My First Trip to Mongolia on the Way Back from Nepal
Hello, everyone.
This is Enta.
On my way back from Nepal, I took a little detour and went to Mongolia! lol
This is my first time in Mongolia!! (My vacation starts here.)
In terms of temperature, Nepal felt pretty much the same as Japan, but Mongolia was completely different.
It usually gets down to about 5 degrees in the mornings and evenings.
Man, it's cold lol
I’d brought a jacket just in case, so that came in handy, but if you let your guard down thinking it would be like during the day, the cold really gets to you.
When traveling abroad, it’s easy to focus only on the daytime temperatures, but in Mongolia, it’s best to pay close attention to the temperature differences between morning and evening.
It's the same on-site—if you just look at the numbers and think, "I'm sure it'll be fine," you'll usually end up getting burned, lol.
Same goes for this—let's stick to the numbers!
From Incheon Airport to Mongolia
On this trip to Mongolia, I entered the country via Incheon International Airport in South Korea.
The flight from Incheon to Ulaanbaatar takes about three and a half hours, depending on the flight.
It seems close, but it’s actually quite a distance.
And, as is often the case with international airlines, the flight was delayed by more than 30 minutes.
This kind of thing is pretty normal around here, so I don't really think anything of it lol
If you're used to a culture where people apologize for even a one-minute delay, like on Japanese trains, you just can't handle it overseas.
"Just thinking, 'It'll take off eventually,' is about right, lol."
To Ulaanbaatar on MIAT
This time, I flew with MIAT Mongolian Airlines.
From what I've found, MIAT appears to be Mongolia's flag carrier—that is, the airline that represents the country.
In Japanese, many people call it “Miatto” or “Miyatto.”
And once I got on the plane, I was surprised by just how cold it was.
No, it's way too cold lol
Even though I had a jacket, I couldn't help but wonder, "What's going on with the temperature on this flight?"
And then, out of the blue, they handed out ice cream lol
"Wait, right now?" I said.
Of course, I didn't eat it.
I haven't adjusted to Mongolia enough yet to eat ice cream on a cold plane lol
To begin with, foreigners have a weird sense of temperature—it’s freezing cold everywhere you go (with the AC blasting)—so I’d recommend that Japanese people bring an extra layer or two.
Arrival at Genghis Khan International Airport
And we arrived at Genghis Khan International Airport.
This airport has quite close ties to Japan.
According to information released by JICA, Japanese ODA yen loans were used to construct this airport, and technical assistance is also being provided for its operation and maintenance.
It is also reported that an airport operating company formed by a consortium of Japanese firms—including Mitsubishi Corporation, Narita International Airport, Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd., and JALUX—and Mongolian companies has entered into a concession agreement with the Mongolian government.
In other words, it’s not just an airport where “Japan played a small role”—it’s one in which Japan is quite deeply involved.
Perhaps because of that, I got the impression that people in Mongolia have a very favorable view of Japanese people.
Of course, this is just my gut feeling, but I think his connection to Japan through sumo—such as his relationship with former yokozuna Asashoryu—is also quite strong.
The photo's kind of hard to see... lol
The moment I stepped out of the airport, I was completely immersed in the Mongolian atmosphere
The view the moment you step out of the airport is amazing, too.
Whoa—————!!
That's kind of how it is, lol
It feels totally Mongolian right off the bat.
The view is wide.
The sky is vast.
The horizon seems close, yet it is far away.
The sense of scale is completely different from the scenery you see in Japan’s mountainous regions or on slope sites.
In Japan, there are so many things that catch your eye—like mountains, valleys, roads, houses, utility poles, slopes, retaining walls, and ditches, aren't there?
Mongolia has almost no information—in a good way!
The Sky and the Earth.
That's it! Something like that, lol.
It takes about an hour by car to get to Ulaanbaatar.
It takes about an hour by car from here to the capital, Ulaanbaatar.
This one-hour walk covers a decent distance.
I just keep driving down this road with no traffic lights.
To be honest, the scenery doesn't really change much lol
But that's actually what makes it Mongolia.
On Japanese expressways, the landscape varies, featuring tunnels, bridges, cut slopes, embankments, slopes, interchanges, and rest areas.
Even from a field worker’s perspective, I can’t help but wonder things like, “How did they build that slope?” or “How does the drainage work?”
However, Mongolia is simply vast.
There are few buildings on either side of the road, so the view is incredibly open.
This time, we chartered a car, a driver, and an interpreter, and I think securing a car is quite important when sightseeing in Mongolia.
At least for first-time visitors, it’s easier to get around by taking a charter or joining a local tour.
There aren't any trains or anything! lol
The hotel is still a dormitory
As usual, I chose a dormitory room—what’s commonly known as a shared room—at the hotel.
Regular hotels are just so boring, lol
This is what a four-person room looks like.
Overseas dorms can be hit or miss, but I actually really like them.
Of course, the comfort of a luxury hotel is great, but dorms have their own unique charm.
Where are the people in my room from?
What route are you taking on your trip?
What did you come here to see?
Sometimes just hearing stories like that is more interesting than regular sightseeing.
Well, it’s hell when you end up with someone who snores loudly, though lol
Also, it's seriously annoying when there's someone who smells really bad for no reason lol
The days are long in Mongolia
That day ended with just traveling.
But what surprised me again was how long the days are in Mongolia!
Night just won't come!!
It doesn't get dark until around 9:00 p.m. or later.
In Japan, don't you usually start thinking, "It's getting to be nighttime," around 6 or 7 p.m.?
But Ulaanbaatar is still bright.
From what I've found, around June in Ulaanbaatar, sunset is between 8:40 p.m. and around 8:50 p.m., and if you include twilight, it seems to stay light until quite late.
No wonder it feels like night never comes, lol.
Mornings come as usual, but it feels like the evenings are dragging on.
It's kind of strange.
Ulaanbaatar is more modern than I imagined
And then, as I entered Ulaanbaatar, I was surprised all over again.
It's so modern!
To be honest, when you think of Mongolia, you probably picture vast grasslands, right?
Gers, horses, grasslands, sheep, and the wide open sky.
That was exactly the image I had in mind, too.
However, in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, there are buildings everywhere, plenty of cars, and the city is quite developed.
There are large buildings, restaurants, and bright streetlights.
If you go there thinking, “There’s nothing but grasslands,” your impression will change quite a bit lol
This is the Mongolia we all imagine, right?
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But here's what it actually looks like!!
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It's just like a provincial city in Japan!!!!
I was really surprised.
From here on, I can't see the fields and mountains anymore!
And since development is really picking up right now, I think things will change dramatically in the next 10 years or so!
My impressions of the first day: cold, spacious, and urban
However, after seeing the vast landscape stretching from the airport to the city, a cluster of modern buildings suddenly appears, and that contrast is interesting.
In Japan, too, you get that feeling of suddenly entering a regional city while driving along a rural road, but in Mongolia, that contrast is much more pronounced.
The ground thudded.
The sky went "boom."
And then, suddenly, the city.
It's a feeling you don't often get in Japan.
My impressions after the first day were that Mongolia is “colder than I expected,” “bigger than I expected,” and “more urban than I expected.”
These are the three.
Ulaanbaatar, in particular, will pleasantly surprise you if you’re expecting nothing but grasslands.
And a car is essential for getting around.
You'll definitely need a jacket in the mornings and evenings.
Starting next time, we'll finally head out to see some truly Mongolian scenery.
See you later.
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