We woke up at 3:30 in the morning in order to catch our bus to Beijing international airport. I made sure to pack all my bags so they were ready for the flight to Mongolia. We left the hostel and again the amount of the pollution lingering in the air was amazing. We boarded our bus to go to the airport, the flight departed at 8:45 but we needed to arrive several hours beforehand to sort out boarding passes and baggage. The flight to Mongolia was only 2 hours which was definitely a great difference compared the previous flight which was 12 hours. As we were travelling over the Mongolia all you could see was the Gobi desert.
The Gobi desert covers south Mongolia between Beijing and Mongolia, it was incredible to see how vast the desert is.
As we neared the airport in Ulaanbaatar the Great Gobi desert transformed into green plains, as we were flying on one side of the clouds was the desert and on the other side were green, grass plains. It was just as if I entered a hidden world.
We left the plane and exited the airport. We found a bus driver that was able to transport us to the hotel. As soon as we left the airport the fresh air was a huge difference to Beijing and felt very refreshing. From what we saw Ulaanbaatar is half in a valley between two big hills and surrounding the whole city are grass plains.
As we travelled to the hotel we were able to see the city up close. I was extremely surprised by the layout and construction of Ulaanbaatar. I thought the city would be very small and buildings would be minimal but in fact it is almost the opposite. The city has many huge skyscrapers and hundreds more are being made. The city is bustling with activity which was very similar to China, many people walk around the city and the traffic is almost as bad as China.
We checked into the hotel and the rooms are nice. We have two beds, a TV and a bathroom with plenty of room. It is a really great improvement compared to the hostel we stayed in while we were in Beijing.
We met with our guide for the whole time we are in Mongolia and she took us out for lunch. The food in Mongolia has a very peculiar taste mainly because of the amount of spices they use in their cooking. Some of the most frequent dishes they cook include: dumplings (Mutton, Lamb and Beef), Rice, Seasoned and spiced cucumbers, noodles and soups.
I think it is really amazing that restaurants make their own pasta and dough from scratch which requires a lot of effort but even big franchises as well as local restaurants make their own food. It really makes a huge difference in the taste of the food. We left back to the hotel room to rest for the rest of the day and went out for dinner.
Day 2 in Ulaanbaatar
Today was a major planning day for the community work we will be taking part in. In the morning we left for breakfast and then headed to a company called Ger to Ger.
Ger to Ger organises trips for people to volunteer in remote villages which need help across Mongolia. We met one of the most experienced guides from the company and he explained the background of Mongolia and the facts that nobody really know about.
One of the most important things he taught us was it isn’t about what you can see but what you can’t see.
He told us that we have to think about every minor detail that we wouldn’t think of when staying in the community in order to fully immerse ourselves in the culture and respect it as well. He explained that Genghis Kahn at one point had the biggest empire in the world and the methods he would use to manage such a large population of people. Genghis Kahn was able to create an appearance of a mighty and strong king that solely ran on the principles of a dictatorship but Genghis actually had representatives from each “state” and was able to present ideas to them and vote on the most liked one. This was one of the first forms of democracy ever used.
Genghis Kahn also relocated nomadic families throughout the middles of Mongolia which helped prevent war and also give them an advantage because these families were so used to moving around.
The guides talk was very interesting I definitely learnt a lot about Mongolian traditional rules and culture.
It is past midnight and tomorrow we are starting our trek (which I will blog about and update as soon as I have connection again). Good night!!
Hi Dean! Awesome Blogging…you are a pro! Your trip is quite the adventure and how many people from the “English speaking world” can say they have flown over the Gobi? Just amazing and I would love to see that myself someday! The food sounds good but I am wondering what you have for breakfast? Is it more of the dumplings and such or do they have more traditional food like hens eggs and bacon (Bacon, YUM)! Thanks for blogging this it is very interesting to read and you have a flair for writing too which make sit even more fun to read! Stay safe buddy and take lots of pictures!
Hi Jake. For breakfasts we mostly have dumplings. Usually with Mutton or beef or Offal inside. They come with tea, soup and a small salad. I will write more about food next time. Thanks for reading.