Streets calm in riot-hit Mongolia

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Title – Streets calm in riot-hit Mongolia
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 3rd July 2008

Attend one of our workshops and ask us about Mongolia as a destination and you will be told what an amazing country it is and how for those people willing to endure a little hardship it is a destination almost unlike any other. Still today I can be heard regularly singing the praises of Mongolia and the people I met there, on our website you’ll note the number of images from Mongolia and I maintain my connection to the country through the excellent work of the Christina Nobel Children’s Foundation whose website (www.cncf.org) we always urge people to visit.

If I had to summarise the risks in visiting Mongolia they would generally be environmental. Conditions can be harsh at any time of year and in winter especially temperatures plummet, whenever you travel you have to have the right equipment. Infrastructure is poor or non-existent, medical facilities outside of Ulaan Baatar are minimal, roads outside the capital don’t really exist and you can find yourself a long way away from help. Rabies is not uncommon and even Bubonic (‘Black’) Plague is still endemic in the local marmot population, although you would have to be very unlucky, naïve or stupid to catch it. There is a not insignificant problem of alcoholism and drunk Mongolians are certainly worth avoiding, but this should not take away from the fact the Mongolian people are some of the most hospitable you will find anywhere in the world and are some of the most resourceful; they can make fire in the middle of the worst rain storm and fix any vehicle with no more than a spanner, hammer and a welding torch.

What I would not generally warn people of in Mongolia is a danger of civil unrest, it is just not something that you associate with that country. But unfortunately nowhere is completely immune from the odd riot, just some destinations are more prone to it than others. The riots in Mongolia lasted only a few days and were linked to the elections taking place there, a common reason for civil unrest in much of the world. The Mongolians soon got back to their normal routines; in a country where every day life is harsh and survival is often people’s sole goal, there is only so much time people can take away from scraping a living together. This poverty in a country that is just starting to reveal it potential mineral wealth, was part of the reason for the rioting in the first place.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop examines your destination(s) and what you can expect when you get there, the cultural differences you will experience and the steps you can take to reduce the risks you will face. Sometimes however no amount of preparation can warn you of impending civil unrest, but keeping informed of the political situation at your destination should certainly form part of your preparation. Elections are often a time of tension and certainly at many destinations additional care should be taken round election times and political ‘rallies’ are always best avoided.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.