping as an assistant for a few weeks. After about a 30 minute drive into the steppe, I found myself settling in to a ger, the traditional nomadic home perhaps better known by the Russian yurt.

Mendee Tovuujav (center) & his Brothers

Steppe Rider's Base Camp

Mongolian Ger

Inside of my Ger

The gers are fantastic. In fact, I’m going to have to get one when I have a suitable place for it. They go up in about an hour and come down in half that time. These five wall versions hold four beds and a wood heater. They also have a cooking ger and communal eating one.

Other than that, I’n in UB for a few days to arrange another Chinese visa. Should be possible now, provided all the hassle of correct paperwork is there. During my stay at a guesthouse here a thief as struck via an unlocked door and I lost two small bags. Nothing really of value, so I can’t complain considering a German girl lost her passport, camera, and some money.

My toiletries bag was snatched, which just ticks me off since it is comprised of various items from the last two year’s travels; rehydration salts from Nepal, sunscreen from Vietnam, nail clippers from India, plus my first air kit and other items. The other bag had some books and sadly my moleskin journal.