Mongolia - a brief overview

Mongolia is a country over 6 times the size of the UK, with a population of 2.8 million compared to 60 million in the UK. Half the people still herd livestock in the countryside, living 365 days a year in their Gers. Mongolia has an extreme climate - in the Gobi desert temperatures can range from -55°C to +45°C. The homes of the nomadic Mongolians are called Gers (to rhyme with hairs) but due to Russian influence the generic term is yurt - which means shanty and as such is not considered by Mongolians to be polite!

In 1990 the Soviet influenced one party state ended and now Monoglia is attempting to build it's economy - it is still a very poor country with high unemployment.

My trips to Mongolia may be classed as 'business trips', but are in fact more pleasure than anything else. Each time I go there I meet more people and find more fascinating places to visit. With a country as large as this there will never be any shortage of new sights to see!

 

We are fortunate that our local agent is a Mongolian tour guide, and his enormous knowledge and enthusiasm for the country is infectious!

Helping the Mongolian Economy

Purchasing Yurts from a Mongolian supplier adds to the country's GDP and reduces their trade deficit.  Expanding a Ger supplier's business means more employment for local people in the workshop. Additionally we pay Chinzo to act as our agent year round, and to check and label each and every Ger, plus paying for the services of a local shipping agent.

The Making of Yurts

We purchase our Gers from Mr Sukhee - he started life as a miner, was asked to make some gers for the workers and proved so successful that he now has 6 separate 'factories' and is now the largestinternational supplier of Gers. I met Spanish, Irish, Scottish, and German customers on my first visit to the workshop - a mini international Ger convention! It will take many more visits (I hope!) to see all the elements of the ger manufacture from tree and animal to finished ger. We only buy the best quality gers from Sukhee and we have built up a firm relationship based on mutual respect for quality and honesty. Sukhee is proud of his country and his ger factory and although he doesn't speak a word of English and I speak not a word of Mongolian this didn't stop us building this relationship.