Our trek to Mongolia started with a 30 + hour train trip - didn't seem too bad after the 53 hours from the train ride before. Of course, the customs insanity tried our patience and made it seem
like 53 hours. We left Irkutsk at 10pm at night. We arrived at what we thought was the Mongolian border at about noon. It was in fact NOT the border. We sat on the train for about an hour and 45 min with the bathrooms locked and then moved for about 20 min. We were then told that we could get off the train and to be back at about 4 pm for immigration and customs officials. Of course, we have no idea why the immigration and customs officials were not around earlier - there were no other trains there so we have no idea what they were doing!
We got off and explored the area around the train station - it had a few trinket shops and some food. We h
ad brought food with us and had a picnic outside. At 4 pm we got back on the train. It was a hot day and the train was very hot since it was not moving. Our window opened slightly providing a little relief. We sat there for about an hour before the immigration and customs officials showed up. They took our passports away and then we had to sit on the train some more. It took them about an hour and a half to process all the paperwork. The train started back up at around 7 pm. During this time there the bathrooms were again locked. The customs search was VERY superficial. We put our bags on our bunks and that was about it.
We were then out of Russia and in no man's land. There is a one hour time difference between Russia and Mongolia so it became 6 pm again. In Mongolia the immigration and customs process was repeated again. We were told it would take about an hour and it took closer to 2 hours. Our train connected to another train headed into Mongolia which departed at 9 pm.
So in total our immigration and customs "experience" took approximately 10hours - NEVER again will I complain about crossing into the US to go shopping. We arrived early the next morning in Ulaan Batuur at 7 am. We went directly to the bank to change money and then to the hotel for showers and breakfasts. It is only early September. UB already had a bit of chill in the air. The cold shower in the hotel didn't help. No rest for the wicked, after getting ready we headed out to a ger camp for an overnight adventure.
A ger tent is the traditional "home" of the nomadic Mongolians. They set it up and dismantle it and move with their herds approximately 4 times a year. The camp we went to is for
tourists and no family resided there - although there were families in the area with various herds - cows, sheep, goats, horses. The camp is not just for foreigners. Many Mongolians from the city will venture out the camps for 
weekends away. We were there on Thurs and had the place pretty much to ourselves. We went on a 2hr horseback ride around the valley and mountain near our camp. It was very beautiful. After the horseback ride, we had an archery lesson and went on a little hike in the area with our local guide Nemo and learned more about Mongolia and the traditional way of life.
Mongolia was also very cheap. We bought some stuff on our way out of town - water, pop and wetwipes totaled 1400 - $1USD. The 2 hour horse back ride was 10,000 - approximately $8USD. The food at the camp was better than I had expected. No one got sick from the food, although I was careful with the meat. It tastes quite different because it is slaugh
tered differently and the blood is not drained out of it. I can't say I am a huge fan of it.
The next day was an early start - we headed back to UB and directly to the temple for a chanting
ceremony. After that we headed for lunch and then to the Winter Palace of the Emperor, which is essentially a museum. We headed back to the hotel to freshen up and then departed for a cultural show. We saw throat singing, traditional dance, folk songs, traditional instruments and extortionists. After the show we went to dinner for Mongolian BBQ. Oddly enough, the Mongolian Grill in Vancouver has better decor than the place we went to. The food was good - at least the stuff you could choose to have cooked for you. Some of the prepared dishes were odd and some of the deserts were a little scary. We finished dinner early and headed for Karaoke for 30min while we waited for Nemo to return. We were pretty sure we scared the locals with our terrible rendition of Barbie Girl, Under the Sea and Like a Virgin.
Nemo finally came back before we were kicked out of the K-bar and we went for groceries and souvenirs quickly before heading to bed. China here we come!!
(Blog Contributed by Stacey G.)
like 53 hours. We left Irkutsk at 10pm at night. We arrived at what we thought was the Mongolian border at about noon. It was in fact NOT the border. We sat on the train for about an hour and 45 min with the bathrooms locked and then moved for about 20 min. We were then told that we could get off the train and to be back at about 4 pm for immigration and customs officials. Of course, we have no idea why the immigration and customs officials were not around earlier - there were no other trains there so we have no idea what they were doing!We got off and explored the area around the train station - it had a few trinket shops and some food. We h
ad brought food with us and had a picnic outside. At 4 pm we got back on the train. It was a hot day and the train was very hot since it was not moving. Our window opened slightly providing a little relief. We sat there for about an hour before the immigration and customs officials showed up. They took our passports away and then we had to sit on the train some more. It took them about an hour and a half to process all the paperwork. The train started back up at around 7 pm. During this time there the bathrooms were again locked. The customs search was VERY superficial. We put our bags on our bunks and that was about it.We were then out of Russia and in no man's land. There is a one hour time difference between Russia and Mongolia so it became 6 pm again. In Mongolia the immigration and customs process was repeated again. We were told it would take about an hour and it took closer to 2 hours. Our train connected to another train headed into Mongolia which departed at 9 pm.
So in total our immigration and customs "experience" took approximately 10hours - NEVER again will I complain about crossing into the US to go shopping. We arrived early the next morning in Ulaan Batuur at 7 am. We went directly to the bank to change money and then to the hotel for showers and breakfasts. It is only early September. UB already had a bit of chill in the air. The cold shower in the hotel didn't help. No rest for the wicked, after getting ready we headed out to a ger camp for an overnight adventure.
A ger tent is the traditional "home" of the nomadic Mongolians. They set it up and dismantle it and move with their herds approximately 4 times a year. The camp we went to is for
tourists and no family resided there - although there were families in the area with various herds - cows, sheep, goats, horses. The camp is not just for foreigners. Many Mongolians from the city will venture out the camps for 
weekends away. We were there on Thurs and had the place pretty much to ourselves. We went on a 2hr horseback ride around the valley and mountain near our camp. It was very beautiful. After the horseback ride, we had an archery lesson and went on a little hike in the area with our local guide Nemo and learned more about Mongolia and the traditional way of life.Mongolia was also very cheap. We bought some stuff on our way out of town - water, pop and wetwipes totaled 1400 - $1USD. The 2 hour horse back ride was 10,000 - approximately $8USD. The food at the camp was better than I had expected. No one got sick from the food, although I was careful with the meat. It tastes quite different because it is slaugh
tered differently and the blood is not drained out of it. I can't say I am a huge fan of it.The next day was an early start - we headed back to UB and directly to the temple for a chanting
ceremony. After that we headed for lunch and then to the Winter Palace of the Emperor, which is essentially a museum. We headed back to the hotel to freshen up and then departed for a cultural show. We saw throat singing, traditional dance, folk songs, traditional instruments and extortionists. After the show we went to dinner for Mongolian BBQ. Oddly enough, the Mongolian Grill in Vancouver has better decor than the place we went to. The food was good - at least the stuff you could choose to have cooked for you. Some of the prepared dishes were odd and some of the deserts were a little scary. We finished dinner early and headed for Karaoke for 30min while we waited for Nemo to return. We were pretty sure we scared the locals with our terrible rendition of Barbie Girl, Under the Sea and Like a Virgin.Nemo finally came back before we were kicked out of the K-bar and we went for groceries and souvenirs quickly before heading to bed. China here we come!!
(Blog Contributed by Stacey G.)
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