Travel to Mongolia, only positive impressions! Mongolia. General impressions The nightingale is not fed fables
Good afternoon. I live in Khakassia, 600 km to the border with Mongolia, 720 km to the nearest city. Therefore, we are on May holidays literally rushed for a week. We got there without any problems. The Khandagaity checkpoint is a mega-respect, everything is cultured and polite. They planned to go to the city of Ulangom - 28 thousand population.
Hotel 1500 nights - room for three! The food is inexpensive and there are many unfamiliar dishes. We don’t have a lot of sea buckthorn juice, also a new product. The meat is all tough, but cheap, it’s better to buy Buuzy in tsai shops, by the way, you quickly get used to Tsai, especially in cafes where they make him look normal. We were on Lake Khyargys Nuur, and on Ubr-Nuur, huge lakes, on the shores of the safari - a lot of unafraid game, a lot of yaks, geese, herons, etc. There was a Russian-speaking guide, but it’s better to know the basics in English and have a Russian-Mongolian phrasebook. We walked around the city at night, it was very safe, everyone said hello, invited us to visit, a lot of smiles. In general, it was a very positive ride; if you have any questions, I will answer with pleasure.
Once upon a time there was a small military unit Soviet group of troops. The part was small, since the direction was not “tank dangerous”. I will say that in that area the officers’ service was like at a resort: hunting, fishing. Army control is far away - by the time they arrive they can restore order several times. And it is truly a pleasure to relax there. Of course, in more than 20 years, when Soviet specialists left the MPR, many people forgot the language. But at one time, even in such small settlements Up to 50% of the population spoke Russian. Even if you don’t have a guide, you can always find a local resident who will be happy to tell you and show you the protected places. Well, a representative office of the Republic of Tyva was opened in Ulangoma. Therefore, even if problems arise, it can all be solved through them. For lovers of outdoor recreation - wonderful place. :hlopet:
In 2007, we also traveled from Khakassia to Mongolia. Although there were no relationships (at the state level), the Mongols remember very well the kindness and help of the USSR for the formation of their state. We also passed through Ulang and also visited the lakes. They ate geese, herons, yak meat and horse meat. By the way, the majority of residents (middle-aged) speak Russian tolerably, and understand it in general, 100 percent. I remember their attitude towards the USSR, and towards us (former Soviets) - warm, welcoming, almost family. They didn’t talk about Russia at all then, but called our country in the old way - the Soviet Union.
We did not see any poverty, or even less destitution. This is a normal way of life for the Mongolian people. If the family is settled, then they live in a house or apartment like ordinary rural people in any country. If the family is nomadic, has its own livestock, pasture plots, then the lifestyle is correspondingly nomadic. Hence, national housing, clothing, food... Therefore, you should not be afraid to go to Mongolia on a safari. You just need to decide for what purpose and where you can go in Mongolia, to the steppe, or to a city-village?
On this page I will try to touch upon the problems that a person planning to travel to Mongolia may encounter (http://tomgem-planeta.ru/?page_id=155).
TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Western Mongolia. Khashaki-Daba pass 2561m
VISA. We received a visa at the Mongolian consulate in Yekaterinburg. And this is not an easy task; getting a visa to Germany is easier. Theoretically, this process takes two to three days, but in reality the person who does this is not there for weeks. To obtain a visa you need an invitation from the Mongolian side. We received the invitation here www.legendtour.ru/rus. It cost 800 rubles per person.
TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Western Mongolia. Mount Tsast-Ula 4208 m
CUSTOMS. We went through customs in Altai, in Tashanta. MONGOLIAN customs works from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon always, except Saturday, Sunday, holidays (Mongolian holidays), as well as several non-holidays. Lunch is from one to two, which, according to Mongolian arithmetic, is one and a half to two hours.
TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. South Gobi. Sands near the village. Bogd.
An INTERNATIONAL driver's license is required to enter with your own car. They were of no use to us. In general, the transit time depends on the case. When entering Mongolia, the Russians processed us in ten minutes, but the Mongols tormented us for an hour, not counting the two-hour lunch. On the way back, the Mongols processed us in fifteen minutes, but on the Russian side we stood for about three hours - there was a long queue, the procedure itself took about fifteen minutes.
TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. South Gobi. Lonely saxaul.
RELATIONS WITH LOCAL. We asked this question to the truck driver at customs. He told us in detail about fuel, roads and fords. And after the question about the attitude of the Mongols towards tourists, it froze... As it turned out, there was a reason. Most locals have a “here we come” type of tourists, which means, at best, not at all. Therefore, if anything happens, do not hope that the locals will pull you out of the sands and swamps. Mongols, with very rare exceptions, do not speak Russian or English, except at gas stations. However, if the Mongols get lost in their Mongolia and ask for directions, they remember Russian, English, and even sign language.
TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. South Gobi. Weathering caves in granites.
We began to be perceived as tourists in Bayankhongor, and further east. But you can just feel crime, especially in northwestern cities. Archi, local vodka, everyone drinks a lot, drunk driving is the norm.
TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. South Gobi. Stone partridge.
ROADS. Much has been written about the roads of Mongolia, but it is simply impossible to describe them completely. Imagine that a piece of the Moscow-St. Petersburg highway, a couple of kilometers long, is being repaired. And there is a detour along a dirt road, with all the potholes, dust and other delights. These are the best sections of the Mongolian federal road. But the worst is the “washboard.” Its maximum manifestation is for 130 km in front of the city of Altai. The ripples on the road are gigantic. With a half-wave length of 40 centimeters, its amplitude reaches 20 centimeters. Cars just fall apart. Reducing your tire pressure as much as possible will help.
TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. South Gobi. Sands of the Datsyn-Tsav tract.
New roads are being built in Mongolia, but... all at once. And you can often see a picture - on a hundred-kilometer section of a well-filled road, one single grader is busy leveling it, sometimes helped by one roller. So this is not a quick thing. But nevertheless, separate sections of asphalt, 20 to 60 kilometers long, already exist.
TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. South Gobi. Jeyran.
And further. If you book a tour with a rented car, don’t settle for UAZs. Not only that, most likely you won’t get there. In forty-degree heat, you will breathe not air, but dust, and regularly deform the top of the car with your head. http://tomgem-planeta.ru/?page_id=155
FUEL. I will talk about diesel. It's in almost everyone populated areas. We refueled at red PETROVIC gas stations. The cost of fuel is 45-55 rubles. Along federal highways The quality of the fuel is high, certainly better than in Altai along the Chuysky tract. And at a distance from federal highways, diesel is very bad; in the sand, the car boils on it. So in the desert it is better to pour fuel into the tank from stored canisters.
TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. South Gobi. Datsyn-Tsav tract.
HOTELS. This is a very big problem. If this is an expensive hotel, from 1200 rubles, then, as the Mongols themselves say, they are “not for sleeping.” The girls scream all night. If this is a cheap hotel, you will listen to drunken Mongols fighting until the morning. We were lucky with housing only twice - the Seoul Hotel for $40 in Bayankhongor and the Khan Uul for $100 in the city of Dalandzadgad. These are real business rooms, better than business in Moscow's Izmailovo.
PRODUCTS. No problem. Large cities are full of shops with any products, and the prices are half ours.
TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. South Gobi. Dunes Khongoryn Els.
PUBLIC CATERING. There are problems. Restaurants will most likely serve inedible local food. It’s easier to eat in cafes in markets. Here you can eat buuza - sort of mantopelmeni, chebureki, rice with meat. It’s delicious, and 150 rubles was enough for the three of us. It is better not to eat in yurts between cities. Firstly, it’s not tasty, and secondly, it’s expensive. And it will take an hour and a half, since they will most likely start cooking from scratch.
TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. South Gobi. Dunes Khongoryn Els.
CURRENCY. Along the southern federal road ONLY tugriks are accepted, and at banks ONLY dollars are accepted for exchange. In Northwestern Mongolia you can pay in tugriks, dollars, and rubles.
NAVIGATION. A map and a navigator were used to navigate the area. Map - overview map Mongolia scale 1:5000000 with schematically marked roads, settlements and mountain ranges. This turned out to be enough. There were maps of provinces with a bunch of roads and a bunch of villages, but in reality these were not villages, but migrating camps, and the Mongolian country roads are generally a mirage. That is, provincial maps are absolutely useless. One thing you can’t do without in Mongolia is a navigator. We had a GARMIN MONTANA-600 with downloaded General Staff maps 1:500000. He did not lead along the roads, but showed the direction. And there were enough roads in the area to follow these directions. In general, they did not fornicate, and even the lost Mongols were pointed with a finger where to go. And further. Mongols rarely imagine what is further than 50 km from their camp, village, or city. So it’s better to rely on your own strength.
CONTINUED HERE.
I had almost no preparation for traveling around Mongolia. Two weeks before crossing the border, I did not know that I would go there. Therefore, many things that should have been known in advance and studied in more detail on the spot passed me by. I may have missed some sights along the way. But in any case, I think my little experience will be useful to future generations of travelers. General issues, described in various kinds of guidebooks (how to travel by plane, trains, cars, horses, etc.), I will not touch upon; for this, see the links in the “information” section. I will only tell you about what I saw and heard with my own eyes.
Technical information
I was in Mongolia from June 19 to July 8, 2009. Together with the Polish woman Agnieszka, who now works in Ulan-Ude, we entered the country through the border crossing in Kyakhta (Republic of Buryatia), spent two days in Ulaanbaatar, and drove along the Ulan route -Bator - Arvaikheer - Bayankhongor - Altai - Khovd - Ulaangom - Kharkhorin - Ulaanbaatar. Then I drove alone along the route Ulaanbaatar - UNDU©rkhaan - Bayan-Uul and left for Russia through the Verkhniy Ulkhun border crossing (Trans-Baikal Territory). We traveled most of the way by hitchhiking, and partly by minibuses and buses.
Here and further in the text I use the original Mongolian names geographical objects, with the exception of Ulaanbaatar, which I will write in traditional Russian transliteration (in Mongolian the name of the city is written as “Ulaanbaatar”).
Travel map
Advantages and disadvantages
Mongolia is famous for two things. The first is a nomadic population that has preserved its traditional way of life. They say that for the Mongols, life has not changed much since the time of Genghis Khan, and this seems to be true: a large part of the country still lives in yurts, raises livestock, wanders from place to place in search of new pastures, eats meat and milk. Except that many people now roam in UAZs and Japanese trucks, while the wealthiest people have satellite dishes next to their yurts and solar panels. But the rest is the same up to national costumes, which Mongols wear not on major holidays, but in everyday life.
The second plus is beautiful and untouched nature. This is not the dull steppe of the south of Russia or Ukraine, which evokes boredom and melancholy. Mongolian steppe landscapes are always beautiful and varied and are very rarely disfigured by human buildings. The plain stretching into the distance on the horizon is always framed by beautiful hills, somewhere you come across picturesque rocks or stones, somewhere the steppe turns into rocky or sandy desert, somewhere gives way to mountains covered with forest. And throughout these Mongolian expanses, here and there there are yurts and fat herds of large and small livestock roam: cows, goats, sheep, horses, camels, yaks.
The disadvantages of Mongolia logically follow from the advantages. Beautiful nature and traditional way of life have been preserved due to the fact that civilization has not yet reached here. Only Ulaanbaatar, photographs of which I have already shown, can be called a civilized city, where there is everything you need for life. Most other cities are more like urban-type settlements. The regional center of Mongolia resembles the latest Russian regional center; Mongolian regional centers even resemble villages. And between these cities there are vast spaces where human presence is noticeable only in lonely yurts and ruts in the steppe (see section “Roads”).
In general, after traveling through Mongolia, Russia begins to seem like a completely civilized country, in which there are many automobile and railways, roadside cafes, toilets, shops and supermarkets. When I left Mongolia for Russia, I had a clear feeling that I was returning from Asia to Europe - because the last 50 km before the border there was a dead dirt road with holes and puddles, along which 1-2 cars passed a day, and after the border there was smooth asphalt with good traffic. In a word, it’s nice that we are ahead of at least some country by a hundred years. The only thing in which Mongolia is noticeably ahead of us is the development of livestock farming. After you see herds of several hundred animals that, like locusts, occupied the green Mongolian pasture, it is not very joyful to look at three or four thin, starving cows wandering near some Trans-Baikal village.
But otherwise, as I already said, our country is much more civilized. With all my passion for travel, I still love comfort, smooth roads, fast cars, a hot lunch at least once a day and a hot shower at least once every two days, and I returned to Russia after Mongolia with some relief. So read the descriptions of Mongolia and think carefully about whether you are ready for such difficulties or whether it is better to go on a hitchhiking trip through the Benelux countries.
Information
Lonely Planet Guide to Mongolia (English)
Travelers' report on the bpclub.ru forum
To get acquainted with the cultural and historical context, I recommend reading Isai Kalashnikov’s wonderful book “The Cruel Age” (part 1 and part 2) - the life story of Genghis Khan from birth to death, and also watching Nikita Mikhalkov’s excellent film “Urga - the Territory of Love” about the relationship between Russians and Mongols in China.
Visas
In Russia there is a Mongolian embassy in Moscow, as well as consulates in Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk, and Kyzyl. It is usually impossible to apply for a visa on your own without an invitation; the consulate will immediately send you to a travel agency. In Ulan-Ude, obtaining a visa from a travel agency costs 2,300 rubles, including consular fees, and takes 10-12 days. In the comments they say that things are better in Moscow - I don’t know, check with the commentator. Previously, the Kyzyl consulate issued visas without an invitation, but now, I think, this is no longer the case.
Hit
There are as many as 10 border crossings between Russia and Mongolia. They usually work from 9.00 to 17.00. I wrote in more detail about crossing the border in Kyakhta, in Upper Ulkhun -. It is interesting that only three crossings are international, that is, residents of third countries can cross the border there. So if you are not a citizen of Mongolia or Russia, you can only cross the border in Kyakhta (Buryatia) or Tashanta (Altai Republic), or cross it by train in Naushki (Buryatia). Please note that the crossing in Kyakhta is a car crossing; you cannot cross it on foot, so if you are traveling at a stop, you will have to fit into some kind of car at the border. The crossing in Upper Ulkhun (Trans-Baikal Territory) is pedestrian; no one forces you to get into a car or bus.
Buses run from Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar every day, in addition, the Moscow - Ulaanbaatar train passes through the capital of Buryatia. I don’t know how things are in other regions.
Roads
Before traveling to Mongolia, I thought that there were no roads in Russia. Now I understand that in our country there are still roads, and even good ones. Because Mongolian expensive ones are the kind of tin that you most likely won’t see anywhere. Only from north to south, from Russia to China, a decent asphalt road leads through Ulaanbaatar, plus there are sections from Ulaanbaatar to the west to Arvaikheer (569 km, of which, however, 50-60 km have not yet been built) with a branch to Kharkhorin and from Ulaanbaatar east to UNDU©rkhaan (331 km). There may be other areas, but I have not visited them.
The rest are expensive, including the most important routes connecting the west and east of the country - these are usually three or four well-trodden tracks in the steppe that converge and diverge and lead from one town to another. Between populated areas there are no gas stations, no cafes, no kilometer posts, no road signs, no traffic cops, no cell phone coverage - just a bare plain along which everyone drives as they please. However, the quality of the roads is such that it will not be possible to break the speed limit even if you want to, and the abundance of ruts reduces collisions to a minimum. The terrain is usually such that you can even leave the track and drive across the steppe in any direction.
Some people manage to drive on such roads even in simple cars, but it is still better to use SUVs - Japanese jeeps or Russian UAZs. The latter, by the way, are preferable, because they are very common among the Mongols and, if something happens, you will quickly find spare parts. Mongols also drive motorcycles, Korean minibuses, Japanese trucks, and Russian KAMAZ trucks. Foreign tourists usually travel by jeeps and motorcycles. So, on the highway we met our colleagues four times: Poles on motorcycles, a group of Frenchmen in jeeps, one Australian motorcyclist and a group of Koreans traveling in a minibus (most likely also Korean).
If you are traveling with your own transport, be sure to have a GPS navigator instead of roads there are directions, so it is quite possible to get lost if you accidentally drive along a track leading to some remote village. It is better to buy a map in Mongolian; then it will be easier to find out from the nomads where you are and where you should go. If you hitchhike, you can basically do without a navigator drivers usually know the road and drive from one city to another. The main thing is to find out exactly where the driver is going, and then trust him to find the right path.
Hitch-hiking
Mongolia is the most difficult country for hitchhiking that I have ever been to. However, hitchhiking here is interesting and fun, and if you have time to spare, you can ride this way. Just keep in mind some of the peculiarities of Mongolian hitchhiking.
First and the main problem low traffic. It is very good to drive only on paved roads (see the "Roads" section). The route from the border crossing in Tashanta to Ulaanbaatar (via Ulaangom and Tsetserleg) is also quite busy, although here sometimes you can wait for a ride for several hours. On other roads, cars pass extremely rarely, up to three or four cars a day. So be patient, and also books, magazines or crossword puzzles - you can at least keep yourself busy while you sit by the highway for half a day. In short, “in my backpack there is lard and matches and eight volumes of Turgenev” this is just about Mongolia. Sometimes we got so tired of sitting by the road that we took our backpacks and walked, which is why many Mongols have drivers and local residents it felt like we were walking through their country. It’s difficult to explain the essence of hitchhiking to them, so this is even better. Also keep in mind that between regional centers (if this road does not lead to Ulaanbaatar) the traffic is very low - for example, from Ulaangom to MU©rU©n it is hardly possible to get directly, because the main flow of cars to Ulaanbaatar goes further south , via Tsetserleg. And you shouldn’t even try to hitchhike on local roads if you don’t want to get stuck for about a week.
The second problem is choosing the right track for voting. It’s easiest when leaving a large city: usually a few kilometers before and after a large settlement there is one asphalt road, so all you have to do is leave the city and start voting along this road. Things are different in the steppe or small towns and villages. Here the ruts can diverge over a distance of up to half a kilometer and choosing the right one from them is quite difficult. Sometimes you can navigate by power lines; usually the poles are located along the main track, but this rule does not always work. It’s best to find some kind of elevation that offers a view of the surrounding area, watch which road the car will appear on, and if something happens, quickly move there. If you wave your arms and the driver sees you, he will most likely stop or even turn and come towards you.
The third problem is overcrowding of cars. During the trip, we only traveled twice in a car with one driver. Usually, in addition to him, there are passengers in the car who, as a rule, occupy all the seats. It’s interesting that cars stop even if they’re crowded. Find out if something has happened to you, but it’s not always possible to get into a stopped car. Sometimes you’re riding in a car with four or five of you in the back seat, with a Mongolian child sitting on your lap, sometimes you’re lying on luggage in the back of a truck, covered in dust and sand, sometimes you’re sitting on a sleeping bag in the cab of a truck, slightly crowding out a bunch of things and the driver’s distant relatives, whom he took it with him. In short, don't expect comfort.
And the fourth problem is the lack of money local population. In principle, everyone expects money for transportation, but most are persuaded to pay for free. “No money” in Mongolian “mungo baikhgo” and always say these words once or twice before getting into the car. Only four times did drivers, having heard such a phrase, drive on in disappointment and all these times it happened on a busy section of the highway, where we quickly caught the next car. In other places, drivers understand that you will have to wait another half a day for the next car, and after hard thinking they still nod and say, get in. However, truck drivers and wealthy Ulaanbaatar residents in jeeps do this without much hesitation. But it’s still a little difficult - especially after Russia, where almost none of the drivers ask about money, and I don’t even warn you that I’m driving for free.
In short, I recommend, if funds allow, to travel around Mongolia in your own vehicle. If funds do not allow, but time allows, use a bicycle - it will not be much slower, and if you are an experienced biker, it may even be faster than hitchhiking. For example, we covered the 390 km section from Bayankhongor to Altai in just three days. And the section from the city of Bayan-Uul to the Verkhniy Ulkhun border crossing, 49 km long, I drove all day - here I could generally walk on foot in the same time.
But still, hitchhiking helps you get to know local life better and communicate with Mongols, many of whom speak Russian. So if the listed difficulties do not bother you, pack your backpack and go ahead.
Regular transport
Only in Ulaanbaatar there is some semblance of bus stations from which buses go to different regional centers according to a certain schedule and tariffs. In other cities, buses either don’t run at all, or they run as best they can. Guidebooks recommend looking for minibuses at the city market. There you can also find drivers who travel to other cities and are looking for travel companions to offset expenses. For some reason, Lonely Planet calls this exactly “hitchhiking” that is, it recommends going to the market and finding such a car. I don’t know, in my opinion, traditional hitchhiking is still more effective.
It is quite difficult to navigate bus prices. For example, from Ulaanbaatar to Luna (130 km) we traveled for 6 thousand tugriks, but from Ulaanbaatar to Darkhan (220 km) my travel companion traveled for the same money. Although, maybe the fact is that to Darkhan you drive along an asphalt road, and part of the way to Luna is the already described track in the steppe.
Overnight
Everyone who travels to Mongolia should definitely spend the night with nomads at least once. This is quite simple to do; just go to a yurt in the steppe and politely ask to visit. During our only registration in the yurt, we generally acted very delicately: we asked if it was possible to put up a tent next to the yurt, but then, while we were sitting and resting after a hot day, we were invited into the yurt itself. In general, if you find yourself in the steppe and there is a yurt nearby, feel free to ask for a visit. It’s better to take sweets and chocolates in advance; give them to the children, put something on the table for tea and everyone will be happy. If you're lucky, you'll get a hearty dinner, but we were simply given tea and goat's milk.
Another a good option overnight stays roadside cafes. Almost every one has one or more large beds 4-5 meters wide, where anyone who orders dinner or breakfast at this eatery can spend the night for free. Usually dinner for one person costs 2-3 thousand tugriks. True, several more people will sleep on the same bed, but I don’t think this will bother free travelers if they have their own sleeping bag.
There are also hotels in large cities. We stayed in these two times: in the city of Arvaikheer, a double room cost 11 thousand tugriks, in Altai 15 thousand tugriks. The first hotel did not have a shower, the second one did not have hot water. But if anything, in cities you can find public baths, where you can take a shower for 1-2 thousand tugriks.
In places that are especially popular among tourists, there are guesthouses and hostels, including some kind of yurt camping (several yurts in which you can spend the night). However, for those who spent the night in a real yurt, this will not be particularly interesting: inside there are no attributes of a nomadic life, only a few beds and bedside tables. In Kharkhorin, such a guesthouse cost 5 thousand tugriks per person.
Well, there is a huge selection of accommodations in Ulaanbaatar. Firstly, this is the only city where more or less active members of Hospitalityclub and Couchsurfing live, so you can easily find free accommodation for the night. Secondly, there are hotels, hostels, guesthouses for every taste and budget. By the way, at the Golden Gobi guesthouse there is a discount for Russians and Poles: the chief administrator told us so directly, so we paid not six, but five dollars per person for an overnight stay. Keep in mind.
Food
Vegetarians have nothing to do in Mongolia. All vegetables and fruits are imported from China, and the Mongols themselves make and eat almost everything from meat or milk. Only in Ulaanbaatar can you find vegetable salads; in other places such a luxury is rare. I have always been a meat eater and anti-vegan, but now I even began to feel nostalgia for vinaigrette or tomato-cucumber salad. So be prepared, if you can’t stand meat at all, to buy the necessary products in Ulaanbaatar and take them with you.
The most popular dish in Mongolia is buuz, known to those who have visited Irkutsk region or Buryatia, under the name “poses”. This is finely minced meat, wrapped in dough and steamed. A very tasty and nutritious thing to fill me up, 4-5 pieces were enough for me. They usually cost 300 tugriks per piece. Another popular food is khushuur, which resembles our native cheburek and costs 300-400 tugriks apiece. Plus, noodles with pieces of meat and potatoes are popular, either dry or as a soup. Unfortunately, I don’t remember what it’s called, it costs about 2-2.5 thousand tugriks. Actually, we mainly ate these three dishes during the trip.
There are a lot of interesting dairy dishes, but, as a rule, they are not sold in canteens; we were treated either in yurts or in cars. There is a cool cheese that tastes like cottage cheese, a very tasty creamy butter, and a low-alcohol milk-based drink reminiscent of kumiss.
The main non-alcoholic drink is tea with milk. I didn’t like him in Ulaanbaatar, but then, having no choice, I had to love him. It is usually served without sugar, but lightly salted; however, I didn’t particularly feel this salt. In the capital they also add a little oil, but in the provinces there is no such thing. Overall, a very nutritious item. It costs 100-200 tugriks per cup, and sometimes it is served for free.
As in all other aspects, Ulaanbaatar and the rest of Mongolia are two very different things. In the capital, the choice of food is large and varied. There are both cheap canteens with the dishes and prices mentioned above, and pretentious restaurants with Italian, Japanese and other cuisines for every taste and pocket. Once we even wandered into a vegetarian cafe. A cheap eatery can usually be identified by the word "gazar" on the sign.
As for products, there is also a big difference between the capital and the province. In Ulaanbaatar there are many shops and supermarkets with a good selection of products, in other cities there are mainly small shops with less choice than in any Russian village store. The usual set: soda, vodka, chocolate cookies and, if you're lucky, a huge piece of meat in the refrigerator. Even bread is rare. The store can be identified by the word "delguur" on the sign.
Cafes and large shops are found only in cities, therefore, given the quality of the roads and low traffic, it is better to always have a supply of water and food with you for at least one day.
Language
Quite a lot of people speak Russian in Mongolia. One time we were even given a ride by a graduate of the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University. Of the drivers met most of I knew at least a few words and phrases in Russian, and with about every third person I could even communicate quite tolerably.
But still, you shouldn’t specifically count on the fact that you will come across Russian-speaking Mongols. Try to learn a little Mongolian, it will make your life much easier when traveling and will help you get to know local life much better. Unfortunately, I knew only a few important phrases for a traveler, and I supplemented the rest with Russian words and gestures. But if with gestures I could still say “can I put up a tent here” or “stop here, please,” then I could ask more complex and interesting questions (“how do the children of nomads go to school?”, “what do you use to heat the stove?” and etc.) didn’t work out anymore.
A short phrasebook of the Mongolian language
The missing phrases for it (the double vowel is read as one, but lengthened):
Can I go with you? Hamt yavzh bolkh uu?
Where are you going? Ta hasha yavzh ben vi?
We travel around Mongolia Bid nar Mongoloor ayalazh baigaa
People know English much less well than Russian mainly educated young people, metropolitan beggars and tourism workers.
Money
1 dollar = 1428 tugriks
1 ruble = 46 tugriks
It is better to change money immediately in Ulaanbaatar for the entire trip. In the rest of Mongolia, banks are found in numbers not exceeding the limits of statistical error.
Like Belarusian rubles, Mongolian tugriks exist exclusively in paper form, so when traveling you get the feeling that you have a lot of money.
Internet and communications
There are several mobile operators, of which Mobicom was recommended to us. Naturally, cellular communications are not available on the road, but almost all large and small settlements have coverage.
1-2 Internet cafes are found in most regional centers and are abundant in Ulaanbaatar.
Dangers and troubles
What scared me most was the dogs of the nomads - they say, if you fit in, then approach the yurt early, otherwise the dogs guarding it will attack. They even recommended me to learn the phrase “nohoi horio,” which means “hold the dogs.” Therefore, I expected to see evil wolfhounds at every nomad camp, who would almost tear you to pieces. In fact, next to the yurts we saw half-dead and tattered dogs, unable to scare even the steppe gopher. Mongolians do not like dogs very much and often reward them with a kick when passing by. That's why all these human friends jumped away in fear when we tried to pet them.
Other dangerous animals are already out of the world wildlife. Guidebooks list steppe wolves and bears, desert-dwelling scorpions and snakes, and ticks living in the grass. We didn't come across any of this. The largest wild animals we saw were lizards smaller than a palm, constantly running under our feet in the Gobi Desert, and steppe rodents, either hamsters or marmots.
I personally have not encountered crime, but my travel companion, who was walking alone in Ulaanbaatar on the last day, had her camera stolen. However, this can happen in any city in the world. And so the Mongols are friendly and non-aggressive; gopniks are almost never found here. I felt completely safe throughout the entire trip anywhere in Mongolia unlike, by the way, from Russia, where it is not always pleasant to be in small regional centers.
Climate
The weather in Mongolia is changeable, with sharp temperature fluctuations. In winter it is very cold (Ulaanbaatar is considered the coldest capital in the world), in summer it is usually hot. The summer heat is softened by the winds blowing across the Mongolian plain, but they also sometimes create great difficulties. A couple of times it blew so hard that it was simply impossible to set up a tent, and on the plain it is often impossible to find any shelter from the wind. I can’t imagine how scary it must be here in winter with such wind.
Highway Ulaanbaatar - Arvaikheer 
Arvaikheer 
Highway Arvaikheer - Bayankhongor 
Bayankhongor 
Highway Bayankhongor - Altai. Group of Poles traveling on motorcycles 
BU©mbU©gU©r 
Northern Gobi Desert 
Either a holiday or a physical education lesson at a local school 
Buutsagaan 
Altai 
Highway Altai - Khovd 
Australian Jeff, who has lived in Ulaanbaatar for three years. I was traveling by bus to visit my fiancee’s parents in a Mongolian village. 
Khovd 
National character
Mongols, as I already wrote, are very friendly and welcoming people. Foreigners will always be helped and told where, how and what. They have not yet learned to raise prices for them, at least those who do not work in the tourism sector. For Mongols, Russians are almost like family; many of the older generation remember studying or working in the Soviet Union. True, don’t expect such an open and warm welcome as in the Caucasus or the Middle East - any Russian-speaking Mongol will happily talk to you, but is unlikely to invite you to visit. In general, a friendly but fairly even attitude.
Like many other Asian peoples, the Mongols are rather carefree, relaxed and leisurely. It is a completely normal situation when a salesman or administrator at a hotel leaves his workplace for an hour or two and you need to wait or look for him somewhere nearby. They are in no particular hurry, especially since nothing will happen quickly in Mongolia anyway. Agnieszka said that she has several Mongolian students in Ulaanbaatar who are constantly late for classes by half an hour or an hour and are sincerely surprised when they are reproached for this. And indeed, in Mongolia, in the steppe, a car can easily break down, you will have to wait half a day for a passing car, then get it repaired and eventually arrive at your destination a day later. What a half hour late. In a word, “the gods have nowhere to rush, they have eternity ahead of them.”
At the same time, the Mongols have very developed mutual assistance. If your car breaks down, the first car passing by stops and its driver offers help. Often he can stay with you for several hours, helping you start an old UAZ or replace springs on a truck. However, they say that in remote regions of Russia, such as Yakutia, Kamchatka or Chukotka, everything is exactly the same.
Of all the Mongolian people, Mongolian children make a particularly pleasant impression. They are very lively and spontaneous, and the most colorful subjects for photography - even more than old people or dashing horse riders. They are clearly not tormented by any punishments and prohibitions, but they are not pampered with anything either; and there is nothing special to pamper them here. Instead of plastic toys they have a whole herd of goats or sheep, instead of a bicycle or roller skates they have horses, which many have been riding since they were six or seven years old, and instead of dirty streets and gateways there are green plains. There are no city temptations and entertainment here, so they are sincerely glad to see any chocolate that a visiting foreigner brings from the city. My travel companion liked Mongolian children so much that she even wanted to get one for herself. True, she is afraid that her boyfriend from Kyiv will not understand this; after all, few men are as tolerant as the hero of the film “Hipsters”.
Lifestyle
Ulaanbaatar the only one real city in Mongolia. In terms of the availability and development of infrastructure, it resembles a large Russian regional center. There are supermarkets, cinemas, restaurants, internet cafes, public transport everything you need for life. The rest of the country is a big nomadic camp. Even in regional centers, a significant part of the population lives in a nomadic manner in the center there may be several Soviet buildings of two or three floors, and it’s all surrounded private sector With wooden houses and yurts. But, of course, the real Mongolia begins outside the cities.
In the steppe there are yurts every few kilometers, in the desert every 10-20 kilometers. Sometimes a yurt stands alone, sometimes several such dwellings form a kind of mini-village. I expected the interior of a yurt to be completely ascetic, almost like a camping tent, but in reality they are usually always well furnished and resemble the insides of a Russian hut or even a modest city apartment. There are several beds, a wardrobe, a table, a chest of drawers with photographs of distant relatives, a TV (sometimes even with a DVD player). In the center there is a potbelly stove, the long pipe of which is directed into a round hole in the middle of the roof.
The only occupation of the people living here is animal husbandry. Next to the yurt there is a hitching post driven into the ground, to which several horses are tied, goats or sheep are crowding in a corral (or often without it), yaks and cows are peacefully eating grass nearby, and camels are roaming through the desert and chewing on tough bushes. These animals are simultaneously the entire agriculture, food and textile industries, and often transport.
The Mongols practically do not engage in agriculture. You can drive all over the country and not see a single field. Only in the vicinity of the city of Ulangom did we see some semblance of vegetable gardens and Russian border We were picked up by a driver who said he was going to some farm. In other places, the Mongols do not grow anything and use all their vast plains exclusively for pastures. They say that they still consider it sinful to dig and generally do anything with the earth.
National costumes are large robes made of thick fabric, usually gray. I've never worn it, but judging by appearance, such a robe protects well from the piercing Mongolian wind. And also, I apologize for the intimate detail, such a robe helps the Mongols relieve themselves in the steppe: it is usually impossible to find any shelter here, so you can move a little away from other people, stand or sit with your back to them, covered with a robe, and do your business without anyone seeing you. this is not shocking.
Religion
Like any other communist country, a religious revival began in Mongolia in the 1990s. They began to restore old and build new monasteries, and create religious educational institutions. Buddhist monastery or the temple became as indispensable an attribute of the Mongol city as Orthodox church Russian. In monasteries you can see young monks, and, if you’re lucky, get to a religious service when they sit at a table and read mantras either in Tibetan or in Sanskrit - a fascinating sight.
However, lay Mongols are not particularly religiosity. Only in one yurt did I see something like a small altar, and I never saw any religious paraphernalia in the cars. So, if you don’t go to cities and look there Buddhist temples, in general, you can’t determine what religion the Mongols adhere to. True, as in neighboring Buryatia, relics of shamanism have been preserved here: along the roads there are “obos” - piles of stones and pillars with blue rags tied to them. But unlike Buryatia, drivers do not stop next to them and do not show them any respect.
Entertainment
Of all Mongolian culture, the best way for a traveler to become acquainted is with music. Mongols love to sing, and on the road you can often see the following picture: the driver begins to sing a melodic and sad song, and his partner sings along with him as best he can. Or an old lady starts singing a song, and the whole bus picks it up in unison. If no one sings, then the driver puts on a cassette (by the way, I have almost never seen CD radios in cars - only cassette players) with Mongolian folk or modern popular songs and listens to it, looking at the road stretching towards the horizon. Quite often, Mongols, including those who don’t know a word of Russian, listen to Russian music. Several times we heard either Valeria, or Dima Bilan, or the song “A Million Scarlet Roses” performed by a Mongolian singer, singing in Russian with a funny accent.
Besides singing, people also like to drink. Moreover, at first glance it seems that it is even more than in Russia. During a month of traveling in Eastern Siberia, I was offered to drink vodka once, and in two weeks in Mongolia, five times. However, this is explained by the fact that in Mongolia, in addition to the driver, there are always many passengers in the car, and in order to make the ride more fun, they drink half a glass, while the driver limits himself to tea with milk. In Russia, drivers mostly drive alone; you can’t really drink here.
Lyrical conclusion
What I still didn’t understand after the trip was why eight hundred years ago the Mongols needed to leave their cozy nomadic camps and native steppes and go conquer half the world. After all, they were not going to raise livestock and build yurts on conquered lands, so different from Mongolia - all these Chinese rice fields, ancient cities of Central Asia, the peaks of the Caucasus, Iranian deserts and Russian forests. And there is no way to recognize in these peaceful and friendly people those evil and cruel conquerors who went with fire and sword right up to Adriatic coast. Maybe it’s all about a strong personality who can gather and lead people - I don’t know.
But Mongolia makes it possible to understand another thing: that our entire civilization, everything that humanity has come up with over the past few thousand years, is, in essence, pleasant, but not so necessary, excesses. In this country people hardly use them, and the ones they do seem to have little need for them. Tens of thousands of Mongols do without sewerage, gas and microwave ovens, washing machines, computers, telephones, cars and are not at all bothered by this. And the almighty power of electricity seems to be used only for watching TV. If it weren’t for him, they would simply ask travelers what’s new in the world. And having learned about all our progress, about the Internet, space flights, nuclear energy, nanotechnology and laser surgery, they would nod their heads disapprovingly why invent something if for a good life you only need a yurt, fifty goats, a dozen horses and an endless green plain .
Highway Khovd - Ulaangom 
A group of French and Swiss people in jeeps 
The country of amazing steppe expanses, where for many kilometers around you cannot meet a single living soul, and national traditions that are as strong as the spirit of the Mongol warrior, is gradually gaining momentum in the tourism market as a exotic destination. While traveling, the main companions of a tourist will certainly be the bright and tireless sun, snow-covered mountain ranges and bundles of colored flags surrounding Buddhist stupas.
Important points
- For a trip to Mongolia Russian tourist no visa required.
- Experienced travelers do not recommend renting a car in the region where Genghis Khan was born. The quality of the roads and the condition of the cars offered leave much to be desired. Besides, in Mongolian steppes You can simply get lost.
- To purchase train or bus tickets for travel within the country, you will need a passport.
- The difference in prices for local airline tickets for Mongolians and foreigners is quite significant.
Choosing wings
Direct flights to Mongolia are available from several cities beyond the Urals:
- Aeroflot has scheduled flights on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. A direct flight on Russian wings will take a little over 6 hours, and a ticket will cost approximately $680.
- Mongolian Airlines also accepts passengers several times a week. Their prices start at $800.
- It will be much cheaper to fly on Turkish Airlines planes through. The price is from $550; the journey will take 13 hours, excluding connections.
- The Chinese fly to Ulaanbaatar from Sheremetyevo via. Ticket price for Air flight China starts from $650.
You can also travel to Mongolia by train. The Moscow-Ulaanbaatar train departs twice a week from the platform of the Yaroslavl station in the Russian capital and arrives in the Mongolian capital in just over four days. Ticket price – from $90.
Hotel or apartment
The bulk of hotels in Mongolia were inherited by the republic from the times of socialist realities. The number of rooms in the "three rubles" is mostly made up of old Soviet-style hotels, but the "five" hotels are already distinguished by a modern level of service and comfort. The last point is reflected in pricing policy, and a hotel room in the capital with five stars on the facade will cost an average of $150 per night.
If you search, there are also modern 3* hotels in Ulaanbaatar, but the price per day even in such a hotel may shock an inexperienced tourist. A room for two will cost $60-$100. True, for this money the guests receive wireless Internet, fitness center, free airport shuttle and shower amenities. In short, the new three rubles in Ulaanbaatar are quite worthy more stars than they were assigned.
However, standard accommodation options when traveling in Mongolia are only available in the capital and some major cities. Outside of them, the only tourist home is a Mongolian yurt. Yurt campsites are adapted for tourist needs and are equipped with quite civilized amenities. The cost of an overnight stay in a yurt starts from $30 for the most basic comfort.
Mongols also rent out private apartments in the capital, and this accommodation option is quite worthy of consideration. An apartment with three bedrooms, which can comfortably accommodate a group of at least six people, with a kitchen, bathroom and Internet, can easily be booked on specialized sites for $40 per day. Prices separate room in an apartment with an owner it fluctuates around $15 per night.
Transport details
Mongolia has a well-developed network of internal railways, air routes and bus routes. All roads in the country invariably lead to Ulaanbaatar, and therefore most of the transfers take place there.
Buses connect all cities and large towns of Mongolia. On trains, it is customary to divide the reserved seats and compartments that are familiar to Russian residents, and the cheapest ones are seat place. The price of a compartment ticket from Ulaanbaatar to the border town of Zamun-Uud, for example, will be about $20. The cities are separated by 750 km.
Intracity passenger transportation is carried out by buses and minibuses. The fare is minimal, and the means of transportation look absolutely identical to Russian ones.
Nightingales are not fed fables
In short, the food in Mongolia is hearty, the portions are large, and the prices are very reasonable. For example, a three-course lunch for two in a mid-level restaurant will cost $25, for a standard set of “burger plus potatoes and a drink” at McDonald’s you will have to pay $7, and you can have a snack at a roadside cafe with fresh pasties for only $4.
Prices for the most popular dishes in inexpensive canteens in Mongolia look like this: salad - $1, hot meat dish - $2.5, soup - $2, tea - $0.5.
Useful details
- There are up to 260 sunny days in Mongolia a year and the sun in these latitudes is unusually active. Don't forget to put it in your suitcase sunscreen with a high factor.
- Renting an SUV with a local driver for trips through the steppes and other off-road areas is the best option for traveling independently in Mongolia. Traveling under this scenario will cost $70-$80 per day.
- A liter of gasoline costs about a dollar.
Best trip to Mongolia
The sharply continental Mongolian climate means real winter and summer with corresponding temperatures. In July, residents of Ulaanbaatar often see +35°C and above on thermometers, and in the depths of winter the mercury drops to similar levels. Most comfortable conditions The weather conditions for walking around the capital are in spring and early autumn.
In the Gobi Desert, even despite the intense heat of the day, it can be very cold at night, and therefore the optimal time to travel through this region of Mongolia is the first half of autumn.
One of the most vibrant cultural events in Mongolia is the Naadam festival, which takes place in mid-July. The entire male population of the country takes part in it. The highlight of the program is competitions in typical Mongolian skills: archery, horse racing and wrestling. National eventing winners receive a special cap patch and are respected by their neighbors and colleagues.