First Impressions Count

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And Ulaan Bataar’s Are Not Good

Picked up at the station by the local guide, the first words to the group were “Be careful of your valuables here.” Inspiring to say the least. On a brighter note, it was the first time I saw snow though and a welcome relief from the 35+ degree days of Beijing.

Piling into the hotel, the first thought on everyone’s mind was shower, and after 33 hours on the train, we wouldn’t have wanted to be downwind of us. After that, food became the driving force, so off to the Mongolian BBQ that the country is famous for. A buffet affair that involves you picking the ingredients of your fry up, including meat, vegies, spices and sauce, before passing them to the chef with two things that look like swords and the biggest BBQ plate I’d ever seen.

The next morning we were off for a tour of the city. More warnings of pick pockets and thieves ensued before arriving at a Buddhist temple. During the Russian occupation, all the churches and temples in Mongolia were either dismantled or converted into military quarters. The locals had hidden all the holy artefacts and passed them down through the generations until the temples began operating again in the late 1990’s.

Off to the Emperor’s Palace to have a look at the way royalty lived in Mongolia before Chinese and Russian rule, and an interesting fact I found was that the emperor was not a hereditary title like most rulers but was chosen by the government and religious figures and was often not even Mongolian but from Tibet.

Driving around Ulaan Bataar, that main thing (other than the dusty, rundown appearance) that you notice is that most of the city still lives in traditional housing on plots of land. The gers are a circular structure consisting of bedroom, kitchen, dining and living rooms all rolled into one. The toilet seems to be situated on the other side of the block which in my mind would be one hell of a walk in winter. The other thing I’m starting to notice is the amount of daylight suddenly available to me. Running on the same time as Beijing, the days are now still light at 9pm. I suppose it’s something I’ll have to get used to.

Day two and we are loaded back into the bus and away we go to Terelj National Park. Now this was the Mongolia I wanted to see!!! With rolling grasslands inhabited by horses, sheep and yaks, surrounded by forested mountains and amazing rocky outcrops, only natives live in the park and provide accommodation in the traditional gers, not only for tourists but also locals that get away for the weekends and holidays. It’s amazing the room inside, with four beds, a table and chairs, a sink and a wood fired heater that keeps the place toasty until about 3am when it needs to be stoked again. Needless to say, no-one woke up and the morning had a definite chill in the air. Terelj is full of walk trails to wander and rocks to climb so you can imagine I was in heaven. A horse ride for a couple of hours to some scenic areas and a shot at a authentic Mongolian bow capped off an excellent two days which I wish could have been longer.

That night we were back on the train, heading for Russia, a stint that would vary in length depending on the immigration and customs officers on the Russian side. Arriving at the border, customs officers tore the train apart looking for contraband. They opened floor hatches, toilet cupboards and everyone’s luggage before declaring the train clear to enter the immigration area. This is where the sweating began. Me, with a visa that could be claimed as inaccurate, and the toughest border crossing in the world. Thankfully, having a Russian tour guide helped ease the officers and we were through in about an hour. Not bad considering there was only one carriage that crosses the border (all the others are unhitched on the Mongolian side). Then the wait began. Being only one carriage meant waiting for other carriages to arrive and be hitched on with a new Russian locomotive. A wander down the main street (the one and only street) of the town managed to occupy a while and then it was back on the train to wait it out in 33 degree heat. Six hours after leaving Mongolia, we were on our way to Irkutsk. All up, a 36 hour journey with the scenery only changing the second morning to birch and some fur as we made our way further into the Asian regions of Russia.

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Comments

[Elaine]

Mongolia/Russia
Hi Mark, What a contrast from Japan. Lots of wide open spaces and it looks like your travelling with a great bunch of people. Horse riding - fantastic. Very isolated and didn't expect u to say the temperature was in the mid 30's. I thought it was continually cold up there. I'm glad to see you're having a great time.