We had no sooner alighted from the train when a small, Mongolian man in his mid-thirties approached me and introduced himself as Nemo, our Mongolian guide. Nemo's English was very good and he had a bubbly personality which immediately endeared him to the group.
Nemo was a qualified medical doctor who was trained overseas, but the pay and conditions are so poor in Mongolia that he made far more money running a tour company.
We all hopped on board a decrepit old bus and headed off through the ramshackle streets of Ulaanbaatar. It is always the same when you go to any new place; heads crane this way and that trying to take in all of the sights and sounds of the city.
The first impressions of Ulaanbaatar were that the city was very poor indeed. Many of the thoroughfares were potholed, there was rubbish all over the place and many of the buildings were in a state of disrepair. People thronged the streets and most were dressed shabbily, though every now and again you would be caught by suprise to see a woman or man dressed in modern European style clothing.
Our first stop was at a bank to change some money. This was an experience in itself as Nemo had to do the translating for the bank teller all the while being watch by a guy with an ancient shotgun. The unit of currency in Mongolia is the togrog and we all appeared to be so much wealthier once we cashed our US dollars for togrog. I just wished I had been in Mongolia a few years earlier before they phased out Mongolian coins which were called mongo's.
Togrog's and mongo's you gotta love that.
Next stop was at a Mongolian supermarket. Well, I say supermarket though it was slightly larger than a corner store. Even so the store was well stocked with goods, particularly imported goods. The group loaded up with goodies and headed back to the bus to continue our trip to our camping site.
In short time we were out in the countryside which was bleak and barren. Not a tree to be seen anywhere just sparse, rolling hills. It was early spring so there was still snow on the ground here and there and the rivers we crossed were still frozen. The road out of the city was reasonably good though only a single lane either way. There was very little traffic on the way only the odd car and a few busses but very few trucks.
On the way we made a stop on a hill which gave a great view of the valley below. At this particular spot was a simple Buddhist memorial. As each traveler stops by the memorial they drop a stone in the pile and must circle the cairn seven times (I think). This will then give you good luck and fortune on your trip.
A lone dog stood guard; Nemo said people who stopped at the shrine fed the dog as an act of goodwill. The guard dog being really smart had quickly figured out that staying at the shrine was a sure way to a free feed.
Back aboard the bus most slept as the terrain barely changed kilometer after kilometer.
"Look, look over there," someone shouted excitedly. "Dinosaurs." And there were. In the middle of nowhere some entrepreneur had tried to start a dinosaur park. Near life-sized dinosaurs stood sentinel over the bare, Mongolian terrain. "Nearly there," said Nemo and this perked everybody up.
We turned off the main road and onto a dirt track and the first thing we noticed were corral's full of sturdy Mongolian ponies. Around a bend the small tourist settlement of ger's ( some call them yurts) stood before us.
Nine ger's stood in line accompanied by toilet blocks and a recreation hall. The site was surrounded by a ring of hillsides which were made up of huge boulders and covered with fir trees.
We were greeted by the camp staff and lead to our ger's. Women to one ger, men to another. A Mongolian ger consist of a circular wooden frame carrying a felt cover. The felt is made from the wool of the flocks of sheep that traditionally accompanied the nomadic Mongolian family. The interior of the ger was surprisingly spacious and the central point was a large cast iron fireplace that did an excellent job of heating the ger. All around the side of the ger were beds and decorated wall-hangings which gave the interior a bright and welcoming atmosphere.
We had no sooner placed our packs away when the call came for dinner. There were a few furrowed brows as the group had heard all about traditional Mongolian fare.
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