Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The benefit of the regularly scheduled buses and vans is that they leave on time and
drive straight to their destination, as opposed to private vans, which run on 'Mongolian
time' (ie whenever they have crammed in enough passengers). With the government
buses you also get an assigned seat.
However, the private buses have their share of discomforts. One problem is that there
seems to be no restriction on luggage, so boxes and bags tend to pile up in the aisles,
which makes getting on and off the bus at breaks a real chore. Try getting a seat closer to
the front of the bus to avoid the pile. Note that in winter, the heater will be turned to max-
imum, which is fine if you're up front or in the back (the heater is in the middle). However,
if you are unfortunate enough to get the seat
over
the heater it will feel like you are hover-
ing over a blast furnace. No matter what time of year it is, the driver will probably crank up
the music. This is bearable for an hour or two but if you want to get some sleep (or main-
tain sanity) consider bringing noise-cancelling headphones.
TAKING A GPS
When travelling around the featureless plains, a global positioning system (GPS)
can be very useful in determining where exactly you are, as long as you have a reli-
able map on which to pinpoint your coordinates. We have given GPS coordinates
for many hard-to-find places in reviews, plus coordinates for sum(district) and
aimag centres.
A GPS won't help you every time, as you'll still need to know which road to take,
even if you know the rough direction. Every few kilometres the track you're on will
veer off in the wrong direction, requiring constant corrections and zigzagging.
Most smartphones also have GPS capability (and you can download GPS naviga-
tion apps). But be aware that the coordinates displayed on a mobile phone (which
uses mobile-phone towers to determine a location) are less accurate than those
given by a dedicated GPS unit (which uses satellites).
It is always a good idea to ask about road conditions at gers along the way. Often
a good-looking road will become impassable, running into a river, swamp or wall of
mountains; herders can offer good info on the best route to take.
If all else fails, you can always rely on Mongolian GPS (ger positioning system),
which requires following the vague sweep of the ger-owner's hand over the horizon,
until you reach the next ger.
Camel & Yak
ยป
Intractable yaks and confrontational camels are recognised forms of transport in Mongo-
lia. Camels can carry the weight of an average-sized sumo wrestler. Yaks are also a use-
ful and environmentally friendly way of hauling heavy cargo.
