Mongolia will never be the same | Mongolia - Lonely Planet Forum

ONLINE

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:14:00 +0000

If you have a dream of riding the steppes of Mongolia,
spending the night with a nomadic family,
driving a jeep on the endless dirt roads,
...
this is the time to do it,
Mongolia will never be the same again.

Gold Mine
Mongolia and Ivanhoe mines will sign this week the $3.6 Billion Oyu Tolgoi Copper-Gold mine agreement.
The Oyu Tolgoi copper gold mine in the Gobi desert will be one of the largest copper gold mine developments in the world. The Investment will be the largest foreign investment ever in Mongolia. The project will have a tremendous impact on Mongolia's economy, employ thousands of Mongolians and have major economic effects on the supply chain nationwide.

Tourism Implications
The side effect and implications on Gobi desert tourism infrastructure in the next few years will be tremendous.
New roads to the Gobi will be paved, power plants will be developed, the small desert towns will flourish, more hotel rooms will be available, more flights options into Mongolia, and with the taxes collected by the government large infrastructure projects will change the face of the country.

Gobi Changes
The popular Gobi attractions WEST of Dalanzadgad will not change much. They are well protected by government laws, and are far away from the mining fields.
The copper gold mines are 300km EAST of Dalanzadgad, near a small town named Khanbogd.
Khanbogd will change dramatically, it is only 45km from the mine fields and will be the main service town for the mine employees. A new power plant will be developed for the mine, power supply for the near by town will enable new services not available today. Generators today supply power for a few hours during the afternoon hours.

More about the agreement on ToMongolia

Dan

Edited by: tomongolia

ONLINE

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:43:02 +0000

Thanks for highlighting that news, I'll go and read up on it. Strange way to put things though! There are plenty of concerns I would have about the development of a large mine in an ecologically sensitive area and developing economy, but the danger of the locals getting better infrastructure as a consequence is not one of them... Besides which, Mongolia is a big place and I can't see any reason why Oyu Tolgoi should affect the steppe experience.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

ONLINE

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:29:15 +0000

Well, I agree with Dan.
Westerners may think it would be best for Mongolians to have everything they do but forget or never realise what all those things do to you.
I have watched herders on the steppe spend the whole day sitting or walking with their animals and looking into the distance. They don't read a book or listen to a Ipod. Even though they have TV in their ger and sometimes lay on the floor and watch it, they don't have feelings of having to do something, life is slow and relaxed, predictable, simple, calm.
They don't starve, they don't have great sickness.
The changes will not make life "better" for them.
The need to have all the things that others have is an illness of western cultures. To have enough is enough.
Dogged.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

ONLINE

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:43:54 +0000

Feel free to go and become a nomad then Dogged! Let me know how the predictability thing goes for you when you have a bad winter and all your animals die. As for the lack of great sickness... ever hear of bubonic plague or TB? Where would you rather be to avoid catching them, or to be treated if you were unlucky enough to pick them up?

I suggest you read Lousia Waugh's excellent book 'Hearing Birds Fly' for a rather more realistic image of traditional life. I would never suggest that Mongolians should abandon their culture, but rural life is hardly perfect.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

Pro tip