Quarantine in Mongolia

"Jay, the practical enthusiast" (jay-m) 09/30/2020 at 07:00 • Filed to: None

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Not a bad view.

It’s not easy to see but the people in white are in full hazmat suits.

When we last left off we were waiting on a bus in the hotel parking lot for an hour. Our hotel is downtown, in the heart of the city which is surprising because I expected to be more remote and isolated. The hotel and parking lot are completely fenced off with police barricades. The parking lot also has a mini police station (think construction site office) with full time police assigned to the hotel. After waiting an hour for the bus in front of us to finish checking in we were the first to get off because we were traveling with a baby. All the workers were in hazmat suits. We got a short speech about how we are not to leave our room for any reason. We can’t even step into the hallway. Then we were escorted up to our room.

5 of us on 2 beds. The kids are 2, 6, and 10 so we all fit.

It’s a corner room on the 14 th floor. A little bit bigger than I expected. 2 queen beds, a table with 4 chairs, a desk, fridge and sink, microwave, and a small TV with lots of western channels. We have 2 windows that overlook Peace Avenue, the main shopping street downtown. The bathroom is tiny but has a fancy Japanese heated toilet seat / bidet. This whole hotel, which has been contracted out just for the passengers (and crew) on rescue flights like ours, is part of a Japanese chain.

Not much space but I was expecting something a bit smaller.

We have to wash our own dishes between meals.

21 days. That’s how long we’ll be stuck in a hotel room together. We knew this before we agreed to come. We didn’t want to do it, but we realized this was the only way we were getting here. For a little while it was actually worse. 21 days in the hotel and then 14 days at home quarantine but the extra 14 day quarantine was canceled. That’s a big deal for us because the kids will be able to start school as soon as we leave the hotel.

The first week was surprisingly easy but I think jet lag may have had a lot to do with it. Mongolia is 12 hours opposite Florida. We didn’t realize how beat up we were from 48 hours traveling. Wearing a mask the whole time only made it worse. All of our ears hurt from the mask straps and the skin around our mouths felt both dry and raw. We mostly spent our time sleeping, watching TV or movies, and playing video games. We were tested for the coronavirus on the first day and we have our temperatures checked daily.

Breakfast comes around 9, lunch around 2 and dinner around 7. An announcement is made before each meal and we have to put our dishes out on a table in the hallway that blocks our door. They knock on the door after they serve our food. No choices, everyone in the hotel gets the same thing. It’s almost always beef, rice, vegetables, bread, and soup. My wife and I loved it at first as everything is fresh and high quality. Now the food is getting repetitive and we can’t wait to get out and go to our favorite restaurants. The kids can’t stand the food, they have been spoiled by pizza and chicken nuggets.

Copy and paste. We eat some form us this everyday.

My wife’s parents can drop off almost anything for us. We stocked up our fridge with all our usual favorites: fruit, snacks, drinks, milk, cereal. We also had them drop off some reading and math books that we had in our carry ons but transferred to our checked bags. Now the kids do a couple hours of school work each day.

It only looks orderly when the police are there to direct traffic. Otherwise it’s chaos.

We’ve just reached the end of week 2. 7 days are left. What can we possibly do to pass the time? As you can tell, I’m writing more than I ever have. My wife is catching up on her Japanese TV shows. The kids play and watch way too much TV. The internet is incredibly slow but they still play a lot of video games as well. We spend a lot of time just watching the traffic outside and looking out for any drama. We talk to each other a lot and it feels like we’re getting some quality family time. Lastly, we are making our plans for what we are going to do when we get out.

Until today everyday was beautiful like this.

The worst part of this whole thing has been the weather. Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital city in the world and today winter started. But for the past 2 weeks it has been sunny and in the mid 60s and we couldn’t go out and enjoy it. It’s snowing right now and the temperature will stay below zero from now till the end of March.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 07:17

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“ Lastly, we are making our plans for what we are going to do when we get out.”

“ It’s snowing right now and the temperature will stay below zero from now till the end of March.”

Step 1: Buy warm hat

pip bip - choose Corrour > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 07:17

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they don’t allow a fresh air break?

do the windows open in the room?

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 07:19

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Interesting to see Western script on the buildings, this is more for tourists I take it?

Once you finally get to leave, where are you going to be living? 

Jay, the practical enthusiast > pip bip - choose Corrour 09/30/2020 at 07:21

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No leaving the room, but the windows do crack open which is nice.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 07:22

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that’s ok then. you all need fresh air

Jay, the practical enthusiast > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 09/30/2020 at 07:24

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It’s popular in a lot of Asia to use English, especially with businesses.

W e’ll be living with my wife's parents downtown. Their apartment is just 15 minutes from our hotel. For an apartment it's quite big and spacious. 

Jay, the practical enthusiast > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 09/30/2020 at 07:26

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I'll write a post about this winter, but think layers of clothes. Long johns, double socks, limiting your exposure. For northerners this might be normal but for a Floridian it takes some getting used to. 

Jay, the practical enthusiast > pip bip - choose Corrour 09/30/2020 at 07:31

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B eing on the mainstreet means we can sometimes smell exhaust fumes though, even from the 14th floor!

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 07:55

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How long are you gonna be staying over there?

Jay, the practical enthusiast > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 09/30/2020 at 08:09

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At least 1 school year. The current plan is to return to Florida for the 2021 school year. It really depends on what happens in the airline industry over the next year.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 08:14

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TIL

I ’ve always wanted to explore the Steppes of Mongolia, seems like a beautiful country. 

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 08:14

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Gotcha! Will you still be flying from Mongolia then? Or it gonna be a vacation vacation?

vondon302 > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 08:15

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This was a good read!

Stay warm!

Jay, the practical enthusiast > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 09/30/2020 at 08:23

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It's incre dible. I recommend it to everyone. The tourism industry is well developed and it's fairly inexpensive. 

Jay, the practical enthusiast > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 09/30/2020 at 08:25

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I took a year off work, I'm just not certain I'll have a job to come back to. We're going to pursue some business ideas while we're here.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > vondon302 09/30/2020 at 08:26

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Thanks! 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 08:45

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So 1/3 of the way there? That’s not the most cheery prospect.

It’s kind of funny how little there is to write about quarantine. Like, it is im portant and changes the way you live but is also boring as all get out. Stay safe out there. 

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/30/2020 at 08:52

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1 more week! It's gone by surprisingly quick but we are starting to get a little stir crazy. We just found out we can leave at 5:30 am next Thursday. 

Chariotoflove > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 09:14

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Wow, the Anne Frank experience but without the threat of arrest and with internet. Hang in there! This is some adventure you’ve taken on. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 09:16

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That’s good news! 2/3 of the way there!

Too bad about the warm weather just barely missing you. I’ve had my window open here in my dorm most days for months and it has just started to get a chill. Now I just put on a jacket. Even when I’m stuck in here working for hours on end, feeling the breeze really helps me concentrate. Do your windows open? Or do you have to watch from behi nd the sterile safety of a flat glass panel?

Since you’re probably a bit bored, I cannot recommend enough these two amazing pieces of fiction.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/every-single-last-one-of-you-must-read-this-amazing-pie-1845197154

Jon Bois is like the Top Gear of sports. I usually have little interest in the sports ball but these two sports oriented stories had me hooked from the first line. Do me a favor and at least open the web link to "Football 17776."

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 09:32

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Best of luck!

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Chariotoflove 09/30/2020 at 09:38

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Slow internet, but it's better than nothing. 

DipodomysDeserti > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 09:40

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So they have tests, but still have you quarantine for three weeks. I guess they don’t trust the tests.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/30/2020 at 09:41

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Thank's, I'll give it a try. And the windows crack open so it's not too bad. We only close them when the city noise gets too much. Right now traffic has been backed up for hours so nothing but constant horns honking. 

avalonian > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 09:49

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BUT how slow? I would cry under 25 mgbs. And can you stream Netflix and everything?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 09:51

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I am awoken most days before my alarm by the sounds of trucks backing up in the alley outside my house. The garbage truck has a really dischordent one that always gets me. It consists of about three different high pitched series of beeps that sometimes overlap and sometimes don’t to make it more noticeable. Then I go back to sleep.

Sometimes people like to sit in vans with the backup beeper going while they check their phone or whatever. I’ve had that go in as long as 30 minutes or more, enough to get up and close the window. Cities can be noisy.

Oh, and let me know what you think of the story. It's a good one. 

Jay, the practical enthusiast > DipodomysDeserti 09/30/2020 at 09:52

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They are worried about someone catching it during transit. All 313 cases so far have been from passengers on these rescue flights but not all showed up on the first tests. We'll get tested again this week before we get released. 

Jay, the practical enthusiast > avalonian 09/30/2020 at 09:58

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Sometimes it’s unusable. Getting the pictures to upload for this post probably took an hour and a half . I was going to post this yesterday but I got too frustrated. I’ve written a bunch more articles that I plan on posting after we get to our apartment. For some reason our cell phones are much faster than the computer so that’s how we watch Netflix.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/30/2020 at 10:03

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That would drive me crazy. These windows (and the ones in our apartment) are so thick that they block out all the outside noise as long as they are closed. We like having them open though.

My slow internet speed might prevent me from reading it until next week. It's still loading.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 10:15

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What is even weirder is that the windows and walls are very thick indeed. I usually can’t even hear a rainstorm and the construction across the way is barely audible. AND at home I’m never woken up by the sounds of a nearby train.

I suspect it has to do with the peculiarly discordant sound it makes. It’s really rather strange.

It is very heavily image based for the text so that might not work. You could try reading the other story I mentioned, the Tim Tebow CFL Chronicles, which is rich text based rather than multimedia (mostly). It's not about what you think it's about at all. 

Nom De Plume > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 11:01

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Not so much you and your wife. I forget how much time your family spent in country previously. That sounds like a very hard transition.

I really have so many other lines of interest to pursue here . The above seems to be the crux for your own happiness though.

Nom De Plume > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 11:05

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I’m appalled how easily you upset undivided interest in this highly exciting living story still in progress with link to a coffee post I missed.  Now glad that I missed.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Nom De Plume 09/30/2020 at 11:14

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The kids are loving it. No school. Almost unlimited movies, tv, and video games. 

For us it’s just what we have to do to be with family. 

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Nom De Plume 09/30/2020 at 11:17

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I have so much time to read every single oppo post now. The coffee one drives me crazy because we are very particular about how we like it but now we're stuck drinking instant coffee. 

Urangoo > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 12:22

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I wonder if they will let someone from mongolia with someone in 21 days quarantine. M y husband could come for a month but then we wont be able to spend time together if he's in quarantine almost all of it. 

Cé hé sin > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 12:30

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I shouldn’t be surprised that Ulaanbataar is full of modern buildings rather than yurts (or gers in this case)   but I am!

Nom De Plume > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 13:51

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I’ve found instant can be quite satisfying after having expended oneself and camped in rugged terrain. The cold helps enormously in that equation. Presented with the closed atmosphere and smells indoors makes it hard to savor. There is no weaker or stronger equation that helps.

In a Simpson’esque manner of approaching cultural identity in the modern world. Instant Pumpkin Spice   (Suutei tsai) must be a thing over there, no?

Nom De Plume > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 14:04

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I suspect there will be a lot of focus on that if everyone is used to ocean air and warm sun on their skin.

Just a few short questions:

Are you at all disposed towards venturing into those mountains?

Will there be any horseback riding involved?

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Cé hé sin 09/30/2020 at 16:50

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In the suburbs a lot of people still live in the gers. You don't have to go far to find them.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Nom De Plume 09/30/2020 at 16:54

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I'm going to look for the pumpkin spice. In the city we have a nice selection of coffee shops and we have a fancy coffee maker waiting for us at home. But outside of the city Mongolians don't seem to drink much coffee so we usually bring instant. 

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Nom De Plume 09/30/2020 at 17:01

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The kids have all been here in winter so they know what’s going to happen. They love coming here but dressing them for winter can be a challenge.

We get out of the city almost every weekend. Go to any of the campsites and rent a ger. I like taking the Highlander up into the nearby mountains but I haven’t done it in the snow.

Horseback riding will have to wait till summer.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Urangoo 09/30/2020 at 17:07

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There were other foreigners traveling alone, I'm assuming to meet family here. But 21 days is too long just to stay for a short time. And now that we are here I don't think we can leave until the borders reopen. I hope you get to see him soon.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Nom De Plume 09/30/2020 at 17:21

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Ha! I had to reread your post. Pumpkin spice milk tea? No way. Some things are just too traditional. 

Nom De Plume > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 18:01

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Sorry for that image of crass Westernization. It was the other comment about horse riding that lead me there.

ClassicDatsunDebate > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/30/2020 at 22:29

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Great post, thanks for the read! Hang in there!

I’m actually sitting in a Marriott as I post....first business trip since March. Feels weird.

Also, I’m switching the lyrics for Holiday in Cambodia to ‘Quarantine in Mongolia’

Jay, the practical enthusiast > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/01/2020 at 02:33

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Fl ying business trip? How was it?

ClassicDatsunDebate > Jay, the practical enthusiast 10/01/2020 at 22:12

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Our company has a moratorium on air travel so it was 5 hours of windshield time.

Good luck on your final push to freedom...almost there!