Living the Nomad’s Life

By Patti Beth Anderson

Posted Jun 7, 2019 at 8:00 AM

   

Mongolia? I have returned from Mongolia. I am a traveler so I went without too much thinking, without too much research (OK, none), and without too much expectation. I went because I hadn’t been there. I knew it was a land of nomads and that appeals to me a bit. A nomad, a wanderer, a traveler... there are those of us that have that desire to be an explorer. We know that the world is big and life is short and there’s a joy in discovery.

Our adventure began in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. Luckily, it is called UB City for short, because I wasn’t able to pick up on any of the language that was part Chinese, part Russian and very foreign to my tongue. We stayed a couple of nights at a beautiful five-star property that did sound familiar, The Shangri-La Hotel. The total population of Mongolia is about 3 million, with 1.5 million living in UB City. But, there are about 30 million sheep in the country. We couldn’t wait to get out of the city and head to this vast countryside that really hasn’t been changed much by mankind in centuries.

Tourists are as far and few between as are the attractions. That’s OK, because we travel to these places to learn about the people and their way of life. For the most part, Mongols outside the cities live a nomadic lifestyle. A typical Mongolian family live in a ger, a wood and wool felt round tent. The Russian word for ger is yurt, and maybe that’s easier to picture in your mind. Felt walls are supported by wooden slats attached to each other like a lattice fence. These panels of fence expand into a circle topped by with a round, multi-spoke, wagon wheel to hold up the roof. The “wheel” is propped up by two poles and then the whole business is lashed to a small wooden colorful door which opens into the tent. The heavy wool sides and roof are covered with a waterproof canvas to keep out the cold and wet. The hole in the wheel allows light in and smoke out, yet it can be covered. The whole thing can be put up or taken down in less than an hour. I’ve spent more time pitching a pup tent.

These families follow the seasons and their animals which I began to consider the Big 5 of Mongolia: sheep, goats, horses, cattle and yaks. We saw lots of each. Lots.... and lots. The Gobi Desert in the southern most part of the country wasn’t the miles of red sand like I had in my mind; however there is the Khongor dunes, the most important sand mass of Gobi Gurvan Saïkhan National Park. Its area is more than 347,490 square miles. The Gobi is more an arid eco-system covered in small tufts of grass and scrubby brush until we suddenly came upon these massive red sand dunes, standing out from the plains. Here we climbed onto the backs of our two humped camels, plodding back to the camel herder’s camp just like explorers have done for thousands of years.

We ate Mongolian BBQ which tasted less like the HuHot Grill Restaurant and more like boiled meat in a cream can. Because it was. We traveled by 4x4 for hours and miles on nonexistent paths, more like four wheeling across a pasture than cruising down a road. Because it was. Our drivers honked at horses and dodged goats in their imported vehicles with steering wheels on the right and left sides, depending on where they came from. Driving was Nomadic style, just keep moving.

I smiled a lot, just to have the experience of being there. Knowing it would be tricky to explain what the adventure had been like. Now, true to my wandering self, I look at the map and think, “Where next?”

Patti Beth Anderson has more than 20 years of experience in the group travel industry taking people all over the world. Her motto is “I return with the same number of people I left with... not necessarily the same people, but the same number nevertheless. So no ‘crankpots’ allowed” She may be reached at 918-786-3318 or pb@goodtogowithpb.com.

Source:www.examiner-enterprise.com

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Reuters report exaggerates number of protestors in Central square of Ulaanbaatar

In recent news coverage of Mongolia, Reuters reports "thousands rally in Mongolia to call for gov't step down". The story can be found here.

As summer arrived, we in Mongolia began to experience "spring syndrome" where all kinds of political activity takes place in central square of Ulaanbaatar and not many takes these seriously.

In addition to the usual blah blah, the story seriously exaggerated the number of protestors. It was maximum 500 people, members of opposition Democratic Party (DP) and there's no sign that it was taken seriously by public.

 By Moninfo news service

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President Battulga: Mongolia happy to have the US as our 'third neighbor'

by Khaltmaagiin Battulga

This month, Mongolia celebrates Tsagaan Sar, the Lunar New Year. Across our country, extended families, whether in the sprawling buildings of our capital city or in traditional ger nomadic dwellings on our magnificent grasslands, will gather and celebrate traditions which have been passed down for millennia.

I find this period to be a chance to reflect on the last year and to make goals for the year ahead.

In 1987, the United States established bilateral relations with Mongolia. Shortly thereafter, with the support of the United States and other countries, Mongolia embraced democracy after nearly 70 years of communism. In 1992, our constitution established a parliamentary democracy guaranteeing fundamental human rights and a free market.

Since the Mongolian Democratic Revolution of 1990, we have regarded the U.S. as our “third neighbor” in addition to our immediate two neighbors — China and Russia. The reason our bilateral relations have made significant strides in just a few decades is that our values of freedom, gender equality, and self-reliance are also American values. It is hard to ignore the striking similarities between Mongolian nomadic herders, who migrate hundreds of miles every year, and the pioneers of the American frontier.

The year ahead will be marked by the delivery of three brand-new Boeing aircraft. I believe this heralds a new era of our bilateral relations — one that is based on mutually beneficial fair and free trade. These aircraft will play an important role in this new era by not only bolstering tourism, but also by boosting trade.

Mongolia prides itself on its free-market economy, and private sector-led growth will define the upcoming year. American goods exported to Mongolia are now $82 million, up 48.7 percent over the last two years.

We must use these planes to increase exports of world-class cashmere wool to American manufacturers and store shelves and to import American products.

In the early days of our now-blossoming experiment with democracy and a free-market economy, Democrats and Republicans in Congress granted Mongolia Most Favored Nation status. Seemingly overnight, nearly 40,000 women were employed in newly privatized cashmere factories. The largest American garment labels took advantage of our vast supply of cashmere wool.

For millennia, my fellow citizens have herded cashmere goats on our vast grasslands. I applaud that Democratic and Republican congressional leaders in Washington are once again working together for the Mongolia Third Neighbor Trade Act. If passed, it would remove tariffs on Mongolian cashmere fabrics for American manufacturers and garments for importers for five years.

International trade is dependent on transparency. Suppliers, exporters, and investors need predictability, and that is why our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs will devote this year to full enactment of the Transparency Agreement signed in Washington.

President Trump made clear first at the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and subsequently in Davos at the World Economic Forum that economic ties will, in large part, define the relationship between the U.S. and our region. The continued focus of his administration and of bipartisan work in Congress is a blessing for our region.

As our nation peacefully began a democratic transition, I was a young businessman, eager to build a society where people would succeed if they worked hard. For many of us, the U.S. was the “city on the hill” that we strived to emulate.

My Lunar New Year’s Resolution is that Mongolia can be a similar beacon of liberty, justice, and free-market economics for many other developing nations. I hope that the U.S. will assist us in fostering these shared values over what promises to be a watershed year ahead.

Khaltmaagiin Battulga has served as the president of Mongolia since 2017.

Source:Washington Examiner

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/president-battulga-mongolia-happy-to-have-the-us-as-our-third-neighbor

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After the IMF bailout package… What else?

Why the bailout?

The Mongolia government has jointly announced with the IMF that it will implement the politically difficult – but inevitable – rescue package, and avoid becoming a delinquent international debtor. Let’s be clear – this is an aid package, at very low interest rates. It is also coming from long-term friends of Mongolia – the IMF/World Bank, ADB and with support from Japan and other bilateral partners. The Chinese government will reportedly extend the term of the US$2.2B Yuan swap facility (due in August) by three years.

This multi-party package will only come into being because the Mongolian government has agreed to a structural reform of government finances and processes. Signing up to the US$440m IMF package has opened the door to a larger US$5B plus support and debt restructuring package.

The IMF $440m package by itself will make little up-front difference to Mongolia’s plight, being drawn down over 3 years.

This larger package will also make easier the refinancing of existing government debts. Just recently DBM’s bonds of 580 million USD (issued at 5.75% for 5 years) were exchanged for the new 600 million USD Khuraldai government bond (issued at 8.75% for 7 years). The new Khuraldai bond is 52% more expensive than the DBM bond raised 5 years ago. However it is a 2.1% lower interest rate than the last 500 million USD bond raised just 12 months ago – representing a 20% reduction in borrowing costs. This reflects a first benefit from the proposed IMF deal.

However the lenders are also saying, “if we are to help you then you must also help yourself”. The restructuring of government revenues and expenditures is required “with or without bond repayment” and “with or without IMF bailout”.

By the end of 2016, the budget deficit reached 15% оf GDP and public debt reached 78% of GDP (http://unuudur.mn/article/94871). Effectively government expenditures have grown at a far faster rate than its revenues. At the peak of commodity prices the government were running large deficits and borrowing internationally to fund this. With the downturn in commodity prices the debt situation has become chronic.

Fiscal restructuring has to take place, with or without IMF bailout, but with IMF bailout at least the country will receive fiscal support from donor community. So the main culprit is not just a temporary fall in mining products prices, its the underlying fiscal structure and policies which created the unsustainable budget deficit and inefficiency.

Some economists claim that the bailout package is either unnecessary or it’s terms are unfair – or both.

But we ask you – what do individuals, families and companies do when they fall on tough times? They restructure to survive. If they don’t this quickly their relatives, shareholders and trading partners quickly cut financial support. They restructure or fail – simple as that. For companies, you restructure or go bankrupt.

Officially governments do not become bankrupt – look at Zimbabwe for instance. However, where lending countries and major lending institutions see an economy and government finances being mismanaged or in very poor condition, they quickly reduce their support, and demand action before support is re-instated.

There are also notable examples of countries like Venezuela where political leaders prolong their own country’s agony. They pretend the crisis does not exist, or waste time placing the blame on other parties. They often continue to print money to pay their own bills and make debt repayments. They do this for personal survival (or benefit) – but economic recovery does not occur and the catastrophe moves closer because the underlying economic structure itself is erroneous.

Government leaders may take actions within their own country that defy commercial logic. In recent years, despite being in economic crisis, Mongolia failed to support implement a number of large investment projects which could deliver billions of US dollars in FDI and tax revenue. Projects like the Tavantolgoi coal deal, Power plant No 5 and Gobi power plant could bring in at least 5 billion of dollars in FDI. However, due to domestic politics it so far hasn’t happened. Unfortunately, No minister in Mongolia resigns when he or she pursues wrong policies and can’t work with investors (ie get projects to the starting line).

However, when governments borrow from international markets to fund domestic projects they ironically expose themselves to the reality of being a “commercial borrower” – where government must repay its debt on time or face significant consequences.

We know from limited experience that when your economy is strong your exchange rate is strong. This occurred during the OT stage one construction and the peak of the commodities boom when coal and iron ore prices were very high.

But now we, Mongolians also know from much longer experience that when your economy is weak, your exchange rate diminishes and interest rates climb to high levels. And critically the cost of repaying your international debt increases significantly in local currency terms. When government revenues have fallen and government costs are not reduced at the same rate, then a bad problem is made worse.

All of these factors are in play in Mongolia – and the only realistic option is to accept the IMF remedy. While it is bitter to swallow, it is better to face reality sooner rather than later. Without the remedy a declining future and financial disaster comes much closer. A mega-commodities boom is not around the corner – and is not our savior.

Let us be clear again – the current level of Mongolian government debt is not sustainable and Mongolia has significant international debts due for payment soon. Refinancing, on good terms, when you have already high debt levels and a weak economy is extremely difficult.

The current success of Khuraldai bonds was only possible because investors thought that the country is serious in its intent to rebuild its own troubled finances with the help of IMF.

The INS supports the IMF bail-out package and the co-commitment measures being put into place by the government. INS realises there will be hardships, but INS also wants a better future for Mongolia, and the bailout package is a first step towards this future.

However, INS states the long-term solution is not the bail-out package per se. We need our government to put in place “economic stimulation policies and programs” that ultimately provide better government services, higher incomes and more jobs for all Mongolians. Restructuring the fiscal system to make it sustainable is a precursor to recovery.

Support ourselves through a strong economy

Restructuring and repaying old debts is not enough. Cutting government expenditures and raising more tax is not enough. It is critical that Mongolia’s government deliver a strong engine room – that is a “strong and growing economy” to provide the things that other country’s citizens take for granted. Government needs to deliver the economic growth, solve escalating health issues and take real steps to actually improve the business climate.

We are all sick from pollution and anti-sanitary conditions. We need our government to deliver healthy cities and towns for our citizens, young and old, to live in. Health wise, and politically, this is not negotiable. The IMF bail-out package is not going to deliver clean cities..

We also need to remember that for every significant social problem (like pollution) not fixed – there is an ongoing and growing public cost. To government it is growing health budgets, for the business community it is lower productivity and absences, and for Mongolians specifically it is chronic illness and reduced life expectancy.

We absolutely need strong businesses, both domestic and international, that make profits, pay Mongolian taxes and provide well paid jobs. The current government has stated that the state should not play a role in business going forward. However, the jury is out here – where we see SOE’s reverting back to large panels of ministry representatives on their boards.

Both sides of parliament recognise the failure of our state-owned and state-run enterprises. They clearly do not deliver efficient business organisations or outcomes. They borrow from government, make very small profits and pay little tax. They also have higher levels of employment than would be the case in privately run companies.

Our government must solve (for themselves) the riddle of how to attract the next wave of foreign investment and international finance. Last three years have witnessed falling amount of investment of all kinds, from 6.57 trillion MNT in 2013 to 4.754 trillion in 2015 (NSO), which includes all kinds of investment. It is not just foreign investment that’s falling – public and private Mongolian domestic investment is also falling.

The Mongolian banks – standing alone – do not have the capacity to service the needs of local businesses.  Attracting investors (and finance) to Mongolia is critical for Mongolia’s economy. Lowering the cost of borrowing capital for businesses – to be profitable –  is critical. Both are essential if we are going to invest in new and efficient power and heating stations and smarter living technologies, to solve Ulaanbaatar’s pollution problem. Again, here the long term commitment to restructure and improve public finance is crucial.

The government urgently needs to accelerate the next stage of economic recovery. We need to harness the business sector and excite international financiers, promoters and investors about the prospects and returns from establishing business in Mongolia. This cannot be done on a basis of IMF bailout alone. Real and credible actions are needed to kick start the key projects.

Mongolia’s natural endowments are minerals and agriculture. Mongolians have a rich culture and the world shares a curiosity in Mongolia’s history. Mongolians in general are not isolationists. However, Mongolia does not have a large population so we must be smart in how we build external markets to attract and underpin new business ventures. We need to be even smarter in how we attract and retain our future business partners and those who will fund future grand enterprises.

Initiating large-projects (whether in mining, energy, infrastructure or agriculture) is the quickest way to stimulate economic growth, but this does not always have a broad impact on incomes or employment. Mongolian officials have unfortunately struggled in building good relationships with in-country investors and building confidence with offshore investors. The Prime Minister has stated that addressing this is a key focus for this government.

Mongolia needs to build a strong and credible case for “why business should focus on investing in Mongolia” – as opposed to other countries with similar opportunities.

The much-needed private sector investment will come when the correct conditions are in place. If these conditions are not attractive – compared to our competitors – the level of incoming investment will not be large.

This must be the next most critical task rapidly advanced by the government. It is not easy work, but critical to get right

Source: Institute for National Strategy of Mongolia

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Mongolia hopes for a phase of economic stability

By Lee Cashell, Asia Pacific Investment Partners

Mongolia’s economy had a bruising year in 2014 with barely a week passing without the currency hitting a new low against the US dollar and foreign investment dropping by a precipitous 74 per cent year-on-year. But last month’s announcement that the Mongolian government has broken the deadlock in negotiations with Rio Tinto for the development of the second phase of the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine signals that a new round of foreign investment will begin flowing into the country.

Saikhanbileg Chimed, the prime minister, has been building a clear case that Mongolia’s economic growth will stall without foreign investment, appearing on national television in January to hold an X-factor SMS style vote on the question of whether Mongolians want austerity or prosperity. The majority of the country’s 3m citizens texted “prosperity” which he has taken as a mandate turn the green light back on for foreign investment.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) plunged to $507.6m last year from $4.45bn in 2012, but the slowdown has given the country breathing room to prepare for the next cycle of FDI.

When the dollars begin to flow again, Mongolia is in a much better position to absorb investment than it was at the height of the commodities super-cycle in 2011 when GDP growth surged to 17.5 per cent. There is over $10bn – almost as much as the country’s annual GDP – of pent up investment which will enter Mongolia over a two-year-period once Rio Tinto begins work on the second phase of its flagship mine and other confirmed mining projects come online.

Since the slowdown, the government has been steadily improving Mongolia’s infrastructure. Railway agreements have been signed with the Chinese, the Japanese have financed the construction of bridges and a new international airport, and Ulaanbaatar’s city center is unrecognisable from two years ago – a whole network of new roads being installed spanning far beyond the city limits. There are also plans for a new power plant and in January 2015 a tender was awarded to a consortium of firms to develop Tavan Tolgoi, one of the largest coalmines in the world.

These infrastructure improvements are reason to be optimistic that the economy will not overheat as sharply as in the fourth quarter of 2011 when inflation spiraled to 12 per cent from 4 per cent in just nine months with sharp price hikes for food, real estate and construction materials.

In a more developed economy, the state could have reacted more adeptly in order to increase infrastructural capacity. For Mongolia however, the government had very little access to international project finance and lacked the expertise to execute large-scale developments in such a short period of time, leaving it without the tools to accommodate extraordinary growth.

As Mongolia’s largest real estate group, our construction and cement business was squeezed by higher prices caused by a two-day back up of imports at the border with China at the height of summer 2011, which ultimately led to increased prices for construction materials.

Four years on, we are more confident about the fundamentals as the country’s middle class matures. Mongolia’s economic growth hit 7.8 per cent last year – a rate that neighbouring China and Russia would envy, and with the Rio Tinto project back online is set to surge once more.

Mongolia is a growth story. Back in 2000, GDP per capita was less than $475 per annum at prevailing exchange rates, with average incomes even lower. The mining and service sector boom and low birth rates pushed GDP per capita to $4,000 by 2013 and that is likely to rise to $5,000 per capita in coming years. That is a nearly 10-fold increase in the space of a decade.

However, Mongolia is still a frontier market and together with the vast opportunity in the country there are still cautionary notes to sound, primarily related to political risk and resource nationalism issues. In February 2015, the president pardoned Justin Kapla and two other former executives at South Gobi Resources who had been imprisoned under tax evasion charges after not being allowed to leave the country for two years.

The case illustrates flaws in the legal system and the potential for a lack of due process – both of which have given foreign investment the jitters. However, some sectors – such as property — have been well served by the courts. Foreigners and locals enjoy essentially the same property rights, and the ownership of immovable property is a well-entrenched legal concept and actively promoted and protected by the courts

A review of the tax and legal framework around property investment in Mongolia provides a very favourable framework when benchmarked against many other countries in the Asia Pacific region, and has been a driving force behind the ability of the country to attract foreign investment into the property and construction sectors.

It is one reason we are confident that Mongolia’s economic fundamentals are strong and now that the tide is turning on FDI, this new phase of growth will be more sustainable.

Lee Cashell is CEO of Asia Pacific Investment Partners

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Musings by an American teenager who grew up in Mongolia

American teenager Grace Pilet Jacobsen wrote about her former host country- Mongolia in her blog. The world tuned to it as it was very beautifully and accurately written. In another word, her "facts" about Mongolia were far accurate than the mainstream media of the world. 

Here is her 10 facts about Mongolia.

10 Facts People Should Know About Mongolia

Grace Pilet Jacobsen / 2 days ago

- Grace Jacobsen -

When I was nine years old, my family moved to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. We lived there four years before moving back to the United States. I know that doesn’t sound like a very long time, but it was my home. And I loved it. Since I moved away, I have often had to explain the mysterious Mongolia. It seems that although the famous Mongols once possessed a great portion of the known-world, they have since crept back into the shadows.

In light of that, I thought I would share with you 10 Facts People Should Know About Mongolia.

1. IT’S IN ASIA (NOT AFRICA)

Sometimes, people ask me where home is. I look at them for a moment and then say slowly, “I’m not really sure. I lived in Mongolia for four years though.” That usually changes the subject (thank goodness) to, “Oh! Mongolia! That’s interesting. It’s hot there right?”

I hesitate. Could Mongolia be described as hot? Well, I used to think the summers were hot. They could get up in the 90s. But, no, of course not. Mongolia would never be described as hot. It has basically nine months of winter.

“Are you thinking of Angola?”

“Oh! That’s right, I am. Where’s Mongolia again?”

“Sandwiched between Russia and China,” I respond.

“Ha! That’s funny. I forgot there was even a country there.”

You’re not alone, my friend. You’re not alone.

2. THEY SPEAK MONGOLIAN (NOT CHINESE)

“You lived in Mongolia! How interesting! Do you speak Chinese then?”

…No. No, I don’t speak Chinese because they don’t speak Chinese in Mongolia. They speak Mongolian.

A common misconception about Mongolia is that they are some sort of territory or province of China. As much as China might like that, this is not the case. I know this is confusing with the province in China actually called “Inner Mongolia.” Let me explain. Inner Mongolia is outside of Mongolia – in China. Outer Mongolia is actual Mongolia. Don’t ask me why this happened, I have no idea.

Due to the fact that Mongolia is not a part of China, it speaks a language not even remotely like Chinese. Strangely enough, it is more similar to Arabic than any thing else. It is not tonal, it doesn’t use characters, and, to be honest, it doesn’t sound very pretty. But I love it because it’s theirs.

3. THEY EAT MUTTON (NOT “BD’S MONGOLIAN GRILL”)

“You are so lucky you got to live in Mongolia! I LOVE Mongolian food!”

Few things in life make me want to cuss. However, hearing these words makes this girl want to scream some foul language. I did not eat five hundred mutton dumplings or drink a thousand bowls of milk tea to be told I was lucky to eat it. I ate it to be polite.

I am sure there are some people in the world who really appreciate a hearty Mongol meal. If you like mutton and fermented mare’s milk, you really are in for a treat. Wait, are you surprised that this doesn’t sound like BD’s Mongolian Grill? That’s because that restaurant is one big fat lie.

BD’s serves seafood, NY strip steak, and every kind of beautiful fresh vegetable you can imagine. It has workers, with swords, flinging your food around on a grill while they sing a happy “Mongol” song. Just…what the heck.

Mongolia is a landlocked country – it’s a rare day when they get seafood. NY strip steak? Are you kidding me? I’d saw off my right leg for one of those in BEIJING alone. Mongolia is a land of permafrost – getting a lot of different kind of veggies is a miracle.

I just can’t tell you how much BD’s goes against every memory of my Mongolian childhood. I do understand that it is a delicious restaurant, but I’m not really sure why they picked Mongolia. Maybe the idea that no one would ever know they were crazy?

On a positive note, I do hope it’s helping Mongolian tourism. What a bummer for the tourists though, when they realize there’s no delicious seafood on the menu.

4. ROADS ARE A PRIVILEGE (NOT A RIGHT)

I have noticed that complaining about poor road conditions is just something humans like to do. When I first visited Leif’s home in downeast Maine, I learned that America still has a final frontier in regards to roads. They twist, and they dip, and they bump. I feel nauseated every time we fly down the street to his old home.

However, nothing compares to the “roads” of Mongolia. Almost as soon as you leave the capital, Ulaanbaatar, you find the end of the pavement. You cross over into the nomadic steppe that is the Mongolian countryside. The roads become dirt paths that have so many potholes and rocks you’re often better off just driving on the grass.

My dad would often weave our jeep in and out of power lines, saying, “We know power leads to something!” Of course, that meant getting stuck in a bog for six hours until a Russian truck could tow us out. The time my dad stayed faithful to the dirt “road,” the jeep rolled three times and he almost died out in the Mongolian steppe.

I would just like to take this moment to thank the American government for their beautiful highways. Thanks, America.

5. IT’S PRONOUNCED OO-LAN-BAH-TER (NOT OO-LAN-BAY-TAR)

Ulaanbaatar is a fascinating city that I hope everyone has the privilege of visiting. It is nestled in a valley, surrounded by rolling hills with ancient Mongolian script painted upon them. A developing city, it is under almost constant construction as it seeks to better itself for the world stage. And, currently, Mongolia is actually considered one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

Surrounding modern Ulaanbaatar is the ger district. The ger district is where more than half of Mongolians live. It often, if not entirely, lacks access to basic amenities like water, sewage systems, and central heating. Gers (yurts) are the felt tents you may have seen in pictures when talking about northern Asia. The ger district is mostly made up of these gers, wooden fences, and poorly constructed houses.

Now that you know a little more about Ulaanbaatar, just remember to pronounce it correctly. Or, you could always just call it “UB” for short.

6. THERE ARE PEOPLE THERE (NOT JUST ANIMALS)

In university, I took an international relations class that required each student to religiously read the BBC News every week. Each week, I waited and waited for there to be an article about Mongolia. I thought about how wonderful it would be to finally be able to share my favorite country with my class. …No article ever came.

I can understand why people aren’t sure anyone lives in the country. I mean, we never hear about them in the media. My dad, being the wise father he is, did a lot of research on Mongolia before we moved there. One of the few things he uncovered during his research was that Mongolia has more horses than people. So…it’s an empty land running free with horses?

Well, yes and no. There are, indeed, a lot of horses. And sheep. And goats. And yaks. And reindeer. And hawks. And vultures. However, I am here to tell you today, there are also 3.2 million people in Mongolia. 3 million people with a unique culture and fascinating traditions. Just because you never hear about them, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

7. CHINNGGIS KHAAN IS THEIR HERO (NOT A VILLAIN)

When we were feeling particularly optimistic about life, my family and I traveled around the countryside of Mongolia. Usually we decided to venture out for a camping trip or some other kind of vacation. Every time we got in the car, my brother, Jonan, and I would sit by our windows and stare intently out at the steppe. Our parents had told us that Chinnggis Khaan was buried out there somewhere and, gosh darn it, we were gonna be the ones to find him.

Chinnggis Khan (Genghis Khan), as you may remember from history class, was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol empire. He was able to unite the nomadic tribes and conquer most of Eurasia. He was a fearless leader, willing to do whatever necessary to further his people’s iron grasp of the world. Their conquest was brutal.

Despite the brutality Chinnggis Khaan used, he is never a villain in the eyes of the Mongols. He is their founding father. Their hero. Statues of him are found all over Mongolia and, honestly, can you blame them? Chinnggis Khaan, although horrendously vicious, got the job done. A tip of the hat to the brilliant warrior.

As rumors have it, Chinnggis Khaan had a very serious burial plan in the event of his death. He was to be buried at an undisclosed location and anyone who was involved in the burial process was later to be killed.

As you might imagine, Jonan and I never found his grave. Bummer.

8. IT IS FRIGID (NOT JUST COLD)

Our first winter in Mongolia, our radiators in our apartment froze. It was -40 Celsius and our heaters froze. We could put hot soup on the counter and it would freeze in five minutes or less. I have decided that I didn’t know cold until I didn’t know what warmth felt like any more. You know it’s cold when your snot freezes to your nose hairs. You know it’s cold when your eyelashes get so many ice crystals you can’t see anymore. And you know it’s cold when you’re wearing seven layers and you’re still cold.

Strangely enough, thanks to the polar vortex this year, a lot of you may actually know how this feels. It is freaking miserable. Not just miserable. Freaking miserable.

However, when it gets warm enough to snow again, suddenly you’re running around in shorts and a t-shirt.

Mongolia and the cold give you tough skin.

9. IT IS AN UNDISCOVERED BEAUTY (NOT A DESOLATE WASTELAND)

Yes, Mongolia doesn’t have a lot of people. And, yes, Mongolia isn’t well known.

Yet, Mongolia still has so much to offer. My memories of Mongolia are absolutely beautiful. There is a sea of rolling steppe where you can watch the shadows of clouds roll over the land for miles. In the north, there is beautiful Lake Khovsgol, where mountains, forests, and plains collide. In the west, towering, snow-capped mountains. And, in the south, there is the Gobi Desert with towering sand dunes and springing tumbleweeds.

Part of me loves that Mongolia is so little known. Part of me hopes it’ll stay that way forever, because it is charming in its endless emptiness of beauty.

10. IT IS ALWAYS AN ADVENTURE (NOT EVER BORING)

All of my best stories have come from Mongolia.

My family and I were trapped in a blizzard in the Gobi Desert. Nine stories of sewage backed up into my family’s toilet and tub. I stepped on a mouse that died in my boot. I could tell you story after story, but all of it to say, Mongolia is thebest kind of adventure.

It’s the kind of adventure where you don’t know how it’s going to turn out. You never know what the next day will bring. You never know how it’s going to change you. I am incredibly grateful my parents moved me to the unknown nation of Mongolia. It taught me the life-long lesson:

There should always be adventure.

Source:Grace's blog: http://itsgracejacobsen.wordpress.com/

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Mongolian political jokes: Chicken or the egg?

By U.ARIUNJARGAL

Once, a train full of parliament members was in an accident. When police and investigators came, the local people told them that everyone had already been buried. The police asked, “They all died?” The local people said, “Some of them said they weren’t dead, and tried to prove they were alive, but parliament members always lie. Nothing they ever say is true, so we did not believe them.”
A fifty year-old woman who works as a translator says, “I never heard of political jokes twenty years ago. Our culture is different from Western culture, because people say, ‘Soul of State, forgive me’. It is a kind of prayer believed to protect one from harm and bad things. We followed every rule or resolution that the state released without complaint, until the Mongolian democratic revolution came.”
Before the revolution, Mongolians never shared their opinions and believed they were without the right to think and say something negative about politicians. All women wore the same clothes and boots, and if someone wore another design and handmade clothes, they faced mistreatment and insults.
When a man who saw the drama theater burning said it was nice and that the burning fire looked fabulous and grand, he went to prison for insulting state property. Citizens had no chance at making fun of politicians.

When our translator was 40 years old, young people in Mongolia wanted a change in society and the way the government was conducting its business. They began to secretly meet and talk about change. During their studies in the USSR, that old name of Russia, they learned about Glasnost, and concepts such as freedom of speech and economic liberty.
After the democratic revolution, Mongolians felt free but faced too many mythical and strange things, such as unemployment, alcoholism, and the start of political crimes they had never heard of before.
An 80 year-old woman who was a doctor said, “When I was young, for people who worked in state jobs and represented the government, it was an honor and something to be proud of. But today it has become something of shame and the image of a corrupt liar and fat, rich robber.”
Recently investigated crimes prove this image, yesterday one court presented its decision on the case involving Ch.Gansukh, who was the former Head of the Department of Inspection and Control of the General Department of Taxation, Ch.Enkhbat, who was the Head of the Department of State Budget Income Assembly, and 13 other state employees. This past Monday, the Bayanzurkh District Court began the trial of Ch.Gansukh, which lasted for five days. In primary court, Ch.Gansukh and Ch.Enkhbat were sentenced to eight years in a maximum security prison, and the other state employees were sentenced with three years.
Recently, the Anti Corruption Agency arrested some state employees at the General Intelligence Agency for taking advantage of their positions and stealing huge amounts of money. Nowadays, every month people hear about some corruption trial involving state employees or parliament members.
Even President Ts.Elbegdorj focused last year’s election campaign on “The battle with corruption”, and several times he spoke about how much money state employees eat and their failures.
Another popular joke is about a dead politician’s funeral, and mourners saying he was hard working, genuine, honest, friendly, smart and obliging. “We will be remember him forever and he will stay in our hearts forever.” But the dead politician’s parents listened and burst out, “Please stop this talk! It seems like we’re burying another person, not my son.”
Two housewives are talking each other. The first woman says, “Did you hear about that new income source? If you leave some good comments about the former president on some website, you can earn 5,000 MNT. Why am I joining an online beauty product business?”
Her friend replies, “Five thousand is nothing. They paid me one million to participate in a hunger strike for the former president at Sukhbaatar Square. I took the money and lost weight. Before, we paid money for slimming products, but now we’re earning money to lose weight. The state is developing.”
A bear, fox, and a donkey wanted to build a bridge, but a ranger told them they needed a license to cut wood from the Ministry of Nature. If they could not show him a license, the ranger would not allow them to build. They talked and sent the bear to the ministry. Soon after, the bear came back without a license from the ministry. The bear said all the woods was going to be imported to China and the money would be going to the millennium road. They discussed it again and sent the fox to trick the ministry, but the fox also came back without a license. He said we can get one only through corruption and they were very eager to take bribe, but I didn’t have any money to give them. When the donkey said, “I am going to the ministry,” the bear and the fox started laughing. “We couldn’t get one and we are smart. How can you get one when you are such a loser and just a stupid donkey?” But the donkey went to the ministry, and soon came back in the big black jeep of the minister. “Did you get the license?” the bear and fox asked. “Sure, after the last election, all my relatives started working there. It was easy to get one.”
A parliament member was going home and some hooligans didn’t recognize him and beat him up, demanding vodka money. After they went away, the parliament member stood up and cleaned his clothes. “It’s good that they didn’t recognize me. If they knew I was a parliament member, they would have killed me,” he mumbled.
The former president tweeted: When I was arrested, 4,000 people participated in a hunger strike. The Head of the General Police Department tweeted back: You’re lying. Half of them were our plainclothes police.
One of ministers made a statement about a teacher’s strike, and said about the demands for increasing teacher salaries, “Fifty teachers participated in the strike and all 500 teachers will be taking responsibility.”
These jokes are funny, but for how many more years will we be laughing at these failures of our government? Only the voters can decide.

Short URL: http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/?p=8121

Source:UB Post

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Let’s not waste a fortune on fat

By B.DULGUUN

Mongolians have celebrated the New Year for over a week, seeing as the ministries and government agencies all around the country have locked down their doors, they must still be in the festive convivial.
With the New Year crisis still at hand, Tsagaan Sar (Lunar New Year) is creeping on its way. How will the people cope financially with two huge celebrations packed tightly together when a third of the population lives under poverty despite the nation’s “big” developments?
Mongolians are known for their outlandish hospitality. Thus, they would do whatever it takes to celebrate it as grandly as possible even if it means falling deeply into the pits of debt.
To top it off, salesmen and traders increase the price of food and groceries to use this opportunity to the fullest. This is pure fact. If you are uncertain, please take a stroll around the market and compare last week’s meat, flour and dairy product prices with today’s, with your own eyes.
The bargain price of a sheep rump, the hind part of the animal, which is placed at the center of a feast during the Lunar New Year is 450,000 MNT. A kilogram of beefhind is between 8,000 to 10,000 MNT which is said to be “affordable.”
Last week, the banks and non-banking financial institutions were jam packed with retired elders queuing for not only an advance on their pension but also loans. There were two women talking about having to receive three and five month’s pension in advance for the preparations for Tsagaan Sar. For rump with big hinds and plentiful fat costing approximately 450,000 MNT, it seems that this year’s Tsagaan Sar cannot be done without loans. Furthermore, the price of ingredients for the rest of the dishes for the “wonderful”event are yet to rise.
Tsagaan Sar is one of the most important events that has become a tradition after being celebrated for centuries. Personally, I’m not against celebrating the occasion, but is it really necessary to put a rump and beef hind, which is mostly used for decorative purposes, on the table and not use it as a part of the practical feast? Nowadays, it is rare to see a person cut a piece off the fatty parts of the rump to taste as they sit down to receive the offered refreshments, though elders do taste a piece or two for formality. After the celebration, the fat rots and it is not only hard to eat but also hard not to eat since they’ve paid a fortune for it. So is it really necessary to spend half a million MNT on pure fat?
There are approximately 730 thousand households in Mongolia and if we say that a third of them will buy a rump (no official statistics are available), then for one celebration, we will have to slaughter around 250 thousand sheep. And if we crunch up the numbers (250,000 times 500,000), Mongolians will have spent 125 billion MNT (roughly 77 million USD) for sheep hinds as a nation.
Most rumps left at room temperature are quick to rot and soon after the festival is over, it is not unusual to see it lying on a dog’s plate.
There are plenty of other ways to celebrate Tsagaan Sar, and placing a fat sheep behind doesn’t improve the quality of the feast. A better alternatives to a feast are a dime a dozen, and anyone can get creative with it.
In my opinion, festivals and celebrations weren’t meant to make you lose your head in calculations and financial headaches. The whole point is to take time to reflect on our accomplishments and make resolutions and plans for the upcoming lunar year.
I want to urge Mongolians to let go of this overpriced and impractical tradition of placing a fat hind on the feast table for vanity’s sake, and spend the money on something more productive. The parliament has issued a decree for an official three-day state holiday, but the new year celebration was only given a day and yet it had went on for a week. A whole week of a nation’s labor cannot be made up easily. The actual cost combined with the potential cost of celebrations have never been determined, and undoubtedly it will shock everyone. If this mindless spending celebration continues any longer, I doubt that Mongolia as a nation will ever dig itself out of debt.

Source:UB Post

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President transfers the fight against air pollution to government; confused the public

President Elbegdorj submitted draft law on air pollution of Ulaanbaatar today and according to this draft law, national committee to reduce air pollution will operate under the government. 

Previously, the committee was working under the President's office and president's advisors were included in the committee staff. 

Despite millions of dollars spent by US funded Millennium Challenge Account, air pollution in UB still remain serious issue. As each day of winter gets colder, degree of air pollution is increasing. All the smoke generated by 600 some thousand households in Ger district burning coal to stay warm killing residents of Ulaanbaatar slowly...

Currently, it seems, there is no way out from this issue. No big words of the president, PR relation campaigns of development projects are unable to address this issue. I'm an ordinary citizen of Mongolia, no longer believes in our government, president and the development projects which pledged they will tackle this issue in the level of disaster. 

What does this it mean that the national committee is to be operated under government?  Was this issue handled by government before?  So many questions like this still lingers on. 

Desperate and pesssimistic........

Dulamsuren, a Mongolian citizen

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Syrian opposition member says ancient Mongolian leader Hulagu is better than Bashar

Just came across this Reuters story about mourning of death of Syrian opposition member in Qatarian desert.  According to the story someone named  Abdelqader Saleh, a Syrian rebel commander died this week from wounds after an air strike in Aleppo. 

The most interesting part of the story is " Ahmad al-Sayasneh, once the imam of al-Omari mosque in Deraa, the cradle of Syria's revolt, gave a sermon condemning Shi'ite Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah, Assad's main allies.

"In the eyes of God, Hitler and (Mongol leader) Hulagu are better than Bashar," said Sayasneh."

Hulagu is one of the grandsons of Lord Chinggis, founder of Mongol nation. Hulagu led Mongolian troops to conquer Muslim countries in the Middle East. He conquered Persia, Baghdad, Syria and destroyed the terrorist muslim sect Hashashin which was menace to existing world of the time. 

His conquest pacified the whole middle east. He is remembered as one of the greatest Mongolian military commanders today. However, it seems for Muslims, it is contrary. Why this Muslim imam has to compare Hulagu with Hitler?  They are different historic figures who lived in different times.

Hulagu laid the foundations of the Ilkhanate State, and by doing so paved the way for the later Safavidynastic state, and ultimately the country country of Iran. 

He is the one gave a good lesson to Muslims of that time " if you think you are powerful and good fighters, there are others who are more powerful and better fighters than you. Beware of this."

Great Mongolian khans including Hulagu practiced religious tolerance.That stands in sharp contrast with many of these Muslim extremists who does not accept religious pluralism and say "either with us or against us". 

It is interesting to see that Hulagu, one of the greatest Mongolian khans and military commanders still remembered by the Muslims. 

Musing by Shagai

Below is original Reuters piece.

In Qatar desert, Syrian opposition mourns fallen commander

UMM AL-AMAD, Qatar (Reuters) - On a patch of desert far from Syria, dozens of men gathered under a white tent to commemorate Abdelqader Saleh, a renowned Syrian rebel commander who died this week from wounds after an air strike in Aleppo.

The mourners, who included senior Syrian opposition members and relatives of Saleh, assembled on Tuesday evening in the empty expanses of Qatar, 20 km (13 miles) from the skyscraper-dotted skyline of the gas-exporting Gulf Arab state.

The unusual scene testified to how deeply one of the world's richest nations has engaged with the cause of Syrians struggling for the past 32 months to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

Qatar has long armed and supplied Saleh's Islamist al-Tawhid brigades, one of the largest rebel units operating in the sprawling northern city of Aleppo and the surrounding region.

Tawhid fighters, mostly from the countryside, led an assault on Aleppo in July 2012, capturing about half the city before a fightback by Assad's forces backed by intensive air strikes ushered in a bloody stalemate which still endures.

Since then, rebel factions have splintered. Al Qaeda-linked militants have sometimes cooperated with more moderate Islamist groups such as Tawhid and sometimes clashed with them.

Abu Abdallah al-Hamwi, head of Ahrar al-Sham, an Islamist brigade that works with an al Qaeda affiliate called the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), said this week Saleh had sought his help to heal a rift between ISIL and other groups.

"He wanted a solution to stop Muslims fighting Muslims," Hamwi said in a statement.

Saleh, Tawhid's military leader, died in a Turkish hospital after the air strike that cost him his life, as well as that of another Tawhid commander, Youssef al-Abbas or Abu al-Tayyeb.

VENGEANCE

For their sponsors, the rebels' morale needed attention.

So along with money, weapons and a lavish embassy villa, Qatar's generosity to the umbrella Syrian National Coalition extended to a commemoration of the fallen Tawhid leader, a pragmatic merchant-turned-fighter from the Aleppo countryside.

Between sips of tea, opposition members at the wake, partly organised by relatives of Saleh who live in Qatar, insisted that his death would unite the fractious insurgents.

Ahmad Jarba, head of the coalition in exile, which is backed by the West, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, told the ceremony the rebels would exact vengeance for their commander's killing.

"This will give the youth an incentive to move forward. When you have a martyr of this magnitude, it will make people want to take revenge," he told Reuters next to pictures of Saleh on display outside the tent.

Jarba said Abdul-Aziz Salama, a political leader of Tawhid, would now assume overall command of the organization.

The presence of Jarba, a Saudi-backed figure, at the Qatar ceremony suggested a rapprochement between the two Gulf nations which have competed for influence over the Syrian opposition.

After Syrian army gains and the loss of several rebel bases in the north and east of Aleppo in the last few weeks, Saleh, who was in his 30s, had been trying to regroup rebel factions.

"Before he died, Saleh united a lot of the forces and now everyone sees the need to stay together, one hand against Bashar," said Abdulla Ghafour, a trim, clean-shaven cousin of Saleh who now lives in Qatar.

ORPHAN REVOLUTION

Ahmad al-Sayasneh, once the imam of al-Omari mosque in Deraa, the cradle of Syria's revolt, gave a sermon condemning Shi'ite Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah, Assad's main allies.

"In the eyes of God, Hitler and (Mongol leader) Hulagu are better than Bashar," said Sayasneh.

He told an attentive audience his message to Iran and Hezbollah was: "This is not your land. You have just come to defend the sinners and the devil worshippers."

The Syrian war has polarised the Middle East, pitting Iran and its Shi'ite allies against Sunni Muslim powers such as Turkey and the Gulf Arab states. The West, alarmed by the growing role of Islamist militants, has been reluctant to get involved - leaving a vacuum that al Qaeda groups have exploited.

The opposition is divided over whether to attend a proposed Syria peace conference in Geneva that may convene next month. Tawhid, along with other rebel groups, had signed a declaration saying the talks would only be acceptable if they removed Assad.

Standing alone in the autumn cold, Nizar al-Haraki, the Syrian opposition's ambassador to Qatar, appeared resigned.

"We can't depend on the West and we can't depend on the U.S. to strike. This revolution will only be won by Syrians. Our revolution is like an orphan, we have no real supporters."

(Editing by Yara Bayoumy, William Maclean and Alistair Lyon)

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