Blogs from Khovd , Mongolia, Asia

It takes one hour and 40 minutes with the plane from Ulaanbaatar tot Hovd. Hovd is a city in western Mongolia. When we arrive there is no taxi, no bus or whatsoever. Finally we find someone who takes us to the city. I ask how much we have to pay. The man begins to grin. ‘Nothing’, he says, ‘I just go in the same direction.’ Hitchhiking is normal in Mongolia. Our hotel is called Uurgu Hotel. A nice hotel with a good restaurant. But there is one problem. There is no electricity and because there is no electricity there is also no water. ‘It’s in all town and it will take a week’, says the receptionist. The Russians are repairing it.’ Electricity comes from Russia, from Irkoetsk, just North of Hovd. The relation between Mongolia and ... read more

Hello monsters are an interesting species. They thrive in the province of Bayan-Olgii of western Mongolia. As omnivores, they dwell in packs of 2-5 members, although larger numbers have been reported. Having adapted to urban life, they emerge in the morning, waiting for stray Westerners to wander into their traps, bombarding them with "Hal-lows" relentlessly. One pack alone can shout hallo over 15 times in 10 seconds, draining the foreigners and nourishing the hello monsters for the night. Yet, during the night and wee hours of the morning, their nocturnal counterpart slithers in. The drunk zombies, unlike the hello monsters, are strictly male, their female equivalents hiding in gers, incubating a new litter of the monsters. Zombies stand approximately 3 times taller than the monsters, and have a swaggered gait. Fortunately, although they still thrive on ... read more