IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ EVERYTHING
Here are some important things to remember. Please read everything carefully.
It will make your trip better. I know it is long, but read it please,
Welcome to NaraSaraOd Travel and Inner Mongolia
You will have an experience you will never forget. We specialize in tours to little visited places in Inner Mongolia. You will be travelling with a Mongolian speaking guide who gre up on the grasslands. Doors will open.
We will meet you anyplace in Beijing, usually at the airport. Or Hailar or UlanHot if you want. Be sure and have our email addresses, phone numbers, and name of the hotel the first night if you stay in a hotel. If there is a "mix up" (there will never be if you clearly give and get your arrival and departure information), you can always take a taxi to the hotel. Taxis are plentiful, honest, easy, and cheap. But call us first if we do not see you. There are plenty of pay phones in the Beijing Airport (Capital Airport). It will take you 45 minutes by car from the Capital airport to downtown Beijing. Ask people how long to NanYuan airport. In Hailar there are taxis, but they quickly disappear after planes land, so bring your cell phone if you have one. The same is true of UlanHot.
Be sure and bring your passport to the airport or train station. You cannot fly without it. You may need it if you take the train. DON'T FORGET IT.
If you buy train tickets or plane tickets from Beijing to another destination, do not buy them for the same day you arrive in Beijing from elsewhere. If you arrive from Hailar by plane it ***may*** be OK, but the train may be late (very). Even the plane can be very late. Be aware that you should have confirmed tickets before you come to avoid being stranded. Train tickets to Beijing are very hard to get, and sell out over a week ahead. Plane tickets are about 4x as expensive, but are guarenteed. I suggest you have confirmed air tickets and I will try to get you train tickets. You will loose money when you turn in your plane tickets. This is up to you.
If you have to return tickets for a refund, you may not get all your money back. For trains, you will get at most 80% back. Your plane or train tickets are void when the plane or train leaves. After this date and time, if you try to get a refund, you will not get anything back.
If Nara gets you any train tickets, be sure and get them from her, or you cannot travel. You should come here with all tickets. You should plan on flying. We will try to get you train tickets, but they are often sold out 10 days in advance.
Just like Hawaii, there are parts of Inner Mongolia tourists never see. Don't expect to see a lot of traditional clothing. These are working people who can easily sleep under the stars, in a forest, or in a car.
Inner Mongolia is 100% safe. We have been to all of these areas many times.
Although this guide is written in clear English, remember you are going to a rural foreign country with a very different culture. We always do our best to make sure everything is perfect, but remember that because you are off the normal tourist circuit, things can occur.
Hotels may give us a confirmed reservation, but suddenly it is not there. Parks and Museums may close unexpectedly without notice. Our car could not materialize. Airline flights could be delayed many hours. It may rain every day. It may snow. It may be unbearably hot or cold. We may come before a shop or museum opens ("varies" between 9 and 10 AM). A shop may be closed for lunch ("usually" 12 Noon to 2 PM. Times can change with an hours notice.
Have a flexible heart, please!!! Some things we simply have no control over.
We had an experience at a "fancy" tourist Mongolian tent where there was no shower (they said there was) as the season was winding down. Yuck. Although we are told things, sometimes things do not materialize. However, in most cities there are sauna and bath/shower places. They are nice (usually), clean (usually), and you can get a good hot shower (always). I like these places and even stayed in one when all hotels were full. It was fine. I even had a shower/bath in a small city which was great.
Another experience was a group that wanted to drink "good" Mongolian wine. The fancy tourist place had it priced very expensive. Better to buy it in the supermarket.
Another experience was a group that wanted to go to a Karaoke Place to sing and wanted to know the prices. We had no idea. We know some prices, but not all. The Karaoke Place was very modern, fancy, and not that expensive. If you want a very, very inexpensive Karaoke Place, go to UlanHot. The Karaoke Place is outside on a street corner. Very picturesque. Ask us, and we will take you.
We can only give you "average" information.
In general, May is quite cool, June is nice but can be warm, July is warm to hot, August is hot, September is cool to very cool, October can bring snow and it can be quite cold. November through March is very cold with temperatures easily dropping to -30 Fahrenheit. April starts to warm up. May is still cool, but patches of snow will be seen. For example, on October 20, 2008 there was a big snowfall in Hailar. On September 27, 2010 it was snowing there as well.
In June and July T-Shirts are great. Ladies can wear clothes for warm weather. Loose pants are fine. Jeans can be hot unless they are loose. A jacket may be needed in the evenings.
We will provide drinking water for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you have a prearranged tour.. For your own planning, however, you will pay for all drinks, snacks, alcoholic drinks, etc. Everything but breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinking water. Be surprised when food or drink is provided at no additional charge.
Sometimes Nara will go directly from the airport to the supermarket in Hailar or UlanHot. She is getting drinking water. This is your opportunity to get things. Drinks (Beer, wine, Coke, juice), snacks, food, anything. Actually the supermarket is part of a larger complex that is a mini mall. Get things if you want. You can leave your things in the car. The driver will stay with the car. He is a friend and you can trust him. He is also Mongolian. If it does not look like she will go, ask her.
These trips are made for people who have been to China several times before or are comfortable with primitive surroundings. Actually, it is not that primitive. Usually there will be hot water for a shower or bath in hotels only. Usually there will be Western toilets, but understand that on the grasslands that Western toilets are what we make. If you want, we can stay in luxury or very luxury hotels, but you will be limited to certain cities. It may mean you have to backtrack to a bigger city. Remember, we will get clean, comfortable, safe, centrally located hotels, but these are not luxurious. This way we can roam. If you want a more luxurious hotel, you must explicitly tell us.
If you want time by yourself to explore a city or area, fine. But take a hotel card so you can get back. Note the name of the hotel. Note their telephone number. Nara will do whatever you want, but she will always be there to help you in any way. Note Nara's phone number.
You will use a flashlight. Bring one if you have one for each person. Sometimes the electricity goes off at night. A flashlight is ***VITAL*** on the grasslands, and handy in hotels.
If you stay in a nicer "tourist" Mongolian tent or hotels, you will have a toilet, otherwise not.
Electricity is usually available (240v)in hotels. This voltage will burn out anything made for 110v. Pins are usually either two round pins like Europe or two blades like the US and Japan. At times there are three thick blades. If you need a converter, ask. In the far grasslands, electricity, if available, is maybe 12 volts from a car cigarette lighter, or 240 volts from a wind turbine or solar panels and an inverter. The wattage is low. Usually the Electricity on the grasslands is OK from the wind turbine, but it may break. I was there last week and the electricity would work for only 10 minutes, not enough time to charge anything.
You should get shoes and a jacket in your home country. You can get everything in your home country if you want, although Beijing has a great selection at good prices but you should allow an extra half day in Beijing to shop.
The wind is the biggest problem on the grasslands. There is nothing to block the wind. Nothing. I have a fleece jacket, but it is also "Gore Tex Wind-Stopper". Be prepared.
Bring ***cash*** to the country. Although Hailar and ManZhouli may have ATM's that work great, the rest is a ***cash*** economy. Be prepared. ATM's are only seen in Beijing, Hailar, ManZhouli and maybe other places where there are banks. ATM's do work reliably.
Hailar even has pizza and hamburgers if you want. There is an excellent Western food restaurant there.
Hailar has a shop where they have museum pieces from the Japanese occupation, old Mongolia, old China. Even museums go there to buy things. It is not that expensive for what you get.
If you stay in a 3 star hotel or more or in a nice "tourist" Mongolian tent, towels will be given to you. If you stay in hotels below 3 star or in simple Mongolian tents you will not be given a towel. We have towels for this purpose, but we are human and can forget things. Don't be afraid to remind us. Remember simple Mongolian tents do not have showers, but the towel is handy in the mornings and evenings.
This web site has many more details. It is a rich source of information.
The food and drink will be different. Mongolians drink milk tea, not coffee or black tea. Milk tea has, milk, a little pinch of salt, and usually a little cheese or Mongolian rice, the latter is common in the deep Mongolian countryside. If you want coffee, or tea, or a Coke, ask. Russian coffee is good. The cream is something to die for.
Although I have no problem eating anything, you may be different. Take care. If you have problems eating local food, bring bread, snacks, Corn-on-the-Cobb, and similar things.
Remember you are responsible for any and all medical, health, and similar problems. If you have health insurance that works out of the Western countries, great. Otherwise you are on your own.
Remember the biggest health issue is not sickness, but accidents. Take extra care when crossing streets, walking on a bridge, walking on a trail, when it is raining, and when taking a shower on a slippery floor.
Although there are pharmacies in Beijing, Hailar, or ManZhouli, the country has nothing. Sometimes not even a store. Bring all medicines you need. You are better off getting things in the Hailar supermarket. You can just keep it in the trunk of the car. In "tourist" Mongolian tents, the will have a Coke, but it will be expensive. Same with food.
Western food is usually available only in Beijing, Hailar, and ManZhouli. In the country, they have never even heard of Western food.
You have been booked for a Standard room in a small (3 star) Chinese hotel unless you say and we confirm different and you pay the surcharge.
Standard and inexpensive hotels have distinct advantages. People are like family. Clothes are easier to wash and dry. Locations are great. But although the rooms are quite clean, there are idiosyncrasies. The bathroom floor can be slippery without slippers, especially when the shower goes directly on the bathroom floor. Sometimes curtains do not work well. Sometimes the hot water has to be turned on and let run for a long time. Sometimes they are more noisy.
But in the country you may not have a choice. In big cities like Beijing, the price difference can be US$250.00 for everything in a 5 star hotel to US$30.00 for a standard room in a smaller Chinese hotel. You will not spend much time in the room.
I travel with two pants and two shirts, one pair I wear. I have four underclothes and socks. You can get laundry soap anyplace. You can always find someone to wash your clothes, but it is easier and faster to do it yourself. Synthetic clothes easily dry overnight. Jeans may take days, even if someone else washes them. There are no clothes dryers here. If it is rainy, it will take longer. Maybe many days.
Bring coffee and tea if you want. You can always get cheap tea and instant coffee, but if you want "good" tea, bring it from Beijing. The best place to buy Tea in Beijing is "MalianDao", the wholesale tea market. There are over 500 shops there next to each other.It is cheaper and better there. Drinks and snacks are expensive in hotels and in Mongolian tent hotels. You are advised to get your stuff in the supermarket. You can get instant coffee and tea in UlanHot.
If you take the train from Beijing, remember there are several options. It can take as long as 36 hours. That's close to TWO DAYS, if it is not late. If it is late, plan on over two days. You are highly recommended to take some food and drink. For practical purposes there is no dining car, and the food you can buy on the train is very limited. There will be hot boiling water available to make instant noodles for lunch and dinner.
Hats are rarely worn in Mongolia (too expensive. Money is better spent on Vodka). But if you wear a hat, like I often do, you will be fine.
Suitcases really have no place. Duffel bags or packs are best. You must personally carry everything. Pack light. We sometimes travel with an 80 liter backpack, a small day pack, and a single Roll-On for two people. One person may only travel with a Roll-On.
Packs and jackets are easily available in Beijing for very little. Packs and jackets in the US or Europe are stronger, but packs and jackets in Beijing are cheaper but not as strong. My advise is if you use a pack a lot, buy them in your home country or go to a speciality shop in Beijing. If you will use it only on this trip, buy it cheaply in Beijing. (To buy a pack and or jacket, duffel bag, and misc. may take an extra half day).
The day will usually start around 09:00 AM, but earlier in the country if you want to milk cows, make Mongolian cheese, or Mongolian yoghurt. If you want to do these things, ask. We need a day or so advance notice to have fresh milk ready. We can even get you Dauer grass soup if you are willing to drive to a Dauer ethnic village.
Never approach an animal from the rear. They kick. Horses lethally so.
The day ends when you are tired. Sometime between after dinner to 21:00 PM (9:00 PM).
Drives are between 2 hours and 8 hours. We, of course, stop for food, drink, or toilet. You might want to practice going to the toilet in the forest. In Hailar it is about 30 minutes to an hour. From Hailar to ManZhouli is about 3 hours. The drive is through beautiful grasslands.
No English will be spoken except by us (Normally)
Cell phones work great. But if you get one in the US, it must be UNLOCKED. Regular ones from US carriers will not work. You can easily get an unlocked one here.
Hotels are very personal. In general:
A Standard room in a small (3 star) hotel gets you a comfortable, clean, and safe room. There will be a TV, sometimes a/c, hot water, and either hot water in a Thermos or a hot pot to make boiling water. Some things may not work perfectly like the curtains. The location will be very good, with steps to anything you want.
A Standard room in a Deluxe hotel costs about double
or triple. Everything will work and the room may have wired INTERNET. The location will be in a nice setting like a park or forest. There may be a swimming pool. But shops may be far away. Food may only be available at the hotel. There is "about" a $75.00 per day supplemental charge (if available).
A Super Deluxe room in a Deluxe hotel will have everything as the best Western hotel and be a suite. We call this a Super Deluxe room. Again, a wonderful hotel, but isolated. There is "about" a $100.00 per day supplemental charge (in cities that have this).
There are intermediate options, but you need to make your wishes known way in advance. Sometimes you can chance it and a room you want may be available. Western hotels are not a good value compared to Chinese hotels.
ALWAYS wear slippers when going into a Chinese bathroom. The slippers will make the floor much less slippery. Never go in with bare feet like I do. Never. You will slip. I guarantee it. You will be provided with two slippers. One is paper, the other plastic. Wear the plastic ones into the bathroom. They are not really for hygienic purposes.
Always have a bottle of water for brushing teeth and drinking. The paper shoes are for lounging.
Be careful of the hot water in hotels. It can be scalding. Let it run for a few seconds before using it. The hot water is not like the US. Hotel hot water is either non existent or steaming scalding hot.
Usually there will be a hot pot in your room. You can use it to make hot boiling water for coffee, tea, or rinsing out cups, spoons, etc. If there is no electric hot pot, you will be provided with a Thermos of hot boiled water. If you have nothing, ask.
Again, you will have a Standard room in a small hotel booked unless you pay the daily supplemental cost.
Only some cities have Deluxe and Super Deluxe rooms like Beijing, Hailar, and ManZhouli.
Personally, I think 4 and 5 star hotels in China are not good. They may have great comfortable rooms, with INTERNET in the room, a/c, room service, and maybe even a swimming pool, but tend to be isolated, far from the city center, expensive, and you may be trapped to shop at the hotel's shopping arcade. If you want this, go for it.
I like to walk out of the hotel's front door and see the real life of the city. I can easily buy water, Coke, juice, or snacks. I can always take a car to a Park or real forest. I can get drinks or snacks easily.
Its personal.
Although this is a trip in China, you may not feel you are in China. Some of the trip may be in heavily forested areas like Montana (USA). The main difference is that ethnic peoples still live in the forest and animals roam free.
It is extremely important that at the outset of the trip (in Beijing or before) you tell us if you have any allergies to foods or likes or dislikes. For example if you do not like pork, or fish or MSG, or salt, or sugar and so on. Do not come on this trip if you have any anaphylactic allergies and similar sting allergies. Allergies such as anaphylactic bee reactions. For example if you have anaphylactic allergy to peanuts there is a problem, as many rural places do ALL cooking in one pan, and a previous customer might have had peanuts. The pan will have peanut remnants even if you did not order peanuts. Tell us if you are vegetarian. It depends on what kind of vegetarian you are. If you are very strict, be cautious. Cooks have been known to take beef hunks out of vegetable-beef soup and say it is vegetable soup. Nara likes vegetables, so don't worry. She can check for you.
In some areas there have been a lot of horse flies recently (in the forest areas). I have not seen bees, but I am sure they are around. Some places have mosquitoes. Be sure to bring insect repellant if you have a problem with insects.
Health:
The biggest risk here is accidents. Slips, falls, auto accidents, animal bites, insect bites, scalds, burns, bicycles running into you, and so on. Be very, very, very careful.
If you want, Nara can cook with you. You can cook too. Nara has taken about 2 weeks of Thai cooking lessons, even though she will cook either Chinese or Mongolian with you. We have friends in this area. Just ask. We don't know you well, and so don't want to do something you don't like.
It is unlikely you will get sick. Very unlikely. Remember, just a change in diet will cause soft stools, even diarrhea. Don't worry, mother nature will firm things up. Home remedies include cheese and milk products. If you have to take a medicine, use ciprofloxacin only if you are sick (fever) or your diarrhea is very bad.. Ask your doctor to give you a ten day supply of some with directions.
You do not "need" any vaccinations, but I strongly suggest DPT, Hepatitis A & B, and maybe even rabies. A flu shot never hurts. Some of these are a series, so start soon.
Remember, your trip starts and ends in Hailar, UlanHot or elsewhere. You must pay all charges to get to Hailar or elsewhere (typically plane or train). Although we will help you, you must pay all charges. Hailar has good connections (train and plane) to Beijing, but only selected cities otherwise.
Nara can quite easily find out for you.
Please see our WEBSITE for "Terms and Conditions". If there are any conflicts, you must tell us before the trip to resolve the conflict. Sorry for any conflicts, but they will occur.
If you begin the trip, it is assumed that you have read and agreed to all "Terms and Conditions" and this document.
The "Terms and Conditions" are on the homepage of the WEBSITE.
Mongolians assume a lot. They assume cold. Once I had to sleep in a Mongolian tent and got cold. The father took a blanket from his son and gave it to me. The son woke up and said he was cold. The father said "Shut up and go back to sleep". This means that if something is wrong, ask. Yell. Ask if you want hot water. Ask if you need toilet paper. Ask if you are hungry. Ask for anything. I have found that people assume too much.
If someone gives you water in the very rural grasslands, it will be boiled river water. Safe but may taste flat. Bring bottled water if you want better tasting water. Up to you.
You will find the best trips are when you don't have a lot of plans. We can make them depending on the weather and what you want.
Bring a jacket, especially if you come after August. You may need two or one big down one. Bring something for rain (You never know). I bring an umbrella, but Nara says a poncho is better due to the wind on the grasslands. If you will spend a lot of time in towns or driving, I think an umbrella is better.
If you come after August, remember Mongolia is ***COLD***, so dress accordingly.
If you travel independently, you will be with Nara's friends. Remember, they are not guides and speak only Mongolian (and Chinese), but they will take care of you very well.
Remember that when you pay any deposit (money), at that point you are subject to our cancelation policy. This is because at that point we incur costs and transfer money. The cancellation charges are:
CANCELLATION CHARGES {if you prepay}
15 or more days before departure............50% of the total agreed upon tour cost. So see how much deposit you made. (The tour cost is not the same as the deposit. Calculations are made on the agreed upon total
tour cost.)
8 to 15 days before departure..............70% of the total agreed upon tour cost.
2 to 7 days before departure..............100% of the total agreed upon tour cost. Basically this means, if you cancel within one week of any trip (independent or other) you get nothing back of what
you have paid.
An example. If the total tour cost is Rmb 5,000 and you gave a Rmb 3,000 deposit and cancelled three days before scheduled departure, you get back nothing. If you cancelled 10 days before scheduled departure, you forfeit 0.70 x 5,000 = Rmb 3,500. Since you paid Rmb 3,000 you get back nothing. If you cancel 20 days before departure, you get back 3,000 - 0.5 x 5,000 = 3,000 - 2500 = Rmb 500. So this means be sure of your departure as you are locked in. We do not accept "excuses" even medical ones. This is the purpose of travel trip cancellation insurance. If we have to cancel (sickness or other) you get everything back.
No refund will be made for unused travel services or any portion thereof, nor is the price or value of unused travel services exchangeable for alternative arrangements. In other words, if a hotel or other place will not give a refund to us, you loose that. All air tickets are non-refundable, valid only for the flight and/or dates purchased and cannot be exchanged or transferred. Should you need to cancel your travel plans, please notify us in writing immediately (fax is acceptable). At the time we receive written notification of your cancellation, the above charges apply. I copied most of this from another travel site and modified it. I think it is onerous. Basically what this says is that if you cancel and have paid a deposit, you may not get all of it back. We incur costs before the tour begins in making arrangements such as deposits, having people set up Mongolian tents, hotel deposits, tickets, buying your food, and other.
If we lend you anything, please make arrangements before you leave as to where and when you will return them.
Oh yes. Nothing ever turns out like you expect and plan. Things are way beyond yours and my control
Our contact information is:
Telephone:
+86-18748233235
(Mongolian, Mandarin, or Very Good English)
Email: Sales@TravelInnerMongolia.com (Ms. Naren Chen)
(You can easily call me if you have an unlocked cell (mobile) phone and a signal. Mobile phones will not make long distance international calls unless you make prior arrangements with the company you use. Skype is better for international calls)
Thanks,
Nara
www.TravelInnerMongolia.Com
Sales@TravelInnerMongolia.Com
FYI: Nara is short for Naren which is a Mongolian word that means sun. Ask her about Sara and Od. Can you guess?
The name of the company is NaraSaraOd Travel.
1. Tap water is never safe to drink. Although the water may be
fine from the source, the distribution may render it not safe.
Boil all water before you drink it except bottled water which is fine.
2. Hot boiled water is 99.99% safe. Most hotels in China will provide
a hot pot to make hot water for tea, coffee, or instant noodles.
If a small hotel or a Mongolian tent does not have a hot pot, you
will be given a Thermos bottle filled with hot water. Hot water is never a problem.
3. Bottled water is ubiquitous, even in tiny towns. It is 99.9999% safe.
It is available in 250ml bottles and 1.0 liter bottles and sizes in
between.
4. You should bring good boots and a jacket from your home country, even
though Beijing has a selection. Beijing has some Western brands although they are much
more expensive. Boots must be broken in before use.
5. I find synthetic outdoor climbing clothes are the best. Beijing has an
excellent selection, but you must allow a half day to shop. Synthetic
clothes such as Nylon are strong and dry overnight. Jeans may take
two days to dry, are heavy, and harder to wash.
A suggested list of clothes is:
Pants (two)
Shirts or T-Shirts (two)
Swimming clothes (or convertible pants)
Jacket (Windproof is best)
Underclothes and socks ( four pair)
You wear one set, and the other is a spare.
6. Blankets will be provided by hotels or Mongolian tents, but you MUST
ASK FOR THEM. Mongolians are used to the cold and may not realize that
you need a blanket. ASK, ASK, ASK.
7. Plan on nothing being available out of Beijing. Get everything you
want there. The reality, however, is that basic things such as soap,
water, batteries, and the like are available in smaller cities such as
Hailar and UlanHot. You may even be able to find an SD card or a CF card
for an astronomical price. I once looked for a camcorder battery in Hailar.
Although they had Cam Corders, they did not have the battery I wanted.
8. Bring rain protection. An umbrella will work, but a poncho is better.
9. Bring all prescription medicines and even OTC medicines. You are
unlikely to see a pharmacy where you are going.
10. Bring only what you can carry yourself for 1/4 mile. A backpack and a roll on
is a good combination. Only a large backpack is better. A single small
backpack is best. Suitcases will be inconvenient. A duffel bag is fine if you
can carry it. Do not count on anyone carrying your bags. Your bags
will be loaded unto busses or dusty car trunks. The grasslands can be
green with grass or amazingly dusty.
11. Have good health. There are no doctors except in larger cities.
12. Remember to ask if you need or want anything. People cannot
read your mind. ASK, ASK, ASK.
13. You may travel with two persons. One speaks fluent Mongolian
and Chinese, and fairly good English. The other speaks fluent English,
some Chinese, and very little Mongolian. You are only paying for one
person. Both have traveled extensively in these areas.
14. You can learn to milk a Mongolian cow, how to make Mongolian yoghurt,
How to make Mongolian cheese. You can ride horses on the Mongolian
grasslands. You can see stars that will be a lifetime memory. You can
ride a horse and look at sheep all day. You might even learn how to shear
sheep. You will learn how to make Mongolian Sheep's blood sausage,
15. Electricity is available in small hotels and towns. Most Mongolian
tents do not have electricity or running water. We will try to spend
no more than one or two nights in such places. Make sure everything is
charged to last two or three days. If you have a 12v adapter for
your digital camera or cell phone, you might use it. Cars are all
over. If a Mongolian tent does not have electricity, usually a wind turbine
is close to charge cell phones and camera batteries, but not always
16. The weather can really change. At the end of September 2010 it was warm
and sunny in Beijing but snowing in Hailar. In some Northern cities,
winter clothes and jackets were being worn. I was chased out of Hailar
by the cold in October.
17. I know many of you will want to visit Inner Mongolia during the holidays
in October from the end of September to the first week of October. This is fine,
but just remember it can be cold and any tickets (airplane, train, or bus)
can be almost impossible to get. Students are travelling then and tickets go
with blinding speed. We had two groups totalling 11 people who did not go
because they could not get a ticket to return to Beijing. Everything
else was fine, just the return ticket was a problem.
18. If you only stay in hotels and towns, the list below will be overkill.
But if you stay in the deep grassland, such a list will help as you will almost camp.
19. Here is a list of things to consider bringing (if it fits in an easily
carried bag or pack). You do not need to bring everything listed. I have
at one time or another.
This is only a suggested list. It is much to long. It will serve to jog
your memory.
Hard Drive (to Store digital pictures or box to store film).
Hard Drive (to Store Cam corder video).
(I know a computer is needed to put video (mp4) on a hard drive. Most
towns and cities have a computer. Bring all needed cables.
There are many hard drives that have built in SD or CF card slots.
Examples include Aigo, Epson, and Wolverine)
Camcorder (240 volt charger)
Camera (Digital is best).
Cell Phone (Unlocked GSM with 240 volt charger)
Adapter Plugs (To convert US type plugs to Chinese plugs)
Card Reader (if you plan on reading an SD or CF card with a computer).
Flashlight (LED is best). A flashlight is a must. Small AA or C one).
GPS Card for PDA
Wireless CF Card (Allows wireless email if you have a PDA with a CF slot)
CF LAN Card (Allows hard wired email if you have a PDA and an ADSL line)
Clothes
PDA (with 240 volt charger). One with a CF slot is best. Dell and HP have them)
First Aid Kit
Mosquito Repellant
Aspirin
Bacitracin Ointment (For dry nose or cracked feet)
Band aids
Sun Cream (SPF 40 or more)
Moisturizer (parts of Mongolia are dry)
Foreign Currency. China is a cash economy. Credit cards and travelers checks are
worthless in smaller towns.
Reading Material (A PDA is good as books are digitized)
Hats. An electronic book is great.
Photocopy of Passport cover page and active visa (Carried separately)
Misc bag containing:
Black Plastic Electrical Tape
Knives(Swiss Army type)
Nylon Cord
Pen Refills (Assuming you have such a pen)
Rubber Bands
Scissors (Travel kind that fold)
Sewing Kit
Spare PDA Stylus
Spare Shoelaces
Tweezers (to remove splinters and such)
Packs
Shoes or Boots with good traction
Coffee or Tea
Toiletries
Dental Floss (Hard to get in China)
Ear Plugs (Impossible to get in China. Highly suggested)
Electric Shaver (With 240 volt charger)
Hair Brush (Small)
Hair Conditioner
Hair Shampoo
Hair spray
Mirror (Small unbreakable)
Shaving Supplies
Bath Soap in holder
Tooth Brush
Toothpaste
Poncho or umbrella
Waist Security Pouch (Highly suggested)
Chopsticks
Dark Glasses
Spare glasses or contacts
Hair Drier (240 volt). Won't work in deep grasslands.
Lexan Bowls
Lexan Mugs
Maps
Marking Pen (Black)
Small Locks (Combination are best like the TSA kind)
Towel (Small hotels may not give you a towel. Mongolian tents will not have any.)
The above is a "guys" list."Gals" may want to consider:
Cosmetics (careful as they are heavy. You may not need them)
Sanitary pads (Available only in larger cities and towns.)
Hair bands
Bandana
REMEMBER: IT CAN RAIN.
IF IT RAINS IN OCTOBER IT WILL BE VERY COLD.
ALWAYS BRING RAIN PROTECTION
Updated 07/31/2011
