Mongolia : The Greatest Conspiracy of Cartographers?

Thought i'd post about where exactly Mongolia is. Mongolia used to be neighbours with Nepal, Tibet, India, Russia, Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea, Kazakhstan, Loch Ness, Atlantis and Pakistan...

BUT a few years ago, we decided that these were just too many neighbours to share borders with, and elected to share borders only with 2 countries: China and Russia. Just to piss people off, we decided, let's not share borders with Tibet anymore, let's move our country to the NORTH, above China (note, I write above China, not in China, coz we're a country.). Of course, those reading may or may not know that Tibet is in the SOUTHWEST of China. China is a big fucken country. That means you cannot walk from Mongolia to Tibet, and that we are NOT neighbours, though we may look alike to you. After all, Mongolians can look like anything. But I hear that we most resemble Zulus. Sort of a cross-over between a Zulu and a Japanese, if you will. And a dash of Russian for the Buriat Mongols, and a dash of salt for the Sea Mongols, who are sighted very rarely nowadays as to be suspected of extinction and / or evolution beyond the physical.

Ah, but I digress, so Mongolia is the diarrhea-coloured splat on the above map. We are at the outskirts of Asia, so much so that we think we're hardly Asian. Seeing as the only Asian country we have contact with as a neighbour is China, and seeing as our relationship with China has been one of extreme dislike and nigh-hatred, I'd say we don't have much of a relationship with Asia, or anybody else for that matter. Except for America, whom we helped by sending 120 of our soldiers to die in the irrelevant war in Iraq. Knock on wood, I do hope those boys are alright.

In any case, my main point here is that, Mongolia hasn't been a geographically dynamic country for some time. We've decided to stay put where we are now, and not go around being neighbours with Nepal or Tibet or any other countries about whom nobody gives a shit about, just like Mongolia. But i suppose that's the human mentality. People just want to bundle up these crap countries together, and dump them in some corner of the earth where they won't have to look at them, like stuffing useless bits'n'pieces in a wardrobe. And one day, they really have to open that darn wardrobe to get something out and everything comes a crashing down.

As technology advances, human ignorance continues to remain exactly where it was, refusing to move. As knowledge and information fill up the internet and the airwaves, humans continue to ignore it all, shut it all out, and watch tv. TV that tells them all Mongolians ride horses, live in nomadic houses (gers), hunt and herd sheep, TV that tells them Julia Roberts first discovered Mongolia, and named Mongolia after one of her favourite BBQ restaurants in New York: The Mongolian BBQ, TV that perpetuates wrong names like "Genghis Khan"(it's Chingghis) and "Kubla Khan" (Khubilai).

Rich Brits Invade the Mongolian Real Estate Market

Hmm... perhaps I should make my way back home soon, before property prices soar. Sad will be the day when I will be forced to rent a flat in Mongolia from a British landlord.

Most people’s idea of Mongolia’s property market might be felt-covered yurts on the steppe. But now the remote Asian country has turned into the latest unlikely magnet for cash-rich British homebuyers in search of a new booming frontier.

They have been snapping up flats in Ulan Bator, the capital, to rent out to expat businessmen in the hope that their investment will appreciate by at least 20% a year

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Read more here

Yak Herdsman Takes on Mining Companies: Successfully!

This is some serious achievement by an individual in Mongolia. Probably the first of its kind.

A self-taught yak herdsman from Mongolia forced the closure of polluting mines on the Onggi river was just barely awarded the world's biggest environmental prize. Mr. Munkhbayar, 40, successfully pressured 35 of 37 mining operations working in Mongolia's Onggi River basin -- a precious drinking water supply for rural Mongolians -- to permanently stop harmful, ruinous mining and exploration activities.

More here and here

Wiretapping in Mongolia

Interesting news. Mongolian law enforcement agencies have been accused by a daily newspaper in Mongolia of regularly tapping the phones of political figures, international organizations, embassies and even the president.

The Niigmiin Toli (“Social Mirror”) published on Monday a list of around 300 mobile telephone subscribers, including individuals and organizations, whose lines are regularly tapped. These included at least two diplomatic missions, two international aid organizations, business companies, some of them foreign-invested, mining companies, and banks. This was followed by a list of 200 names on Tuesday, and again 300 on Wednesday. The lists now have become a virtual Who’s Who in Mongolian politics and business, as well as diplomacy and foreign aid.
The newspaper also claims that certain numbers in the name of the President of Mongolia, N. Enkhbayar, as also of the Prime Minister, M. Enkhbold, are under such surveillance.
Read more...

I am not surprised. But I am wondering as to who runs the show, seeing as the PM and the Prez are also being surveilled. Who the big man!? Unless they are surveilling each other, which I would find absurd but not surprising in Mongolia, where chaos reigns and absurdity rules.

First post by Heesco

Well, after being invited to contribute to this blog by Billy, I spent some time pondering the meaning of this blog, and reading Billy's entries. There's been a lot of things on my mind regarding the topic, having lived in Sydney for almost 8 years, mingling with variety of people of different nationalities and ethnicities. And what does it really mean to be a Mongolian abroad? Here's my perspective on the matter:

We are an exotic bird - many have heard of us in their history classes, yet noone has seen nor met anyone of us. I am 876 person's first Mongolian they ever met. (And the number's
growing with each day. Although, sometimes I meet people without them ever realising I'm a Mongolian). It's the most proven conversation starter, our origin. Most people get excited and start bombarding me with questions, sometimes to a point where I have to go back home and brush up on my current and historical knowledge about Mongolia, using Google.

It is a definite advantage being someone from a unique country. Yet it can easily serve as a curse at times. Sure, people remember you because they "met a Mongolian today! Can't pronounce, nor remember his name, though". But then you enter the Department of Immigration, whatever reason you have, and you're categorised under "Lever 3 Countries", which simply means you need to provide about 10 times more documentation of everything, plus thorough health examination with x-rays, blood and urine tests. And if you're unlucky like me, you'll have your First and Last names all mixed up on your Mongolian State issued Passport. Try and explain it to the dude:
- They have misprinted my first and last names...
- How come?
- I don't know, the government department made a mistake in printing... (Queue long and thorough examination of every single page of the passport, any signs of forgery...)
I had to deal with it at least 7 times. It was so ridiculous - I had my bank account under my proper name, Khosnaran Khurelbaatar (Khurelbaatar being my last name), cause I filled out their application form as i'm accustomed to, and they just glanced at my passport while opening an account for me. And then later, I tried to get an ID card, because everytime i go out I kept being asked for an ID, and I would never be carrying my passport around (who does?!). So i go to the RTA, fill out a form, wait in line, hand it in, and they refuse to give an ID card to me! Because my bank account name and the name on my visa don't MATCH! And after about 20 minutes of passionate explanation without success, I had to go to my bank, stand in line, close all my accounts, open new ones with the goddamn "correct" names, go back to RTA, fill out the same form again, stand in line again, and finally got a card, with my father's name as my name, and my name as my surname!
And then guess what? I went back to Mongolia last year, and got a new passport, with my name printed CORRECTLY this time!! So then, as you have well guessed, queue all of the above trouble all over again... "Yeah, I'd like to be issued a new visa, well, cos I got a new passport, and they 've printed my name correctly this time... well it was all correct in Mongolian side of the column, but in the English language side the first name and last name have been misplaced... yeah... no... AAAARGH!" It's like, thanks a bunch, my dear Government!

Eh, this post turned out to be a bit personal... I didn't intend to rant this much, haha. But I guess you get the picture.

To be continued...