8 rules for going on a long distance bus ride in Mongolia

Days were full and therefore went by quickly. Sunday was our departure day. Our driver Nara took us back to the Murun bus station. 

The fare back to UB is about 35,000 MNT. There are a few basic rules to be considered when going on a +10h overnight bus ride in Monoglia:

-          Have your MP3-Player fully charged to drown out the Mongolian folklore music that is played on high volume an on repeat throughout the entire journey

-          Have a pillow or anything else for your convenience with you, since seats won’t contribute much to a comfortable ride

-          Add 2 to 3 hours to the scheduled arrival time in order not to be late or miss appointments, buses almost never depart on time and unplanned stops to pick up or drop off people can cause significant delays

-          Be aware of Mongolian road conditions: if you get carsick easily, prepare yourself in advance.

-          Purchase food in advance: stops along the way are usually at Mongolian restaurants or convenience stores with less than limited offer

-          If you’re sensitive to noise: have your ear plugs with you. The busses are packed with children.

-          Get a window seat so you can open the window in case you need to, because air condition is not always working

-          Appeal to the bus driver: he’s the boss and if he says put your bag there or change seat or whatever, appeal to that, he knows best and discussion is waste of time and energy

Going by bus is somewhat part of the Mongolian experience as well. I felt destroyed after it, but wouldn’t wanna miss this it after all.