Good morning!  It's the morning of Friday the 12th, and since we are headed out to the countryside today, and will be spending the night, I figured I would do another short update before we head out.  I'm not sure if we'll have internet at the hotel tonight, so I wanted to do a short update now.

We've been here in Mongolia for a little less than a day now.  Having come from Beijing, it is like night and day in many ways.  The little we saw of Beijing (the airport, and the short trip to the hotel, and back to the airport) certainly had a Chinese feel to it, but everything was sleek, modern, new, and well maintained.  Mongolia is different to say the least. Take our hotels for example.  A fairly new Hilton in Beijing.  Very sleek, very modern, well kept, lots of staff all around, each eager to please and with a smiling face. Jump ahead a day to our hotel here in Mongolia.  It has staff, but far fewer.  They smile, but are far more reserved.  The hotel was the first ever built in Mongolia.  It was built in 1961 by the then Communist ruler of China Tsedenbal.  It was the first public building to have hot water.  His wife and by many accounts co-ruler took the lead on its design and decoration, picking many of the colors herself.  But the feel is this - find the best of what might possibly be available to a small country within the Soviet Union in 1961in terms of building materials, carpets, heating systems, etc . . . and then take reasonably good care of it for 50 years, leaving most completely unchanged.  That's this place.  Really quite interesting, and a fitting place to stay as it fits very well with the city at large.

Liz I had a short meeting with my coordinator here in Mongolia yesterday afternoon and met the translator as well.  I had two meetings at the Ministry of Agriculture, one with a a vet, and one with the Deputy Director for Strategic Policy and Planning withing the Ministry of Industry and Agriculture.  The Vet, Mr. BATSUKH Zayat, was pretty adept in English  and we had a very good conversation about some of the medical challenges facing agriculture here today.  It's been two years since their last case of Foot and Mouth Disease, and that is very encouraging for the possibility of improving exports in the next few years.  If they can improve their marketing, they would like to take advantage of the price premiums for free ranging, non feedlot based animal products that can be found in many parts of the world - virtually 100% of their animals are raised 100% on free ranging pasture their entire lives (not even any fences, never mind cages or pens).

Regrettably, that's all for now.  I have to get packed for our trip north this morning.  A goat herding family, and a grain farm await.  And a hearty breakfast so I can kick this cold!

The strategic plan for agriculture here in Mongolia for the year.
Months down the left side, days across the top, what they are pushing/promoting/implementing when.