Western Mongolia - Mongolia - page 515

Worldwide travel insurance is available at www.lonelyplanet.com/travel_services . You
can buy, extend and claim online anytime - even if you're already on the road. For inform-
ation on health insurance, Click here .
Internet Access
A handful of internet cafes can be found in Ulaanbaatar and other cities. Signs are often
in English or Mongolian. Most hotels, guesthouses, cafes and restaurants in Ulaanbaatar
have wi-fi, although this is less common outside the capital.
Internet cafes Every aimag capital has an internet cafe at the central Telecom office.
Some sum centres also have internet access. Expect to pay around T800 per hour at in-
ternet cafes, double or triple that for hotel business centres.
Wi-fi and cable Places in reviews with free wi-fi, or internet-connected computers, are in-
dicated with an icon ( ). Some hotels will just have an internet cable sticking out of the
wall but require you to have your own laptop; if this is the case, it is described in the hotel
listing.
ISPs Internet service providers include Magicnet , Citinet, Skytel and Mobicom. Citinet (
11-7011 1010; www.citinet.mn ; Ikh Toiruu) is one of the most popular. Rates are reas-
onable, costing around T20,000 per month for a 1mbs (megabyte per second) connection.
Mobile broadband For expats living in Mongolia, especially in rural areas where internet
is limited, mobile broadband is available. Mobile-phone companies in Ulaanbaatar sell the
USB stick (T100,000 to T200,000) and monthly plans (unlimited data usage costs around
T50,000).
Legal Matters
Foreigners' rights are generally respected in Mongolia.
Drugs If caught, drug use will give you a peek into Mongolia's grim penitentiary system.
Borders The most common offence committed by foreigners is straying too close to a
border without a permit. Violators end up paying a fine and a few unlucky souls have been
imprisoned for a few days. If you run into serious trouble, ask to contact your embassy.
Police The police get mixed reviews. Some travellers have reported fast response and
results while others have been let down with lacklustre work. Overall, police are harmless,
but can be unreliable when you really need them. In Mongolia, it is often the victim who is
blamed (because of 'carelessness'), so never expect much sympathy from the police in
any given circumstance.