Mongolia
Having been sat at this screen since 8 this morning (it's Sunday this can't be right), I thought I would write something... It's been over a month now since I got back from Mongolia. The world's short hand for, 'the middle of nowhere.'
Maybe it was because I come from a rural area, or maybe it's all the Asian films I watch (definitely a reach) but I went wanting to be culture shocked and wound up feeling completely at home. It was probably just the feeling of open space. Somewhere overcrowded would be much more unsettling.
A fellow holiday maker said something along the lines of "they're always bl**dy bowing" (she's travelled all over Asia). Having bowed every time I left a room or finished a training session for the past 13 years, that didn't feel unusual either!
We only really saw a sliver of the country, flying south from Ulaan Bataar to Dalanzadgad and working our way back north. Mongolia is much more tourist friendly than it has a reputation for, there are Ger camps all over the country. Of the people I met, most of them were quietly friendly. I would need to go back to get to know anyone properly!
Our driver was a bit of a hero, always leaping out the bus to help people out of ditches or push them along the road but I think it's standard practice. You would probably get a bad reputation if you left someone standing when you were able to help!
The towns were what gave you an idea of how tough the country is. Out in the countryside the Gers looked completely at home but in the towns all the paint, whether on a shop front or a monastery, is faded and cracked.
The best thing about it? I want to get back out there. Both to Mongolia and to other parts of Asia. A friend asked whether I would get a pet now that I'd been to Mongolia but I'm saving for the next trip
Maybe it was because I come from a rural area, or maybe it's all the Asian films I watch (definitely a reach) but I went wanting to be culture shocked and wound up feeling completely at home. It was probably just the feeling of open space. Somewhere overcrowded would be much more unsettling.
A fellow holiday maker said something along the lines of "they're always bl**dy bowing" (she's travelled all over Asia). Having bowed every time I left a room or finished a training session for the past 13 years, that didn't feel unusual either!
We only really saw a sliver of the country, flying south from Ulaan Bataar to Dalanzadgad and working our way back north. Mongolia is much more tourist friendly than it has a reputation for, there are Ger camps all over the country. Of the people I met, most of them were quietly friendly. I would need to go back to get to know anyone properly!
Our driver was a bit of a hero, always leaping out the bus to help people out of ditches or push them along the road but I think it's standard practice. You would probably get a bad reputation if you left someone standing when you were able to help!
The towns were what gave you an idea of how tough the country is. Out in the countryside the Gers looked completely at home but in the towns all the paint, whether on a shop front or a monastery, is faded and cracked.
The best thing about it? I want to get back out there. Both to Mongolia and to other parts of Asia. A friend asked whether I would get a pet now that I'd been to Mongolia but I'm saving for the next trip