Who will eventually pay for mine rehabilitation?
The linked story in the Daily Mail & Guardian illustrates very well how important it is for governments to not 'trade down' ageing mines into a situation where it becomes…
Cafe Amsterdam in Ulaanbaatar
Yes, even here... No, I didn't go in. I was not keen to find out what Mongolians would make of bitterballen or a 'broodje kaas'...
A very interesting geological museum!
This afternoon I visited the Geological Museum here in Ulaanbaatar, hosted in the same buildings as the Mining Engineering School in the Mongolian University of Science and Technology. The curator…
American Independence Day celebrations in Mongolia
Yesterday was 6th July, but since the 4th had been on a weekday, there were American Independence Day celebrations held on the Saturday. Arranged by Brigitte Cummins, a German lady…
Views from my 2nd UB Hash
This evening I participated in my second Hash in Ulaanbaatar (or UB for those of us who have to say the name often) and it was another lovely evening out…
Workshop with the Ministry of Mines, Mongolia
A couple of days ago I participated in a workshop hosted by the Ministry of Mines, and David and I made presentations to an audience of Ministrty officials as well…
Nice afternoon in Gorkhi-Terelj
After some project work this morning (consultants have a hard life, we work on all days of the week...) David and I were collected by our colleague Bayarmaa, and we…
Afrikaans in Ulaanbaatar!
I've just come back from a very nice dinner at "The Square", a very pleasant bar/restaurant in the Central Tower, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. I had a table overlooking the Sukhbaatar Square,…
Hashing in Ulaanbaatar
After a full day in the Mongolian Ministry of Mining office, I had the opportunity to participate in a hash on the foothills and ridges below the Bogd Khan Mountain,…
The next stint in Ulaanbaatar
It's early Sunday evening, 9th June and I've been in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, again for a few days. After quite a cool day, the sun has come out from behind the…