Gana himself speaks English and arranges tours at reasonable prices
Gana himself speaks English and arranges tours at reasonable prices.NightlifeThere is now a proliferation of clubs and bars around the main square, many serving ridiculously cheap Mongolian vodka at around 50p a (large) shot. Club Hollywood, in the Zaluus Youth and Cultural Centre on Zaluuchuudyn Orgon Choloo, doesn't come alive until after 11pm, but the Hard Rock Cafe, just behind the UB Hotel, has a teeny-bop disco on Saturdays, and from 10.30pm onwards, a show featuring scantily clad females, Mongolian Chippendales, and even "Spirit", Mongolia's answer to Take That, a young male foursome who smooch their way through a half-hour set. Entrance is around T3,000 (about pounds 2).Most of the hotels have slightly more cosy, small bars, but if you are into a quieter type of music, try ringing the Tumen Ekh Song and Dance Ensemble (tel: 327279) to find out where they are next performing the unique Mongolian art of "throat-singing". The National Academic Drama Theatre (tel: 327916), on the corner of Natsagdorj Gudamj, also hosts performances of traditional Mongolian song and dance.Out of townJust a couple of hours' drive from UB are several small towns, such as Zunmood (to the south, near the Manzshir Khiid monastery) or Terelj, the beautiful national park to the east - a favourite with tourists in summer.To arrange a trip, contact one of the city's travel agencies (try Juulchin, at the back of the Bayangol Hotel), or simply take a taxi (costing around pounds 10 for a 40km ride over extremely rough roads).
Most gers will have horses nearby for rent: you could pay anything from pounds 3 an hour, although don't expect instruction, a guide or an easy ride unless you have specifically asked for it. Often, it is a case of jumping on and riding off into the distant grasslands - Mongolian horses understand only "choo" (the word for "go") and a tight pulling of the reins (to stop). You may be invited into a traditional ger for refreshments: saying "sain bainuu" ("hello") to your hosts is a good start.Deals and packagesGetting a visa to Mongolia (pounds 25) from the embassy in London is now relatively easy; until recently, you had to prove you had been invited. To book a horse-riding trip in spring or summer, contact Equitour (tel: 01865 511642) - although with packages starting at pounds 1,500, it is cheaper to arrange things yourself when you arrive. Regent Holidays (tel: 0117 921 1711) specialises in travel to Mongolia; or try Voyages Jules Verne (tel: 0171- 616 1000).Recommended readingPeking-based Jasper Becker gives a detailed and readable account of the country in The Lost Country: Mongolia Revealed (1993).
Or try Nick Middleton's 1980s account of Ulan Bator before modernisation, entitled The Last Disco in Outer Mongolia. Tim Severin's In Search of Genghis Khan (1991) is an excellent portrait of rural, nomadic Mongolia, and tells of his travels on horseback with the help of colour photographs.Further informationContact the Mongolian Embassy at 7 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL (tel: 0171-937 0150); or you could try the Lonely Planet website at : http://lonelyplanet /letters/nea/mon_pc.htm; or the virtual library at: http:// www. bluemarble /mitch/monglinks.html.You could also write to the Anglo-Mongolian Society, Dept of East Asian Studies, The University, Leeds LS2 9JT. Mongolia has no official tourist offices abroad, but when you arrive, try the Biz Info Center on the fourth floor of the UB Hotel.
