Mongolia: Recap

It’s been a month since I arrived in Mongolia, and sufficient to say I’ve had enough to last me for some time. Some recap for this week.

I have been doing little walking this round among the streets of UB. After last year’s little scare we’ve been moving around in a cab. On the times that I do get out and take a breath of fresh air, I’m reminded of what might have been a nice walk.. it is wasn’t for those homeless kids pestering us at every corner.

 

The LV grand opening is over and the crews are working hard to remove the enclosure from the square. From far it does look a bit like the circus.

Also, I love the blue sky!

We paid a visit to LV of course! But photography is forbidden within the stores so we took a couple outside looking very foolish and pumpkin :)

Our water supply for 2 weeks (seen above) all empty and ready for recycling.

It’s natural that after spending a month in the capital of Mongolia, my next stop should be the capital of it’s neighbor, Beijing!

Gonna be leaving on the jet plane (again) tomorrow for China. So far my limited research says the only attraction not to be missed is the ever popular Beijing Duck!

Bon Voyage~!

Things to do in Mongolia

Start off by drinking the local tap water, get sick, then get immunized, then…

  1. Stay with Nomads in a Ger
  2. Build a Ger
  3. Ride a Horse, Camel
  4. Milk a goat
  5. Make Mare’s Milk and drink it
  6. Comb a Goat for Cashmere
  7. Take part in Eagle Hunting
  8. Hunt
  9. See and ride a Bactarian Camel
10. Catch a Taimen Fish
11. Berry Picking in the North
12. Take the Trans-Mongolian
13. Bird Watching
14. Wear Mongolian Traditional Clothes
15. Take part in a Genghis Khan Cavalry Charge
16. Wrestle a Mongolian during the Nadaam
17. Slide down the singing sand dunes
18. Help unearth dinosaur eggs and bones
19. Drink Seakuckturn berry juice
20. Learn the Mongolian language
21. Learn to write the old Mongolian Script
22. Learn how to cook Mongolian Yogurt, cheeses and dried curds
23. Eat a marmot cooked the Mongolian Way
24. Drink deer blood
25. Go River Rafting on the Tuul River
26. Meet a Mongolian Fortune Teller
27. Take part in a Shaman ceremony
28. Ride a Motorbike in the endless steppes
29. Drive a Russian Jeep (Gaz) in the Gobi
30. Try throat singing (long song)
31. Watch and maybe attempt to be a contortionist
32. Climb the Turtle Rock
33. Drink Mongolian Home made vodka made from milk
34. Take part in religious Tsam Dencing
35. Sleep under the blue sky
36. Dog Sledgings in  the snows of Winter
37. Go to the Naraantul Market in Ulaanbaatar
38. Climb to the Zaisan Memorial
39. Have a Ghinggis Day
40. Play anklebone
41. Drink Hot Salt Milk tea
42. Enjoy looking at beautiful Mongolian Girls!!!!
43. Wear  Deel( Coat) in the winter and feel the warm
44. Get a massage from a little Mongolian grand mother
45. Drive a soviet Gaz 69 jeep through the steppes.
46. Get bitten my large mongolian mosquitoes and horse flies
47. Eat Huushuur and Buuz
48. Play with countryside red-cheeked children
49. Play dembee before you drink Mongolian milk made vodka
50. Go to Mongolian happy valley
51. Cut Firewood
52. Feed animals
53. Herd animals such as horses, goats, sheeps and catles
54. Learn folk dance
55. Backpacking around Mongolia

Mongolian Summer

Wanted to share a different aspect of Mongolian climate (other than being freaking cold).
Pictures taken by colleagues during their recent summer outing.

 

^ This is the Genghis Khan statue located 50km away from the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator. The guy in white is the local IT guy helping us in doing translation work this year.

 

^ Pictured is Jargal, our Mongolian admin officer. She studied Mandarin in Beijing before and knows English so she’s our goto person for things like arranging a cab during weekends to calling the landlord to pick the trash etc. Many many many thanks to her.

Also pictured: GRASS and RIVERS!!

 

^ Mongolian summer is not cold, just slightly windy and cool. T-Shirts in the open is not a problem. Only need sunglasses cause there’s not much cloud layer for shade.

 

^ They enjoy a game of blow darts from time to time. Non poisonous tips is used, duh!

 

^ Afternoon sun not being on top of your head and clear skies all summer!

 

^ Pictured: Some of the senior staffs having a break.

 

^ Our local Mongolian colleagues enjoy their time under the sun. They helped in being our translator and liaison between us and the client.

 

^ Modern Mongolians seldom dress in the traditional costumes. It’s jeans and T’s all round the clock.

 

^ Batzaya is our local translator as well as a certified ACCA accountant.

 

^ Kharbir is our colleague in Mongolia but he’s from Kazakhstan. That makes him my second Kazakh friend after my other friend in college. He’s seen here with another Mongolian colleague who’s also helping out in chasing our client for files and reports ;)

 

^ Some evening outdoor activities always follows a summer break. Bon fires are the norm.

PS: No idea where they get the wood from. It’s just.. there in a pile for easy picking.

 

^ It’s summer time but no one’s complaining about the heat!

 

^ The local Mongolian office is not huge. They’re all here.

 

^ End of story ;)

Mongolia, it’s still autumn here

Mongolia! MiniBlog

It’s almost the end of my 3rd week here. Work has really picked up pace this week (which explains the lack of blog post).

Have been doing some sight seeing around town. We managed to figure out how to haggle the taxi fare down to a reasonable rate and the nearest landmark to our apartment so we can always grab a cab and go home. This allows us to walk further (going all out in fact) and still manage to come home safely.

I’ve been looping this song the whole day and still haven’t got bored of it.

Am embedding the YouTube version plus lyrics PLUS ping yin below. It’s so meaningful I had to include the translation as well. Make so much sense…

PS: I’ve learnt to sing the Korean part merely by listening to it for 50 over times today ;)

 

 

Jie kai wo, zui shen mi de deng dai
Xing xing zhui luo fong zai chui dong
Zhong yu zai jiang ni yong ru huai zhong
Liang ke xin chan dou
Xiang xin wo bu bian de zhen xin
Qian nian deng dai yao wo cheng nuo
Wu lun jing guo duo shao de han dong
Wo jue bu fang shou

    Release me from this mysterious waiting 
    The stars are falling; the wind is blowing.
    Finally I can hold you in my arms.
    Two hearts beating together.
    Believe me that my heart has never-change 
    Waiting a thousand year, You have my promise
    No matter how many cold winter have passed
    I will never let you go.

Ijen naye soneul chapgo neuneul kabwayo
Uri saranghaeddon naldeul senggaghaebwayo
Uri nomu saranghaesso apassod neyo
Soro saranghangdan maldo motheson neyo

    Now hold my hands, and close your eyes
    Please think about the days when we were in love.
    We loved each other too much, it caused us such pain
    We can’t even say “I love you”

Mei yi ye, bei xing tong chuan yue
Sze nian yong mei you zhong dian
Zao xhi guan le gu du xiang sui
Wo wei xiao mian dui
Xiang xin wo yi xuan ze deng dai
Zai duo ku tong ye bu shan duo
Zhi you ni de wen rou neng jie jiu

Wu bian de leng mo

    Every night my heart aches.
    I never stop thinking of you.
    I am used to being alone for such a long time
    And I face it with a smile.
    Believe me, I choose to wait.
    Even though it’s painful, I won’t leave.
    Only your tenderness can save me
    From the endless cold.

Ijen naye soneul chapgo neuneul kabwayo
Uri saranghaeddon naldeul senggaghaebwayo
Uri nomu saranghaesso apassod neyo
Soro saranghangdan maldo motheson neyo

    Now hold my hands, and close your eyes
    Please think about the days when we were in love.
    We loved each other too much, it caused us such pain
    We can’t even say “I love you”

Rang ai cheng wei ni wo xin zhong
Nai yong yuan sheng kai de hua
Chuan yue shi kong jue bu di tou
Yong bu fang qi de meng

    Let the love in our hearts
    Become a blossoming flower
    We can pass through time, never bowing our heads,
    And never giving up our dream.

Uri nomu saranghaesso apassod neyo
Soro saranghangdan malgo motheson neyo

    We loved each other too much, it caused us such pain
    We can’t even say the words “I love you”

Rang ai cheng wei ni wo xing zhong
Na yong yuan sheng kai de hua

    Let the love in our hearts
    Become a blossoming flower

Uri sohjunghaedon yaksog ijineun marayo

    We never forget our promise.

Wei you zhen ai zhui sui ni wo
Chuan yue wu jin shi kong

    Only true love follows us 
    As we travel through the endless space and time.

Soro saranghangdan maldo motheson neyo

    We can’t even say the words “I love you.”

Ai shi xin zhong wei yi, bu bian mei li de shen hua

    Love is the only myth that exist in the hearts that never change.