mongolia

If new hotels are build and if the guest ger are now numerous, still now, during a trip in Mongolia according how long you stay and area visited sometimes the choice will be limites and often in summer you will sleep to nomad families.

IN THE GER: to experience traditional nomadic life will give a magic and unforgettable touch to your trip: don’t miss that opportunity. In the morning, before you leave, you should pay the lady around 5€night/person including the lunch: cheese, Mongolian soup, airak and milk as much you want (the driver will tell you the exact price). Take with you some presents who will be welcome as monads are far from towns. Appreciated presents, because they are useful, include: Swiss army knives, lighters, matches, candles, batteries for radio, pencils and pens, exercise books and books to buy on U.B, clothes for everybody,, soap, toilette accessories as comb, teeth brush… forks and spoons and knife and all you can use in a kitchen, thread and sewing needles, scissors, lamps cigarettes because Mongolian are fond of smoking, balls, pencils, t-shirts, caps.

HOTELS: in U.B. you can find hotels of different categories, guest houses (don’t expect for luxury, but hot showers, opportunity to cook, and reasonable prices 5/7 euro/night/person can be a suitable accommodation) During Naadam is common that the rooms are made dormitory -style. Sometimes on the small villages you can find small hotel with low comfort (8/10 euro/night) better you visit before to agree! Aimag capitals have now new hotels.

TOURIST CAMPS: are like camping site with around 10 very clean gers, (same used by nomadic families), a ger is used for showers and toilets (if you sleep at a nomadic family home toilets are outside…) another ger is used for restaurants. Price: 30/50 $/night/person including lunch. The tourist camp is a good option after weeks in the steppe without washing facilities…

sometimes you can find some tourist camps who belong to nomads, there aren’t so luxury but they worth it (5-15$/night/p.)

GUEST GER: since some years you can find numerous guest ger. They are like tourist camp but belong to a nomadic family, so they can earn some money. Not luxury, generally no shower and no restaurant ger, you will have to cook by yourselves. 5-10€ night/person.

Tourist camp as guest ger open from mild june to mild September, before and after really difficult to find some open.

CAMPING: in U.B. isn’t permitted yet. In the towns it is better to ask permission to pitch your tent behind wooden barriers of a house to not be disturbed by drunken men and this is also the reason why you don’t have to pitch your tent on the running track who drive to a village. Also never to near a river (inundation) or on the way of the flocks. For Mongolian mentality to pitch camp is totally natural and you can do it everywhere, but pitching your tent near a ger permits you to experience family life and animal noises… TENT: even if you think you don't need it, it’s better to take one with you because you might need to stay far from anywhere if you have a flat tire… the more independent you can be in the steppe, the better.

TODAY NEW October 2009 : towns are more modern and are loosing Sovietic personality. Also because roads are better goods and petrol arrive everywhere. As even more expensive than UB usually goods can be find everywhere.
You will found many small restaurants , so you will not have to cook yourselves for dinner!
Internet arrive slowly to countryside and now in 80% of Mongolia you can have telephone, but it’s only near the villages you can use your mobile. In the ger now it’s easy to see mobile near saddles! The “connecting people2 promise since 2000 is now on the way and Mongolian like really much mobile especially in UB and big towns.
Now Governement gives a piece of land free once in your life if you want to settle near a village or town except UB now you can see new areas where inside the wooden fences you can see small wood houses, they take the place of the ger as Mongolian consider wooden houses more confortable than the ger for a settle life near the towns. Soon Mongolian couldn’t build t a wooden house to protect forests so they will build in cement. Foreigner people for small loan can rent small wooden houses or buy to a Mongolian resident.
Roads are better but still many bad tracks. Roads are build to go to Rusia, as weel to Kharakorim, Moron…many sign roads when new roads.
A new telephone line across the country and so now in some places you can use the mobile!
Nomads are a little more rich and so you will often ger with a parabolic and sun panel giving some electricity but candles are always welcome as gift as they use them to light fire!

HYGIENE: we only bathed twice in 2 weeks and only washed our hair once in a horse-pond with icy water but the second time we took a bath in the spring hot water in Sarjaalud with boiling water, because the hotel has only hot water (50° Celsius)… you can have a massage in the re-education center for 3€ . this resume to what you have to expect according your program and stay of journey.
In some towns you can find public showers (clean and not expensive 0.50€ for hot shower). If you wash yourself in a river or horse-pond DON’T POLLUTE WATER WITH SOAP, because this water will be drunk by animals. You can take with you moist towels BUT no ecologist at all! don’t take with you a lot of toilet things and clothes as you will not wash yourself often and the same will be with washing yours clothes… AND AS EVEN YOU CAN’T NOW BELEIVE IT YOU WON’T FEEL DUTY…

WHAT TO SEE:
* Naadam: national holiday feast where Mongolian come from each part of Mongolia each year from July 11 to 13. They came to see their 3 manly and preferred games: wresting, archery and horse racing. During summer in the countryside you can see small Naadam, but date and places change often.
Don’t miss the big Naadam in U.B.: the opening ceremony starts at 10 am in the stadium, you can buy tickets outside or Mejet, the driver, can buy them for you, go earlier as seats without number. The opening ceremony will enrapture you and show you a new dimension, another world. The festival begins with a ceremonious ride by medieval warriors bearing the Nine Banners of Chinggis Khan accompanied with drum music… The wrestling performance starts at the end of the opening ceremony: it is a majestic show even thought it is very slow and in the stadium you are far away from the wrestlers (take binoculars). In the small stadium, 100 meters away from the big one, you can see the archery contest where also women can participate. In rotation each participant is juror and competitor and makes strange gestures and utters different cries to notify the archer the quality of his shooting. Horse races take place at Yarma , 10 km from center town near the airport, and are only for children under 12; children leave alone for unbridled races of 25/30 km in the steppe and the winner will be sacred “gold lion”. If you can’t stay 3 days in U.B. you can see the 3 games in the same day without problem.

Mongolia is a vast country with very different landscapes. Mongolia is often imagined as a green steppe but that is only partly true. South is a real desert almost without sand; Center and West are hilly but without forests and the North is the kingdom of taiga.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO VISIT: first at all discover the wonderful landscapes in the huge steppe and deserts where you can see traditional tents and wild animal life, hunting the marmot from August 15 to September 15; hunting with eagles in November with Khazaks (information mejet69@yahoo.com unforgettable trip, be careful it is very cold in November). If you are only a few days, be aware that steppe starts a few km far from the capital, and a tour of 2/3 days can give you a good vision of the astonishing beauty of the Mongolian steppe.

SOME IDEAS:
            *Terelj: a favorite place of tour operators about 80 km from U.B.
            *visit monadic families and different tribes like Tsaatan (North West) www.tsatantours.com and Khazaks near Khazakhstan border.
            *Tavanbogd national park
            *Altai mountains
            *Gobi desert with sand dune Khongoryn Els, eternal icy valley of Yoln Ann and Bayanzag
            *Khövsgol area with it lakes, forests and rich wild animals with 170 different birds and varied flora
            *Sarjaluud, near Bayanghogor, where 300 spring hot water are awaiting your visit
            *Khatag near the Egiin Gol river (touristic place)
            *Ulan Bator with its monasteries
            *Kharakorim, old Genghis Khan capital, with the famous Ederni-Dzou monastery wher each morning at 11 am you can see lama ceremony.
            * The white lake near Tseterleg and Terkhin national park
            * Tsaagan Nur Sun and its 200 lakes where you can make horse trip with Bayna & Orcher, ask for them to the guest house Namuum in Tsaagan Nur Sum
            *Orkhongol waterfalls…

TRAVEL WITH KIDS : it’s possible to Travel with kids in Mongolia, but you must adapt your trip and means of transportation according to the age of yours kids . Roads in Mongolia are really difficult so we recommend to make short trips each day and choose private transportation as jeep with driver istead of a public bus. On public buses you will be often 12 people instead of 8 for example, privacy not possible, it can be difficult to find place for all your luggages and generally for trip more than 24 hours no night stop as the drivers will drive all the night.

SPECIALITY: Mongolians appreciate a lot milk products called “ white food”, and that is what they offer first to visitors. They believe that eating milk products make longer the own life. The meat or “grey food” has also its place in Mongolian cooking. From middle of August to middle of September, Mongolian hunt and eat boiled marmot. In U.B. restaurants offer you international cooking and after a few weeks in the steppe you will appreciate it…

Guantz or soup-kitchen, almost only used by Mongolian serve good and plentiful helpings of traditional food for around 2-3euro. If numerous and hidden in the skyscrapers in the towns, on countryside you will find them under gers.
It is easy to find food in the small towns: you will find boiled or fried ravioli with meat.
In nomadic families you will always welcomed with one or more cup of airak (fermented milk), cheese and salt tea: TO REFUSE IS TO OFFEND
Under the ger they will offer you airak, yogurt, hormog, cream and cheese. Cheese (camel, horse, yak or goat) can be salted or sweet and you will find 1000 different types: advice: take only a small piece and if you like it you take more, and if not you take something else… During summer, nomads won’t serve you meat because it’s the period where make dry meat for winter food, but, for dinner you will find a little on your noodle soup (excellent). If you will be lucky they will offer you vodka freshly distilled (exquisite drink).

VEGETARIAN: it’s difficult as even in 10 years vegetable and fruit arrived. Mongolia like so much meat you will find in any dish they can cook and in countryside the specialities are 3 or 4 all with meat!

WHERE TO BUY: in U.B. you can find all you need in super markets. In the small towns you can find basic food and fruit and vegetable in markets or in groceries (delguur) but be aware to the date. It’s always difficult to find fresh vegetable and fruit, and on ger you can buy cheese, yoghurts, tea… For 1 person for 1 month= +/- 100€ for the food. Better buy Mongolian products than exported one to go to countryside. Mongolian products are cheap, good and fresh and especially you will aid local economy and don’t have useless packing.

LEAVE FOR STEPPE: you must be autonomous before leaving for your tour. Follow his advice to buy everything you need and think about your driver who also has to eat and he is so much more than useful, he is your lifeline. He will take some of his own food but it won't be so good so you should share with him. Buy water in big quantity or take a water filter. Mongolians don’t eat fish and lakes are full of big fish, you can buy some from the monads or take from home all you need to fishing and you will just have to make a fish barbecue. A good idea: buy fruit and vegetable in U.B. For cooking the drivers have a camping stove.

Don’t create litter… because they don’t produce it… it is needless to pollute the land… LEARN TO LIVE WITH NATURE WITHOUT DESTROYING IT LIKE THEY DO. 10 years of tourism as already leave some prints especially on the area of classic tour and try to take away your own litter.

MAKE YOUR OWN COOKING: take a camping stove with enough gas for your tour. The drivers use camping stoves which work with bottled gas, the Korean stoves are like diplomatic suitcase, the cover protecting the fire from wind: ingenious system, it takes up very little room and can be bought in U.B.(30euro) you can also find different type of camping stove as one who works with petrol and it’s easy to keep with you some petrol in a bottle and buy some to nomads who have a jeep as one liter is enough for 5 days for 2 hot meals/day

HELPING IN MONGOLIA: SPONSOR PROJECT
Our Nomads need help from you

Have you always thought to help the local people you are visiting? Don’t you know how to do? We propose a local project by offering from 1€ which will permit to buy some animals for poor nomad families with.

With the help of Amraa, consultant in Mongolia for the Swiss association « La Mensa e il Gregge » (http://www.lamensaeilgregge.com/default.htm , association which, by a system of child sponsorship, will select the poor families and buy animals for them.

A report will be sent to you by e-mail with all the details of the purchases and of the beneficiary families. 1st sponsor click here

VISIT SCHOOL: possible from September to beginning June. Buy some exerice books, pencils, sweets al market in UB and give to the school you will visit. Take for almost 100-150 children. Classroom have 30-40 pupils. All schools have dormitories to permit to everybody to go to school so a sall school can have 400 children and more.

SANITARY SUPPLY/ MEDICINE: if you have some medical supplies as bends, dressing…as well medicines you can bring them and give them to Mejet and he will know where is the best to gie (orphanage, hospital for poor…) as his wife is doctor she knows to whom give. If possible leave inside the box of medicine the explanations.
AGAINST HEPATITIS B: you can help during your trip in Mongolia http://www.talynmongol.net no profit association by giving in school, hospitals, nomadic families... some brochure. Read and print here the brochure in Mongolian.

In Mongolia the practice of shamanism is antique and some areas are famous for theirs shamans as Buriat in the east, to Tsatan and on the North of Kösgöl Lake. Now Mongolian can’t recognize a good and real shaman because it’s became a business to earn money.

OPEN BOX to take with you
SOME NYLON BAGS: pliable to put all your food.
TENT: better to take it with you because you can stay far away from ger… moreover, the more independent you are the better you will be
PLASTIC BAGS to put litter, you can only throw things out in the towns or like us when came back to U.B.
on the gers, before to burning anything in the fire: ASK BECAUSE FIRE AS WATER AND EARTH ARE HOLY.
PHOTO: Mongolians are very fond of photos, 100 photos is not enough for a whole family! They will dress in their best traditional clothes for you. Advice: ask the addresses in Cyrillic letters so after just stick the address on the envelope (the Post runs good). You can make your photos processed in U.B. You really NEED a large wide angle and Mongolia eats plenty of digital memory! No electricity so take plenty of batteries, ask for refill on the few monasteries or restaurant you will find. Take an plug adaptation!

GAMES AND MAGIC: Mongolians are fond of games and magic, you just have to become like D avid Copperfield… guaranteed success

HELP IN MONGOLIA you can go to Hospital Of Charity in U.B where the monks will be pleased to be helped, to receive donation, medicines…
WHAT TO DO IN U.B.: don't miss the folkloric dance and music in the theater in front of the post office (orange building) and also circus performance (10€)
BLACK MARKET: aware PICKPOCKETS!!!! Very big and interesting market with antique, traditional furniture and ger, not expensive!
BUY A GER: cost around 1000 € if complete and only the wood: 400 €, you need an official permit to export, ask to culture ministry
PHRASEBOOK: English-Mongolian and Russian-Mongolian are really helpful, as everybody can read in Mongolia.
MONGOLIAN FURNITURE: in the Black Market you can buy different kind of Mongolian furniture and it is not expensive

WEBSITE FOR TICKETS TRAINS, BUS, HOTELS, MAPS AND PLANES FOR MONGOLIA,RUSSIA & CINA:

www.talynmongol.net to help during your trip in Mongolia by giving some brochure to hospital, school, nomadic families to educate about HepatitisB


	INFORMATION ABOUT MONGOLIA

	<<<<<<< Info LODGING: If new hotels are build and if the guest ger are now numerous, still now, during a trip in Mongolia according how long you stay and area visited sometimes the choice will be limites and often in summer you will sleep to nomad families. IN THE GER: to experience traditional nomadic life will give a magic and unforgettable touch to your trip: don’t miss that opportunity. In the morning, before you leave, you should pay the lady around 5€night/person including the lunch: cheese, Mongolian soup, airak and milk as much you want (the driver will tell you the exact price). Take with you some presents who will be welcome as monads are far from towns. Appreciated presents, because they are useful, include: Swiss army knives, lighters, matches, candles, batteries for radio, pencils and pens, exercise books and books to buy on U.B, clothes for everybody,, soap, toilette accessories as comb, teeth brush… forks and spoons and knife and all you can use in a kitchen, thread and sewing needles, scissors, lamps cigarettes because Mongolian are fond of smoking, balls, pencils, t-shirts, caps. HOTELS: in U.B. you can find hotels of different categories, guest houses (don’t expect for luxury, but hot showers, opportunity to cook, and reasonable prices 5/7 euro/night/person can be a suitable accommodation) During Naadam is common that the rooms are made dormitory -style. Sometimes on the small villages you can find small hotel with low comfort (8/10 euro/night) better you visit before to agree! Aimag capitals have now new hotels. TOURIST CAMPS: are like camping site with around 10 very clean gers, (same used by nomadic families), a ger is used for showers and toilets (if you sleep at a nomadic family home toilets are outside…) another ger is used for restaurants. Price: 30/50 $/night/person including lunch. The tourist camp is a good option after weeks in the steppe without washing facilities… sometimes you can find some tourist camps who belong to nomads, there aren’t so luxury but they worth it (5-15$/night/p.) GUEST GER: since some years you can find numerous guest ger. They are like tourist camp but belong to a nomadic family, so they can earn some money. Not luxury, generally no shower and no restaurant ger, you will have to cook by yourselves. 5-10€ night/person. Tourist camp as guest ger open from mild june to mild September, before and after really difficult to find some open. CAMPING: in U.B. isn’t permitted yet. In the towns it is better to ask permission to pitch your tent behind wooden barriers of a house to not be disturbed by drunken men and this is also the reason why you don’t have to pitch your tent on the running track who drive to a village. Also never to near a river (inundation) or on the way of the flocks. For Mongolian mentality to pitch camp is totally natural and you can do it everywhere, but pitching your tent near a ger permits you to experience family life and animal noises… TENT: even if you think you don't need it, it’s better to take one with you because you might need to stay far from anywhere if you have a flat tire… the more independent you can be in the steppe, the better. TODAY NEW October 2009 : towns are more modern and are loosing Sovietic personality. Also because roads are better goods and petrol arrive everywhere. As even more expensive than UB usually goods can be find everywhere. You will found many small restaurants , so you will not have to cook yourselves for dinner! Internet arrive slowly to countryside and now in 80% of Mongolia you can have telephone, but it’s only near the villages you can use your mobile. In the ger now it’s easy to see mobile near saddles! The “connecting people2 promise since 2000 is now on the way and Mongolian like really much mobile especially in UB and big towns. Now Governement gives a piece of land free once in your life if you want to settle near a village or town except UB now you can see new areas where inside the wooden fences you can see small wood houses, they take the place of the ger as Mongolian consider wooden houses more confortable than the ger for a settle life near the towns. Soon Mongolian couldn’t build t a wooden house to protect forests so they will build in cement. Foreigner people for small loan can rent small wooden houses or buy to a Mongolian resident. Roads are better but still many bad tracks. Roads are build to go to Rusia, as weel to Kharakorim, Moron…many sign roads when new roads. A new telephone line across the country and so now in some places you can use the mobile! Nomads are a little more rich and so you will often ger with a parabolic and sun panel giving some electricity but candles are always welcome as gift as they use them to light fire! HYGIENE: we only bathed twice in 2 weeks and only washed our hair once in a horse-pond with icy water but the second time we took a bath in the spring hot water in Sarjaalud with boiling water, because the hotel has only hot water (50° Celsius)… you can have a massage in the re-education center for 3€ . this resume to what you have to expect according your program and stay of journey. In some towns you can find public showers (clean and not expensive 0.50€ for hot shower). If you wash yourself in a river or horse-pond DON’T POLLUTE WATER WITH SOAP, because this water will be drunk by animals. You can take with you moist towels BUT no ecologist at all! don’t take with you a lot of toilet things and clothes as you will not wash yourself often and the same will be with washing yours clothes… AND AS EVEN YOU CAN’T NOW BELEIVE IT YOU WON’T FEEL DUTY… PLUGS: http://www.kropla.com/electric2.htm WHAT TO SEE: * Naadam: national holiday feast where Mongolian come from each part of Mongolia each year from July 11 to 13. They came to see their 3 manly and preferred games: wresting, archery and horse racing. During summer in the countryside you can see small Naadam, but date and places change often. Don’t miss the big Naadam in U.B.: the opening ceremony starts at 10 am in the stadium, you can buy tickets outside or Mejet, the driver, can buy them for you, go earlier as seats without number. The opening ceremony will enrapture you and show you a new dimension, another world. The festival begins with a ceremonious ride by medieval warriors bearing the Nine Banners of Chinggis Khan accompanied with drum music… The wrestling performance starts at the end of the opening ceremony: it is a majestic show even thought it is very slow and in the stadium you are far away from the wrestlers (take binoculars). In the small stadium, 100 meters away from the big one, you can see the archery contest where also women can participate. In rotation each participant is juror and competitor and makes strange gestures and utters different cries to notify the archer the quality of his shooting. Horse races take place at Yarma , 10 km from center town near the airport, and are only for children under 12; children leave alone for unbridled races of 25/30 km in the steppe and the winner will be sacred “gold lion”. If you can’t stay 3 days in U.B. you can see the 3 games in the same day without problem. Mongolia is a vast country with very different landscapes. Mongolia is often imagined as a green steppe but that is only partly true. South is a real desert almost without sand; Center and West are hilly but without forests and the North is the kingdom of taiga. IMPORTANT THINGS TO VISIT: first at all discover the wonderful landscapes in the huge steppe and deserts where you can see traditional tents and wild animal life, hunting the marmot from August 15 to September 15; hunting with eagles in November with Khazaks (information mejet69@yahoo.com unforgettable trip, be careful it is very cold in November). If you are only a few days, be aware that steppe starts a few km far from the capital, and a tour of 2/3 days can give you a good vision of the astonishing beauty of the Mongolian steppe. SOME IDEAS: Terelj: a favorite place of tour operators about 80 km from U.B. visit monadic families and different tribes like Tsaatan (North West) www.tsatantours.com and Khazaks near Khazakhstan border. Tavanbogd national park Altai mountains Gobi desert with sand dune Khongoryn Els, eternal icy valley of Yoln Ann and Bayanzag Khövsgol area with it lakes, forests and rich wild animals with 170 different birds and varied flora Sarjaluud, near Bayanghogor, where 300 spring hot water are awaiting your visit Khatag near the Egiin Gol river (touristic place) Ulan Bator with its monasteries Kharakorim, old Genghis Khan capital, with the famous Ederni-Dzou monastery wher each morning at 11 am you can see lama ceremony. * The white lake near Tseterleg and Terkhin national park * Tsaagan Nur Sun and its 200 lakes where you can make horse trip with Bayna & Orcher, ask for them to the guest house Namuum in Tsaagan Nur Sum Orkhongol waterfalls… HOMESTAY TO NOMADS:* you want to divide monadic life for some days or some weeks? Just contact mejet69@yahoo.com and he can provide for it. Read here a travelogue about a journey to Nomadic family: http://aroundzeworld.com/?cat=4&lang=en and some video here MORE?: tell Mejet your desires and he will try to make them come true: mejet69@yahoo.com .See also itinerary on: www.mongoliatours.org TRAVEL WITH KIDS : it’s possible to Travel with kids in Mongolia, but you must adapt your trip and means of transportation according to the age of yours kids . Roads in Mongolia are really difficult so we recommend to make short trips each day and choose private transportation as jeep with driver istead of a public bus. On public buses you will be often 12 people instead of 8 for example, privacy not possible, it can be difficult to find place for all your luggages and generally for trip more than 24 hours no night stop as the drivers will drive all the night. FOOD: SPECIALITY: Mongolians appreciate a lot milk products called “ white food”, and that is what they offer first to visitors. They believe that eating milk products make longer the own life. The meat or “grey food” has also its place in Mongolian cooking. From middle of August to middle of September, Mongolian hunt and eat boiled marmot. In U.B. restaurants offer you international cooking and after a few weeks in the steppe you will appreciate it… Guantz or soup-kitchen, almost only used by Mongolian serve good and plentiful helpings of traditional food for around 2-3euro. If numerous and hidden in the skyscrapers in the towns, on countryside you will find them under gers. It is easy to find food in the small towns: you will find boiled or fried ravioli with meat. In nomadic families you will always welcomed with one or more cup of airak (fermented milk), cheese and salt tea: TO REFUSE IS TO OFFEND Under the ger they will offer you airak, yogurt, hormog, cream and cheese. Cheese (camel, horse, yak or goat) can be salted or sweet and you will find 1000 different types: advice: take only a small piece and if you like it you take more, and if not you take something else… During summer, nomads won’t serve you meat because it’s the period where make dry meat for winter food, but, for dinner you will find a little on your noodle soup (excellent). If you will be lucky they will offer you vodka freshly distilled (exquisite drink). VEGETARIAN: it’s difficult as even in 10 years vegetable and fruit arrived. Mongolia like so much meat you will find in any dish they can cook and in countryside the specialities are 3 or 4 all with meat! WHERE TO BUY: in U.B. you can find all you need in super markets. In the small towns you can find basic food and fruit and vegetable in markets or in groceries (delguur) but be aware to the date. It’s always difficult to find fresh vegetable and fruit, and on ger you can buy cheese, yoghurts, tea… For 1 person for 1 month= +/- 100€ for the food. Better buy Mongolian products than exported one to go to countryside. Mongolian products are cheap, good and fresh and especially you will aid local economy and don’t have useless packing. LEAVE FOR STEPPE: you must be autonomous before leaving for your tour. Follow his advice to buy everything you need and think about your driver who also has to eat and he is so much more than useful, he is your lifeline. He will take some of his own food but it won't be so good so you should share with him. Buy water in big quantity or take a water filter. Mongolians don’t eat fish and lakes are full of big fish, you can buy some from the monads or take from home all you need to fishing and you will just have to make a fish barbecue. A good idea: buy fruit and vegetable in U.B. For cooking the drivers have a camping stove. Don’t create litter… because they don’t produce it… it is needless to pollute the land… LEARN TO LIVE WITH NATURE WITHOUT DESTROYING IT LIKE THEY DO. 10 years of tourism as already leave some prints especially on the area of classic tour and try to take away your own litter. MAKE YOUR OWN COOKING: take a camping stove with enough gas for your tour. The drivers use camping stoves which work with bottled gas, the Korean stoves are like diplomatic suitcase, the cover protecting the fire from wind: ingenious system, it takes up very little room and can be bought in U.B.(30euro) you can also find different type of camping stove as one who works with petrol and it’s easy to keep with you some petrol in a bottle and buy some to nomads who have a jeep as one liter is enough for 5 days for 2 hot meals/day HELPING IN MONGOLIA: HELPING IN MONGOLIA: SPONSOR PROJECT Our Nomads need help from you Have you always thought to help the local people you are visiting? Don’t you know how to do? We propose a local project by offering from 1€ which will permit to buy some animals for poor nomad families with. With the help of Amraa, consultant in Mongolia for the Swiss association « La Mensa e il Gregge » (http://www.lamensaeilgregge.com/default.htm , association which, by a system of child sponsorship, will select the poor families and buy animals for them. A report will be sent to you by e-mail with all the details of the purchases and of the beneficiary families. 1st sponsor click here VISIT SCHOOL: possible from September to beginning June. Buy some exerice books, pencils, sweets al market in UB and give to the school you will visit. Take for almost 100-150 children. Classroom have 30-40 pupils. All schools have dormitories to permit to everybody to go to school so a sall school can have 400 children and more. SANITARY SUPPLY/ MEDICINE: if you have some medical supplies as bends, dressing…as well medicines you can bring them and give them to Mejet and he will know where is the best to gie (orphanage, hospital for poor…) as his wife is doctor she knows to whom give. If possible leave inside the box of medicine the explanations. AGAINST HEPATITIS B: you can help during your trip in Mongolia http://www.talynmongol.net no profit association by giving in school, hospitals, nomadic families... some brochure. Read and print here the brochure in Mongolian. SCHAMANISM : In Mongolia the practice of shamanism is antique and some areas are famous for theirs shamans as Buriat in the east, to Tsatan and on the North of Kösgöl Lake. Now Mongolian can’t recognize a good and real shaman because it’s became a business to earn money. USUFUL/IMPORTANT: OPEN BOX to take with you SOME NYLON BAGS: pliable to put all your food. TENT: better to take it with you because you can stay far away from ger… moreover, the more independent you are the better you will be PLASTIC BAGS to put litter, you can only throw things out in the towns or like us when came back to U.B. on the gers, before to burning anything in the fire: ASK BECAUSE FIRE AS WATER AND EARTH ARE HOLY. PHOTO: Mongolians are very fond of photos, 100 photos is not enough for a whole family! They will dress in their best traditional clothes for you. Advice: ask the addresses in Cyrillic letters so after just stick the address on the envelope (the Post runs good). You can make your photos processed in U.B. You really NEED a large wide angle and Mongolia eats plenty of digital memory! No electricity so take plenty of batteries, ask for refill on the few monasteries or restaurant you will find. Take an plug adaptation! GAMES AND MAGIC: Mongolians are fond of games and magic, you just have to become like D avid Copperfield… guaranteed success HELP IN MONGOLIA you can go to Hospital Of Charity in U.B where the monks will be pleased to be helped, to receive donation, medicines… WHAT TO DO IN U.B.: don't miss the folkloric dance and music in the theater in front of the post office (orange building) and also circus performance (10€) BLACK MARKET: aware PICKPOCKETS!!!! Very big and interesting market with antique, traditional furniture and ger, not expensive! BUY A GER: cost around 1000 € if complete and only the wood: 400 €, you need an official permit to export, ask to culture ministry PHRASEBOOK: English-Mongolian and Russian-Mongolian are really helpful, as everybody can read in Mongolia. MONGOLIAN FURNITURE: in the Black Market you can buy different kind of Mongolian furniture and it is not expensive SOUVENIRS: BUY CASHMERE FROM GOBI IN U.B: pullover: >70€-110€ depend of the weight scarf: 20/100€ depend of the size and weight gloves: >10€ BUY FELT HANDICRAFT: felt slippers > 7-15 € according quality cheeks games from 10 € WEBSITE FOR TICKETS TRAINS, BUS, HOTELS, MAPS AND PLANES FOR MONGOLIA,RUSSIA & CINA: ALSO HAVE A LOOK ON TRAIN CHAPTER TO FIND MORE WEBSITE http://www.expresstorussia.com/train_tickets.html www.sv-agency.udm.ru/ www.monkeyshrine.com http://transsib.ru/Eng www.espace-transsiberien.com/ www.hostels.ru/ www.waytorussia.net www.rusrailtravel.ru/ http://www.poezda.net/en/index http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian-timetable.htm www.cheap-moscow.com/ www.visahouse.com/fra/touristvisa.asp www.sanpietroburgo.it www.wildberry.de/miat http://www.miat.com/ http://www.eznisairways.com/ http://www.airchina.com.cn/en/index.shtml http://www.aeroflot.ru/cms/en http://www.koreanair.com/ http://eng.pulkovo.ru/fr/# low cost for Russia and East countries www.baikaler.com/ www.baikalhostels.com/html/english_hostelintro.xml.php www.downtownhostel.irkutsk.ru/ www.baikalcomplex.com www.uude.info http://shop.baikalplan.de/catalog/index.php http://www.chinatripadvisor.com/english/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains/ http://www.china-train-ticket.com/ www.talynmongol.net to help during your trip in Mongolia by giving some brochure to hospital, school, nomadic families to educate about HepatitisB LEARN MONGOLIAN: www.voyagemongolie.com/ Have nice trip in Mongolia and say hello to Mejet from Graziella and Angelo more information: angy8@bluewin.ch <<<<< info 1

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