Country Background:
Population: 3 million
Per capita GDP: $1,800 in purchasing power parity; $500 in absolute terms
Size: slightly larger than Alaska
Currency: tugrik, 1200 per US dollar
Language: Khalkha Mongol, used by over 90% of the population; Turkic, Russian, Chinese, and English also spoken.
Independence: 1921 from China
Itinerary:
Air China flight from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar
Four nights at Chinggis Khaan Hotel
Ulaanbaatar
Thursday, June 9, 2005 - Monday, June 13, 2005
Temperature high/low during our stay: 65/40. The climate here seems similar to Alaska. Tolerable, and occasionally warm during the summer, but very cold in winter. The average January temperature is well below zero Fahrenheit.
Population: 1 million
Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. Like many places around the world, it is spelled differently now than the Anglicized spelling (Ulan Bator) that you learned in school, as more accurate translations become known. Depending on the source, though, you may still see it spelled the old way as two words (Ulan Bator), the old way but as one word (Ulanbator), the new way as one word (Ulaanbaatar), or the new way but as two words (Ulaan Baatar). Or maybe you'll see it spelled yet another way, mixing the old and the new (Ulaan Bator or Ulaanbator or some other variation). We'll stick with Ulaanbaatar, as that seems to be the preferred method here.
Another name spelled differently here than how it is traditionally spelled in the West is Chinggis Khaan aka Genghis Khan, the Mongolia leader who conquered much of Eurasia in the 13th century.
Notable Activities:
We had a full package tour in Mongolia, because we did not have time to research what to do. So we arrived without a guidebook and with our brain turned off, knowing that someone will meet us at the airport, take us everywhere we need to go, provide all meals, and make all decisions for us.
We toured the city on the first and third days, and the countryside around Terelj National Park the second. Our fourth day was a free day, during which we updated the web site. One full day is adequate to see all of the sites in the city, although you may want another day to hang out, shop, check e-mail, and so forth, as Ulaanbaatar is the only large city in the country. In one day, we could only see a portion of the countryside, which was beautiful. Most people spend more time in the countryside and the Gobi desert, traveling throughout the country, camping out or staying in a ger, the traditional Mongolian nomadic home.
Commentary:
Mongolia was the second communist country in the world, after the Soviet Union. After ruling much of Eurasia in the 13th century, the Mongol empire broke up in the 14th century, never to regain its former significance. China controlled what is now Mongolia beginning in 1691. With China consumed by its internal own problems between nationalists and the communists, Mongolia played the Soviet Union and China off against each other, and with Soviet backing, declared independence in 1921. Within a few years, the communists had firmly established their grip on Mongolia. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, street protests here resulted in the communist party voluntarily gave up its constitutional power in March 1990. The country has been a democracy since then. As in many Eastern European countries, the former communist party has remained a leading political party (under a new name), but it is no longer the exclusive party.
As a former communist city, Ulaanbaatar is not pretty to look at. Nearly 70 years of communism have not yet been wiped away, and what capitalistic influences are present tend to the cheap and tacky variety. With a small domestic population of only 3 million people and a limited economy (per capita GDP is only $500 per person), there is relatively little foreign investment here even today. You won't find the Big Three American fast food outlets--McDonalds, KFC, and Pizza Hut--that have blanketed the rest of Asia. In fact, the only American chain restaurant here is bd's mongolian barbeque, a small chain started in the Detroit area in 1992, and with two Chicago locations, that just opened here last month. So now Mongolians can go to an American restaurant to enjoy traditional Mongolian food. Actually, most of its patrons are Western. More about it later.
Last Fall the decision to go to Mongolia was as easy as placing a green dot on the world map in our dining room. Mongolia sounded exotic, so why not go there. In his book Adventure Capitalist (see our Reading List post), Jim Rogers had some positive things to say, even titling a chapter of his book Digital Mongolia. Our Chinese travel agent, Yin Shuo, was able to book things in Mongolia, so when we were arranging our China itinerary as we were traveling through South America, we had Yin tack on four days in Mongolia after we left China.
We arrived and our guide Urnaa and our driver Chuluun met us. The two-lane road into the city was quite bumpy, a noticeable change from the four- or six-lane brand-new showcase superhighways that emanate from every airport in China, the airports themselves also being brand new. We drove through drab Ulaanbaatar, saw the first widespread graffiti so far in Asia, and then on to our rather expensive hotel, the Chinggis Khaan. The hotel looked impressive from afar, but upon closer inspection was not good value for money. Our room featured greenish wallpaper, a green Formica desktop, and greenish carpet. In other words, it was green. It would have been fashionable in the early 1960s, maybe. Throughout our stay, whenever we drove through the city, Nick looked out the window for a nicer hotel, and then concluded that the Chinggis Khaan probably was about the best Ulaanbaatar had to offer. It actually was not a bad hotel at all, it just was expensive for what you got. For the price, we expected the Llao Llao, but we got the Holiday Inn. You could probably book it directly without the double layer of travel agents and get a much better deal.
So a couple hours into our Mongolian adventure, we were bracing ourselves for a four long days in an unattractive place. Just what was it that Jim Rogers was so positive about? Actually, we can't remember what he wrote. The chapter title Digital Mongolia was probably a reference to the telecommunications infrastructure, and maybe he commented on how Mongolia had skipped forward to the era of ubiquitous cell phones and high-speed Internet connections. In 1999, when he was here, this may have been remarkable. But in 2005, this is true of everywhere we have been. Progress moves quickly, and our expectations rise rapidly. The more technology advances, the more we expect, and the more easily we are disappointed.
On our second day, our perspective of Mongolia changed completely. The countryside is as beautiful as Ulaanbaatar is unremarkable. Short grasses cover the land, making the entire countryside--from a distance--look like a manicured golf course. Herds of cattle, yaks, sheep, and goats wander the countryside unconstrained by fences. Now we understood why the backpacking crowd raves about Mongolia. We only saw one day's worth, and from many accounts not even the most scenic part of the country. There's the Gobi desert, a lakes region with great fishing, and other areas. But don't expect western conditions. The roads are bad, the worst we've seen other than Costa Rica, although probably no worse than many countries we are not going to. It takes a long time to get anywhere. And once you are there, you probably won't be staying in a place with a private bathroom or maybe not even hot water. For many people, this is no big deal, but you should be aware of it.
If Mongolia is unspoiled now, will they be able to keep it that way? From what we saw in Ulaanbaatar, we are not sure. Like many developing countries, there is little awareness of aesthetic considerations. Getting something built is more important than what it looks like. Litter prevention is unknown. Done with that bottle of water or that candy wrapper? Just throw it on the ground. Trash is everywhere. In the vast countryside, this is not much of a problem for now, but it could become a problem as more development occurs.
We received an e-mail commenting on the scenic quality of the countryside in our China pictures. The writer said the US could learn something about how to keep the countryside pretty. Actually, the opposite is true. Developing countries have little to teach and much to learn about beautification. If you don't see all of the litter, trash, ugly development, and pollution in developing countries, it is because we only take pictures of scenic things! These conditions are understandable to an extent. When you are poor, your priorities are different. You want a building that's functional and cheap; you can't afford beautiful. Litter on the other hand, is more an issue of education and behavior change than necessity. For reasons more easily observed than explained, it just seems there is a correlation between the amount of unnecessary litter and a countries economic and educational development. The US is no different. As a child, Nick can remember the roadside where he grew up strewn with litter. Now this is not the case. This is not to say that all litter in the US is gone, but there's less than in most countries, especially developing ones. The crying Indian paddling through the polluted stream has not yet reached the shores of Vietnam, China, or Mongolia. (As an aside, we wonder if the idyllic Native American village ever really existed. Our experience around the world is that indigenous people engaged in a subsistence living tend to have little regard for the look of where they live. Almost as a rule across different continents, their villages are strewn with garbage and careless, unnecessary litter. Nevertheless, it was a good ad campaign that helped clean up America, even if not factual!)
On our third day in Mongolia, we saw an ad in the English newspaper for Detroit American Bar. We chuckled, Detroit not being the first city that comes to mind, when you think of a place you want to visit. Just as the US bastardizes foreign culture by Americanizing things for its domestic audience (Macomb readers will remember the first Chinese restaurant in Macomb: Woo's Chop Suey and Steak House), so does the rest of the world often get Americana wrong. We recall California Fried Chicken in Indonesia and Chicago Dry Cleaners in Shanghai (hmm, all of the dry cleaners we know in Chicago are Chinese or Korean). We noted the address of this newly opened Motor City drinking establishment, "located just below bd's mongolian barbeque." Now wait a minute. Wasn't there a bd's on Clark Street in Chicago during the 1990s (now closed)? And weren't the owners of bd's from the Detroit area? Nick's friend Martin Brej, who toiled with him in the Philippines, turned Nick on to bd's in the mid-90s, after Martin had experienced it at business school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We investigated.
It turns out this was not a case of misappropriated Americana or a copycat Mongolian barbeque concept stolen from America. It was the real thing. Having introduced Mongolia barbeque to America, bd was exporting the American Mongolian barbeque experience back to its country of origin. And his Mongolian franchisee decided a saloon named Detroit American bar was just the complement the restaurant needed.
For those who have not experienced it, Mongolian barbeque is a create-your-own meal experience where you select the meats, vegetables, spices, and sauces you want from a salad-bar type counter and then the restaurant's chefs cook your custom-made meal in front of you using long sticks on a flat circular grill (see image gallery). Nick first experienced this in Asia in 1990, and always expected it to catch on in the US, which it is has been slow to do, despite the popularity of the restaurants that have opened. At this point, we knew of a few restaurants in the Chicago area, such as bd's or Flattop Grill, which is a short walk from our house. Certainly, Mongolian barbeque ought to have caught on instead of karaoke.
We enter bd's. Instantly the manager, who is from Mongolia, walks up and introduces himself in perfect English. That is not normal Asian behavior.
Manager: Have you been here before?
Nick: Not here, but in Chicago.
Manager: Naperville or Vernon Hills?
Nick: (Impressed that someone from Mongolia has command of the names of Chicago suburbs) No, Clark Street, in the city.
Manager: We have 27 locations, but none in the city of Chicago. Only the suburbs.
Nick: (Realizing that his manager training probably neglected to mention the closing of a restaurant, but nonetheless impressed with the training he had received) Can you name all 27 locations?
Manager: (pointing upward to a merchandise display) I could, but it would be better for you to buy a t-shirt with all locations listed (Note: Tampa readers, bd's is coming to you this summer!)
So we proceeded to have an excellent meal at bd's, which not only tastes the same as we remember it, but also provided a similar experience. Copying the latter is an accomplishment, given different cultures and the staff's prior unfamiliarity with American restaurants. The staff, entirely Mongolian, is friendly and personable, engaging you in conversation in excellent English, and helping those Westerners new to the concept with what exactly to do. Later in the authentic Detroit American Bar, we met David, one of three Americans from bd's who are here for a few months to get the operation off the ground. They've done a great job and had a lot of fun doing it. Because of the huge differential in economic standards between the two countries, they probably will not make any money from their Ulaanbaatar franchise, but its good PR and a chance to refine the concept further in the States with what they learn from actually operating a Mongolian barbeque restaurant in Mongolia. Talking with the different people at this restaurant was one of the more interesting dining experiences we've had. It was the kind of positive, unexpected traveling experience that you can never predict, but which keeps you going. We would tell you more, but in the interest of time, we'll close out now.
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