Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mount real]

I'm thinking about going to Mongolia for my vacation this year, and I'm wondering about past experiences, recommendations and the like....I'm not very interested in Ulaan Bataar, more in a horseback riding/hiking nature type trek, in the steppes or the desert.....any ideas?

[chest rockwell]

Good luck

[dulouz]

I talk like I have been there but I really have not been there but I'm looking forward to it. There is a festival thats supposed to be a big thing. Try to get to that. Horseback riding is very available. Mongolia seems to go on for ever and ever. Lake Huvsgul has good fishing but you have to use fly rods and its catch and release.

There are alot of arranged tours and those arent necessarily bad. You don't waste time and you get to meet othe people.

[Alias]

Go for it!

That is one near-by country that no one seems to go to. How many foreigners can say that they've been to Mongolia? It should be quite the experience.

[captain kirk]

Seen it a few times on TV in the last week. One show was a kind of cross steppes marathon. A Korean entry was blind and tethered to a sighted runner. What the blind man couldn't see was vast, open, desert valleys with very high mountains. The landscape looks barren.

They'd be running along and a herd of funny looking sheep would dash out of the way, down and out of a dried up streambed. Skinny legs but lots of wool, like it gets really cold their in the winter, and I'll bet it does. The landscape looks sort of 'biblical', except wider valleys and higher mountains.

Being from Saskatchewan, Canada, a vast prairie place, I'm in no hurry to meet wide open spaces with endless perspectives. But then being there and watching Mongolia on TV could be a different story

If I was there I'd want a horse or a dirtbike to get across the nothingness and explore. Another thing, those cross country runners were trucking along in almost 40 degree celcius heat! Could coincide with a personal weight loss program/sunstroke combo.

[Chillin' Villain]

I played in an outdoor hockey tourney in Ulaan Bataar about a year ago, in the dead of winter... Felt just like Edmonton in January, actually.

Ulaan Bataar will probably be your base, that's just how it is... However, it should not be difficult to do your travel arrangements from the first hotel you stay in, if you stay in Flower or another tourist hotel (can't remember the other names... cheap, though... 13 bucks a night)...

Oh yeah, and if you spend a couple nights in UB, ask a taxi to take you to the "Marco Polo"... Maybe one of the best bars in Asia *^^*

[gypsyfish]

It's beautiful. The main places to go are the Gobi, Lake Khosgal, Karkoram, and Ulan Batar. (I'm not worrying about the spelling because it's pretty creative when you're there.)

I went with a friend and two guides and a driver. You may be able to get around now-a-days without a guide, but it's a good idea to have one anyway. One time we were driving in the middle of the steppe, saw a group of people practising for the Naadam, and stopped. Without the guides it would have been near impossible to talk with them. The head guy asked that I not photograph the horse or rider that won the practice heat, but sent another kid out to ride in so I could get some action shots. I don't like to give toys or food for thanks, so I carry a bunch of post cards and write my thanks and draw a picture on the back of them. I gave the head guy one of Washington DC. He took one look at the White House and said "Beel Cleenton." In the middle of nowhere and he recognized Clinton. Pretty cool.

With the guides we were able to talk to people from Khosgal to the Gobi. We met this one old man who had been a famous wrestler and his family and spent the afternoon chatting and looking for dinosaur bones.

Don't rush out of UB, either. There are a couple of great museums there and more people speak English, so there's a chance to meet Mongolians that you can speak with. The Naadam is in UB, too, though I think some towns have a smaller version.

The countryside is amazing, more so, when you are used to being in Seoul.

[JacktheCat]

[mount real]

Nice, I should find out on Tuesday if I can go in August, and then probably from the 6th to the 15th (cause we get the 15th off for national holiday, sweet, and the 14th is my b-day!)...sounds great, I want to go with my girlfriend so that's 2 already! Let's do it!

[Maugrim]

I'm going the week before you. I'll let you know what's up if you remind me.

[guangho]

I'm still waiting to see my schedule but it sounds interesting.

[JacktheCat]

I've got from August 6th to 27th off (gotta love working in a public school) so my times almost match up with your's mount real.

Let's see if we can get a group going. Then we'll be able to get discounted rates on airfare, lodgings, and whatnot.

If anybody else is interested PM me.

[Derrek]

Now if I could just find my friend, Nina (not her real name), who used to work at Pollys in Itaewon. She's Mongolian. I met her my 2nd day in Korea, and we've been buddies ever since. Pyongshin Sanjan knows who she is. Gosh, I haven't seen her since last fall. Always talked about heading to Mongolia. I guess if she's back there now, I'd have a reason.

Man, she was proud of Ghengis Khan!

[sonofthedarkstranger]

It's CHINGGIS Khan. Any Mongol will readily school you on that. And yeah, he's pretty much the Father of Mongolia, the national hero and so on. If I recall correctly, he's on every one of their bills.

I went there in April '02. It was bitterly cold most of the time but there were some pretty wild temperature fluctuations. Be prepared to spend a lot of time taking clothes off and putting em back on.

It was awesome but I wish I'd gone in the summer, when it's all green and bucolic and lovely.

I loved Khovsgol Nuur the best. Also saw a monastery in Terelj (Guunjin Suum), Karakorum, and of course UB's got a lot to offer.

I recommend Serge's guest house to stay in in UB. I'm sure there are toher good ones but I can vouch for Serge.

[dulouz]