The train was a throng of activity with the traders preparing for the next stop, stock was moved from carriage to carriage, and a lot of money was exchanged with the man in our cabin, and although we couldn't understand the language, it be became clear that our man was something of an authority on board. For this reason we did our best to stay on his good side. We did a lot of smiling and shared some grapes with him. We were even nicer to him after Christian saw the size of the knife he was carrying, and we heard from some Dutch guys that they had been forced to hand over some beer at knife point.
At the first stop all the Mongolian traders hurried off the train to begin selling their wares to the local Russians. It appeared that lots of locals come down to the station specifically when trains to Mongolia are due to arrive, just to pick up some bargains. The Mongolians were selling socks, coats, underwear, and of course jam and sausages, and God knows what else. We later found out that some of these Mongolians actually live on the trains with no fixed home, travelling to Moscow to pick up cheap goods, before selling them at every stop on the way back to Mongolia.
Back on the train and fast approaching the Russia- Mongolia border, there was a mad rush for all the traders to get their goods hidden before we reached customs. We have no idea where all the swag was hidden (Christian saw the attendant on our carriage hiding some in the coal store!), but it all miraculously disappeared from sight. I thought I had been sleeping on a thin mattress but it turned out to be a pile of shawls that a mongol woman wanted back. And so at the border our cabin resembled some normality and we even had a couple of English guys join us.
The border crossing was long and tedious with Russian and Mongolian officials, lots of forms to fill out, and soldiers with sniffer dogs. In the cabin next door, the customs officials uncovered two boxes of meringues and a huge piece of cheese. Supposedly the Mongolian in the cabin was very nervous when the official found and opened the boxes and looked very relieved when they were full of meringues and cheese, he clearly had no idea what had been stashed!
That night I couldn't sleep. Despite the fact I was in a cabin with three English guys and the door was locked, that was no comfort. The Mongol traders had keys to open all the cabin doors and frequently through the night they would open our door, have a look inside before leaving again. It was very unsettling.
We were really happy to get off the mobile market train at Ulaan Bataar (capital of Mongolia), especially when we met our smiley local guide Naki. Mongolia is the least visited country in the world and we were curious to find out why. After a much needed Japanese shower at a local hotel we headed out for a tour of the city. Maybe it was because we had grown used to the dowdiness and grey of Russia cities, but we took an instant liking to Mongolia, despite the freezing temperatures. The people were friendly, gracious and helpful.
Buddhist monks in the temple square
The city of Ulaan Bataar is an interesting mix of traditionalism versus capitalism, and poor versus rich. There are glassy skyscrapers housing international corporations, and these can sit next to run-down ger tents in which a whole family live around a stove. There are flashy four-wheel drives made by European and Japanese manufacturers hogging the roads, whilst monks in traditional Mongolian costume scurry along dirt tracks which should be pavements.
We visited the local monastery and wandered around various temples (a tip for anyone visiting Mongolia, always walk around anywhere clock-wise, it is local custom, and to walk around a holy place anti-clockwise is social suicide). Mongolia is a Buddhist country and in fact the word on the street is that the Delai Lama has his eye on Mongolia for his successor. However, the Chinese are completely opposed to this possibility and when the man himself visited Mongolia recently they closed all of their borders with the country for two days out of protest.
After a day wandering around the city and enjoying a bit of good old-fashioned capitalism at the State Department Store (they even sell ipads!), we headed away from the city into Ghengis Khan territory - the Mongolian countryside. Here we would be living like the Mongolian nomads at a ger camp. It was the highlight of our trip so far so make sure you read our entry.
Christian and Fiona
Location:Mongolia
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