As Mongolian transportation is one of my favorite topics, I have no idea how I could have gone this long without writing about it...

In UB you have lots of cars, buses, micros (minivans that function as buses of sorts), and your own two feet. In “cities” in the countryside you might see buses, but you are much more likely to find micros, cars, 69’s (aka jariin yuce--cozy yet indestructible Russian jeeps with minimal shocks that can be fixed with anything—and result in a ride not unlike a cross between the Indiana Jones Ride and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland—minus seatbelts and with bucketfuls of dust tossed in), Russian vans, horse or camel carts, and, of course, your own two feet. A couple years ago you would have seen lots of motorcycles and sidecars, but, at least where I am, they have become few and far between.

The goal of all of these forms of transportation (with the exception of feet and animal carts) is to pack in as many people as possible, which is ironic considering that Mongolia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. Personally, I haven’t done too much busing or taking of micros (although I was once in a micro with 23 people), but my 69 record is 16 people for a four-hour ride. Ouch! So, all you people who have been to Mongolia and experienced these forms of transport, what are your records?

You'll all be happy to hear that "comments" are functioning again. Sorry for the delay!

Old Favorites

It’s snowing again and the grey weather is interfering with my ability to write, so I thought we could do a look back at some of my earlier posts.

You might be in Mongolia if…1-10: and 11-20: Self-explanatory.

Scotch: Not the drink. The tape. It even includes a song!

I’m Not Russian: Living here I often get mistaken for a Russian—which wouldn’t be so bad if I actually spoke Russian!

Concerning an Outhouse and a Pig: A traumatic event—but I survived so at least you know there is a happy ending.

Mr. Dogs & Me: Brushing shoulders with the Mongolian stars—or, rather, dancing foolishly in front of them.

The Rules of Hello

You live here long enough and the constant hellos of little children, teenagers, and the occasional random adult cease to be cute and, to be perfectly honest, become a source of annoyance. That’s rather harsh, you are thinking to yourself, they only are saying hello… aren’t you glad to hear an English word every once in a while? Yes, they are only saying hello, but you begin to feel as though you’ve got a flashing sign above your head that says, “I’m foreign, talk to me.” Since, there seem to be a lot of misconceptions about proper helloing etiquette, and since, if we responded to every hello uttered in our general direction, that is what we’d spend all day, every day, doing, Danielle (my trusty roommate) and I have come up with some rules:

1. Hellos screamed at the top of ones lungs, especially those hellos that sound angry, will not be responded to—particularly if they are screamed from a balcony.
2. Hellos said after we have already walked past (in other words, those hellos that are said to our backs) will not be responded to.
3. If every child in a group says hello, they will only receive one collective hello in response. Individual hellos in response are not necessary.
4. Hellos said while making fun of us (in Mongolian, which we happen to understand) will be ignored.
5. Polite hellos, especially from cute kids will gladly be responded to with a smile and a hello.
6. Hellos in foreign languages, particularly Russian, German, and Chinese, will be responded to at our discretion.

Note: we did consider broadcasting these guidelines on local TV, but decided not to since we’ll both be moving soon–Danielle to the states, and me to another part of Mongolia.