The Ultimate Luxury Gers In Mongolia's Expansive Gobi Desert www.forbes.com

The best places in the world are often the hardest to get to. I’ve found this time and time again at places such as the Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge in Uganda, the Galapagos Safari Camp in Ecuador, Nihi Sumba in Indonesia, and the Explora resort in Patagonia. Now on my list is the Three Camel Lodge in Mongolia, a wildly obscure and pristine luxury ger camp set in Mongolia’s expansive Gobi Desert. I’ve long wanted to see Mongolia, and the Three Camel Lodge provides an unmatched way in which to experience it.

Most of Mongolia would be considered “remote,” and that’s an understatement. One can drive for hours on dirt roads (most of which Mongolia is) and never spot a person, road sign, cell tower, or ger. Half of Mongolia’s three million people live the centuries’ old nomadic lifestyle, and this way of life relies on felt padded ger “tents,” herds of animals, and the gifts of nature such as rain, wind, and river systems. To a Westerner tourist, this nomadic lifestyle is utterly romantic and unbelievable all at once, and Three Camel Lodge, despite its many comforts, does a good job at showcasing this simple, pristine way of life.

Three Camel Lodge rests in the flat “steppe” region of the Gobi-Altai Mountains of Gurvansaikhan National Park, about 300 miles from the capital, Ulaabaatar. The best way to get to the lodge is one hour by SUV from Dalanzadgad, a very small regional airport. Three Camel Lodge does a tremendous job in ensuring guests don’t get lost (no roads, as mentioned above), and each party is given a guide from the airport to manage each stay. Ours was lovely, spoke great English, and worked with our talented driver to spot eagles and herds of camels in the distance during our excursions. Every day, we had an adventure of riding two hump Bactrian camels in the sand dunes or hiking a mountain to view petroglyphs. My favorite sunset excursion was to the orange hued Flaming Cliffs, the legendary area also known as Bayanzag where dinosaur eggs were discovered nearly a century ago.

secretly enjoyed the lodge as much as the daily adventures. The property’s 40 gers, each meticulously handmade with wood, felt, and traditional colorful furniture, are surprisingly spacious. All the gers faces south, a Mongolian tradition, and my travel companion and I loved playing guitar and reading books while gazing out at the endless grasslands every afternoon.

This was a rare treat, and since there’s no wi-fi or cell service at the lodge, one can truly soak up the quiet, majestic beauty of the land at Three Camel Lodge. Also rare, given the extraordinary location of the resort, are the fantastic stone en-suite bathrooms complete with camel milk lotions, 24-hour electricity through the property, a luxury movie theater at the main lodge, and a full-service restaurant and bar lounge. There’s even a ger dedicated to Mongolian massage, a tradition practiced for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Although luxury is an attribute of Three Camel Lodge, the camp’s other notable asset is its dedication to sustainability, both environmentally and culturally. Jalsa Urubshurow, the founder and owner of Three Camel Lodge and a Mongolian-American, created Nomadic Expeditions, the sister company of Three Camel Lodge, in 1992. Nomadic Expeditions remains dedicated to taking travelers sustainability to obscure, unbelievable places throughout Asia, including Bhutan and Tibet. A decade later, Three Camel Lodge opened with the same ethos. Today, the Lodge recycles its organic waste to local farms for use as fertilizer, builds and supports greenhouse projects, employs 100% local Mongolians, and assists local families with goods and supplies to weather intense winters. In addition, Three Camel Lodge launched a ‘No Plastic Bags in the Gobi’ program that works with locals and small businesses to encourage the use of cloth shopping bags. I always prefer to stay at a property that doesn’t diminish its setting but instead enhances and cherishes it, and Three Camel Lodge is a pillar example.

Meeting with Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director of the International Trade Center www.president.mn

On the sidelines of the 2018 World Investment Forum taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga met Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, on October 22nd.

2019 budget plan brings attention to Future Heritage Fund www.zgm.mn

Along with the submission of the draft of 2019 State Budget, the Minister of Finance Khurelbaatar Chimed announced that the bill allocated around MNT 500 billion to the Future Heritage Fund (FHF). However, the fund, which was supposed to have over MNT 800 billion in its initial plan, is still under deficit and the fiscal plan may affect the Government’s initiative to create the treasury until 2030. Approved by the Parliament in 2016, the Law on Future Heritage Fund took effect last year. The purpose of the fund is to save certain portion of mining sector revenue to cover budget deficit and major debt repayments. Finance Minister Khurelbaatar previously announced that the fund will not be touched until 2030 with the revised plan for the fund. The FHF was previously called the Human Development Fund (HDF), which was responsible for several social welfare, such as the child money program, and had an accumulated debts of MNT 1.71 trillion by the FHF was established. The Government’s idea was to finance the fund from the State Budget in an amount equal to about 70 percent of mining revenue. Accordingly, a total of MNT 357.7 billion was allocated last year and MNT 508.7 billion is expected to be financed this year. But the balance of FHF is currently under deficit as the fund’s asset was drawn for fiscal balance and HDF debt repayments.

10 percent of FHF net profits to be drawn to budget starting from 2030
On the contrary, the budget bill expects around MNT 3 trillion from mining sector in revenue. This is around 76.4 percent higher than 2018 expectation of MNT 1.7 trillion. The draft expects to fulfill this amount by exporting 42 million tons of coal and 1.4 million tons of copper. Thus, failure to fulfill this target may affect potential financing to the fund.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the budget estimation is calculated in a triennial basis. The draft of 2019 budget bill allocated about MNT 1.1 trillion to the fund, of which MNT 600 billion will be spent to settle HDF debts and MNT 553 billion will remain in the fund according to a spokesperson of the Ministry of Finance. As for 2020, the ministry currently estimates MNT 754.5 billion financing for the fund and MNT 774.4 billion in 2021. The FHF will be financed from the State Budget until 2030 and will continue to operate as a sovereign wealth fund. The fund’s 10 percent of net profit will be drawn to the State Budget starting from 2030 according to the Law on FHF. Additionally, Finance Minister Khurelbaatar previously noted that the first MNT 500 billion will be circulated to raise fund as same as wealth funds of other countries and remarked, “We are currently studying Singaporean Temasek Holdings and Government Pension Fund of Norway.” Regarding the management, the Law on Future Heritage Fund states that a state-owned enterprise Future Heritage Fund Corporation will be responsible for the fund’s operation. A spokesperson of the Ministry of Finance informed that the ministry is currently drafting the rules and regulations of the corporation.

Sub-regional Workshop by UNCTAD and ITTLLDC succesfully organized in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia www.news.mn

Sub-regional Workshop on “Fostering Structural Transformation and Export Diversification in Selected Asian Landlocked Developing Countries” was jointly organized in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 16 to 17 October 2018 by the International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries, UN Conference on Trade and Development and the Government of Mongolia.

B.Batzorig: Domestic need of wheat and potatoes to be fully ensured www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry reports that volume of harvest per hectare of land has been increased this year. Specifically, grain was harvested at a yield of 14 centner this year whild it was 8.48 centner last year.

China stocks see biggest spike since 2015 www.bbc.com

Japan finds itself buried in plastic waste after China stops importing world’s trash www.rt.com

Nations across the globe are beginning to suffer from waste build-up, after China stopped importing recyclable garbage this year. Japan has become the latest country reporting severe recycling industry overload.
China’s ban on imports of 24 types of solid waste materials, such as soda bottles, mixed paper, recycled steel and newsprint, has impacted the recycling chain across the globe. Japan, which last year exported about half of its 1.5 million tons of annual plastic waste, is now piled higher and deeper in its own garbage, with many local governments struggling to cope with the problem.

German Minister of Defense pays visit to Mongolia www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ German Defense Minister Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen paid a visit to Mongolia on October 20 and Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia U.Enkhtuvshin received the Defense Minister.

Mongolian memory athletes share secrets of success www.xinhuanet.com

ULAN BATOR, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's memory athletes have been very successful in international competitions in recent years, earning them the admiration of their fellow countrymen as well as international acclaim.

Xinhua has recently interviewed director of the Mongolian Intellectual Academy (MIA) Khandsuren Khatanbaatar and his student Enkhtuya Lkhagvadulam on secrets behind the success of Mongolia's national memory sports team.

The Mongolian team has won a total of 861 medals at 80 international competitions over the past eight years, according to the MIA.

And athlete Narmandakh Munkhshur was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most playing cards memorized in an hour. She memorized 1,924 cards in an hour at the 2017 World Memory Championships held in Shenzhen, China, on Dec. 6-8.

The success of Mongolian memory athletes is related to many factors, said Khatanbaatar, who is known as the godfather of memory sports in Mongolia.

Observers say it can be attributed to the combination of talent and hard work.

"I have no doubt that success of our athletes is related to their IQ. Several IQ rankings have placed Mongolians in the top 10 nations," Khatanbaatar said.

He also mentioned approaches the athletes used to strengthen their concentration -- picturing themselves as world champions before every training and competition and using music alpha waves.

The MIA also contributes its due share to the success of the athletes.

"Success of our athletes is a result of good curriculum of the MIA that is suitable for characteristics of them," Khatanbaatar noted.

Established in 2010, the MIA has trained over 10,200 people in different mental sports.

Currently, the academy has five branches in the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator and each one branch in five provinces, namely Selenge, Darkhan-Uul, Orkhon, Khuvsgul and Umnugovi.

The academy aims to open its branches in remaining 16 provinces of the country to further develop mind sports and increase access to its training program within 2019.

"I am confident that there are many children in the countryside who have hidden talents. So, we aim to open our academy's branches in all provinces of the country within next year," director of the MIA said.

"Memory sports are open to everybody. It is just a method and techniques that need to be learned," he said.

Lkhagvadulam, a 16-year-old girl, is one of the best memory athletes in Mongolia. She became the world memory champion in the junior category last year.

The teenager started as a memory athlete only about three years ago.

"Now, I am preparing to participate in the 27th World Memory Championship 2018 in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in December. I aim to defend my championship title and break my own world records," she said.

Currently, Mongolian athletes hold 14 out of 18 junior memory sports world records. 10 of them belong to Lkhagvadulam.

She set world records in 5 minutes binary and 10 minutes cards last year.

Mongolia may join talks on Korean Peninsula denuclearization: Russia www.newindianexpress.com

MOSCOW: Russia thinks it is possible that Mongolia might enter the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula denuclearization, comprising Russia, China, North and South Korea, the United States and Japan, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said in an interview with TASS.