Whether you call it UB, Ulaanbaatar, Улаанбаатар or Ulan Bator, Mongolia’s capital is not the most beautiful or cosmopolitan city on the planet. This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to enjoy a short stay there. Many people find themselves with a few days to kill in UB, usually as a stopover on the Beijing-Moscow rail journey, but with only a few vague ideas of what they want to do: ride one of those tiny horses! See the countryside! Subtly deride the legacy of Genghis Kahn! These are all worthy and fun activities, but here are a few more things you should probably bear in mind.
Don’t imagine that you are going to ’see the countryside’. Unless you have at least a week and a very generous insurance policy, it’s not worth the trouble. If you insist on trying this in wintertime, make sure your affairs are in order before you leave. The Mongolian countryside is stunning, but the roads are bumpy, the transportation is crowded, uncomfortable and extremely unreliable, and planning to return to the city in time for your train is a delusion.
Instead, do go to Teralj, about 1 hour by car from the city. Sure, you don’t get any extreme traveler brownie points for following the well-trod path to a decidedly touristy destination. What you do get is reasonably pretty countryside, a survivable out-of-the-city experience in wintertime, and a smorgasboard of all the horse-riding, ger-sleeping, mountain-walking kinds of activities that you would get on a full tour of Mongolia. And it’s cheap.
Don’t go to the opera, the Winter Palace, the Nadaam stadium (unless of course it’s Nadaam), the Natural History museum, the Mongolian National History museum, or more than one temple\monastery. The first three are boring and pointless unless there’s a specific event you want to see. The Natural History museum has a nice display of origins-of-mankind artifacts, but less comprehensive and informative than what you’d get in a major Western museum. Ditto the National History museum unless you have a burning interest in Mongolian history. The temples are nice, but you’re probably already suffering Temple Fatigue from the rest of Asia and seriously, they’re all pretty much the same.
You look lost, mate
Do go to Zaisan, Gandan khiid, the Zanabazar art museum, and the Victims of Political Persecution museum. Zaisan is a great opportunity to go for a walk from the city centre long enough to tire you out but short enough to be manageable in a day trip. The tank at the bottom of the hill is just cool, the climb is fun (especially when the steps are iced and treacherous during winter) and the monument itself is, for a communist boondoggle, strikingly beautiful both in the architecture and in the mural painted on its inner face. Looking out from the top of the hill over the brown smoggy haze that sits over UB each day is a great reminder of why coal-fired power stations are best not situated in the middle of cities. Gandan is the monastery you visit when you’re not visiting a monastery. Ignore the usual Buddhist histories, art and rituals which you’ve undoubtedly seen a million times before and head straight for the awesome, golden, massive, indoor statue which is the centrepeice of this otherwise quotidian temple. I’ve never been to the Zanabazar art museum myself, but it comes highly recommended. The Victims of Political Persecution museum is an experience that deserves a post all of its own, and I can’t possible do it justice in a few lines. Suffice it to say that if you ever need convincing of the absolute evil of the Soviet regime, this is the place to visit.
Don’t expect to do your Communist-kitsch shopping in UB. Souvenirs of all kinds are not cheap, and the only place with a decent range is the State Department Store, where you can expect prices more commonly associated with an upmarket area of London. In fact, there’s not really much point buying anything in UB apart from the essentials. Stock up on English books before you get there as well because the selection is small, expensive and fought over hard by local expats.
Do try the local food, because you’ll never get another chance. There’s nothing in particular to recommend here; your guidebook and a cursory glance over the menu of Guanz will give you a pretty good idea of what’s on offer. Try to find some airag (fermented horse milk) just to say you have; it’s surprisingly hard to get hold of in the city, even in tourist-oriented establishments.
Don’t try and go skiing at one of Mongolia’s fledgling resorts. Your hostel owner tells you she can organise it, your driver tells you it’ll be great, the dude at the tourist office recommends it. They’re all lying. I speak from bitter personal experience.
Do stock up on booze. If there’s one thing Mongolians know how to do, it’s make and drink cheap
UB: city of potholes
spirits; it’s the only bargain you’ll get in Mongolia. If you are looking for something other than spirits, don’t buy one of the local, Russian or Eastern European brands. The local beer is passable but the imported Korean beers, particularly Cass and Hite, are better. Any wine you find that hasn’t come from a place known for the stuff – France, California, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand – will be undrinkable. There used to be a small, semi-hidden shop on Peace Ave in Byangol district which sold imported wine at cheaper-than-western prices – poke around near the Efes supermarket (the sign is in latin lettering), about 3 km west of Sukhbaatar square on the northern side of Peace Ave. I have no idea if the wine is still there; however Efes is worth the trip as it’s better stocked than most supermarkets in the city centre.
Don’t try to learn Mongolian, not that many people do. It’s a surprisingly easy and quite elegant language, but most of the people in the tourism industry will speak basic English and a guidebook and some creative sign language will take care of the rest. However, do take advantage of the opportunity to get familiar with Cyrillic lettering if you aren’t already. Chances are that you’ll be going on to Russia or Eastern Europe, and being able to sound out signs and documents always comes in handy for those late-night cab rides home. Just learn one or two letters every few hours and read signs to yourself as you walk down the street. It’s easy and painless and there’s no reason not to.
Do take advantage of the ‘every-car-is-a-cab’ system of getting around town, the abundant and cheap internet cafes and the willingness of locals to tell you in exuberant, if somewhat embellished detail about the exploits of Genghis Kahn.
Don’t worry overly about scams or pickpockets, as long as you’re keeping your wits about you.
Don’t catch a bus or trolley during peak hour. I’ve been literally lifted off my feet by the crush of people and there’s little chance you’ll be able to see out the windows to identify your stop, let alone make your way to the door when it comes.
Do go to a club or two. Ask a student where they like to go. Muse, Medusa and New Tornado were all hot when I lived there; I heard good things about River Sounds but never had the chance to try it. Drinks are cheap and you can probably dance better than the average Mongolian.
