Story and photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet TM
The irascible and irreverent Travelling GOurmet TM tells you about…
MONGOLIA…
One of the largest countries with no coast or sight of the ocean, Mongolia is a unique and unusual destination BUT with some issues worth considering before going there driven by your strong sense of adventure and wanderlust for exotic locales…
On the minus side…sometimes deadly diseases and strong sandstorms abound…It was the home to the fearsome Kublai Khan and Genghis Khan, super fierce nomadic warriors and horsemen par excellence, it not a place for the faint hearted. Their challenging surroundings made them super tough deadly and ruthless warriors!
Free and Easy OR go on a package tour group??
To be safe, better go on a package tour with a group. Mongolia is an autonomous part of the chinese communist PRC so they are not known at this time, the Mongolian government anyway that is…to be super friendly to American citizens…Not as bad as North Korea where the naive college kid was tortured to death by the North Korean MSS. Free and easy may not be a good idea unless you are a superb horseman, can eat exotic local food and live in somewhat primitive habitation in the remote areas. May be good to stick to the capital with a few day trips to outlying areas for the wide open spaces scenery. If you like to live dangerously and many do…go free and easy and be like the nomadic tartars or Mongolian nomads! They say you have never lived…until you have almost died.
On the plus side, great exotic food, but if you only like hamburgers and fries and grits and biscuits for breakfast and apple pie a la mode…maybe this rugged land is not for you…
Khara Khorum
In the Kempinski Hotel Khan Palace in Ulaaan Batur, the capital, Khara Khorum has yum yum food in opulent surroundings. It is named after the capital of the Mongol Empire (13th Century) so naturally Mongolian food is on the menu…
Bantan – a hearty soup of onions and lamb with cream.
Dumpling stuffed with minced lamb and pan fried like Kuo Tie– the tummy filling Khuushuur.
Steak TARTARE!
MONGOLIAN warriors and raiders placed slices of raw meat under their blazing saddles and at the end of the ride, the meat was tenderized! Sure beats the good ol’ slow cooker! The longer the journey the more tender the steak! Seasoned well and eaten raw!
MOngolian HOrsemeat Steak Tartare!
A gentle word of caution…if your tummy is not so strong, you may get “Bombay belly”…No big deal, drink plenty of tea with plenty of sugar for a couple of days till it clears. I like Ronneveldt Earl Grey or Darjeeling!
Mongolians like Russkies drink a a lot…mainly Vodka! If you are not a big drinker, best tell them your liver is totally shot and you are on Doctor’s orders to be TTT…teetotal that is.
On the minus side…
The Plague is all over Mongolia transmitted by rats and mice…Actually plaque is transmitted by the fleas that live on the rodents. Luckily, it can be cured by fast use of antibiotics. If you see warnings signs, stay the hell away! The plague is dangerous, sometimes deadly.
Typhoid, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B also everywhere. HVB transmitted by unclean food and plates, forks, etc. and intimate relations with women…Get vaccinated first is a good idea.
The weather can be extremely cold! Temperatures can drop real fast like in San Francisco sometimes as early as September. You need warm clothing and thermal underwear like long johns all year long, as even summer nights can get surprisingly cold. I recommend Beretta. Beretta the world’s OLDEST maker of guns also make thermal underwater and outdoor hunting gear. Really, really good stuff for professionals…
On the move in remote areas dust storms can suddenly spring up. If you do find yourself caught in one, Quickly drive off to the side of the road and Take Cover! Beware when driving, sand storms decrease your visibility a lot….
MONGOLIANS live in an animal skin tent with an interior support called a Ger, a bit like the red Indian Wigwams…politically incorrect…Native Americans, what the hell, Red Indians sounds better to me! Wahahahah! I am not known for being politically correct. Do not lean on the support when inside the tent. It will collapse and the natives will be angry with you!
If you are good with horses, you will like MOngolia. Like the Wild West, they ride horses like Americans drive automobiles. Being MOngolian horses, they only understand Mongolian…can be a problem. Giddiup won’t work…
Blackouts and/or Brownouts…
Bring a flashlight, preferably a tactical torch…The power outages can happen at any time.
If you like to sometimes live on the edge, Happy vacation! You only live twice or is it once? If you are a Buddhist…more than once for sure…and cats have 9 lives oder…
May the spirit of Genghis Khan go with you! Gute Reise! 🙂
The Travelling Gourmet 