Blogs from Suhbaator, Mongolia, Asia

Asia » Mongolia » Suhbaator June 8th 2017

R: Once onboard we got a good nights sleep. We were in a very similar cabin to the one before, with the same configuration of beds and once again no compartment buddies. This train is a daily shuttle service across the border and into Mongolia. As such, the train is more of a locals train than the first long distance one and it stops more often. That being said they have grouped the foreigners into one place. Our new Provodnitzas did not allow the foreigners off the train at these stops as they clearly weren't for us and they didn't want to lose track of us - the train only stopped for a minute or two at each station. In fact there were no good stops today. The scenery is now totally different to the vast ... read more

Trans Mongolian Train Part 2

Asia » Mongolia » Suhbaator April 12th 2009

Goose Lake

tanglefish

Day 8-9 (April 12-13) We are ready to begin our next part of the train journey boarding our train around 8 pm. We’d been advised that it would be the most local train of the trip, only to find we have a new carriage (complete with TV not yet working though). Again there was a measure of smuggling going on. We were asked if we’d like to hide some tea towels and dish brushes (our leader translates) but we declined. A woman was putting on layers and layers of underwear. These travellers were only going as far as the first town in Russia. The following morning we awoke to find that we were no longer attached to our engine. It was just our carriage sitting calmly at the platform. During the evening the other carriages were ... read more

DAY 23

Asia » Mongolia » Suhbaator July 6th 2008

Roaming Yaks

Bruce and Jac

After thunder and lighting and a few heavy showers overnight we awoke to another crisp clear morning - now that’s the way I like it! We had breakfast and organized ourselves for the bus trip back to UB, we had left most of our gear at the hotel so it wasn’t too hard to pack but I think everyone really enjoyed the fresh air and countryside and would have liked to have stayed a bit longer. We stopped at the UB memorial to all the conflicts Mongolia has been involved in over the years which overlooked the city. As usual there were a few people up there hawking their wares and one guy who was an excellent throat singer and we stopped to listen - who said you can’t get something for nothing! A quick stop ... read more

A nomad in a nomad's land

Asia » Mongolia » Suhbaator September 30th 2007

typical ger

Sonya and Nigel

Now we are truly nomads in nomad’s land! Arriving in Mongolia, the first thing that struck me was a great sense of freedom, the ‘land without fences’ shows that actually you don’t need to trap or hobble your animals in order to farm them. (apparently pigs are resistant to herding but horses, goats, cows, and sheep all seem to stay within range of the ger and can be moved each day by a horseman (dogs do not seem to play any role in the herding, and just act as guard animals for gers). A ger is the traditional white round tent that a significant proportion of the population still live in. They are made out of felt and have a fire in the middle, so they look considerably warmer than our tent! We have been waking ... read more

Unique Border Crossing into Mongolia

Asia » Mongolia » Suhbaator October 12th 2006

Mongolian Border Officials

Bikepacker

Day 131, 9th October Kjahta - (MONGOLIA) - Sühbaatar Woke after a good sleep with a slight hangover. After a breakfast of bread and cheese we left the hotel for the border a few miles away. It was another lovely day, with no wind this time. The road down to the border passed what seemed to be deserted shacks built on dusty ground. Up on the hill to our right was a big military encampment with watchtowers and the likes. The dusty road continued south and passed a new paved road that went off left to the new border crossing building. But what we wanted to see was the old dilapidated Orthodox church at the old border crossing. It turned out to be a large empty cathedral, the border gate (now dis-used) was just beyond it. ... read more

Brief history of Mongolia

The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually ...more history

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