Travelling in Mongolia for college student?

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jkomtil7
jkomtil7

Hello,

As part of my pre-college trip, I'm going to Asia. I have questions about Mongolia.

I'll be flying in from Seoul to Ulaanbaatar at 22:10 (10:20 pm). Then, I might stay in the airport (if it's safe/if they allow me to) until day, unless UL is safe at night (I don't really know...), maybe, if I can get transportation, I'll go to a bar in the inner city.

After my first night, I was planning to follow this guide: http://www.mongoliatourism.gov.mn/ unless there are some "must see" locations in UB.

I will depart Mongolia for Moscow in seven days, so I hope to make the best of it.

Also, is learning the Cyrillic alphabet important? I can speak English, German (and unterstand Dutch), French, Italian, and understand/speak almost all Scandinavian languages (including Icelandic and Faroese). What foreign langauges do Mongolians speak?

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jiejie
jiejie

Try to advance book a hostel or guesthouse for that first night and see if they will pick you up at airport. UB has it's rough side. I don't think you want to stay at the airport there or go to a bar.

Cyrillic is useful. Mongolians speak...Mongolian! Although some of the younger ones can come up with some English, and many of the older ones can speak Russian.

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jumblina
jumblina

I agree with jiejie - you don't want to spend your first night in UB at the airport (I don't know if it even stays open 24 hours, it's not that big), or in a bar. The Khongor Guesthouse is one of those which will pick you up and can give you a safe bed for a few USD ($5 for a dorm bed per the website). This is also a good way to meet potential fellow travellers at the guesthouse. You may need to pay for the pick-up service (I'd expect about $10 - $15) if you aren't taking a tour / spending a few nights there, but I'd say it is well worth it given the alternatives.

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lakers6902
lakers6902

Agreed, UB has its rough areas. I met two Belgiums this past summer who had rocks thrown at them while walking down the street, hahahaha.

Luckily I havent had any such encounters YET.

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