There are no blog updates due for a couple of days as Thomo is currently travelling. Actually, sitting in Hong Kong at the moment.
Updates to the blog will resume in a few days time. In the meantime, think of Thomo getting fatter again on the wonderful foods available in Hong Kong.
Thursday, 24 November 2005
Friday, 18 November 2005
Ulaanbaatar Then And Now - Part 4
Scott Notes in 2000: Well I am slowly getting used to living the apartment. Even the score between cold water & hot water in the morning is now even so things are improving in that respect. However as you are probably aware it is now in the middle of summer here and there is a lot of activity around Ulanbaatar building outside bars in preparation for the major Mongolian annual festival called Nadaam.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Even more so in 2005. If a restaurant/bar did not have an outside eating area it pretty much could be guaranteed to be fairly empty in the summer. Summer was great. The endless blue sky and the miles of fenceless steppe are there all the time, but in summer it is special. So easy to love this country.
Scott Notes in 2000: So much so that the building next to my apartment which housed a small supermarket (sorry getting used to Mongolia - a small corner grocery shop) has built an outside bar to its entrance. Of course Mongolians like a drink or two, especially the vodka which is actually quite good & cheap, and so I now have to put up with the noise of 1970's music and rowdy drunken Mongolians drinking there until all hours of the morning.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Er, yes, well, some things change and some things remain the same :-) Actually, vodka seems to be a big problem here, in the same fashion as it is in other Central Asian Republics. It is not unusual to see guys passed out from it in the middle of the day. As Tseye has said before to me (actually, it was after the night I was passed out from vodka over consumption), "nothing good ever follows Vodka!"
Scott Notes in 2000: As if that is not enough the empty space between my apartment building & the small grocery store & outside bar has in the past week be turned into a car repair site. It was last Sunday night when approximately 1am in the morning I was awoken with the sound of metal being dragged across the ground & dropped. For the next 5 hours there was constant loud noise as two guys pulled, dragged, spot welded metal to secure what was before an open area. At the same time they were using a vehicle to light the area where they were working, and every so often, would rev up the engine for about 15 minutes or so, presumably to keep the battery alive. So I didn't have that much sleep that night. The next night however I found out that they had installed an outside security light which just happens to shine right into my bedroom window - just what I need - free night time light! Apparently there are no noise pollution laws here so I am now constantly subject the noise of car repair work being carried out to all hours of the night. It is enough to turn one to turn to drink - which I would not do as you would appreciate.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Hmm, perhaps a little exageration there ... Scotty has been known to imbibe the odd wee dram from time to time. :-) In one respect he is correct, there is lots of noise around Ulaanbaatar. Next to my apartment another apartment building is being built. It was not unusual when the concrete pours were occuring, or even later, for work to continue on the building until midnight or so. Mind, as the weather gets colder, so the work finishes earlier.
Scott Notes in 2000: The other morning, when the hot water was working, there was a knock at the front door. A Mongolian was there speaking to me in Mongolian, as most Mongolians do. And when I indicated I did not speak Mongolian he became slightly agitated, gesturing wildly with his hands. Eventually l realised he wanted to come into the apartment and so I let him in, thinking he was there to do a job or something.. He went straight to the bathroom, and continuing his wild gestures, finally got the message across to me that the shower water was leaking through to his apartment below. I am now worried that if water can easily pass through from 1 floor to another than what about the roof! As I am located on the top floor of the apartment building - guess I will find out shortly as the rain season has just started.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Always the fear - the knock on the door in a foreign country. You don't speak the language so how do you communicate?
More from Scott later.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Even more so in 2005. If a restaurant/bar did not have an outside eating area it pretty much could be guaranteed to be fairly empty in the summer. Summer was great. The endless blue sky and the miles of fenceless steppe are there all the time, but in summer it is special. So easy to love this country.
Scott Notes in 2000: So much so that the building next to my apartment which housed a small supermarket (sorry getting used to Mongolia - a small corner grocery shop) has built an outside bar to its entrance. Of course Mongolians like a drink or two, especially the vodka which is actually quite good & cheap, and so I now have to put up with the noise of 1970's music and rowdy drunken Mongolians drinking there until all hours of the morning.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Er, yes, well, some things change and some things remain the same :-) Actually, vodka seems to be a big problem here, in the same fashion as it is in other Central Asian Republics. It is not unusual to see guys passed out from it in the middle of the day. As Tseye has said before to me (actually, it was after the night I was passed out from vodka over consumption), "nothing good ever follows Vodka!"
Scott Notes in 2000: As if that is not enough the empty space between my apartment building & the small grocery store & outside bar has in the past week be turned into a car repair site. It was last Sunday night when approximately 1am in the morning I was awoken with the sound of metal being dragged across the ground & dropped. For the next 5 hours there was constant loud noise as two guys pulled, dragged, spot welded metal to secure what was before an open area. At the same time they were using a vehicle to light the area where they were working, and every so often, would rev up the engine for about 15 minutes or so, presumably to keep the battery alive. So I didn't have that much sleep that night. The next night however I found out that they had installed an outside security light which just happens to shine right into my bedroom window - just what I need - free night time light! Apparently there are no noise pollution laws here so I am now constantly subject the noise of car repair work being carried out to all hours of the night. It is enough to turn one to turn to drink - which I would not do as you would appreciate.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Hmm, perhaps a little exageration there ... Scotty has been known to imbibe the odd wee dram from time to time. :-) In one respect he is correct, there is lots of noise around Ulaanbaatar. Next to my apartment another apartment building is being built. It was not unusual when the concrete pours were occuring, or even later, for work to continue on the building until midnight or so. Mind, as the weather gets colder, so the work finishes earlier.
Scott Notes in 2000: The other morning, when the hot water was working, there was a knock at the front door. A Mongolian was there speaking to me in Mongolian, as most Mongolians do. And when I indicated I did not speak Mongolian he became slightly agitated, gesturing wildly with his hands. Eventually l realised he wanted to come into the apartment and so I let him in, thinking he was there to do a job or something.. He went straight to the bathroom, and continuing his wild gestures, finally got the message across to me that the shower water was leaking through to his apartment below. I am now worried that if water can easily pass through from 1 floor to another than what about the roof! As I am located on the top floor of the apartment building - guess I will find out shortly as the rain season has just started.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Always the fear - the knock on the door in a foreign country. You don't speak the language so how do you communicate?
More from Scott later.
Sunday, 13 November 2005
Ulaanbaatar Then and Now - Part 3
Scott Notes in 2000: Due to the length of my stay in UB the client was kind enough to show me some apartments that I might consider moving into. The first few were in so much disrepair that I was resigned to stay in the Hotel for the remainder of my time here. However they eventually showed me one that I agreed to as it was more spacious than the hotel room, and was certainly a lot cleaner than the others I had seen. So I moved on Saturday.
Thomo Notes in 2005: There are many apartment buildings in many of the districts of Ulaanbaatar now. Some are old, having been build back in the Communist times, others are newer. In fact, the apartment I live in is on the 11th floor of a building and has been up for about 18 months now. Out my windows I can see many more apartment buildings being built. Ulaanbaatar still also has a large ger district, where the traditional homes (gers) are built. These are not connected to water and such - water having to be carried in from a water station. They do, however, provide a living area for those unable to afford a newer apartment.
Scott Notes in 2000: The apartment has a bedroom, a lounge, small kitchen, bathroom & toilet and costs AUD 650 per month. Today (Sunday) I am wondering if I made the right decision. The lounge is next to useless as the TV does not have cable. The bedroom is large and has plenty of space and a TV with cable. So I have set up my working area in the bedroom. The kitchen is OK, the stove hotplates & Fridge work. However the cupboards, cookware & utensil leave a lot to be desired. But at least I can now cook something and have a cold drink. The hot water isn't working at the moment, found out late yesterday that the apartment block's hot water system is under repair at the moment & should be fixed within next few days - great! Just hope it doesn't break down when it starts to get cold. The electrical wiring is suspect as I have already had a few light jolts when turning a switch on/off.
Thomo Notes in 2005: No Hot Water? See A Shower, my Kingdom for a Shower in my blog. Ulaanbaatar has the largest Central Heating System in the world, with pretty much all the hot water used in Ulaanbaatar coming from central boilers that service many, many buildings. These boilers provide the hot water for both showering and washing as well as for central heating. An apartment can be rented in Ulaanbaatar for from US $200 a month to $2000 a month, depending on the quality that is needed. My two bedroom apartment, with furniture, in a building with a lift (two actually) that is left running 24x7, with security, costs US $750 per month and the landlady pays every bill for the apartment except telephone usage. Electrical wiring still leaves a little to be desired in UB, with a combination of old electrical implementations along with power surges and blackouts causing some more problems. There is no standard power point plug in Mongolia with US, European and Australian (Chinese) plugs common. Powerboards that take all plug types are therefore common.
However, one positive thing is that the infrastructure is improving, slowly by slowly.
Scott Notes in 2000: The phone number is 555555 (country & area code is 9761) however if you wish to call me do so between the hours 9am to 10am or around 8:30 pm. I cannot give an office number as I am actually working at three different sites and, like everything else in UB, telephones are a scarce resource & expensive. An advisor to one of the Banks here told me that she came across a country branch manager who actually locked the telephone in the safe.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Indeed, there are no public phones in Mongolia either. There are small single phone operators. Since Scott has been here the phone system has improved. There are now two mobile phone operators and even Mongolia Telecom has been making some small improvement. Country code is still 976 and Ulaanbaatar phone numbers are prefixed with a 11 these days. There are also satellite phones connecting the remoter regions with Ulaanbaatar but the transmission delay whilst passing to and from the satellite is a little frustrating. A third mobile phone operator will commence business later this year.
Scott Notes in 2000: So far I have not had much time to look around UB or the surrounding country, something that I intend to do when I get a chance. However I shall only be able to do so on Sundays as it is a 6 day, 8:30 to 6 working day week. I did go to the supermarket yesterday to stock up the pantry & fridge in the apartment. Although the cost of living is suppose to be cheap here, the cost of supermarket goods are not. For example 1 small packet of Kellogs Just Right cost AUD 6.50. At the same time there is not very much variety of items to choose from. At least I could buy some cans of Heineken at a reasonable price.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="A shop front in Erlian with its sign in 4 written scripts - old Mongolian, English, Chinese and Cyrillic"]
[/caption]
Thomo Notes in 2005: I have had lots of time to look around after six months here and that including all of the summer. Almost every weekend I went to the countryside with my favourite Mongolian family. I had to travel as well with work so I have visited 9 Aimags (provinces or states) of the country so far. Look in the Photo Section of this blog under the Mongolian Landscapes folder for some pictures. As far as supermarkets go, there are many "corner stores" in and around the apartments. They tend to be called supermarkets, along with the larger ones elsewhere. There are a couple in town that stock western produce as well so this position has changed over the years.
Scott Notes in 2000: That's all from now from your man in Outer Mongolia.
Thomo Notes in 2005: And for those unaware, there is an Outer and an Inner Mongolia. Outer Mongolia is, indeed, Mongolia, where I am sitting at the moment. Inner Mongolia, where the native population is ethnically Mongolian, is in China and is one of those special regions the Chinese have a fondness for. I have visited Erlian in that region. One thing I can say positively for that region is that is maintains to some extent, the use of the old Mongolian script. Mongolia itself uses a Cyrillic script. See the picture at right of a shop sign from Erlian.
Thomo Notes in 2005: There are many apartment buildings in many of the districts of Ulaanbaatar now. Some are old, having been build back in the Communist times, others are newer. In fact, the apartment I live in is on the 11th floor of a building and has been up for about 18 months now. Out my windows I can see many more apartment buildings being built. Ulaanbaatar still also has a large ger district, where the traditional homes (gers) are built. These are not connected to water and such - water having to be carried in from a water station. They do, however, provide a living area for those unable to afford a newer apartment.
Scott Notes in 2000: The apartment has a bedroom, a lounge, small kitchen, bathroom & toilet and costs AUD 650 per month. Today (Sunday) I am wondering if I made the right decision. The lounge is next to useless as the TV does not have cable. The bedroom is large and has plenty of space and a TV with cable. So I have set up my working area in the bedroom. The kitchen is OK, the stove hotplates & Fridge work. However the cupboards, cookware & utensil leave a lot to be desired. But at least I can now cook something and have a cold drink. The hot water isn't working at the moment, found out late yesterday that the apartment block's hot water system is under repair at the moment & should be fixed within next few days - great! Just hope it doesn't break down when it starts to get cold. The electrical wiring is suspect as I have already had a few light jolts when turning a switch on/off.
Thomo Notes in 2005: No Hot Water? See A Shower, my Kingdom for a Shower in my blog. Ulaanbaatar has the largest Central Heating System in the world, with pretty much all the hot water used in Ulaanbaatar coming from central boilers that service many, many buildings. These boilers provide the hot water for both showering and washing as well as for central heating. An apartment can be rented in Ulaanbaatar for from US $200 a month to $2000 a month, depending on the quality that is needed. My two bedroom apartment, with furniture, in a building with a lift (two actually) that is left running 24x7, with security, costs US $750 per month and the landlady pays every bill for the apartment except telephone usage. Electrical wiring still leaves a little to be desired in UB, with a combination of old electrical implementations along with power surges and blackouts causing some more problems. There is no standard power point plug in Mongolia with US, European and Australian (Chinese) plugs common. Powerboards that take all plug types are therefore common.
However, one positive thing is that the infrastructure is improving, slowly by slowly.
Scott Notes in 2000: The phone number is 555555 (country & area code is 9761) however if you wish to call me do so between the hours 9am to 10am or around 8:30 pm. I cannot give an office number as I am actually working at three different sites and, like everything else in UB, telephones are a scarce resource & expensive. An advisor to one of the Banks here told me that she came across a country branch manager who actually locked the telephone in the safe.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Indeed, there are no public phones in Mongolia either. There are small single phone operators. Since Scott has been here the phone system has improved. There are now two mobile phone operators and even Mongolia Telecom has been making some small improvement. Country code is still 976 and Ulaanbaatar phone numbers are prefixed with a 11 these days. There are also satellite phones connecting the remoter regions with Ulaanbaatar but the transmission delay whilst passing to and from the satellite is a little frustrating. A third mobile phone operator will commence business later this year.
Scott Notes in 2000: So far I have not had much time to look around UB or the surrounding country, something that I intend to do when I get a chance. However I shall only be able to do so on Sundays as it is a 6 day, 8:30 to 6 working day week. I did go to the supermarket yesterday to stock up the pantry & fridge in the apartment. Although the cost of living is suppose to be cheap here, the cost of supermarket goods are not. For example 1 small packet of Kellogs Just Right cost AUD 6.50. At the same time there is not very much variety of items to choose from. At least I could buy some cans of Heineken at a reasonable price.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="A shop front in Erlian with its sign in 4 written scripts - old Mongolian, English, Chinese and Cyrillic"]
[/caption]Thomo Notes in 2005: I have had lots of time to look around after six months here and that including all of the summer. Almost every weekend I went to the countryside with my favourite Mongolian family. I had to travel as well with work so I have visited 9 Aimags (provinces or states) of the country so far. Look in the Photo Section of this blog under the Mongolian Landscapes folder for some pictures. As far as supermarkets go, there are many "corner stores" in and around the apartments. They tend to be called supermarkets, along with the larger ones elsewhere. There are a couple in town that stock western produce as well so this position has changed over the years.
Scott Notes in 2000: That's all from now from your man in Outer Mongolia.
Thomo Notes in 2005: And for those unaware, there is an Outer and an Inner Mongolia. Outer Mongolia is, indeed, Mongolia, where I am sitting at the moment. Inner Mongolia, where the native population is ethnically Mongolian, is in China and is one of those special regions the Chinese have a fondness for. I have visited Erlian in that region. One thing I can say positively for that region is that is maintains to some extent, the use of the old Mongolian script. Mongolia itself uses a Cyrillic script. See the picture at right of a shop sign from Erlian.
Thursday, 10 November 2005
Talking about Ulaanbaatar Then and Now - Part 2
I'm from Australia where one of our national dishes is lamb. I also seem to recall, either in a blog or an email mentioning that I had only seen Mongolians eating mutton and that was because they were patient enough to wait for the animal to grow up and provide more meat.
Scott also mentioned the smell of mutton as well as the waiter's not asking how he'd like his steak cooked, something I had noted too. See the trackback here for a read of that entry: Ulaanbaatar Then and Now - Part 2
Ok, in true friendly fashion, my friend Alimaa, currently resident in the US but Mongolian never-the-less, has spent the time to explain a little more about Mongolian life, as well as setting the record straight on the matter of lamb and red (under- or un-cooked) meat.
I shall now (rarely) shut up and let Alimaa do the talking.
Alimaa: As to the waiters never asking the question -- how would you like your steak cooked? -- It does not cross any Mongolian's mind that a human being could be indulging in raw meat or red meat or in any degree uncooked meat. Here in the States, I have tried and tasted the medium or rare cooked steaks, which is tender and all. But even after all these years I still have hard time bringing myself to eating steak or burgers with any trace of redness in them. Rareness is a health hazard, if you ask me, with all the mad cow disease concerns going around. Also, eating raw or rare meats is considered seriously "barbaric" by Mongolians. I am getting a little excited here, I rarely do so or get defensive for that matter about any issues, about this subject :") We, Mongolians, may love lamb and beef occasionally goats and camels, but we never eat them raw and cooked less than thoroughly. (Back in days, if you are a well to do family you never ate game, it is for the poor.)
Also, you may have noticed, we Mongols do not eat baby animals. However much meat loving we may be, but we do not eat baby animals. That is "barbaric" and not humane to us. Another thing is since we eat so much meats, the way we kill the animals is a centuries old method that is the most painless to the animals and the fastest way to kill them. We Mongolians do not let any animal's blood drip or show while they are being "prepared". The tradition is that the women and the girls are not allowed to watch or be near anywhere where an animal is being killed.
As I was growing up we were not allowed to use the word kill towards animals being killed. It is euphemism. but I was raised to respect (not love, but respect) the animals that gave us food and all the other things to us. In the nomadic culture there is a lot of respect for the animals and the nature. It is such a harmonic way of life and life that emulates eternity. The whole universal philosophy or the meaning of life and the nature and the wild life and the circle of life that exists in the nomadic lifestyle gets lost in the modern or the western way of life. There is that simplicity and yet profound deep meaning to life when one lives the nomadic life. It is a life full of hard work, but a happy life. Life in which one can appreciate the most important things and the simplest things in life.....
The western materialistic, individualistic, and "achievement/success" driven life is the antithesis to the nomadic way of life. The western life - the life of so-called "progress", technology, "achievement", "good health", "quality life" ..... The nomadic way of life, sure it is not sustainable in today's world, but tonight I feel like I can rebut any assertions about the life of nomads from any negative light ....
Cable. Who cares about cable? Apparently millions and millions of people do. But I would like not to, unfortunately even nomads are starting to care more and more about cable. I do not carry cable in my house. All my friends and my children's friends and their parents raise their eyebrows when they find that out about our house.... I wish I could give my kids the joy of day's hard work and the joy of "rest in bed" at the end of the long day's work all exhausted and yet so fulfilled and happy. How do you learn to live in harmony with oneself and with nature in this "crazy" society that we live in now? My answer is get a taste of nomadic way of life, get a little sip of it. It is so beautiful .... and unfortunately its ways of life and ways of thinking, attitude, and all seems like, fast disappearing.
It bothers me when westerners go to Mongolia and get stuck on the superficial and meaningless everyday comforts of their daily existence. Yes, it is a developing country, it was a closed country and satellite to Russia for long seventy years! BUT: When you step into Mongolia you are stepping into a gem: the people, the real country folks, the nomads, their hearts, spirits, traditions, way of life, the rolling hills, the horses, camels, goats, sheep, yaks, the brooks and streams, the winds, the eternal blue sky, the milky white clouds, the clear starry nights, the stars so bright and so close that one gets fooled into trying to reach out and catch them, the air so fresh, the cool night breeze .......
The point is to open your minds and bodies and experience it. There is so much wisdom to be learned from living a nomadic life. An outsider might just see kids in ragged clothes running around run-down or dirty looking ghers, and may get disgusted by little kids what seems like peeing everywhere. But you know what, they are the kids of nature, they are part of the nature. They are happy running like that, they have happy childhood, and they are healthy running like that and they have so much imagination and just joy of living life that is part of this earth and living the most free-est life in movement and in spirit one can imagine. My parents' generation (and mine to some extent) they do not have any allergies/asthmas because they ate such pure and clean foods and led such healthy and active lives breathing air that may seem dusty to some but clean and free of pollutants, pesticides, chemicals and etc. (Though could not say the same about today's Ulaanbaatar I hear :-( )
Sometimes, I wonder how do I relay these feelings and experiences that I, my parents, and my ancestors have had growing up the way we all did, to my children who are growing up in this completely different world that they are being raised in..... But then what I, my parents and my ancestors have had may not exist there anymore... Sounds like I am turning a bit idealistic and contemplative, and way overdue for my next visit to Mongolia's countryside (not the city!) :-) But then you realize what you love most or appreciate most when you do not have it anymore. Luckily for you, I am guessing, you get to get reunited with that special person :-) and for me I could go and visit the place I love the most when a chance presents itself.
Thomo speaking again: A lot of what Alimaa says I can agree with. I guess I would take exception on the cable, however, as Scott (as indeed me initially) came here on business trips. In Ulanbaatar at night after work it is impossible to experience a nomadic lifestyle, so in cases, conveniences like cable are important as they help prevent an overriding boredom settling in.
And yes, Alimaa, as I look out my window I can see the pollution settling on UB - a winter ill in particular.
More Scott and Thomo's Comparisons soon - and a further chance for Alimaa to comment.
Scott also mentioned the smell of mutton as well as the waiter's not asking how he'd like his steak cooked, something I had noted too. See the trackback here for a read of that entry: Ulaanbaatar Then and Now - Part 2
Ok, in true friendly fashion, my friend Alimaa, currently resident in the US but Mongolian never-the-less, has spent the time to explain a little more about Mongolian life, as well as setting the record straight on the matter of lamb and red (under- or un-cooked) meat.
I shall now (rarely) shut up and let Alimaa do the talking.
Alimaa: As to the waiters never asking the question -- how would you like your steak cooked? -- It does not cross any Mongolian's mind that a human being could be indulging in raw meat or red meat or in any degree uncooked meat. Here in the States, I have tried and tasted the medium or rare cooked steaks, which is tender and all. But even after all these years I still have hard time bringing myself to eating steak or burgers with any trace of redness in them. Rareness is a health hazard, if you ask me, with all the mad cow disease concerns going around. Also, eating raw or rare meats is considered seriously "barbaric" by Mongolians. I am getting a little excited here, I rarely do so or get defensive for that matter about any issues, about this subject :") We, Mongolians, may love lamb and beef occasionally goats and camels, but we never eat them raw and cooked less than thoroughly. (Back in days, if you are a well to do family you never ate game, it is for the poor.)
Also, you may have noticed, we Mongols do not eat baby animals. However much meat loving we may be, but we do not eat baby animals. That is "barbaric" and not humane to us. Another thing is since we eat so much meats, the way we kill the animals is a centuries old method that is the most painless to the animals and the fastest way to kill them. We Mongolians do not let any animal's blood drip or show while they are being "prepared". The tradition is that the women and the girls are not allowed to watch or be near anywhere where an animal is being killed.
As I was growing up we were not allowed to use the word kill towards animals being killed. It is euphemism. but I was raised to respect (not love, but respect) the animals that gave us food and all the other things to us. In the nomadic culture there is a lot of respect for the animals and the nature. It is such a harmonic way of life and life that emulates eternity. The whole universal philosophy or the meaning of life and the nature and the wild life and the circle of life that exists in the nomadic lifestyle gets lost in the modern or the western way of life. There is that simplicity and yet profound deep meaning to life when one lives the nomadic life. It is a life full of hard work, but a happy life. Life in which one can appreciate the most important things and the simplest things in life.....
The western materialistic, individualistic, and "achievement/success" driven life is the antithesis to the nomadic way of life. The western life - the life of so-called "progress", technology, "achievement", "good health", "quality life" ..... The nomadic way of life, sure it is not sustainable in today's world, but tonight I feel like I can rebut any assertions about the life of nomads from any negative light ....
Cable. Who cares about cable? Apparently millions and millions of people do. But I would like not to, unfortunately even nomads are starting to care more and more about cable. I do not carry cable in my house. All my friends and my children's friends and their parents raise their eyebrows when they find that out about our house.... I wish I could give my kids the joy of day's hard work and the joy of "rest in bed" at the end of the long day's work all exhausted and yet so fulfilled and happy. How do you learn to live in harmony with oneself and with nature in this "crazy" society that we live in now? My answer is get a taste of nomadic way of life, get a little sip of it. It is so beautiful .... and unfortunately its ways of life and ways of thinking, attitude, and all seems like, fast disappearing.
It bothers me when westerners go to Mongolia and get stuck on the superficial and meaningless everyday comforts of their daily existence. Yes, it is a developing country, it was a closed country and satellite to Russia for long seventy years! BUT: When you step into Mongolia you are stepping into a gem: the people, the real country folks, the nomads, their hearts, spirits, traditions, way of life, the rolling hills, the horses, camels, goats, sheep, yaks, the brooks and streams, the winds, the eternal blue sky, the milky white clouds, the clear starry nights, the stars so bright and so close that one gets fooled into trying to reach out and catch them, the air so fresh, the cool night breeze .......
The point is to open your minds and bodies and experience it. There is so much wisdom to be learned from living a nomadic life. An outsider might just see kids in ragged clothes running around run-down or dirty looking ghers, and may get disgusted by little kids what seems like peeing everywhere. But you know what, they are the kids of nature, they are part of the nature. They are happy running like that, they have happy childhood, and they are healthy running like that and they have so much imagination and just joy of living life that is part of this earth and living the most free-est life in movement and in spirit one can imagine. My parents' generation (and mine to some extent) they do not have any allergies/asthmas because they ate such pure and clean foods and led such healthy and active lives breathing air that may seem dusty to some but clean and free of pollutants, pesticides, chemicals and etc. (Though could not say the same about today's Ulaanbaatar I hear :-( )
Sometimes, I wonder how do I relay these feelings and experiences that I, my parents, and my ancestors have had growing up the way we all did, to my children who are growing up in this completely different world that they are being raised in..... But then what I, my parents and my ancestors have had may not exist there anymore... Sounds like I am turning a bit idealistic and contemplative, and way overdue for my next visit to Mongolia's countryside (not the city!) :-) But then you realize what you love most or appreciate most when you do not have it anymore. Luckily for you, I am guessing, you get to get reunited with that special person :-) and for me I could go and visit the place I love the most when a chance presents itself.
Thomo speaking again: A lot of what Alimaa says I can agree with. I guess I would take exception on the cable, however, as Scott (as indeed me initially) came here on business trips. In Ulanbaatar at night after work it is impossible to experience a nomadic lifestyle, so in cases, conveniences like cable are important as they help prevent an overriding boredom settling in.
And yes, Alimaa, as I look out my window I can see the pollution settling on UB - a winter ill in particular.
More Scott and Thomo's Comparisons soon - and a further chance for Alimaa to comment.
Mongolian Public Telephones
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="A girl uses a public phone outside my office"]
[/caption]
Mongolian Currency (MNT - Mongolia - Tugriks) has two decimal places. However, due to it devaluing over the years, it no longer has any cents (decimal) equivalents. The smallest denomination in circulation is 10 tugriks and that is a note (it is also worth less than 1 cent US currency) . There are no coins in use. The lack of coins raises some interesting problems, such has how do you have a coin-operated laundry, public telephones and the like without coins? How do you start a football match - toss a note? I have seen the same thing in Cambodia where coins were not in use. There, there was a big market for telephone cards. Here, in true Mongolian fashion, an alternative solution is in use. Throughout Ulaanbaatar there are many folks standing with a wireless phone. These attach to a (I believe) CDMA network and these operators provide the public with access to the telephone system. See the image below. You give the operator 200 tugrik and you get to talk on the phone. There are also calling cards available in Ulaanbaatar, especially for overseas calling, but nothing beats a public telephone, especially when the temperature falls.
[/caption]Mongolian Currency (MNT - Mongolia - Tugriks) has two decimal places. However, due to it devaluing over the years, it no longer has any cents (decimal) equivalents. The smallest denomination in circulation is 10 tugriks and that is a note (it is also worth less than 1 cent US currency) . There are no coins in use. The lack of coins raises some interesting problems, such has how do you have a coin-operated laundry, public telephones and the like without coins? How do you start a football match - toss a note? I have seen the same thing in Cambodia where coins were not in use. There, there was a big market for telephone cards. Here, in true Mongolian fashion, an alternative solution is in use. Throughout Ulaanbaatar there are many folks standing with a wireless phone. These attach to a (I believe) CDMA network and these operators provide the public with access to the telephone system. See the image below. You give the operator 200 tugrik and you get to talk on the phone. There are also calling cards available in Ulaanbaatar, especially for overseas calling, but nothing beats a public telephone, especially when the temperature falls.
Sunday, 6 November 2005
Ulaanbaatar Then and Now - Part 2
Scott Notes in 2000: When I 1st arrived at UB I checked into the UB Hotel, supposedly the “best” hotel in UB. From all accounts in talking with different people, both local & expatriates, it is the best! However it would be lucky to get a 2 star rating. I had a double room which consisted of a bathroom & a bedroom (tariff AUD 140). After checking in I went to my room to unpack & then have a shower before meeting the client for dinner. Having finished my unpacking, which was easy as there wasn’t much cupboard or drawer space to unpack to, and hardly any hangers in the wardrobe, I went to have a shave & shower. Turning on the water taps I was horrified to see dark murky water coming through. Standing there in a daze wondering what the hell had I let myself into the water eventually cleared however no hot water, not even after 5 minutes. I subsequently learnt that you have to let the water run for almost 10 to 15 minutes before any hot water will start to come through. The bath & shower taps are as per Europe where you have to pull a plug up to allow the water to come through the shower head. When I first pulled it up it came off, so after fixing it, it came up but then slipped halfway down again so that you only had a small amount of water coming through the shower head. The cable TV only had 7 channels, 3 of which were in English, CNN, BBC & ESPStar sports. Apparently there is a 4th English channel that shows movies etc but it wasn’t tuned in on the Hotel set. The rooms do not have any air conditioning, and as a consequence my room was very stuffy & hot, and remained that way, as I couldn’t open the double glazed windows.
Thomo Notes in 2005: I have to mention that I also stayed in a hotel, at the time, reportedly the best in Ulaanbaatar (and not the UB Hotel). It also suffered from water pressure, especially when switching between bath and shower. The cable TV was much better now with many channels. There are, I think, two basic cable supply companies in Mongolia, Sansar and Supervision. Between them they carry the usual suspects, CNN, BBC World, Star TV, Star Movies, ESPN, Star Sports, MTV, ABC Asia Pacific, lots of Russian, NHK, Arirang etc etc. They are split between the two companies and there are probably 20 or so channels on each network, with a few of them common to both networks. I am now in an apartment and access to these channels is cheap, in the order of $4.00 per month.
Airconditioning is still a rarity here as in summer, whilst the temperature may reach 30 or so, the humidity is really low. Opening the window tends to work and at nighttime the temperature falls to a pleasant level. Eating outside in the sunshine is almost mandatory over the short summer and any restaurant that wants to maintain clientele in the summer must have an outside eating area.
Scott Notes in 2000: The hotel didn’t have a regular hotel bar. There was a small one but I never saw it open for business. It did have a nightclub bar which opened at 9pm, however when I checked it out late one night for a nightcap it was totally empty. The hotel restaurant, in fact all of the “western” styled restaurants I have been to so far, lack any menu variety, the food is low quality and often lacks taste. In a lot of cases the stench of cooked mutton hangs in the air. I now know & appreciate how Rose feels with regards to the smell of lamb. Went to the up-market El Torado Steakhouse the other night and ordered the fillet steak (AUD 18). The waiter didn’t ask anyone how they might want their steaks cooked. It was served cooked well & truly through, with a large serving of mayonnaise on top, the steak was stringy & tough, tasted like horse meat and had obviously been well marinated, the taste of which was not particularly appealing. I ended up only eating half of it. The side vegetables were minimal and almost inedible. Fortunately the beer was cold. The local brewery makes quite a good draught beer called Chingis. A ½ liter will cost approx. AUD 3.50.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Well, beer is certainly cheaper now, a 1/2 litre of Chinggish costing about AUD $2.50 from most places. And there is certainly no shortage of places to eat and drink with many pubs, restaurants and clubs all over town. There are some that have been here for a long time such as Millies, the UB Deli and such, whilst others have only been open for a year or two - Dave's Place, Budweiser Pub and so on. As for the steak being tough and tasting like horsemeat, well, horsemeat has a different flavour. I've not tried the El Torado but in one respect, some things do not change. I have never been asked how I wanted my steak cooked - it is just ordered and delivered.
Ulaanbaatar has become a much more interesting place to eat over the years. There are now many Chinese restaurants, Korean restaurants, a couple of French, German, English/Irish style as well as Russian, Ukrainian and Thai. There are traditional Mongolian restaurants as well as modern fusion Mongolian (the three Nomad's restaurants in particular). Whilst Khuurshuur and Buuz can become a little boring when travelling through the countryside, in Ulaanbaatar in particular, there is so much eating variety now that it is difficult to get bored with food here.
Thomo Notes in 2005: I have to mention that I also stayed in a hotel, at the time, reportedly the best in Ulaanbaatar (and not the UB Hotel). It also suffered from water pressure, especially when switching between bath and shower. The cable TV was much better now with many channels. There are, I think, two basic cable supply companies in Mongolia, Sansar and Supervision. Between them they carry the usual suspects, CNN, BBC World, Star TV, Star Movies, ESPN, Star Sports, MTV, ABC Asia Pacific, lots of Russian, NHK, Arirang etc etc. They are split between the two companies and there are probably 20 or so channels on each network, with a few of them common to both networks. I am now in an apartment and access to these channels is cheap, in the order of $4.00 per month.
Airconditioning is still a rarity here as in summer, whilst the temperature may reach 30 or so, the humidity is really low. Opening the window tends to work and at nighttime the temperature falls to a pleasant level. Eating outside in the sunshine is almost mandatory over the short summer and any restaurant that wants to maintain clientele in the summer must have an outside eating area.
Scott Notes in 2000: The hotel didn’t have a regular hotel bar. There was a small one but I never saw it open for business. It did have a nightclub bar which opened at 9pm, however when I checked it out late one night for a nightcap it was totally empty. The hotel restaurant, in fact all of the “western” styled restaurants I have been to so far, lack any menu variety, the food is low quality and often lacks taste. In a lot of cases the stench of cooked mutton hangs in the air. I now know & appreciate how Rose feels with regards to the smell of lamb. Went to the up-market El Torado Steakhouse the other night and ordered the fillet steak (AUD 18). The waiter didn’t ask anyone how they might want their steaks cooked. It was served cooked well & truly through, with a large serving of mayonnaise on top, the steak was stringy & tough, tasted like horse meat and had obviously been well marinated, the taste of which was not particularly appealing. I ended up only eating half of it. The side vegetables were minimal and almost inedible. Fortunately the beer was cold. The local brewery makes quite a good draught beer called Chingis. A ½ liter will cost approx. AUD 3.50.
Thomo Notes in 2005: Well, beer is certainly cheaper now, a 1/2 litre of Chinggish costing about AUD $2.50 from most places. And there is certainly no shortage of places to eat and drink with many pubs, restaurants and clubs all over town. There are some that have been here for a long time such as Millies, the UB Deli and such, whilst others have only been open for a year or two - Dave's Place, Budweiser Pub and so on. As for the steak being tough and tasting like horsemeat, well, horsemeat has a different flavour. I've not tried the El Torado but in one respect, some things do not change. I have never been asked how I wanted my steak cooked - it is just ordered and delivered.
Ulaanbaatar has become a much more interesting place to eat over the years. There are now many Chinese restaurants, Korean restaurants, a couple of French, German, English/Irish style as well as Russian, Ukrainian and Thai. There are traditional Mongolian restaurants as well as modern fusion Mongolian (the three Nomad's restaurants in particular). Whilst Khuurshuur and Buuz can become a little boring when travelling through the countryside, in Ulaanbaatar in particular, there is so much eating variety now that it is difficult to get bored with food here.
Thursday, 3 November 2005
Ulaanbaatar Then and Now - Part 1
Scott in 2000 Notes: Well life in UlaanBataar (UB) Outer Mongolia is certainly different to what I am used to in Australia or for that matter what I have experienced through all of my travels. It is definitely 3rd world in just about every respect. The closest I have come to experiencing a similar lifestyle & living environment would have been when I was in Saudi Arabia & Kuwait in the Middle East - however at least in the Middle East there were 5 star hotels etc. One thing though, at least in UB one can openly buy & enjoy a beer or two whereas in the Middle East you couldn't.
Thomo Notes: Scott arrived in Ulaanbaatar in the Summer and it was a warm summer. In the past five years though there has been a lot of development in Ulaanbaatar, new buildings, new roads, other infrastructure improvement so that whilst Mongolia is still a developing country, it is a developing country moving forward - perhaps not fast enough for some but in the right direction at least. And yes Scott, beer is still freely available here.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="The Circus from my Apartment in Ulaanbaatar"]
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As for five-star hotels, Shangri-la Hotels are building a hotel in Ulaanbaatar in partnership with MCS, a local firm.
Scott in 2000 Notes: The buildings in UB reminds me very much of the country cities in Russia during the mid seventies. The only difference being that they are even more run down. It would appear that very little has been spent on infrastructure maintenance since the Russians left 10 years ago as the country itself is broke. This is also reflected in the state of the roads, the vehicles used and the energy supply. For example the roads are in a terrible state, so much so that vehicles cannot travel faster than 30 km/h due to the large cracks & pot holes. Mind you, in 99% of cases it would be very dangerous driving any of the vehicles here faster than 30kmh due to their age & condition. In Australia most would have been banned from the roads years ago as death bombs. The energy supply here is apparently improving but is still subject to frequent breakdowns. Most buildings are only 3 floors high at most & very few of them have lifts. None of the residential apartments have lifts and the stairwells do not have lights. Given that the stairs themselves are uneven and in some cases broken, one has to be careful when coming home & climbing stairs in the dark.
Thomo Notes: Yep, many of the roads are still as bad as described, whilst others are a lot better, the South Road next to the railway line for example is in pretty good condition. Road crews get around more frequently now and fix many of the problems. There is a fair mix as well of old vehicles, vehicles that are sort of falling apart and new vehicles. I must admit that Ulaanbaatar is one city where I would suggest a 4WD vehicle is necessary in town.Mind you, I have seen cars driving around with one nut missing from each wheel, as well as seeing a number of cars and trucks that have lost their wheel. And there are a lot of breakdowns. Also it is rare to see a car with a full fuel tank. Most are driven on quarter full or less. I guess this prevents loss of petrol if stolen at night when the car is parked. My favourite Mongolian family had the wing mirrors stolen from their car the other evening (and it was not even the depth of night, rather about 8:00 or so). I mean, who bothers to steal wing mirrors? Cracked windscreens are seen a lot as well, although I cannot make out if that is the result of stones or just extremely cold weather. As far as energy supply goes, it is getting better. There were a few blackouts around the office in the summer although these appear to have gone in the autumn and power has been very stable around Ulaanbaatar at least over recent weeks. As for the buildings, yes, there are a lot of 3 to 5 storey old Russian style apartment buildings around with uneven stairs and floors. There is now a lot of new buidling going on with many newer apartment buildings being built. These have elevators, security and are very modern - and they are also earthquake resistant, I believe to Richter 8.0 ... but I will happily be corrected on that point. I live on the 11th floor and the elevator here runs 24x7. And if Asiel is reading this, yes, [in best Russian accent] "soviet apartment is like soviet woman ... big, strong, ugly ... but not Russian woman!" :-)
Thomo Notes: Scott arrived in Ulaanbaatar in the Summer and it was a warm summer. In the past five years though there has been a lot of development in Ulaanbaatar, new buildings, new roads, other infrastructure improvement so that whilst Mongolia is still a developing country, it is a developing country moving forward - perhaps not fast enough for some but in the right direction at least. And yes Scott, beer is still freely available here.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="The Circus from my Apartment in Ulaanbaatar"]
[/caption]As for five-star hotels, Shangri-la Hotels are building a hotel in Ulaanbaatar in partnership with MCS, a local firm.
Scott in 2000 Notes: The buildings in UB reminds me very much of the country cities in Russia during the mid seventies. The only difference being that they are even more run down. It would appear that very little has been spent on infrastructure maintenance since the Russians left 10 years ago as the country itself is broke. This is also reflected in the state of the roads, the vehicles used and the energy supply. For example the roads are in a terrible state, so much so that vehicles cannot travel faster than 30 km/h due to the large cracks & pot holes. Mind you, in 99% of cases it would be very dangerous driving any of the vehicles here faster than 30kmh due to their age & condition. In Australia most would have been banned from the roads years ago as death bombs. The energy supply here is apparently improving but is still subject to frequent breakdowns. Most buildings are only 3 floors high at most & very few of them have lifts. None of the residential apartments have lifts and the stairwells do not have lights. Given that the stairs themselves are uneven and in some cases broken, one has to be careful when coming home & climbing stairs in the dark.
Thomo Notes: Yep, many of the roads are still as bad as described, whilst others are a lot better, the South Road next to the railway line for example is in pretty good condition. Road crews get around more frequently now and fix many of the problems. There is a fair mix as well of old vehicles, vehicles that are sort of falling apart and new vehicles. I must admit that Ulaanbaatar is one city where I would suggest a 4WD vehicle is necessary in town.Mind you, I have seen cars driving around with one nut missing from each wheel, as well as seeing a number of cars and trucks that have lost their wheel. And there are a lot of breakdowns. Also it is rare to see a car with a full fuel tank. Most are driven on quarter full or less. I guess this prevents loss of petrol if stolen at night when the car is parked. My favourite Mongolian family had the wing mirrors stolen from their car the other evening (and it was not even the depth of night, rather about 8:00 or so). I mean, who bothers to steal wing mirrors? Cracked windscreens are seen a lot as well, although I cannot make out if that is the result of stones or just extremely cold weather. As far as energy supply goes, it is getting better. There were a few blackouts around the office in the summer although these appear to have gone in the autumn and power has been very stable around Ulaanbaatar at least over recent weeks. As for the buildings, yes, there are a lot of 3 to 5 storey old Russian style apartment buildings around with uneven stairs and floors. There is now a lot of new buidling going on with many newer apartment buildings being built. These have elevators, security and are very modern - and they are also earthquake resistant, I believe to Richter 8.0 ... but I will happily be corrected on that point. I live on the 11th floor and the elevator here runs 24x7. And if Asiel is reading this, yes, [in best Russian accent] "soviet apartment is like soviet woman ... big, strong, ugly ... but not Russian woman!" :-)
Wednesday, 2 November 2005
It's a Scone
Walking around the supermarket here in UB the other day and I chanced upon a counter called "Fresh Bake". Found a second one here tonight at the Sky Shopping Centre Supermarket. Apart from baking there at the supermarket a really nice baguette, they also bake some other interesting items. It is a scone! A fruit scone here in Ulaanbaatar (see the picture if you don't believe me). So we have lamingtons at a fast food joint, and scones in the supermarket (er, the Americans call "scones" "biscuits", and "biscuits" "cookies" :-) ). And Joel, if you are reading this, they also do a beef pie and a pastry (which really should be spelled "pastie"). Oh, and a Chelsea Bun. Thomo's figure will get more and more fulsome at this rate.
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