1) I was told most people here speak English. They don't. Well, the teenagers do, but they are not the ones selling me bottled water. So, to pay for things, people show me the price on a calculator.
2) The language sounds like a cross between Chinese and Russian. The writing looks that way too. Thus, my background in Spanish is useless.
3) For a foodie like myself, the cuisine here is pretty disappointing. Bland soups. Rice with overcooked vegetables meat (what kind of meat, I'm not sure). I am pretty much a vegetarian now except I did find a European cafe that sells delicious salami baguettes. Breakfast is included at the hostel and it's just toast and tea, which is doing wonders for my growling stomache. Did I mention that I am in the CAPITAL city? God only knows what I will be eating when I travel to rural Mongolia. Thank god I brought oodles of freeze-dried soups and cliff bars. I expect to lose a fair bit of weight here, which I will quickly gain back when I start stuffing myself with Chinese dumplings in Beijing next month.
4) The PEOPLE here are really nice and not very pushy or loud. It's also not as crowded as I thought it would be. I went out to meet the people who put together my expedition to the Gobi desert (the company is called Nomadic Expeditions). They were great and made me feel much more secure about venturing out into such a remote area. I also met my guide "Azaa" who speaks perfect English and has a very friendly face. I think we'll get along just fine.
5) Today I am meeting "Bolor," the Mongolian paleontologist who will be doing a workshop and field trip with Nomadic children next month to teach them about dinosaur fossils and why they should not steal them. I will collecting tape from her field trip in the Gobi right after returning from another -- more remote -- region of the Gobi to interview Dr. Currie from the Tyrell Museum. Dr. Currie will show me some sites where dinosaur bones have been poached.
6) It's really cold here. Mom, thanks for making me take my down jacket.
7) The capital city of Ulaanbaatar looks like the post-communist satellite that it is. Run-down buildings and road, faded signs and garbage everywhere. But Ulaanbaatar isn't why people come to Mongolia. The travellers I have met so far are all here to see the vast, open country and take in a piece of the world that is still much like it was thousands of years ago.
8) That said, I am not buying a horse.
9) I am carrying 20 pounds of equipment and don't regret bringing a single thing! I have already used my laptop extensively, and expect to go through all 40 of my Double A batteries by the time I'm done here.
2) The language sounds like a cross between Chinese and Russian. The writing looks that way too. Thus, my background in Spanish is useless.
3) For a foodie like myself, the cuisine here is pretty disappointing. Bland soups. Rice with overcooked vegetables meat (what kind of meat, I'm not sure). I am pretty much a vegetarian now except I did find a European cafe that sells delicious salami baguettes. Breakfast is included at the hostel and it's just toast and tea, which is doing wonders for my growling stomache. Did I mention that I am in the CAPITAL city? God only knows what I will be eating when I travel to rural Mongolia. Thank god I brought oodles of freeze-dried soups and cliff bars. I expect to lose a fair bit of weight here, which I will quickly gain back when I start stuffing myself with Chinese dumplings in Beijing next month.
4) The PEOPLE here are really nice and not very pushy or loud. It's also not as crowded as I thought it would be. I went out to meet the people who put together my expedition to the Gobi desert (the company is called Nomadic Expeditions). They were great and made me feel much more secure about venturing out into such a remote area. I also met my guide "Azaa" who speaks perfect English and has a very friendly face. I think we'll get along just fine.
5) Today I am meeting "Bolor," the Mongolian paleontologist who will be doing a workshop and field trip with Nomadic children next month to teach them about dinosaur fossils and why they should not steal them. I will collecting tape from her field trip in the Gobi right after returning from another -- more remote -- region of the Gobi to interview Dr. Currie from the Tyrell Museum. Dr. Currie will show me some sites where dinosaur bones have been poached.
6) It's really cold here. Mom, thanks for making me take my down jacket.
7) The capital city of Ulaanbaatar looks like the post-communist satellite that it is. Run-down buildings and road, faded signs and garbage everywhere. But Ulaanbaatar isn't why people come to Mongolia. The travellers I have met so far are all here to see the vast, open country and take in a piece of the world that is still much like it was thousands of years ago.
8) That said, I am not buying a horse.
9) I am carrying 20 pounds of equipment and don't regret bringing a single thing! I have already used my laptop extensively, and expect to go through all 40 of my Double A batteries by the time I'm done here.
No comments:
Post a Comment