The Honorable Council Members

Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry

MNCCI Building, Mahatma Ghandi Street

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 17011

Subject: Addition to Honorary MNCCI Representatives Roster

Dear MNCCI Council Members:

On behalf of the United States of America, I humbly request inclusion as an Honorary Representative to the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In this unpaid capacity, I believe I can help your country while positively representing my own. Simply put, what I can offer Mongolia are tourism words of encouragement, urban modernization and countryside conservation ideas, and a promise to work together to position Mongolia’s interests at the forefront of my representation. I offer these things from a shoes-on-the-street, non-corporate, wilderness-loving perspective. Please let me represent Mongolia in a formal capacity.

This month I traveled to Mongolia, my first time there, and was awestruck by the traditions, independence, and pride of the people. In particular, I found the countryside to be beautiful, inviting, and largely undisturbed by modern development. Hopefully Mongolia’s countryside never changes. As an Honorary Representative, I would promote countryside tourism and encourage economic development that has minimal to no impact on the environment and people.

During my stay in Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar served as an urban hub for transportation into and out of the country, as well as a base for relaxation and planning countryside ventures. Though Ulaanbaatar has much to offer in its own right, I am inclined to believe that most tourists see the city as a base, too. Because it serves such an important purpose for tourists, because of its growing size, and because of its increasing political and economic importance, Ulaanbaatar could use some modernization and beautification. As an Honorary Representative, I would encourage the government to improve tourist and overall pedestrian infrastructure.

Funding for public projects is a never ending problem, the world over. I have some ideas for generating or saving money. First, Mongolia could consider changing to a coin-based currency, at least up to a certain level, say 5,000 Tugrik. Coins last far longer than paper and are a proven money saver. Another way to improve public facilities like sidewalks is to charge foreign businesses an “entry fee.” In exchange for the privilege of operating in Mongolia, a company would have to pay extra taxes, pay a one-time fee, or simply improve the public area immediately outside its store, out to the street. This is a win-win solution, improving Ulaanbaatar, while also creating a pleasant shopping environment to attract more customers and tourists to the business.

My fascination in Mongolia is primarily with the uniqueness of the countryside. Most foreign visitors probably visit Mongolia for that reason, too. Above all, if I serve as an Honorary Representative, my primary focus, hopefully aligned with the council members, would be to limit development to urban areas. My status as a traveler, unattached to any corporation or institution with designs on Mongolia, puts me categorically apart from most representatives. Please let me work with the committees and councils of the MNCCI to improve urban Mongolia while retaining the traditions and beauty of the countryside!

Sincerely,

Brook

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, here are 26 things I learned while in Mongolia!

Airag. Mongolians drink airag like there is no tomorrow. Airag is a fermented horse milk, typically served at room temperature. During fermentation, lactose is converted, making the milk accessible to everyone, even the majority of Mongolians who are lactose intolerant.

Boys. Boys and girls are nearly indistinguishable until a couple years old. Much of Mongolia is spiritually rooted in shamanism and the supernatural, so many peculiar beliefs pervade. One is that wishing for a baby boy when pregnant, or even openly showing that one has a baby boy, is bad luck and can bring harm. To ward off the evil spirits and ensure the safety and health of baby boys, they are dressed as girls for a couple years. Finally, when the time has come, a big party is held for the baby to publicly become a boy. His hair is cut and his clothes are changed.

Chicken. Crossing the street, in car or on foot, is one big game of chicken in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital. A car might come to an abrupt halt inches from trusting pedestrians. Other times, cars barrel through an intersection, and walkers seem to know not to chance it. Traffic lights, crosswalks, and traffic cops, though present, have nearly zero influence on traffic. My technique for crossing streets was to use Mongolians as human shields, putting them between cars and me, and trusting their judgment.

Drinkable water. Ulaanbaatar has over one million people and is growing. As an urban center and the only political, population, and tourism hub to Mongolia, the city desperately needs quality public facilities. For starters, readily accessible benches, trash cans, and bathrooms would be great. Sidewalks that are level and without rebar and other hazards would also help. Mongolia also needs to find some way to harness its enormous amount of available water from snowfall.

Expats. Expats enjoy low prices and huge opportunity in Mongolia. One American I met moved to Mongolia after losing big in US real estate a few years ago. He had enough of things, packed up his bags and moved to Mongolia to teach English. Paid only $700/month and provided an aprtment, he said a person could easily learn to live on $150-$200/month. He eventually moved on from teaching English and started his own restaurant and lounge for just a few thousand dollars. Other expats have enjoyed similar success. An Israeli family opened the first self-serve laundromat and is able to charge ridiculously high prices since they have a monopoly. A Canadian opened a sandwich shop, his fourth or fifth business there.

Feet. My favorite Mongolian custom is the feet-stomping-hand-holding combo. If a person steps on another’s foot, he must give a friendly squeeze or shake of the offended person’s hand.

Gers. Gers are traditional Mongolian dwellings, a style of yurt, made without a single nail. These houses are mobile, inexpensive, durable, and warm. It is not inconceivable that much of Native American religion and tepee building originated from Mongolians.

Humps. Camel humps are filled with fat, not water. When the fat storage is depleted (burned as energy), the humps go limp.

Independence. Mongolians are independent. Nearly all have nomadic roots. The few Mongolian women I met and spent time with were particularly assertive and strong, something that probably stems from the days of Chinggis Khan’s empowerment of women. Mongolia’s foreign policy mirrors this sentiment. They don’t seem to need, much less want, any help. Despite being strategically sandwiched between and regularly propositioned by Russia and China, Mongolia has no foreign-run military bases. Only in recent years has Mongolia started to accept larger partnerships with the United States, NATO, and even foreign mining companies. Somewhat disappointingly, I think this trend will continue and that the Mongolia of today will be long gone in 15 years. Hopefully, the countryside retains its beauty and nomadic traditions.

Jugular singing. If you don’t know what Throat Singing is or have never heard of it, watch it on Youtube. Do it now! In the video, the man is playing a symbolic Mongolian fiddle instrument called a morin khuur, which has two strings made of horse tail hair, and the top is carved into a horse head.

Khan. Chinggis Khan is mentioned and revered everywhere in Mongolia. He has near God-like status and is considered to be the greatest, fairest, and most progressive leader ever. He conquered Russia (the only empire to ever do so), developed the greatest empire in history, covering large amounts of Asia and Europe, accepted leaders of different religious and racial backgrounds, and even gave women significant powers, well before the concept of “feminism” ever came to be. Those he conquered enjoyed full political rights and were not treated as slaves. Somewhere along the way, foreigners started using “Ghengis” as the spelling and pronunciation, probably due to a simple communication error.

Leering eyeballs. Every single corner grocery store or shopping center has one or more people dedicated to watching shoppers. Every building has security guards. Mongolia must have serious shoplifting and trust issues. I have never felt my privacy invaded so much when selecting a 20 cent bottle of water. If all these hundreds of shopper watchers joined forces to build benches and repair sidewalks, Ulaanbaatar would be beautiful in a matter of weeks.

McDonald’s. Mongolia is one of the last remaining Asian countries without a McDonald’s. In fact, Ulaanbaatar, the capital, had very few American franchises of any sort. The only organically American restaurant chain I saw was Kenny Roger’s Roasters. I hope things stay this way. Mongolians, as unbalanced as their diets can be, are energetic, hardworking, and fitter than most Westerners. Junk food franchises will ruin that.

Ninja Miners. Mongolia is chock full of resources including tons of gold. Massive foreign mining companies such as Ivanhoe and Rio Tinto have been trying for years to secure a bigger piece of Mongolia’s resources, and have steadily made progress on that front. Due to the tremendous amount of potential wealth involved, this issue is very sensitive politically. Does Mongolia allow foreign companies with the right expertise and logistics to get the job done, or does Mongolia continue to push its own limited mining capabilities? While Mongolia delays, individuals called Ninja Miners–because they resemble Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the big pans strapped to their backs–have taken the opportunity to mine what no corporations can or will. I can imagine that these individually mined parts of Mongolia are developing a lot like Northern California did in 1849.

Opportunities. Opportunities abound in Mongolia. Think of some product, and I will tell you that Mongolia could use it. Fly tape? Yep. Restaurants in the country side have some serious fly problems and could use some cheap sticky fly strips. Snowmobiles? I met Mongolians who didn’t know what snowmobiles are, even though Mongolia has snow for the majority of the year. Most nomads hunker down during the winter months. What else could Mongolia use? Everything from fishing equipment, dirt bikes, swimming lessons, windmill farms, hang gliders, timeshare gers, mechanics, hand sanitizers, and everything else under the sun. A large part of the beauty of Mongolia is that the countryside does not have all these modern products and services yet. With some regulation, I believe Mongolia can become a haven for extreme adventurists, more than it already is, while still offering some Westernized comforts.

Pricing system. Beware of Ulaanbaatar’s two-tier pricing system. Other countries like Costa Rica are notorious for this, as well. A product should have one price. If you happen upon a hotel or restaurant charging different rates depending on your home country, find a different hotel or restaurant. Paying a multiple of the true market rate encourages this practice and hurts other foreign travelers. Often times, it is more about racial discrimination than citizenship.

Quiche. I never saw a single quiche in Mongolia. I did, however, see a lot of fecal matter. In the country side, a person can’t walk more than two steps without crossing some cow dung or goat droppings. Mammal excrement goes a long way in nomadic Mongolia. Cow dung is used for fireplace fuel and to build small storage sheds to keep yet other cow pies dry. Many ger-tending country dogs are not fed what we consider “normal” food. Their diets often consist heavily of human feces. If you’re ever in Mongolia and someone asks you to “feed the dogs,” keep that in mind.

Religion. Mongolia is hugely rooted in Shamanism and ancient beliefs are still held today. For instance, it is bad luck to whistle in a ger, bad luck to touch somebody’s right shoulder, and bad luck to walk counterclockwise in a ger. Tibetan Buddhism found its way to Mongolia and is the primary religion today. Additionally, Mongolia is a hotbed for Christian missionaries.

Sheep tail. Mongolian sheep have a unique characteristic. Their tails are extra fatty, I suppose, for storing energy reserves. This tail fat is served with food and tastes delicious. Supposedly, it also has amazing brain-improving nutrients.

Teeth. Mongolian teeth are the best I’ve ever seen. It must be good genetics and eating lots of dairy.

Unified. Mongolians have a unique way of carrying large two-man loads that is far easier on the back. I wish I could have taken a picture of this, because my explanation will never be as clear. Imagine two people standing side by side, each with one hand on a heavy beer cooler between them. Rather than hunching over to carry the cooler, they stand upright, with one man bracing himself against the shoulder of the other man. This technique really boils down to simple physics, and I’m surprised I’ve never seen it before.

Vast sky. In Mongolia’s countryside, the sky is so incredibly big and bright. Air is clean, skies are blue, clouds are big and puffy, thunderstorms are ominous. On clear nights, every star visible to the naked eye is, well, visible. Cultural lighting and pollution are nonexistent. Mongolia really makes a person feel a part of nature and helps put all the nonsense of society in perspective.

Wild West. Mongolia has got to be as “Wild West” as any country on Earth. Even a foreigner could jump on a horse, set up a tent in the country, and live off the land for weeks or months without any bother. Need a ride or a bed for the night? Just ask. Have a business idea you want to try? People interested in starting any business can inexpensively take that chance here. Nothing is off limits. I met an American who set up a bar. With very little money and some bribing, he avoids taxes and had his business up and running in no time. Laws don’t really seem to hold much weight and police don’t seem to have much more authority than individual citizens. Mongolia really is the Wild West.

X-rays. Bones are visible with X-rays. Coincidentally, bones are also filled with bone marrow. Nomadic Mongolians crack open long bones of animals they eat to reach the bone marrow. I had the opportunity to try this one night. Bone marrow is delicious and, like sheep tail, is alleged to have cancer-curing type dietary benefits.

Youth. Mongolians have an average age of 25. For comparison’s sake, the average age in the United States is about 37. As modernization and technology continue to invade urban Mongolia and spread to the countryside, hopefully the traditions stay alive. Virtually all Mongolian children learn to ride horses, for example. All boys become skilled wrestlers. What a shame it would be to lose these traditions to modernization.

Zero dollars. Nomadic families occasionally rent gers for a few dollars a night, and sell airag or other meat and dairy products to earn some money here or there to pay for gasoline or new shoes. That in mind, they would be able to live totally off the land, with zero income, if necessary. Poverty rates in Mongolia, according to the CIA, are well over 30%. I think those statistics include nomadic families. Well, I’m here to tell you that these families are not impovershed. They are free, independent, and self reliant. What more could any government want from its citizens? Every single family I met seemed totally happy, and why shouldn’t they be? These folks live predictable, low stress lives, enjoy what they do, enjoy what they eat, enjoy where they live, love their familis, and spend quality time with each other. I think a better question might be to ask ourselves how we got where we are, needing constant internet feeds, checking email every two minutes, answering phones like Pavlov’s dogs, focused on political issues so unimportant that most of the world can’t even understand, being discontent with the exceptionally large relative wealth in our lives. Anyone have an answer? I’m all ears for this one…

President Obama endorsing a Mongolian detergent. Maybe instead of moonlighting, he should focus on our nation's problems?

I didn't understand this woman's clothing. Maybe somebody else can explain.

A little girl looking back at a relative during Naadam 2009.

Over a dozen Mormon missionaries on an Ulaanbaatar street. Mongolia has one of the highest number of Mormon missionaries per capita in the world. Wonder why?

This cartoon of Mongolian laws was posted on the side of a building. I found it hilarious. Obviously, from the poster, it is illegal to get chased by a cow skeleton or punch people. What other laws can you see being broken?

In one of those rare did-that-really-just-happen moments, an angry drunk driver raged down the sidewalk, and turned sharply onto the street just feet away from me. He then intentionally rammed into the front of the forward yellow bus and into a car. After that, he moved back onto the sidewalk and sped away as people literally jumped out of the way. Hopefully no one got killed. Afterward, I snapped a picture of his bumper on the sidewalk.

Mongolia has some of the most beautiful land I've seen, much of it free from the fences and powerlines seen in other nations' countrysides. Unfortunately, Mongolia has a small littering problem. Note the plastic bottle in the picture.

Outside of Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar, there are few miles of paved roads.

Overcast skies

Goats. Many goats, everywhere.

Toyota Land Cruisers have to be the most popular vehicle in Mongolia.

Being spiritual on Kublai Khan's old stomping grounds.

This is as close as we came to wild camels. I jumped out of the vehicle to get this picture.

More camels.

I moved in for a closer picture, but the camels wanted nothing to do with me. Here they are running away from me with their silly floppy humps.

Some herders at sunset proving that motorized transportation isn't always the best. Notice the menacing terrain.

We stayed in this ger for a night. You can see some dairy products being dried on the roof, a fallen basketball hoop, and part of a solar panel on the other side of the ger.

An active shrine for a recently-passed relative was inside our ger. A little bit of food from meals is left for the deceased person, and the candles are lit at night. The little blue wrapped candy was part of the offering we took to the family in exchange for letting us stay the night. They left a piece at the shrine.

One of the most efficient practices I saw in Mongolia was using cow dung as fireplace fuel. These are free, easy to collect, easy to handle, require no tools, and burn well. Essentially, we are talking about condensed, dried grass.

Jigjidiin Mönkhbat is a Mongolian sports hero, 1968 Olympics Freestyle silver medalist, 6-time national wrestling champion, and father of Yokozuna sumo star Hakuho Sho. He sizes me up here, and sees I have the reach and a bit more hair. He, on the other hand, has "old man strength" and the ability to crush me. It should be a good match.

Flower.

Every ger, it seemed, had a dog standing guard. This dog is making the rounds.

Another flower.

Yet another flower.

This is the first of a series of 8 lakes, only 5 or 6 of which still have water. I'm standing on a steep mountainside in this picture, and the driver is telling me to move back to level land.

Mongolians build these rock shrines everywhere.

This past year, I've had a fascination with shipping container homes, so I was happy to see this series of shipping container stores in a small Mongolian country town.

Side view of a shipping container store.

Mongolia has vast amounts of gold, but lacks the infrastructure, equipment, and organization to mine it properly. Because the country has no way to enforce laws, individuals have gone out on their own or in small groups to pan.

Ninja miners have no incentive to repair the land they mine, so the valley ends up destroyed. You won't see pictures like these in travel guides.

The mining destruction to the valley is evident.

Some of the ninja miners can afford heavier equipment.

Birds of prey everywhere.

This picture could have been taken in any valley, near any mountain. Mongolia has more cows, horses, sheep, goats, and yaks...

Mongolia is making real gains in road improvement, but they completely close the new routes while in progress.

View from above, near the highest waterfall in Mongolia.

Girl taking a freethrow. Indiana has very little on Mongolia when it comes to love of the game.

Gers, the Mongolian nomadic dwellings, don't require a single nail. The wooden frames are held together with rawhide rivets, then covered with a thick felt.

I ran into this little wild puppy while on a hike. You can see a den to the right. He was very careful about eating outside his home. Getting close enough to to take this picture took about 20 minutes, as I gained his trust.

I took the orphan puppy some leftover dinner and tossed it in his den. You can see he is still very uncomfortable with me being so close. I, too, am a little uncomfortable since I never received my rabies shot!

Some little kids playing around.

Nomadic families let nothing go to waste. Since their diets consist almost entirely of meat and dairy, they produce multiple products. This tin of dairy cream can be eaten plain, as the boy demonstrates, or put in milk tea as a light sweetener.

Many gers have satellite dishes. From what I was told, the nomadic families pickup several channels for free with these basic dishes.

Mongolians have finer teeth than anywhere else I've been. This dawned on me after being there over a week. A Mongolian woman told me she thought it was because of all the calcium they eat from dairy. I'm sure that's a large part of it, but they must also be genetically predisposed to having such straight, nicely formed chompers! Seriously, who would have thought Mongolians would have such fantastic teeth?!

More environmental fallout from mining.

This rock has a lot of folklore holding it up. One fun piece is that any person able to toss a stone over this huge boulder will be rich. Watch me attempt it in my video section. Do you think I was able to throw it over?

This woman hitched a ride with us. She jumped off a horse-pulled wagon, and the wagon driver was gone before this woman even asked us for a ride. It is poor manners to not help a neighbor, so it was no wonder they assumed correctly that we would give her a lift.

Gers get shifted around occasionally. Notice the gravel bed to the right. The terrain, even within the small area of Mongolia I saw, is so varied.

At nightfall, this long stream of horses made its way to the river. I thought for sure that they were being guided by a person, but they were not! It was a magnificent sight to see them all moving along, coordinated, on their own.

This poor yak lost his herd and has to put up with all these goats and sheep.

Wild country dogs in Mongolia have these thick, heavy tails. I never figured out why. Does anyone know?

Mongolian pond at dawn.

The proven roads are well traveled and defined.

Small town at sunrise.

Not everyone in country towns lives in gers open to the world. This little town has small cabins with privacy fences throughout.

Though this eagle is used for tourist pictures, Mongolians have a centuries-old history of using eagles for hunting. Eagles, falcons, vultures, and hawks are seen frequently in the country.

A man shows us his items for sale---a bucket full of airag (horse milk), and what I think is a sheep.

A woman pours airag into a recently used water bottle. Plastic 1.5 Litre water and cola bottles are the default storage containers for milk. Airag in the country is cheaper, costing just over a dollar per gallon.

Our driver had us finish bottles of water so he could get them filled with airag on our last leg back to Ulaanbaatar.

Nearly every family owns this style of cruiser motorcycle. Apparently they handle the terrain well, and can accommodate up to four passengers! Most are made in China or Russia.

One of the better basketball hoops I saw.

Many herders paint their animals to indicate ownership. Check out the magpie sitting on the top rail. Surprisingly, I also saw seagulls.

This is the first time I've seen gasoline sold at such a low grade (80). At 92 grade, fuel costs about $2.87/gal by my math. 17 July 2009.

Mongolian horses are small. I took this one for a ride. When I returned, the little boy in orange jumped on him and showed me how to ride properly. His feet were a foot off the stirrups, he used no crop, and had no fancy gear, but he knew how to handle that animal. All Mongolian children become experts in horses.

Slaughtering and butchering sheep for dinner is about as mundane for the nomadic people as washing a car is for an American.

This small child has nothing better to do than hold the leg. It's difficult to say whether the child is a boy or girl.

Almost all animals are used for anything practical---Mongolians eat them, make clothing from them, use them as transportation.

Sharpening the scissors...

Nomads, naturally, are nomadic. I had one chance to see a relocation in progress. This family packed all their belongings onto camels for the trip.

About 15 minutes behind the family, other herders moved along the animals. Traffic came to a halt until the bridge cleared.

Like horseback riding, wrestling is a national sport, something that every Mongolian boy does. The rules are fairly simple. Whoever is taken down first loses. Feet and hands are about the only body parts that can touch the ground without being considered a takedown. You can see the boy in blue still has a chance as he struggles to keep his balance.

Sprinting away.

Inside a cave.

This tiny cave entrance was in the middle of nowhere. We found it only because some others were near. Stopping for a look was worth it...

Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake. Dozens and dozens of rock shrines have been built at this beautiful lake.

My camera doesn't do the magnificence of this mountain justice. It is really big and I climbed to the peak!

On my descent from the mountain top, I ran into this little problem and decided to answer. How could anyone not want a picture on top of this thing?

Another look at this rock stuck between two larger rocks, and the problem to reach it.

A major pitfall in traveling alone is not having trustworthy, competent friends nearby to snap cool pictures. Luckily, when I climbed on top of this weird, stuck rock, the sun was setting and I was able to get a picture of the shadow. You'll just have to believe me when I say that the person in the picture is me!

Watch this video in HD and fullscreen for best viewing. Please leave a comment and rate!

Airag is horse milk. It is fermented and normally stored and served at room temperature. The taste is sour compared to the “normal” cow milk Americans use with their Cheerios.

Mongolians drink this stuff like it’s the greatest thing on Earth.

Watch in HD and full screen for the best viewing!

Legend has it that any person able to toss a stone over this large Mongolian boulder will attain incredible wealth.

Watch in HD for best viewing! Leave a comment please.

Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, does not have a formal taxi industry. Though there are cars with meters, any driver is a potential cabbie. To summon a ride, a person needs only hold his arm out, flail it slightly, and soon enough a willing driver will pull up.

The going rate is 400T/KM (about $0.45/mile). The driver in the video crossed a river, flooded his car, then climbed a steep dirt road to get us to our destination. Our ride cost $2, a discount from the $2.25 he tried to swindle from us!