TRAVEL
TIPS
| Driving |
TBA |
| Currency |
(MNT)
Togrog/Tugrik |
| Electrical |
230 Volts |
| Telephones |
Country
Code 976 |
Time:
GMT + 8 (Bayan Ulgii, Uvs & Khovd Aimags in western Mongolia
GMT + 7).
Electricity:
220 volts AC, 50Hz.
Telephone:
An Asiasat Earth station has provided international telecommunications
with Mongolia since 1994. Country code: 976. Area codes: Ulaanbaatar:
11, Darkhan: 01-372, Erdenet: 01-352, Khovd: 01-432. International
calls can be made from telephone exchanges in Ulaanbaatar.
Climate: A dry climate with short, mild summers
and long, severe winters (October to April). Some rain falls during
summer and there is snow during winter.
Clothing:
Mediumweights are worn during summer, with very warm heavyweights
advised for winter.
Food
& Drink: Meat is the basis of the diet, primarily
beef and mutton. The local cooking is quite distinctive. Traditional
meals generally consist of boiled mutton with lots of fat and
flour with either rice or dairy products. One local speciality
is Boodog; this is the whole carcass of a goat roasted from the
inside – the entrails and bones are taken out through the
throat, the carcass is filled with burning hot stones and the
neck tied tightly, and thus the goat is cooked from the inside
to the outside. Fish is also beginning to be widely available.
Mongolian tea (suutei tsai), meaning salty tea with milk, is very
popular. Mongolian vodka is excellent, as is the beer (although
it is expensive). Hot and cold beverages are not normally included
in meals and many restaurants will add on a 13 per cent sales
tax.
Shopping:
In Ulaanbaatar, there are a few duty-free shops and restaurants
where convertible currencies are accepted. In all other shops,
local currency must be used. The best buys include pictures, cashmere
garments, camel-wool blankets, national costumes, boots, jewellery,
carpets, books and handicrafts. The notorious black market on
the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar is a large, crowded flea market which
sells a huge variety of items. Suitable for the adventurous traveller,
it is patronised mainly by local people. Pickpockets can be a
problem.
Shopping
hours: Mon-Sun 1000-1800 as a general guide although
times and days vary considerably.
Currency:
Tugrug (Tg). Notes are in denominations of Tg10,000,
5000, 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 3 and 1. Coins are in denominations
of Tg200, 100, 50 and 20.
Credit
& debit cards: Accepted by main commercial banks,
large hotels and a few shops and restaurants in Ulaanbaatar. Credit
card cash advances can be obtained at the Trade and Development
Bank.
Travellers
cheques: American Express Travellers Cheques are most
widely accepted although Thomas Cook are accepted by the Trade
and Development Bank. To avoid additional exchange rate charges,
travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in US Dollars.
Travellers cheques can be difficult to exchange outside the capital.
Banking
hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1230 and 1400-1500.
