We arrived at Ulaanbaatar station just before 9am, we were all feeling reasonably well rested & I feel slightly better than the previous day, hopefully I can keep my cold at bay with paracetamol. The weather outside was a crisp 3 degrees, with only a slight breeze, the sun was out and for the first time in weeks we could see a blue sky, it was glorious! We walked along the platform & a Mongolian man in a red cap passed me a brochure for the very same guesthouse we were already booked to stay at! He was so quick I didn't realise he had given me a brochure and it took me a few seconds before I read it. Realising what it was, Tom chased him down & he led us off the platform and to the carpark where a lady was waiting with a big bold sign that clearly read Tom's name. It was a nice surprise and a relief to have a lift back to our accommodation.
When researching countries, we intentionally plan to come to each country during the shoulder month's before and after the tourism season. Its not always ideal weather, but we have the time to be patient for ideal weather & we have been really lucky so far. Travelling to countries in the shoulder season means there is more availability for accommodation, transport, lower prices on everything, less crowds & more competition for tours. If we had come to Mongolia and booked the tour during the busy season it would have cost us $88 USD, because of the time of year it is only going to cost us $66 USD. An absolute bargain. We read many recommendations about booking tours directly In Mongolia from locals as opposed to booking a tour online from some company that is based in the States or in Europe. This particular company & their guest house has lots of really good reviews and is recommended by trip advisor. I feel like we are in good hands. The tour includes an english speaking guide who also is the driver, car, fuel, 3 meals a day, 1.5L of water per person, accommodation and all of our entry tickets and included activities, just to name a few vital thing's. The only thing we need to buy is alcohol & gifts for the traditional nomadic families we will be sharing accommodation with.
Ulaanbaatar at first glance is quite nice, what you would expect from a booming city in the desert, there's a lot of statues, restaurants, shopping, construction and new buildings. There is less hustle and bustle from people, we have to remind ourselves we are not in China anymore and that the cities are less densely populated. It appears a lot cleaner than most cities in China & there is the obvious lack of pollution haze (though we were told it can be bad due to the burning of coal) there also seems to be dramatically less people smoking cigarettes, with some public places displaying notices for fines if you are caught smoking within the vicinity. I haven't seen or heard a single person spit. Spitting is an unavoidable, frequent & acceptable habit that you hear and see from just about every person in China.
It was then time to pack our bags for our next adventure, 15 days on tour through the Gobi Desert & Central Mongolia with limited to no electricity, no wi-fi & only 4 showers over the 15 days. The only way to fully immerse yourself in a rapidly dying culture of nomadic wandering.
We literally couldn't be any more excited as we lied in bed, waiting for sleep to take hold of us.
Cya later civilisation!
- Alli
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