4 July 2018, Wednesday

I woke up feeling a bit sick this morning. I’m not sure if it was due to the vodka last night, or it was from being exposed to the elements the past two days, but I was starting to nurse a runny nose and I felt a bit lethargic. Coupled with the fact that I would be leaving the camp at 10am, I felt a bit sad and not my usual self.

After breakfast, the last chore that I helped out with was to fill up two big jerry cans from the watering hole. Batuka, one of the teenage girls and her little toddler sister came along with me. I loaded the two empty jerry cans onto a small pull cart and we walked about 150m to the watering hole.

It was literally just that – a watering hole. They had dug a hole about 1m deep into the ground, in the middle of the plains, and covered it with a rubber tyre and metal lid. The hole would be replenished with fresh groundwater every day. It wasn’t filled to the brim of course, with the water level maybe about 30cm or 40cm deep.

To collect the water, the kids would perch on the ground, extend the upper half of their bodies towards the bottom of the hole, with a pail in their hands to scoop up the water. Batuka was quite small sized but he could still do it without falling into the hole.

However, to fill up the big jerry can, instead of scooping up pail after pail and then pouring the water into the jerry can through the small opening, a faster way would be to submerge the entire jerry can into the water to fill it up. The problem was that it would be heavy to heave the jerry can up from the bottom of the hole once it was fully filled with water. Batuka and the kids would not have the strength to lift it up, and they could also risk falling into the hole. That was where my long arms and muscles came in handy.

With the last task completed, I went back to my ger to do my final packing and wait for the driver to arrive. Whilst waiting, I played a game with Batuka and his cousin. They don’t have board games or X-Box or PlayStation here, so they make do with simple ones like this.

Batuka had a big collection of sheep anklebones (I initially thought they were the teeth of the sheep or cows). The game involved arranging the anklebones in a particular formation, made up of sets of one, two, three, four, five and six pieces. Each player takes turns to throw a dice and they can pick up the set of pieces corresponding to the number as shown on the dice. For example, if you throw a “5”, you can only pick up a set of five pieces. If there is no available set of five pieces, you cannot pick up anything. The game ends when all the pieces have been collected and whoever has the most pieces wins.

As they didn’t speak English, they couldn’t explain the rules of the game to me. I had to observe how the sets were arranged before I knew which pieces I could pick. However, it didn’t take long for me to figure it out.

It was a beautiful moment as I marvelled at how the kids derived pleasure from simple games such as these. It reminded me of my childhood days when we didn’t have fancy electronic gadgets or smartphones or computers to keep us occupied. We played with whatever was available to us, simple games like hopscotch, five stones, zero point and ping pong (not table tennis but similar to hantum bola).

At about 10:10am, Mr Batchuluun returned from Ulaanbaatar with the driver. I lingered for a few moments before I reluctantly picked up my bags and loaded them onto the car. As sad as I was, it was time to say goodbye. I thanked My Batchuluun and Mrs Oyunaa for their great hospitality and for taking care of me over the past two days. As I hopped into the car, I waved goodbye to the family one last time before driving through the endless grass plains and back to the city.

Closing thoughts on my nomadic homestay
The homestay was an incredible experience and one that I will remember for life. It was as authentic as it could get, as I literally stayed with the family in their home, with the four of us sharing the ger during the first night. Beyond just that, I had the opportunity of watching them at close quarters to see how they lived their lives. I also had the opportunity to participate in their daily chores and help out a little.

Batuka was key to the whole experience. If not for him, I would have just been an observer mostly, but he invited me into his world. I got to experience what it was like to be a child in a nomadic family. One that involved walks by the river, visits to his cousins’ ger, football and basketball on the plains, simple poker card games and sheep anklebone games.

It was not all fun and games for Batuka. Being a child in a nomadic family also involved daily chores such as herding the cattle, tending to the cows during milking, fetching water and cleaning the ger. I never once saw Batuka complain or throw a tantrum. He was cheeky but sensible. Aside from the last morning when he and his cousin watched a little bit of cartoon on television, I noticed that the kids didn’t watch much TV at all. They certainly don’t spend their lives in front of a screen.

In terms of hygiene, it must be accepted that hygiene standards will be compromised. Being in the middle of the grassplains, water is a precious commodity. There is no tap and no electricity (they do have a generator and solar panels). As such, the nomads don’t wash their hands very often.

I often recoiled in horror as I saw the kids use their hands to handle everything, including food. And if a man tou dropped on the floor, he/she would just pick it up and continue eating it. They also seemed to drink the water collected from the watering hole without boiling it first. Amazingly, the nomads don’t seem to fall sick. I think their body’s resistance is a lot stronger than city dwellers like us.

Upon returning to UB after the homestay, I fell sick with flu and diarrhoea (which set in the next day). But that is to be expected. If you’re planning to go for a similar homestay, just take some precautions such as using antibacterial gel/wipes to clean your hands before eating and drink only bottled water or boiled water such as hot tea. And bring more bottled water along if you can so that you can keep yourself hydrated.

You can’t eliminate but can only reduce the chances of falling sick. Almost all the travellers I have encountered have fallen sick to some degree after visiting Mongolia, so it is very common. And of course, there is no shower available so be prepared for that too. However, I never really perspired that much so I didn’t stink, and the people around me didn’t either. Don’t ask me how often the nomads shower, because I don’t know too (and I don’t want to know!).

Anyway, all the above is not to demean their way of life, or to scare you or to put you off from going on a homestay. It is just to set your expectations so you have a better idea of what to expect. Honestly, doing the homestay was the best decision I have made for this trip and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s comparable to going to Nepal and staying at a guesthouse in the mountains. You have to do it, or you cannot say you have been to Mongolia.

If you are looking for an authentic experience with a Mongolian nomadic family, this is it. The scenery of the grass plains and the ger was lifted straight out of a postcard, exactly like the image I had of Mongolia before I visited. Mr Batchuluun’s family was very kind and welcoming. For two full days, I didn’t feel like a tourist. I felt like I was part of the family. I am so grateful to the family for opening their home and their hearts to me. The experience was way more than what I had expected and I am so happy to have done it.

After two hours of driving, I was back in Ulaanbaatar city once again. My driver dropped me at my accommodation at Zaya Guest House at 12:15pm.

Zaya Guest House
Address: Peace Avenue, Building 63 #12, Sukhbaatar duuref 4-r Khoroo 50myangat horoolol, Sukhbaatar, Ulaanbaatar, 001976
Room type: 1 Twin Room with Shared Bathroom
Price: US$30 / MNT 76,400 (S$42) for two nights
Website: http://www.zayahostel.com/
Note: Pay in Mongolian Thuriks based on the exchange rate on the day of payment

Even though I had booked a Twin Room, I ended up in a room with three beds. The other two beds were unoccupied so I had the whole room to myself. The room was spacious and very clean and I really liked it.

The first thing I did after checking in was to take a shower. It had been a long time since I last showered – seven days ago, before I boarded the Trans-Mongolian Railway in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. After spending four nights on the train and another two nights at the ger, I was in desperate need of a good, long shower. Boy, did it feel good to have running water at the flick of a tap!

After that, I did my laundry as I paid US$1 to use the washing machine. While waiting for my laundry to be done, I took a rest and waited for Mr Ganbyar to arrive with my train ticket to Beijing. I had booked the ticket via a company called Mongolian Train Tickets (click here), which provides train ticket booking service for international trains leaving from Ulaanbaatar.

They are a reliable company I found on the Internet and they will hand deliver the ticket to your accommodation in Ulaanbaatar before your departure date. You can be assured it is legitimate because you only pay cash upon delivery of the ticket. I had previously made arrangements with Mr Ganbayar to deliver the ticket to me at Zaya Guest House today at 1:30pm.

Mr Ganbayar arrived early at about 1:15pm. He was a jolly fellow and he went through the details of the ticket with me. He also included a very helpful post-it note containing all the essential information in English, since the details on the ticket were all printed in Cyrillic. I then handed him US$160 (S$209.92) in cash and he left.

With the most important bit of business settled, I could relax now. I was still feeling under the weather so I took time to rest some more before heading out at 3pm. Being in the city again after spending the past six days in the “wilderness”, I felt a bit disillusioned as I was surrounded by so many cars, people and buildings everywhere I turned. It took a while getting used to city life again.

After being “deprived” of comfort food for the past week, I decided to indulge in some KFC. The meal cost MNT 12,500 (S$6.88). The restaurant was air-conditioned and it was a blessing because it was a scorching 27 degrees Celsius outside. However, I had to wait for over 20 minutes to get my food and I was seriously hangry by then. But it was so yummy it was worth the wait.

After the late lunch, I explored the surrounding area. Zaya Guest House was very centrally located and it was near Peace Avenue, the main road in Ulaanbaatar, or what everyone calls UB for short. It was also near State Department Store, the most famous department store in UB, established in 1921.

Across the road from the State Department Store was a small park. I was surprised to find a Beatles monument in the middle of the park. It occupied a raised concrete platform, with bronze bas-relief sculptures of the four members set against a red, half-apple backdrop. A signboard said that the monument was built entirely on the donation by Beatles fans and it was erected in 2008. I never knew that the Beatles had such a big following in Mongolia. Incredible!

After that, I went in to State Department Store for a quick look. It was a bit like stepping back in time to the 90’s. The six-storey store carried a wide range of goods but of course, it cannot be compared to the glitzy malls and stores we have here in Singapore.

As I walked along Peace Avenue, I saw a big banner on the side of a building that pointed the way to a shop called Mary & Martha, selling fair trade gifts, handcrafts and souvenirs. It caught my eye so I decided to check it out.

Mary & Martha (click here) was founded in 2007 with the express intention of running an ethical, fair and transparent business with the primary objective of supporting the growth of small and micro indigenous businesses in Mongolia. They support artisan business growth by helping them to design and develop products that meet customer needs, and this shop provides a sales channel for the products. All the products in store are hand made by Mongolian artisans living and working in Mongolia.

The shop sold everything from felt slippers to handbags to leather accessories to wooden stools. I spent a long time browsing because everything looked so good. I decided to get all my souvenirs here because the designs were very nice and the quality was good. Most importantly, it was for a good cause. I ended up buying a total of 44 items and spending a whopping MNT 433,000 (S$238.15) here. I left the shop full of shopping bags and with a considerably lighter wallet, but very satisfied.

Next, I went to Sukhbaatar Square, the central square in UB. It was named after Damdin Sükhbaatar, the “hero of the revolution” who declared the independence of Mongolia from China right here in July 1921. In the middle of the square was a bronze statue of Sükhbaatar on a horse, similar to the equestrian statue of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Directly facing the square on the northern side was a large colonnade monument to Genghis Khan, Ögedei Khan and Kublai Khan. The largest statue in the middle was that of Genghis Khan, the 13^th century warrior who founded the Mongol Empire by uniting the nomadic tribes and established the largest land empire in history. His statue is guarded by two famed Mongol soldiers, Muqali and Bo’orchu.

Several important buildings surround Sukhbaatar Square. Behind the colonnade monument is the Government Palace, home to several state departments as well as the offices of the President and Prime Minister. On the square’s western side sits the headquarters of the Ulaanbaatar Bank and the Mongolian Stock Exchange building. On the eastern side is the Cultural Palace and the State Ballet and Opera Theatre.

Not far away, you will find UB’s most futuristic building, Blue Sky Tower. It was the highest building in UB when it was completed in 2009, standing at 105m with 25 floors. The steel and glass skyscraper was inspired by the Burj Al Arab in Dubai and it is an unmissable landmark in the heart of the city.

After that, I made my way back towards my hostel. I ventured to Seoul Street, where I had dinner at a restaurant selling Korean food. I ordered a bowl of egg ramen and a bottle of orange juice for MNT 7,000 (S$3.85). Apparently, there is a large population of South Koreans here in UB and Seoul Street is where they hang out and get their fix of soul food and entertainment.

It was about 10pm when I returned to my hostel. I was all shagged out by then. One more day in UB tomorrow before I head over to Beijing!