Some interesting & random facts I learnt during my 6 days there:
- To try and ease the city congestion in Ulaanbaatar, all car number plates are regulated. Depending on your last number you cannot drive between peak hours 8-10am Mon-Fri. For example, car plates ending in number 5 cannot drive on Tuesday mornings
- Throat singing originated in Mongolia and is considered a musical instrument in its' own right. Check it out, there's nothing quite like it!
- Some cars have their steering wheels on the right side, some of the left side, depending on where it was imported from. All cars drive on the right side of the road. You only need 1 license for both.
- The capital Ulaanbaatar is 1350m above sea level
- Contortionists originated in Mongolia where folk dancers as young as five were trained to be flexible, later developing into contortionist art form.
- Mongolia won it's 1st Olympic Gold medal in the Beijing 2008 Olympics for judo. The whole country celebrated making Naidangiin Tüvshinbayar a national hero.
- It takes 40 min to kill, bleed, separate parts of one sheep. This is done daily at 7am where the buyers meet the farmers on the city outskirts to buy the meat for the city
- Hitchhiking is common, even just within the city itself. People stand on the curb thumb out, and anyone can earn a few extra Tughrik by picking them up.
- The piles of rocks you see at the side of the road are offerings to the mountain spirits for safe passage. These are called Ovoo.
- Hustai National Park is the proud home of an abundant wildlife of the Przewalksi wild horse -Takhi, the Grey wolf, marmots, vultures, yaks and eagles.
For the true 'tourist' Mongolian experience, one must head for the mountains and sleep in a ger (or 'yurt' as foreigners call them). Like when visiting any foreign place, it's a good idea to familiarise yourselves with the local custom and etiquette to ensure you do not offend or come across rude.
Take note:
- do not step on the ger doorsill when walking through the door
- enter the ger in a clockwise direction
- do not walk through the two main central pillars that hold the ger up
- always accept food if offered, whether you're hungry or not
- never stand up whilst drinking tea, always be seated
- instead of knocking on the door, before entering a ger clear your throat and yell out "no-khoi kho-rio" which translates to 'catch/hold your dog' as traditionally most gers are guarded by a couple of dogs.
All the food seemed to be a combination of mutton (not lamb!), beef, flour in various forms (noodles, pastries) and milk products (yak, cow, goat milk in dried pellets, alcohol milk, cheese, tea). The main flavour was salt and onions. Potatoes and cabbage were the vegetables on repeat.
The highlight of my trip was to spend the day with a nomadic family, seeing and understanding their daily chores, activities and nomadic way of life. Contact info@juulchin.com who can arrange a visit to a nomadic family, staying overnight in a ger and any other sightseeing during your stay. Horseriding through the mountains or Gobi dessert if you have enough time to get out there, is an experience in itself.
Don't miss the Mongolian traditional dancing where you can see firsthand the famous throat singing, contortionists and incredibly talented horse-fiddle playing, which transports you back to the times of the great Chinggis Khan.
This land of milk and horses is a trip for the adventurous and independent traveler who will enjoy the outdoors, scenery, wildlife and history of these magical lands.
