I see that mongolia is one of the few areas in Mongolia I can stay in without need for a visa for up to 90 days so Im thinking about staying there for 3 months....but how cheap could I live there and what is it like there for an american? I've stayed in Thailand and Malaysia which are both very cheap and safe but I know nothing about Mongolia.
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i have been there twice. i LOVED it so very much. it was very intreaging...and it drew me back for a second time. i highly reccomend it but go in the summer. it is extremely extremely cold in the winter. what you can do...... you can live in Ulaan Baator (UB) for very cheep. "hotels" and "hostels" AKA "someone's apartment that is converted into a place to stay" were super cheap in 2005 the last time i was there. some were as low as 5 or 6 dollars a day. once there you can ask around for permenant after you familiarize yourself with the capital. Some neighborhoods are not the best. the poorest ones are just not good for americans/europeans and others. a trusted local would steer you correctly tho. half of the population lives in the capital and growing daily. You will like UB, but will waist you time if you do not go on a tour to the countryside or do TWO OR THREE tours even. pick your preference....----> desert (not for me, hot and dusty, but some unusual things there for sure...it is very popular. the north region with lush trees and lake khosugol and other lakes. the steppe (a must see to get the true essence of mongolia, but you will likely travel through this getting to other places. (the monistary is there too) extreme far west mongolia (by airplane) the khazak (spelling) people and the preditor birds live there. far eastern mongolia is where ghingis khan was burried. i don't know much about this side, few people visit there anyway. there are two other "cities".....not really much to do there, a copper mine and a carpet factory are there. and there are one or two day tours to nice "countryside places too" PICK UP A LONELY PLANET GUIDE BOOK. and i reccommend NOT doing any "package tour" that you could book before you get there. arrange it while you are there. do your homework before you go, and tell the person at the guest house what you want to do. your guest house owner will help you find travel mates (a must for cost and for fun) ...and off you go. you MUST add an extra day-or-two to your tour becasue EVERYTHING takes longer than you think (and even longer than the mongolian helping you plan this thinks it will take), and there is always a flat tire, a muddy road, or some other problem in the countryside....or you may make a mid-tour detour even. the extra day or two will come in handy. you can do a grand tour of mongolia super easily, or better yet, do 2 or 3, two-week tours and hook up with different foreign tourists each time. (suppose you get a lousy travel mate....1 month with them would be aweful....do a few 10-20 day tours and see a variety of places as listed above. you can do all of this touring somewhat cheaply if you learn about mongolia before hand...here is why; mongolia was (and likely still is) impossible to do travel on your own....there are some exceptions like a domestic airline flight and then maybe a local taking you to a tourist spot (lake khosugol for example or kovod in the west witht the birds), it is just not easy or fun to go it alone like you might in europe or mexico or canada or even thailand....SO the tour that you cusomize once there is easy, affordable and fun if you do it their way. the distances are huge and few towns outside of the capital "UB" (Ulaan Baator)are interesting or even have a regular place to stay.......SO... you would want to do every tour outside of UB with a guide/translator and/or driver and his vehicle that you rent but he drives. this is made easy in mongolia. it is not likely you will have a guide/translator.driver all in one. you will have the driver and the translator. between the two of them hopefully they can guide you in the right place. you hire these people in UB or perhaps in one of the other local capitals if you flew there (state capitals=Aimags in mongolia). moron, is near the awesome lake khosugol. and khatgal town. (the bond lake resort is great in that town). and there are likely guides in the far west towns (you may be able to arrange these stays in these towns while you are in UB even. ................................ OK, now on to living in UB. I met one guy who took 10 days of mongolian language when he got there.......i did not have the time. you need to DO IT right when you get there. if you are staying there that long DO IT take a week or more of classes.. Mongolians think it important that you make an attempt to communicate in their language. no one there expects you to be good at it. just to attempt and to know some words phrases and be able to ask for things or ask for directions etc. they will respect you for it. i only learned like 30 or so words and easy phrases, not really enough, but i learned key words and used them whenever i could. you can't work there unless someone maybe offers you free place to stay if you help them get people into their lodging and onto one of their tours....not really sure if that is possible maybe some new restaurants? there is a bunch of new foreign restaurants there....or if you are good at teaching english........mabye you likely can't work there becaue there is not enough jobs for locals in the first place. it is very poor. \ the people in the city can be quirky. most are very nice, but some in the poor areas used to be in the countryside and moved to the city with NO SKILLS. so there are slums there. be carefull taking pictures of things IN THE CITY where mongolians are nearby, they may think you are photographing them and will throw rocks at you.....but oddly enough in the COUNTRYSIDE, they LOVE to get their picture taken...and will ask that you send them a picture. have them write their address an envelope you bring with you and plop it in the mail to them! The food is not very great. no variety. gummy meat and buckwheat noodles...YUM (not)......in the capital you get a great choice now tho. international restaurants are opening up from all countries of asia and europe. there of course are some yummy things such as berry jams, black berry pop (soft drinks) and home made bread for example!!! mongolia is the MOST successfull former communist country int he world. in 2005, the communists were legitimately voted into power. the first REAL elections in the early 90s, the communists won (legitimately), then the capitalists one in a landslide in 1996, but when it was found out that they stole a bunch of money from the government (i think it had to do with some sort of casino thing?), the people swiftly voted the communists back in. now, i think it is shared power. it would seem that the elections were better then our own. cell phones are now everywhere there too. there are zero franchises there. i don' t think any major ones have opened up since 2005. show them a picture of ronald mcdonald or starbucks or wallmart, and they won't have a clue. of course microsoft, coke and nike are there tho. it is not that remote. you might as well see beijing while going to or from mongolia. i can help you some more. i loved mongolia so much, you will not regret going there. dispite any negatives i typed above, it is still perhaps my favorite in the world of 30 some-odd countries i have been to. sorry for being so long....mongolia is awesome.
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