{"id":7238,"date":"2026-08-28T02:45:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T02:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sometimesraw.com\/?p=7238"},"modified":"2026-08-28T03:05:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T03:05:09","slug":"my-trip-to-mongolia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sometimesraw.com\/?p=7238","title":{"rendered":".My Trip to Mongolia."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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“Wow, Mongolia! Why? What is there to see,” I kept hearing from people before my trip started. I always found it fascinating, this huge country, the steppe, Shamans, horses, camel milk, jurtes, and Nomads. And off I went, fortunately in the summer because this is the coldest capital city in the world (along with Canada), with winter temperatures regularly dropping as low as -40\u00b0C, and many locals having no option but to heat their homes with coal in order to stay alive. I found out that a lot of the city\u2019s population live in gers<\/em> (Mongolian yurts) without running water, heating, sanitation, or paved roads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first impressions weren\u2019t great. The traffic was abysmal, huge waiting lines at gas stations due to gas shortage, the sidewalks were falling apart, and there was a sense of depression lingering in the air with a lot of drunk people lingering around and pickpocketing and begging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowly, though, I began to warm to the city. Ulaanbaatar is home to some of the best museums I\u2019ve ever stepped foot in \u2014 no exaggeration! \u2014 and I learned more about Mongolia than I thought I would. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had fun shopping here, too, from the chaotic stalls of the local Black Market of Narantuul to picking up world-class cashmere. I took an incredible tour that introduced me to Mongolian culture, and promptly developed an obsession with Mongolian metal band the Hu<\/em><\/a>. I wandered around colourful temples and monasteries, met friendly locals, and began to understand that what I\u2019d mistaken for bleakness was more like resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city is sort of dirty, chaotic, and absolutely not set up for pedestrians (or cars, there seem to be no traffic rules whatsover!), but it\u2019s also a fascinating city, where you can dive into the country\u2019s history, culture, and recent transformation, all in one place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A QUICK PRIMER ON MONGOLIAN HISTORY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re anything like me, you\u2019ll arrive in Ulaanbaatar slightly confused. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are there ornate Buddhist temples sitting next to Soviet apartment blocks? Why does everything feel both ancient and brand new at the same time? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make sense of the city, it helps to understand Mongolia\u2019s four big eras: the Mongol Empire, Buddhism, Communism, and the country\u2019s pivot to democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the 13th century, Genghis Khan united the Mongol tribes and went on to build the largest contiguous land empire in history. The Mongol Empire stretched from Eastern Europe to the Sea of Japan. After his death, the empire fragmented, and over the centuries Mongolia\u2019s global dominance faded. But Genghis Khan remains a respected national figure, and you\u2019ll see his face everywhere, from statues to vodka bottles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Centuries later, Tibetan Buddhism became central to Mongolian identity. Monasteries flourished, religious leaders held political power, and spiritual life shaped the country. Many of the temples you\u2019ll visit in Ulaanbaatar today reflect that era, although much of what you see now are reconstructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because in the 20th century, everything changed again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1921, Mongolia became the world\u2019s second socialist state after the Soviet Union. Under strong Soviet influence, religion was brutally suppressed. Thousands of monks were executed, monasteries were destroyed, and Buddhism was pushed underground. Ornate temples were replaced by concrete apartment blocks and vast public squares. The name Ulaanbaatar even translates to Red Hero <\/em>in Mongolian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 90s, the Soviet Union began to collapse, and Mongolia had a peaceful democratic revolution. Suddenly, people could vote freely, start businesses, and live life outside of strict government control. The transition was rocky, but it reshaped the city once again. Today, you\u2019ll see glass skyscrapers, Korean coffee chains, traditional gers on the outskirts, and Soviet architecture all blended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE BEST MUSEUM IN MONGOLIA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What an absolute delight it was to wander the rooms of the Chinggis Khan Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This building is enormous<\/em>, and you could spend hours here, learning all about the life and legacy of Genghis Khan\u2026 which raises the question: why is it called the Chinggis<\/em> Khan Museum?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, to start with, Chinggis\u2019s actual birth name was Tem\u00fcjin. It was after he created the Mongol Empire that he was given the title Chinggis, which in the Mongolian language roughly translates to oceanic. (For nomads living far from the sea, the ocean represented something unimaginably vast, so the title described a ruler whose empire they believed would be equally as large.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Europeans first heard about the Mongols, there was no standard way to write Mongolian sounds using the Latin alphabet. Instead, they had to rely on how the names were pronounced by Persian, Chinese, and Russian sources. In those languages, the Ch sound often came across to Western ears as a hard G, so Chinggis became Genghis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Chinggis is the correct spelling and actually how his name is pronounced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, I spent a lot of time in the Chinggis Khan Museum!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But back to the size of this museum. If you can believe it, the exhibitions here are spread out over nine floors, with over 12,000 artefacts on display \u2014 many for the first time ever. It covers Mongolian history from the first nomads to the Mongol Empire, showing how Chinggis fits into the timeline of the country, rather than focusing on his life alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Traditional Shaman outfit. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Each floor has its own focus. You\u2019ll start with the very beginnings of nomadic states, and see things like carved deer stones, jewellery and burial reconstructions that give you a sense of how people lived and moved on the steppe long before the Mongol Empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you move up, you\u2019ll hit the Mongol Empire itself: the rise of Temujin, and the rapid expansion under Chinggis and later khans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the mid-levels, the focus changes from battles and leaders to how everyone from aristocrats to ordinary people lived under the Mongol Empire. You\u2019ll see robes, tools, household items, and objects that were traded along the Silk Road, and there\u2019s a section covering why the Mongols were so successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the upper floors, you\u2019ll learn about the empire at its peak and how life worked behind the scenes. Colourful religious objects, ceremonial items, and other artefacts show how people lived, what they believed in, and how society, from everyday families to the rulers, was organised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I loved the museum, learned a lot, and was really impressed by the items on display, but one complaint: it didn\u2019t really feel like the museum was set up for English-language visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DASHCHOILIN MONASTERY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Most of the city\u2019s monasteries were destroyed decades ago, but this one was restored in the 1990s and provides peaceful respite from the traffic of Ulaanbaatar. I enjoyed wandering the complex, marvelling at Buddhist statues and faded-but-still-colourful murals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roughly one hundred monks still live here, and if you\u2019re lucky, you might catch a ceremony with chanting and drums. If you\u2019re unlucky, you might do as I did and enter a temple ger and interrupt a group of monks having a meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THERE\u2019S LOTS TO SEE AT SUKHBAATAR SQUARE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sukhbaatar Square, in the heart of the city! You can think of Sukhbaatar Square as the main town square: a wide open, concrete plaza in the centre of town, surrounded by all of the most important buildings, like Government Palace, the Mongolian Stock Exchange, the Opera House and Central Post Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The square is named after Damdin Sukhbaatar, a key figure in Mongolia\u2019s 1921 revolution against Chinese influence, which paved the way for decades of Soviet influence, and a large bronze statue of him on horseback stands in the middle of the square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the 20th century, Sukhbaatar Square was where official parades and state ceremonies happened under the socialist government. In 1990, it became one of the main gathering points for the peaceful protests that eventually helped bring about Mongolia\u2019s democratic transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the space still hosts public events, concerts and celebrations, and is a relaxed place to hang out, take photos or just watch locals and travellers pass through on a sunny afternoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PICK UP SOME CASHMERE FROM GOBI CASHMERE GALLERIA STORE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you weren\u2019t aware, Mongolia is home to the best cashmere in the world. It\u2019s all thanks to the freezing winter of the steppe, which cause the local goats to produce a wool that is finer and warmer than you can find anywhere else in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GOBI Cashmere is one of the biggest producers of cashmere in Mongolia, and they\u2019re one of the few companies to process the wool entirely within the country. (Many other producers will send the wool to China to be processed to save money.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can get a tax refund on your purchase if you give staff your passport number, and prices were honestly pretty reasonable for some of the best cashmere you can buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SWING PAST ULAANBAATAR SIGNS AND STATUES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ulaanbaatar Park is a relatively new addition to the city\u2019s attractions, opening in 2024 and giving residents a much-needed green space in which to escape the dust and traffic jams of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What drew me to the park, however, was the huge Mongolian flag, 60 metres tall. Unsurprisingly, it\u2019s the tallest flagpole in Mongolia. There\u2019s a whole bunch of different areas in the park to check out, too, like a skate park, playground, pond, walking trails, and an amphitheatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHOP FOR EVERYTHING AT NARANTUUL MARKET<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There\u2019s around 10,000 vendors operating here, with 100,000 daily visitors wandering around the stalls. The locals refer to it as the Black Market, and there are stories of sketchy items being sold here in the past, from guns and bullets to prescription drugs, but for the most part, the stuff for sale is less illegal, and the market isn\u2019t scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old Soviet medals and tobacco snuff bottles are for sale, but other items that stood out were horse riding saddles, Mongolian musical instruments, deels and gutals (traditional clothing and boots), bows and arrows\u2026 and then you\u2019ll turn a corner and find beds and carpets and motorbikes and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you may have gathered, this is more of a market for locals than tourists, which I think makes it all the more interesting. Keep an eye on your belongings in case of pickpockets, but otherwise aim to spend a couple of hours marvelling at the sheer variety of items that are for sale here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLIMB UP TO THE SOVIET ZAISAN MEMORIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Zaisan Memorial sits quite a way out of town \u2014 it\u2019s a 90-minute walk south of Narantuul \u2014 so you\u2019ll want to hire a taxi to take you there, or jump on a city bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepare yourself for a strenuous climb, too, as there\u2019s roughly 600 steps to scale in order to get to the top. If you\u2019re feeling lazy, you can also enter the Zaisan Hill Complex shopping mall, take the elevator up to the seventh floor, and cross the bridge that takes you to the half-way point of the staircase, cutting out a solid 300 steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The structure was built to honour the Soviet soldiers and Mongolian-Soviet friendship after World War II, and the mural on the interior is full of bright colours and heroic poses; giving that slightly over-the-top socialist vibe. Today, most locals see the memorial less as glorifying the USSR and more as honouring the Mongolian soldiers who fought in WWII, as well as an excellent vantage point over Ulaanbaatar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because yes, even if Soviet architecture isn\u2019t your thing, the views from the top are panoramic<\/em>. You\u2019ll get 360-degree views over Ulaanbaatar from up here: the ger districts, the new glass skyscrapers, and the hundreds of concrete Soviet-era buildings that still dominate of the city, with mountains and the steppe stretching into the distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AN EPIC DAY TRIP INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This day-trip to the Mongolian countryside was amaying. Seriously \u2014 I think this is one of my favourite tours I\u2019ve ever taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My guide was exceptional and it felt like I was driving around the countryside with a friend. I learned a ton about Mongolian culture, what life is like outside the city, and the aspects of the country that its residents love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The tour was also more than a little action-packed, whisking me from an extravagant stainless steel statue of Chinggis Khan to the humble interior of a local family\u2019s ger. I had the opportunity to try local dishes and drinks, ride camels and horses, meet hunting eagles and falcons, and learn archery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the day, I was dusty, tired, and smitten with Mongolia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One minute you\u2019re driving through open steppe with little more than grass and sky in every direction. Then next, there\u2019s a 40-metre tall stainless steel Chinggis Khan plonked atop a hill, glimmering in the morning sun which is the tallest equestrian statue in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was built to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Mongol Empire, facing to the east, towards the region where Chinggis Khan was born, with the statue marking the spot where he supposedly stumbled upon a golden whip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can go inside and climb to the top of the horse\u2019s head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ventured up to the viewing platform, which is located on the horse\u2019s mane. From up there, you can really gain a sense of how vast and empty Mongolia is, with little to see but grass and gers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Back on the ground, it was time to dive into Mongolian culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archery has played an important part in Mongolian culture for centuries, used for hunting and fighting, and showcased every year in the colourful Naadam festival where we headed next. These days, it\u2019s one of Mongolia\u2019s three traditional sports, along with wrestling and horse racing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I knew what was happening, I had an enormous hunting eagle perched on my right hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To this day, eagles are trained for hunting in western Mongolia, used to track foxes and other small game across the steppes. Beyond hunting, they\u2019re symbols of strength and freedom, which is why they feature so prominently in local festivals. What a magnificent animal! I might have had some tears in my eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of animals, if there\u2019s one that rivals the eagle in importance to Mongolian culture, it would have to be the camel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve rode on camels once before on my travels \u2014 in Doha \u2014 but the ones in Mongolia are different. They\u2019re Bactrian camels, which I view as proper camels<\/em>, because they have two humps instead of one! They\u2019re stockier than single-hump camels and better suited for the icy steppe rather than endless sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After trying our hands at all the local activities, it was time to head further into the steppe. Our next stop was a visit to a family\u2019s ger, and I couldn\u2019t wait to take a peek inside these iconic homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gers have been used by Mongolian nomads for centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s made of a collapsible wooden frame that\u2019s covered in a thick felt, which helps keep out the cold. The entire thing can be packed up and carried on camels or horses whenever families decide to move on, so it\u2019s super-practical for a nomadic existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside, there\u2019s a central stove for warmth and cooking, and every piece of furniture has a purpose. Beds and low benches line the edges, acting as seating during the day and sleeping spots at night. Cupboards store clothes, blankets, and other essentials. In one corner, there\u2019s often a small altar for offerings and prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mum of the family motioned for us to come inside, and we gathered in one cosy area, watching as she prepared a snack for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The white, tubular objects you can see on the tray in my photo are called aaruul, and they\u2019re a staple of Mongolian nomadic life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To make it, you ferment the milk you\u2019ve collected from your camels then boil it to separate the curds and whey. The curds are then shaped into small tubes and placed on top of the ger to dry over several days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is a hard, tangy snack that can last for months, is high in protein and calcium, and helps maintain strong teeth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were handed a warm cup of airag next: fermented horse milk that\u2019s infamous to travellers in Mongolia. It\u2019s sour, and fizzy, and\u2026 challenging to enjoy. I liked it. Horse and camel milk became my favorite daily drink in Mongolia! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This trip was a not really a vacation but a work trip and all my adventures I did after work or on my days off which I was fortunate to have. There is so much more to discover, obviously, but there was simply not enough time for me to explore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more time I spent in Mongolia, the more it started to grow on me. The city has a weird kind of energy, but you get used to it the longer you\u2019re there, and you really do start to warm to it. Wandering through markets, temples, and museums, meeting friendly locals, and seeing the mix of Soviet architecture and modern skyscrapers made me appreciate just how complex this city is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ulaanbaatar is far from perfect, and it\u2019s definitely not a polished tourist town, but that\u2019s kind of part of its charm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re heading to Mongolia, give yourself a couple of days in the capital to see a side of the country away from the steppe. Visit all the museums, wander through the colourful temples, and see if it starts to grow on you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Wow, Mongolia! Why? What is there to see,” I kept hearing from people before my trip started. I always found it fascinating, this huge country, the steppe, Shamans, horses, camel milk, jurtes, and Nomads. And off I went, fortunately in the summer because this is the coldest capital city in the world (along with Canada), … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “.My Trip to Mongolia.”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_ml_titleColor":"#000000","_ml_titleFont":"Roboto","_ml_titleFontSize":1.136,"_ml_titleFontWeight":"400","_ml_titleLineHeight":1.3,"_ml_metaColor":"#708090","_ml_metaFont":"Montserrat","_ml_metaFontSize":0.6785,"_ml_metaFontWeight":"400","_ml_metaLineHeight":0.92,"_ml_bodyColor":"#a9a9a9","_ml_bodyFont":"Open Sans","_ml_bodyFontSize":0.85,"_ml_bodyFontWeight":"400","_ml_bodyLineHeight":1.2,"_ml_wooPriceColor":"#666","_ml_wooPriceFont":"Open Sans","_ml_wooPriceFontSize":0.9,"_ml_wooPriceFontWeight":"400","_ml_wooPriceLineHeight":1.27,"_ml_headingColor":"#000","_ml_headingFont":"Merriweather","_ml_headingFontSize":2.02,"_ml_headingFontWeight":"700","_ml_headingLineHeight":1.47,"_mlglobal_userfontcolors":{"headingColorUser":[],"titleColorUser":[],"metaColorUser":[],"bodyColorUser":[],"wooPriceColorUser":[]},"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-minimalism-lifestyle"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t