Mongolia!!!

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  • K1ngston
    Participant

    I have been told that I will need to travel to Ulaanbaatar in the coming weeks and this will definitely be a first for me!

    Apart from the difficulty of getting there from Singapore (yes SQ dont fly direct) I would like to ask the group if anyone has been there and can tell me about hotels etc? This was sprung on me last night so I am scrambling to get things together for the trip, (airlines other than SQ and Air China) I will check CX but haven’t done so yet. I have spent the morning so far looking at Visas which yet may delay my visit but working on that too!!

    Thanking everyone in advance, and yes I will give a full review once I am back


    AFlyingDutchman
    Participant

    @K1ngston, I have been twice in my life, and found it interesting if uncomfortable both times. As you say you ‘will need’ to travel there, I will assume it is for business. UB is a developing city, the airp[ort relatively new and modern, with flights byu a few carriers. Where will you be flying from, as in Asia your best option tends to be Korean or MIAT (Mongolian Airlines). From Europe Turkish and Aeroflot are your best options. The most popular destinmations are Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Moscow. For Hotels, there are a number of internationally branded hotels there (that does not necessarily mean they are internationally managed however), and you can find plenty of reviews on TripAdvisor. When I stayed it was actually for hotel business, and I actually never ate outside of the main hotels in the city. I might have walked around the city for a maximum of 2 hours on my first visist and then hardly at all my second, as I too was there for work, but also somewhat uncomfortable. I was happiest to be in the hotels and when airside at the airport. I’m sure there are plenty here who will have far better advice and experiences, but for me, not really a place I want to return to.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    maxgeorge
    Participant

    The Best Western just outside the city centre, near the railway station, is very welcoming. Managed by a family who lived in the UK for some years, their English is excellent and they are helpful and informative.

    There’s Toyoko Inn in Ulaan Bataar now, too.

    MIAT business class is surprisingly good – huge seats, attentive service, but awkward flight times.

    If you have couple of days to spare, take a train north to Dharkan. Beautiful trip.

    UB is rather dull, but safe. Buy the ladies some cashmere. But be prepared for a lot of mutton.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    K1ngston
    Participant

    [postquote quote=978448][/postquote]

    Thank you so much for your insight it will definitely be for business, interesting alternative is Korean, I will be flying from Singapore wasn’t sure if it was easier from Hong Kong?

    I have certainly been to many places where it’s best to stay in the hotel you have booked into!

    Again thanks for responding K


    K1ngston
    Participant

    [postquote quote=978450][/postquote]
    Thank you for your insight much appreciated ….


    travelworld2
    Participant

    I went there a couple of years ago for the Naadam festival. It’s a fabulous country- very welcoming. I stayed at the Shangri-la in UB- possibly the cheapest Shangri-la on the planet at the time. it’s a very safe city, taxis etc all fine and it’s easy to get around. Have no fear!

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    silkenthreads
    Participant

    If I had the chance to go to Mongolia I would check out the blog from Catherine Arnold to get a brief idea of the country though it is over a year since our (wo)man in Mongolia returned. I guess one of the main challenges in going from Singapore to Ulaan Baatar will be sartorial. Best wishes

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    capetonianm
    Participant

    Some years ago I had the opportunity to go on a business trip trip to U B. As places like that have always fascinated me I did a bit of research which confirmed my gut feeling that it would be interesting to visit and reasonably safe and decided to go.

    My only contact with Mongolian people has been through the once popular Mongolian barbecues, and I found them delightful. I got into conversation with a Mongolian mother and daughter at the swimming pool of a hotel in BKK once, they were probably from the ‘elite’, but very well educated and interesting to chat to.

    Unfortunately the potential contract fell through and I didn’t go, but I hope K1ngston will go and enjoy it, and I’m sure many here look forward to reading a report and maybe even seeing photos.

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    Ekond222
    Participant

    …Mongolian Barbeques originated in the Far East – not in Central Asia…it’s a bit like saying a Hamburger is German…lol…

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    Tramor01
    Participant

    @K1ngston – I have a good friend who spends quite a bit of time in Mongolia running courses and working with the nomadic tribes there. I can give you his email address if you like as he may have some insight which could be useful?
    I think you have my email address etc. from when we had the “meet up” in BKK a year or so ago, otherwise Martyn S has my details.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    K1ngston
    Participant

    [postquote quote=978486][/postquote]

    Promise you capetonianm if I go I will report back to the group and set up some pictures and thanks for your feedback as always!


    K1ngston
    Participant

    [postquote quote=978493][/postquote]
    Thanks Tramor01 will get your details from Martin, thanks so much for your input and we must all get together soon!


    BrotherJim
    Participant

    I went to Ulaanbaatar just over 18 months ago. I stayed at the Shangri-La hotel which was fairly nice as you would expect and fairly central. Got a good rate as our office is in the office block in the same complex.

    I flew in on MIAT from Hong Kong, and they codeshare with CX. As a plane nerd it was interesting to fly on a 767 for the first time in many years, and pleasantly I got the newer of their 767’s which was one of the last passenger 767’s built. It had a very 777 feel about it compared to 767 of old. The 767 on the HKG route was a late minute sub, normally its their 737’s. The 767′ are found mostly on the Moscow-Berlin flights.

    The worst thing if course is the cold, -30 days as a maximum is a tad on the cold side and when it’s that cold the pollution sky rockets because of the crap the locals burn and to get that cold the air is still so the smoke lingers. But other than that it is an experience that is for sure.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    K1ngston
    Participant

    [postquote quote=978517][/postquote]

    Just checked the weather there today and its -19C which is a mere 49C swing from the 30C we have today in Singapore…… Thanks for the info much appreciated


    capetonianm
    Participant

    I came across this by chance:

    https://www.traveller.com.au/top-10-cities-to-visit-that-you-wouldnt-want-to-live-in-h1jr53?promote_channel=edmail&mbnr=MTQ0MzI0NTA&eid=email:nnn-13omn645-ret_newsl-membereng:nnn-04%2F11%2F2013-smh_travel-dom-travel-nnn-smh-u&campaign_code=13ITR004&list_name=10078_traveller_news&instance=2019-11-20–00-56–UTC

    Ulan Baator

    The Mongolian capital isn’t a particularly nice city. I love it, though, because it provides access to the rest of Mongolia, to the endless plains, to the national parks, to the nomadic peoples. But you wouldn’t want to live there. I know someone who has, and she despised it. The weather is awful, the pollution hangs in an ever-present pall, and the locals aren’t exactly enamoured with foreigners. Fun.

    2 users thanked author for this post.
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