Winter preparations made
So I went to the blackmarket the other day as my school had one break off from school. I went there to get a pair of esgii gutal (cow fur-lined boots) and a winter jacket. I got the boots for 6,000 TG and the winter jacket for 30,000. The boots are superb for winter hiking, sledding in the mountains, or for long jeep rides in the countryside. The jacket is double layered and has a hood. I went shopping and had breaksfast in under an hour. The whole while I was there I never had any thieves move on me. I guess they either left me alone or they were still sleeping.
Yesterday I went out with a young woman who works at Nomin. we went to the Dublin which is north of the new circus across the street. They got pretty noisy around 9 so we went around the corner to the Gyudon Japanese restaurant. That is a good restaurant because you can get Japanese and tasty yet healthy Japanese food. We had desert and tea. This place was quieter. A better atmosphere for talking. This place used to not sell beer. But I guess within the last 2 weeks or so they've started selling beer. So around 9:50 pm or so a bunch of obnoxious drunks came in so we left. But it was cool because we had a nice walk down past the 4 Roads Crosswalk. From there we got a taxi going back to the 10th District.
Yesterday I went out with a young woman who works at Nomin. we went to the Dublin which is north of the new circus across the street. They got pretty noisy around 9 so we went around the corner to the Gyudon Japanese restaurant. That is a good restaurant because you can get Japanese and tasty yet healthy Japanese food. We had desert and tea. This place was quieter. A better atmosphere for talking. This place used to not sell beer. But I guess within the last 2 weeks or so they've started selling beer. So around 9:50 pm or so a bunch of obnoxious drunks came in so we left. But it was cool because we had a nice walk down past the 4 Roads Crosswalk. From there we got a taxi going back to the 10th District.
posted by Dean at 9:18 PM
9 Comments:
Hi there!
I'm from Switzerland and I'm going to work in Mongolia as an English Teacher from February until the end of June. (Even tough my English is not perfect) Where is not clear yet, probably in UB or in Darkhan.
During the last few weeks I've started my preparations for my stage and started to wonder what kind of equipment I should bring with. I only know that it's going to be very very cold. I've done some research in the internet, that's how I discovered your blogg...
I've no Idea what kind of shops there exists, whether my winter jacket is warm enough, what kind of trousers, shoes etc, etc. just to mention some of my thoughts...and my budget is limited…
It would be grateful if you could give me some advices….
Hope to hear from you...
Ursina
Hi Ursina,
So I put a response to your question on the blog. Let me know how it goes and what type of jacket you have.
sincerely,
Dean
Hey Dean! "TROUSERS!!"
Hi Ursina,
I think the most important things to bring are hat, scarf, gloves (leather or waterproof)and thermal underwear. If you can get expedition weight underwear. You can get all of that stuff here in UB. Some is of better quality and some is too pricey, others less pricey. It comes down to how comfortable you want to be when you get off the airplane.
You could wear you jacket and keep your gloves and hat in your carryon. your scarf can more put away. underneath your jacket you can wear a sweater or perhaps a fleece.
Or have all of the above easily accessible for when you get to UB and clear customs et cetera. Then you can don all that stuff.
Hi Dean
Thanks a lot for your promt and informative response!
About my jacket: I already have a salewa rain-coat. I think/hope in combination with a fleece it will work.
I’d like to get to know the countryside….Should I bring my sleeping bag? If yes, what comfort temperature should the sleeping bag have? Are there possibilities to buy good-quality tents?
I hope I don’t bother you to much…
Have a good time….
ursina
Hey Ursina,
I think that your raincoat in combo with fleece/ sweater et cetera would be alright. If you need anything more you can always shop around. More expensive sometimes good quality sometimes not quality winter jackets afre available in places like the State Dept and Northland across the street. You can also find quality, warm and less expensive jackets at the blackmarket and in the 3rd - 4th District.
regarding your question about your sleeping bag; it is up to you. You might be able to rent one from Mr. Kim of UB GuestHouse. This would save space in your luggage but it is really up to you. If you do take this option, be sure to make arrangements with him or his wife Bobbi well in advance of your trip to the countryside. Especially in the summer when their guesthouse is really busy and sleeping bags are at a premium. In my case when I go to the countryside in the summer I usually sleep out in the open or in the tent and just use my deel for a blanket. When I was in Peace corps we were given sleeping bags rated to -40 below and I was pretty warm and I lived in ger. Of course I also made a fire every night. Most of the sleeping bags Mr. Kim has are bags that he bought from former Peace Corps volunteers. There is a possiblity to buy tents. The tent I bought was from the blackmarket; it was cheap but not of good quality. It was sufficient for last summer but crapped out at the end there. you can get tents at State Department, and the Flower Center in the winter. In the summer there are also some outdoor markets selling tents. I have never bought a tent from them and can't really speak about quality. From what I've heard from other travellersk, however, they are of poor quality.
You haven't bothered me.
Besides I like helping and writing.
Sincerely,
Dean
Hi Dean
It's me again...
I've just received the consent of the university of UB and Darkhan.
So it's up to me to take a decision where to teach as quickly as possible. For me it's not easy to decide. On the one hand, I'd like to get to know the countryside and the nomad culture better. On the other hand it might be easier to live in the capital.
Have you been to Darkhan? How are the city and the infrastructure like? It's quite hard to find out something about this city, even the internet cant' help.
Sincerely yours
Ursina
Hello Ursina,
I never really been to Darkhan. I've only taken the train through there. One friend, another ex-Peace Corps dude, liked it though. It has some relatively nice restaurants, a cultural center, nightclubs and the like although not as many as UB. It takes about 2-3 hours to travel by car, microbus, or bus from UB to Darkhan or vice versa. So you'd be able to get back to the city every once in a while if you need to.
I don't know what the air is like in Darkhan but I know the air in Erdenet certainly smells cleaner than the air in UB. Generally Erdenet even feels/ looks cleaner than UB.
even in UB most foreigners still have to make adjustments given the great infrastructure they have here. But most people find a way to do it. In my case living in the countryside made me feel more confident, make snap quick decisions et cetera. It also made appreciate my home country even more. I say if you want go for Darkhan.
Hi Dean
I've decided to teach in Darkhan...Thanks a lot for your informations....
Ursina
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