Mongolia: What Is It Like There

I was watching the “Priestess Warrior” on The National Geographic when a scene caught my eye—an airport's waiting area so small that I couldn't believe it is located in a country as vast as Mongolia. I reached out for my mouse and started to what I will call a travelnet, a travel through the Internet. This is what I have learned so far about Mongolia.

Mongolia has an estimated population of 2.9 M (2008 est.) with a land area two-and-a-half that of France. The capital is Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator). Nearly half of the people live in urban centers.

Most images of Mongolia I found on the Internet contain a view of the sky with a wide uninhabited land.

Camels grazing on a steppe, majestic mountains on the background

A "ger" camp

After seeing the pictures above, a romanticized image of Mongolia set in into my mind. Breathe-taking landscapes of deserts, mountains, lakes, and steppes.

But then once I saw the picture below, I wondered if the tenement is deserted or not.

The sad fact is that unemployment, alcoholism, and prostitution are rife in Mongolia brought about by a depressed economy.

It has given in to the social evils such as karaoke bars fronting for “sex tourism.”

Orphans live in manholes, keeping themselves warm during the winter by huddling together in Ulaanbaatar's underground heating system. When accidents occur—due to bursting pipes—these children are boiled alive.

Lakes are dried up by “ninja miners” digging tunnels in search for gold.

Mongolia is not perfect after all.


Pictures courtesy of clairegeneva33, musicgeek935, Abate Busoni, Calix