They will jump off the bus so fast that you'll never be able to catch them.
 | Mongolia Warnings or Dangers 
 
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 | Mongolia Warnings or Dangers | Tips 1 - 10 of 37 |  | ||
Popular Warnings or Dangers | Miscellaneous Warnings or Dangers Tips | All Tips (37)
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 | Pickpockets |   |  |
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 |  on November 9, 2004 |
Pickpockets operate in twos or threes on the crowded buses in Ulan Baatar. If you feel someone nudging you towards another passenger, just before the bus is coming to a stop, hold on tightly to your wallet. They will jump off the bus so fast that you'll never be able to catch them. |
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| Dogs | | |
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 |  on June 14, 2004 |
Dogs are a real hazard all over Mongolia. They may be attached to a city home or a ger family, but rarely as pets. They are watch dogs and generally in a foul, protective mood. To visit someone in a ger or compound Mongolia, shout "Hold your dogs!" before venturing near or getting out of the jeep or off the horse. Now, what was that in Mongolian, again??? I retained some respect by using a wooden stick or staff or casually picking up rocks when nearing dogs - same effect as in Nepal - they slink away. |
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| A physical tourist trap | | |
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| on June 9, 2004 |
The Ulaan Baatar heating system is by hot water piping from coal-fired central heating plants. There is an underground pipe system supplying the city with hot water, and access to these pipes is by manholes. Very often these are opened, the manhole cover broken and for other reasons not known to mankind not in place. Hundreds of street kids live down here among the pipes to keep warm, too. When walking UB's streets at night be extra careful so you don't fall in. It is a very real danger. Bring a torch or headlamp for evening outings. |
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| Hepatitis is rampant | | |
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| on February 27, 2004 |
Ensure you are vaccinated against Hepatitis A, and if you are staying for some time, the B as well. Hep C is also around. It seems that after the communist dicipline broke down, freedom caused these food and sex-related diseases (respectively) to bloom. You may come in contact with Hep-infected blood through car accidents, which are very common. |
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| The Plague | | |
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| on August 17, 2005 |
Plague ("The Black Death") is endemic to Mongolia, in fact it is one of the main reservoirs of the disease. There are three main strains of this terrible bacterial plague in the world, and the Mongolian/Central and East Asian one is about the worst. Especially the cute and cuddly marmots harbour the disease and it is spread via fleas. Just think about them down there in their underground dens and burrows, all furry and curled up, dinner time for fleas. The strain is very virulent and may kill very fast. Normally the strain is rodent-to-rodent only, spread by flea bites, but in there can be cases where the disease jumps from rodent to people and steps up from flea infestation to contagion by droplet/aerosolisation and all hell may break loose in a tight-knit population such as within ger family groups. Entire families and communities may go. While the rodents may have some genetic/biological defence, humans do not. Once ill there are only a few days to go unless proper antibiotics is at hand. The key tools to prevent disease spreading are isolation, protection against aerosols and antibiotics. Once in a while big parts of Mongolia may be quaranteened due to disease outbreaks. As it gives bad press and is certainly no good news for tourism business it isn't much focussed on, apart from in clouded warnings against handling marmots and other rodents. Locals know the disease, and you shouldn't be too scared of this situation. Local hunters do not shoot marmots (for fur/food) that do not behave normally. The pest confuses and slows them down considerably, and pinkish mouth/snout foam may be seen. But generally it will be wise to keep flea-jumping distance to marmots and perhaps not take part in eating marmots either unless you are quite certain about the current pest situation. |
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| Sand In Your Eyes |  | |
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 |  on January 20, 2006 |
At certain times of the year sandstorms are quite prevalent in Mongolia. The spring, which is when we travelled, is one of those times. Be prepared to run for shelter if you see a sandstorm appearing. The sand will get into every nook and cranny and infiltrate the delicate insides of your expensive camera equipment. We were in quite a few sandstorms and my favourite picture was the one I took in Dalanzadgad as we were setting off on our 12 hour drive to Sainshand, the line of telephone poles disappearing into the distance is such a great image. They can be quite dangerous, especially if you're travelling in the midst of one. We almost went off a low cliff when our driver was watching a swirling sandstorm off to the left of our van, I thought we were goners as he slammed on the breaks to stop the van. |
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| Drinking | | |
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 |  on September 2, 2003 |
Mongolians love to drink Vodka, its about 1 dollar in the countryside for 1 liter. Many men drink until they pass out or get thrown out. Drinking tips: If offered a shot, turn down the first shot. dip your finger in the vodka and tap your finger in the 4 directions of the compass in the air. Then hand it back(right hand only) to the host. Now if your offered again you can take it, supposely to drink as much as you want for that night. |
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| Political unrest in Mongolia | | |
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| on January 20, 2006 |
Mid-January 2006 sees some severe political unrest in UB, with coalitions breaking apart and party offices destroyed by dissatisfied demonstrators. It is unclear what the outcome will be, and how it may affect travellers. There are updates and news on events on these sites: Contact: Guido Verboom, consultant for INMongolia Ltd., telephone: 00 976 99 08 11 03, e-mail: info@INMongolia.com |
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| Vodka - the 2nd pest of Mongolia | | |
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| on January 10, 2007 |
When the Russians introduced the Mongolians to vodka, the Mongolians took to it like airag - in the same volume. They did not change their glasses' size. The result is a deep abyss of alcoholism and drunkenness penetrating Mongolian society. For travellers this may not have more effect than the occasional binge and drinking fun and party. It may also, however, include a drunk driver, lost days and changed schedules on the road, bureaucrats not attending to your file and issue, cutting yourself on broken glass and not getting to sleep at night because of a neighbouring ger brawl with ensuing fist fights etc. It can in fact be very annoying. The most visible thing is the tremendous littering. I think you can see the glittering of broken bottles along the roads of Mongolia from satellites. |
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| VIOLENCE | | |
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 |  on January 22, 2003 |
I have been asked many times if Mongolia is a safe country to travel in and I believe it is. Having said this I would hope that anyone travelling in Mongolia would take similar precautions to those they take in their own country. I would refrain from walking around Ulaan Baatar late at night unaccompanied. In the countryside beware of drunken young men as they can become violent. (I guess this goes without saying but young men do tend to drink a lot of airag and vodka in the countryside!!) |
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More Mongolia Tips
| Overview | General Tips Tips: 118 - Photos: 99 |
| Restaurants Tips: 48 - Photos: 33 | Hotels and Accommodations Tips: 73 - Photos: 49 |
| Things To Do Tips: 209 - Photos: 199 | Nightlife Tips: 13 - Photos: 6 |
| Off the Beaten Path Tips: 45 - Photos: 37 | Tourist Traps Tips: 10 - Photos: 5 |
| Warnings or Dangers Tips: 37 - Photos: 20 | Transportation Tips: 82 - Photos: 59 |
| Local Customs Tips: 55 - Photos: 41 | Packing Lists Tips: 22 - Photos: 13 |
| Shopping Tips: 16 - Photos: 9 | Sports Travel Tips: 4 - Photos: 2 |
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