China Inner Mongolia Erlian Hot. Erlian is a new "gateway" to Russia. Hitchhiking

The Chinese city of Erlian has never been the subject of my dreams ... Actually, I only learned that this is a city, and not a dull border station, upon arrival here ...

And even then to say - a few years ago the population of Erlian (in Mongolian it is called Eren-Khoto, that is, the Colorful City) was only a little more than 20 thousand people who lived in typical Chinese barracks, built of bricks at arm's length from each other. friend.

Today, more than 100 thousand people live in Erlian, and I have not the slightest doubt that its population will grow exponentially, since (I repeat) there is really more than enough territory for construction here. To the question - why is it here, in the endless steppe, to build, why to attract the population here? - the answer is simple: the Chinese government today regards Erlian as yet another "Gateway to Russia". Although in fact this city borders on Mongolia, and opposite the Multi-colored city there is a Mongolian village (I cannot call it a city) Zamyn Ud. Up to 4 million tons of cargo per year, 36 thousand passengers pass through the border road and railway crossing Zamyn-Ud - Erlian, and the income from customs operations reaches $ 11 million. One cannot help but recall the notorious Kyakhta - Altan-Bulag crossing, which today has become a kind of thrombus that hinders the movement of goods and tourists.

Erlian is a really large transport hub through which a huge amount of cargo moves both by rail and by road. And if the capabilities of the "piece of iron" today are constrained by the Mongolian single-track, then the Erlian - Zamyn Ud - Ulan Bator - Altan-Bulag highway is about to be completed in its southern section, and then, indeed, huge trade flows from China to Eastern Siberia could go through Erlian , and back. If not for the Kyakhta-Altan-Bulag checkpoint ...

The residents of Erlian - from the mayor to the loader in the market - all dream of Erlian becoming the "New Manchuria", and Russian tourists flock here - both to relax and "stock up". And what, the assortment of local markets and shops, perhaps, is not inferior to Manchuria! There are also many signs in Cyrillic here, but only "our" Mongols can understand most of the inscriptions. They come here for goods, and it is for them that the inscriptions "in Russian" are designed, but in fact - in Mongolian. An additional exoticism to the signs is given by the inscriptions executed in the old Mongolian (Uyghur) vertical script. But this is already for the local Mongols, among whom, in spite of everything, an interest in their native language, in Mongolian culture remains.

But with entertainment for Russian tourists so far here, frankly, not very ... Yes, as elsewhere in China, there are a lot of restaurants and restaurants, saunas and massage parlors, but you have to be different from other towns! Local authorities have relied on the theme of dinosaurs (the remains of which were actually found in the vicinity of the city), but they understand that you cannot lure "Russo Turisto" dinosaurs here. They are looking for any options and projects that would make Erlian more attractive to Russian citizens. They study the experience and mistakes of Manchuria, they believe that the opportunity to visit both Outer Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (i.e., China) in one trip may be quite attractive for us.

Erlian is a free economic zone, where, for example, there are three large timber processing plants. According to Chinese statistics, Erlian ranks third in the amount of Russian forest passed through after the cities of Manchuria and Suifenhe. In order to transform this zone into the largest in North China integrated processing base for export and import products, local authorities have developed incentives to attract enterprises from other regions of the country. Erlian city administration is currently working on the creation of four manufacturing facilities: a base for processing crude oil and timber imported from Mongolia and Russia; processing bases for export products oriented to the Mongolian and Russian markets, including clothing, footwear, food products and other consumer goods; bases for processing building materials, taking into account the demand in the Mongolian market; and bases for processing agricultural products for export. The trend of rapid growth in car exports to Russia and Mongolia through the Erlian checkpoint continues. As of October 31 of last year, 8,089 units were transported through this border passage, export volume reached $ 96.7 million, both of which increased by 437.52% and 137.63%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. More than 50 types of vehicles are exported through Erlian to the Russian and Mongolian markets, including light trucks, dump trucks, minibuses, light passenger buses, large and medium-sized passenger buses. In Buryatia, at one time, before the introduction of prohibitive duties on used cars, it was reasonably believed that in the near future the center of our car trade would move from Vladivostok to Kyakhta ... Construction of large customs terminals in Kyakhta and Naushki is already being seriously discussed there. And this is one of the promising areas for investment. Including from Inner Mongolia. The construction of an international customs terminal is to begin in Naushki, which will process up to one million tons of cargo per year when it reaches its design capacity.

Here, in Erlian, cheap (even in comparison with Manchuria) prices are not only for "consumer goods", but also for real estate and office rent. All this, according to the mayor's office, can also attract investors from Russia. From Erlian about 700 km to the administrative center of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the city of Huhhot with a population of over 2 million people. By the way, the journey to Beijing via Ulan Bator, Erlian and Huhhot takes 15 hours less than via Manchuria. If, nevertheless, visas between Mongolia and Russia are really canceled, then the fate of Manchuria will be unenviable.

Representatives of the Erlian City Hall (where today there are three large markets - one more modern, designed in the form of boutiques, and the other two markets are old with shopping malls) believe that it will be profitable for Russians to make wholesale purchases in this city, and they will go for expensive and high-quality things in Hohhot. There are more opportunities to see, since the city has long been a multicultural crossroads on the routes between Xinjiang and the Celestial Empire itself.

But Erlian himself has ambitious plans to become a cultural and entertainment center for both Russians and Mongols, and for their own citizens. First of all - for residents of Inner Mongolia, who want to get to know Russia without leaving the country. For this, the city government is ready to allocate territory, create infrastructure. It's up to investors, incl. - and for the Russian ones. I have no doubt that we will see with our own eyes what the result will be ...

Text, photo by Vladimir BEREZHNYKH

Erlian City Hospital was recently rebuilt. In terms of technical equipment, it can compete with any medical institution Western Europe. At the same time, prices for medical services are several times lower not only in Europe, but also in Russia. The hospital management is confident that both of these factors, as well as the combination of traditional Chinese medicine with European training of leading medical specialists, will attract Russians to the hospital who want to improve their health. Therefore, I was asked to help find a translator specializing in medical topics.

Erlian suburbs

China's future is its children. They enjoy everyone's love and attention. Street scene in Erlian ...

Erlian International School. The authorities hope that Russian students will appear here in the near future.

Trade is the engine of China's economy. The state controls trade, but does not squeeze it.

Around Erlian - whole hordes of dinosaurs. They will probably take the city full circle soon.

Track widths for the Chinese track. On the Mongolian side of the border, there is the city of Zamyn-Uud, connected by rail and highway to Ulan Bator. Near Erlyani, especially near the Eren-Nur salt lake to the east of the city, there are numerous locations of more than 20 dinosaur species. The most important find is the skeleton of a Gigantoraptor over 8 meters high (found in 2005). Here in 1893, during the second Sino-Tibetan expedition of Grigory Potanin, Vladimir Obruchev conducted research, and in 1921 the American paleontologist Roy Andrews found the remains of giant reptiles for the first time in Asia north of the Himalayas. Today Erliani has a dinosaur museum (7 km from the center) and the city bears the unofficial title of the Chinese "capital of dinosaurs".

In everyday life in Erlani, two languages are used - Mongolian and Chinese. All of the official signs have been carried on them. The Mongolian language in Erliani uses two scripts: the Cyrillic alphabet and the Old Mongolian script.

Erlani's climate is continental, dry: average annual precipitation is 142 mm.

How to get there

Airplane

Flights of the Mongolian airline HunnuAir from Ulaanbaatar to summer time daily, in winter on Tue, Wed.

A train

Erlian Train Station

Erlian station(二连火车站) - the starting station of the Chinese railways at the junction with them of the Trans-Mongolian Mainline, here the railway track of the "Russian" standard - 1520 mm, leading from Mongolia, ends, and the Chinese track of 1435 mm begins. In Erlian, Russian / Mongolian rolling stock cars traveling inland of China change bogies. International trains Moscow - Beijing, Ulan Bator - Beijing, Ulan Bator - Hohhot, Ulan Bator - Erlian pass through Erlian. The international ticket office is located in the building opposite the station and opens at 9:00. It is recommended to arrive after 10:00 to avoid crowds of locals.

Hitchhiking - departures from the city

Departure south to Jining (Ulanchab) - Beijing

Highway (国道) G 208 / G 55 goes from the border with Mongolia, skirting the center of Erlian from the west called Èr guǎng gōnglù (二广公路) (in the southern part of the city, the street leading to the exit to Beijing is also called 伊林大道 (Yīlín dà dào)).

After leaving Erlani G 208 / G 55 goes to the town of Jining (Ulanchab), where in the south-west of the city, at the junction, the transition to G 6 , and further along G 6 to Zhangjiakou and further to Beijing. Before Beijing, the road passes through Badaling.

Take a bus to Erlian Airport, then go back to the highway, about 2 km.
Take city bus No. 5 to the final stop in the southern part of the city at Nánhuán lù (南环路), from it go forward along the bus to the traffic light at the intersection with Yīlín dà dào leaving the city on G 208 , turn right, look for a hitchhiking spot. Landmark: behind the crossroads on the right is a hotel building with the characters 利众酒家 (Lì zhòng jiǔdiàn) and in Mongolian Cyrillic "Li Zun buudal" - "Li Zhong hotel".
Take a taxi from anywhere in the city to the Li Zhong hotel, go out onto the road, look for a place for hitchhiking.

Departure north to Mongolia

Crossing the border between Erlyan and Zamyn-Uud on foot is prohibited, in any case, you will either have to look for free passing transport or cross the border for a fee. A border crossing car can be hired near two shopping centers Wen Zhou Shang Chang and Yi Wu. Drivers from Mongolia. Also, cars for crossing the border are right in front of the checkpoint under a rainbow-shaped arch. Fare 100 RMB / 10-15 $

Money

Money is exchanged mainly in the Bank of China, to Qianjin Lu, there are travelers checks (commission 0.75%). Tugriks can be changed at the entrance to the market (Personal Market) opposite the dinosaur park. ATM accepting Visa / MasterCard on the street. Youyi. From the bus station: turn left, walk to Youyi Street, cross it, and move right, ATM through the block on the left at the Bank of China branch. From the railway station - along the street. Xinhua walk to Youyi Junction, turn right, ATM within a block.

Consulates

The Consulate General of Mongolia (Youyi Rd, Erenhot) operates in Erlian, to the right of the railway station on the street. Youyi, about 10 minutes walk from the bus station, on the left side of the street. It is possible to obtain Mongolian visas, you can try to get it without an invitation. A set of documents: a passport, a copy of a page with a photo, photographs. The same day registration fee is RMB 495. Open from Monday to Friday 8: 30-12: 00.

Branch PSB (Public Security Bureau) Xinhua St, Erenhot, tel. +86 479 752 1246, for visa extension. Xinhua Street starts from the railway station and runs perpendicular to the railway track.

sights

Dinosaur park(The Erlian Basin Cretaceous Dinosaur National Geopark), about 7 km NE from the center, has been operating since 2009. Exhibitions with bones and eggs of dinosaurs, mammalian fossils, petrified trees, a museum of Mongolian history, a mineralogical exhibition, a souvenir shop, a shop with drinks and food. There is a golf course. Entrance ticket 50 RMB + transportation to the golf course. Take a taxi (100 RMB, with 2 hours of waiting). The park is located in the Gobi desert, in the summer before visiting it is worthwhile to provide protection from the sun's rays and stock up a sufficient amount drinking water... Not to be confused with the dinosaur park (恐龙广场, Kǒnglóng guǎngchǎng) in the city itself at the corner of Konglong Dajie (恐龙大街) and Qianjin Lu (前进路).

There is also a dinosaur museum in the city on the same Qianjin Lu street, moving from the dinosaur square to the north, on the left is a gas station, on the right is a gray museum building. Entrance 10 RMB, opening hours 8: 00-11: 00 and 15: 00-18: 00.

"Dinosaur" arch on the outskirts of the city.

The dinosaur theme is widely used in urban everyday life. In the southern part of the city, on the sides of Highway 208, leading to the south for 12 km, there are 90 figures of dinosaurs, and at the exit from the city the highway passes under the famous arch of two "kissing" dinosaurs of the "Wanlong" type, 19 meters high and 34 meters wide. meter, installed here in 2007. The span between the sculptures of "dinosaurs" is 80 meters, and these are the world's largest dinosaur sculptures.

Where to eat and drink

Irish Pub near Erliani city square. Several restaurants with Mongolian, Chinese and Korean cuisine in the building of the bus station, as well as grocery stores. In general, the city has an abundance of catering outlets of various ranks and grocery stores.

Where to live

Two cheap hotels next to the railway station, to the right of the waiting room. Single: 10 RMB \ 3-4 bed rooms, 20-25 RMB / single room, 30 RMB / double. Other: 2 seats / 80 RMB, 3 seats / 90 RMB. The Railway Hotel (on the left, leaving the station - big dorm / 20 yuan).

Rui Yuan pei xun zhong xi(二连瑞元培训中心), Swiss training center, regular room 118 RMB / night.

Additional Information

On the Mongol-Chinese border between the cities of Zamyn-uud and Erlian, the collection of 5 yuan from citizens crossing the border has been stopped.

So, it's already 36 hours on the road. I left Ulan-Ude by bus to Mongolia at 7.30 am yesterday, in Ulan Bator I almost immediately took a train to the Chinese border city of Erlian (Erenhot), from there, after going through all the passport and customs procedures, I took a bus to Jining, and now I’m towards Datong in sit-down car trains. This is short, now about everything in detail and in order.

The bus to UB departed on schedule, nothing boded trouble, everything went according to plan. On the bus I met my classmate, I hadn’t seen each other for a very long time, it was nice to meet, remember my students. The Russian border was crossed normally, but there was a nuisance on the Mongolian one. There a dude appeared at the customs - a Mongol with a bandaged head. Nobody really attached any importance to this, but the bandaged head was remembered. He turned out to be the cause of all our troubles - it turned out that he ran into our bus while we were all going through a check at the border, planted something (some forbidden things, smuggling - I don’t know what exactly) under the back seat and was like that. Everyone safely crossed the border, were going to go further to Altan-Bulag to have dinner, when the mask shows began. Three times all the passengers of the bus were forced to leave, once we went through the passport control procedure again, and the drivers wrote explanatory notes twice. As one of the drivers later said, this is the first time in his memory.

Due to a two-hour delay at the border, we arrived in Ulaanbaatar very late, and I was also not sure about the time of departure of my train to Erlian - different travel times were written on various travelers' websites, but the Mongolian website was working normally. railroad I did not find. I caught a taxi as quickly as possible, again got pretty nervous in Ulaanbaatar traffic jams (the time was 19.45, and according to some sites, the train to Erlian leaves at 20.00), drove to the railway station, got to the ticket office - and exhaled with relief. The Ulaanbaatar-Erlian train leaves at 20.45 and arrives in China at 10.25 the next day. A ticket to a compartment carriage costs 70 thousand tugriks. The cars are clean, the service is good, and even free tea and coffee is provided.

About crossing the border. Mongolian border guards enter the train, do not inspect it, they just take their passports and give them back with stamps. And in the Chinese Erlian, you just get off the train, and at the railway station you pass passport control... Very quickly - no more than five minutes, and you are already officially on the territory of the PRC.

Erlian is a city in the development of which the Chinese are investing a lot of money and great hopes. On the other side is the Mongolian Zamyn-Uud, but it's like a village compared to Erlyan. The Chinese as a whole are always inclined to develop border cities, one does not need to look far for examples, it is enough to compare the development of Manchuria in comparison with Zabaikalsk or Heihe in comparison with Blagoveshchensk. It is also planned to develop tourism in Erlian, and everywhere this city is positioned as the "capital of dinosaurs". There is a dinosaur museum, and large figures of dinosaurs are found in the steppe on the outskirts of the city.

I did not plan to spend the night in Erlian, I wanted to move faster to Datong, but the only bus leaves there early in the morning every day. The train is also daily, but also early in the morning, and the time was already around 11 am. I knew that you could first take a bus to Jining, and then change to a train to Datong, but I could not find out from passers-by where the bus station is (they do not speak English and, in general, are afraid of foreigners).

So, rejecting the oncoming taxi drivers with offers to take me to Jining for “only” 200 yuan, I ran into Stefan, a traveler from Brussels, Belgium. As it turned out, we arrived on the same train, and he has exactly the same plans - to get to Datong by nightfall. Prior to that, Stefan had lived for over a month in Mongolia with a family of reindeer herders. We started looking for a bus station together, found it half a kilometer from the railway station. The most interesting thing is that the person who showed the way to the bus station, escorted Stefan to the ATM, where he took the money, and even explained to the cashier that we needed tickets for the nearest bus to Jining, turned out to be a taxi driver! Absolutely disinterested, before that, I and Stefan rejected his offers to drive his car to Jining. Behavior not typical for taxi drivers. Then it turned out that he also managed to talk to the bus driver, tell him what we need to find later in Jining Train Station and take tickets to Datong. We found out when we arrived - the bus driver showed us with gestures to one passenger (a guy of about 25) so that we would follow him. It looked a little weird, but Stefan and I went after this guy. We walked about a kilometer and came to the railway station. He helped us buy tickets to Datong, moreover, he talked to the workers of the station, and they “watched” us for that hour until the train left. They were "guarding" in a good way, they just made sure that we did not miss the train. When the time came, another employee of the station approached us, and almost by the hand led us past the huge queue to board the train, brought us to the desired carriage, and only after that he calmly left. It was all cute and fun when we were passed from hand to hand, while explaining everything only with facial expressions and gestures.

The bus from Erlian to Jining takes five hours, and the train from Jining to Datong takes just over three hours. Late in the evening we ended up in ancient city Datong. The hostel is located in the very center of Datong, a place in a six-bed room cost 40 yuan.

Stefan and I were the only travelers in this hostel - we also had two Chinese people in the room, Jang and Jason, they are almost local. Jason (he, of course, has a Chinese name, but he said to call him Jason) showed us once again an example of Chinese hospitality and friendliness - he said that tomorrow he would take us to the Yunnan Caves (the main attraction in the vicinity of Datong) in his car.

During this day, I have already covered 467 km in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.

So, it's already 36 hours on the road. I left Ulan-Ude by bus to Mongolia at 7.30 am yesterday, in Ulan Bator I almost immediately took a train to the Chinese border city of Erlian (Erenhot), from there, after going through all the passport and customs procedures, I took a bus to Jining, and now I’m in the direction of Datong in a seated train car. This is short, now about everything in detail and in order.

Due to a two-hour delay at the border, we arrived in Ulaanbaatar very late, and I was also not sure about the time of departure of my train to Erlian - different travel times were written on various travelers' websites, and I could not find a normally working site of the Mongolian railway. ... I caught a taxi as quickly as possible, again got pretty nervous in Ulaanbaatar traffic jams (the time was 19.45, and according to some sites, the train to Erlian leaves at 20.00), drove to the railway station, got to the ticket office - and exhaled with relief. The Ulaanbaatar-Erlian train leaves at 20.45 and arrives in China at 10.25 the next day. A ticket to a compartment carriage costs 70 thousand tugriks. The cars are clean, the service is good, and even free tea and coffee is provided.

About crossing the border. Mongolian border guards enter the train, do not inspect it, they just take their passports and give them back with stamps. And in the Chinese Erlian, you just get off the train, and at the railway station you go through passport control. Very quickly - no more than five minutes, and you are already officially on the territory of the PRC.

So, rejecting the oncoming taxi drivers with offers to take me to Jining for “only” 200 yuan, I ran into Stefan, a traveler from Brussels, Belgium. As it turned out, we arrived on the same train, and he has exactly the same plans - to get to Datong by nightfall. Prior to that, Stefan had lived for over a month in Mongolia with a family of reindeer herders. We started looking for a bus station together, found it half a kilometer from the railway station. The most interesting thing is that the person who showed the way to the bus station, escorted Stefan to the ATM, where he took the money, and even explained to the cashier that we needed tickets for the nearest bus to Jining, turned out to be a taxi driver! Absolutely disinterested, before that, I and Stefan rejected his offers to drive his car to Jining. Behavior not typical for taxi drivers. Then it turned out that he had managed to talk to the bus driver and told him that we then need to find a railway station in Jining and get tickets to Datong. We found out when we arrived - the bus driver showed us with gestures to one passenger (a guy of about 25) so that we would follow him. It looked a little weird, but Stefan and I went after this guy. We walked about a kilometer and came to the railway station. He helped us buy tickets to Datong, moreover, he talked to the workers of the station, and they “watched” us for that hour until the train left. They were "guarding" in a good way, they just made sure that we did not miss the train. When the time came, another employee of the station approached us, and almost by the hand led us past the huge queue to board the train, brought us to the desired carriage, and only after that he calmly left. It was all cute and fun when we were passed from hand to hand, while explaining everything only with facial expressions and gestures.

The bus from Erlian to Jining takes five hours, and the train from Jining to Datong takes just over three hours. Late in the evening we found ourselves in the ancient city of Datong. The hostel is located in the very center of Datong, a place in a six-bed room cost 40 yuan.

During this day, I have already covered 467 km in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.

There are three ways to get from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing. The first is by direct plane; the second by an international train; and the third is adventure and a budget option for 3000 rubles with two additional stops.

Trans Mongolian mainline

If you want to feel the spirit of the Trans-Siberian Railway without spending a week on the road through the whole of Russia, then you can just take a ride along Trans-Mongolian mainline passing between Ulaanbaatar and Beijing. Trains numbered 24 and 04yu run on this route. They depart from Ulaanbaatar Central Station by Thursdays and sundays v 7:15 am, and arrive in Beijing on the next day, v 14:04 ... This is a very convenient but rather boring way to get to China. Plus, it's a pretty expensive option, as a one-way ticket will cost you at least $ 100.

If you want to save $ 50, have an unforgettable experience, and at the same time are willing to sacrifice your time for a non-trivial entry into China, read on!

Ulan Bator - Beijing. An alternative option for sophisticated travelers.

How to do it? I describe step by step:

Step 1. Train from Ulaanbaatar to Zamyn-Üüd

The train leaves several times a day. The price depends on the schedule - the most cheap option departs everyday v 16:30 , and arrives at the Mongolian-Chinese border at the next day, v 7:20 am.

Tickets

Seating can be purchased for MNT 9,700, but this is a pretty tough test. Therefore, if you want to sleep and have some rest on the way, I recommend taking seats for 16400 MNT in a reserved seat carriage. Tickets for this train sell like hotcakes, so I advise you to buy them in advance. So the next day you can already find yourself in the Zamyn-Uud desert, paying as much as we give for dinner in Shokoladitsa.

The difference in ticket price between international and local trains proportional to the difference in length of these trains.

Conditions in the car

In a second-class carriage, you will receive a blanket for free ... And then you will be faced with a choice - either freeze at night (even in summer), or wrap yourself in a fetid cloth that has not been washed since the last century (when this train was put on the route). Bed linen is subject to an additional charge of MNT 1500. Coffee and tea will cost you 800 MNT. I recommend preparing a sleeping bag / warm clothes and purchasing food in advance, as the train only sells Chinese instant noodles.

Passengers

Do not expect someone to help you with frostbite limbs if you yell at English language... In the Mongolian part of the Trans-Siberian Railway, only the Mongolian language is used. Sure, some older passengers can practice with you their Soviet legacy of the Russian language, but that doesn't happen very often.

Safety

The upper shelves are not equipped with seat belts / bumpers. If you do not want to fly away into the arms of a Mongolian woman on the lower shelf with a sharp braking, then I recommend you prudently ask the ticket office for tickets for the lower seats.

Step 2. Four-wheel drive from Zamyn-Üüd to Erlien

The Mongol-Chinese border cannot be crossed. She needs to be moved. The border is open only for land transport so it’s best to find local guys to drive those wishing to cross the border. It is not difficult to do this - immediately after arriving in Zamyn-Uud, run to the very first UAZ that is waiting for passengers at the station. I advise you not to hesitate for a long time, otherwise you will find yourself at the end of the line at the border crossing.

The border in the middle of the desert - this is what Zamyn-Uud looks like.

Price

The price depends on how much you are willing to give. Bargain and jump in the car - usually foreigners give around 8000 MNT per person for a ride to the center of the nearest Chinese city - Erlien (二连浩特)... Yuan is also accepted for payment here.

In addition, another tax must be paid on both sides of the border, so keep ready a couple of thousand tugriks (Mongolian currency) and 5 CNY.

A rake-free experience: Apply for and fill out the Mongolian Immigration Card as soon as you arrive at the border - this will save you time. Otherwise, you will learn about the existence of this card from the customs officer, who will again send you to the end of the long line.

Step 3. Erlien - Beijing

If you do everything at a fast pace, then by 11 am you will already be in Erlian. The direct train to Beijing leaves just at 11 am (on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). But what if you missed the train? It's okay, it happened to us too.

Bus to Beijing

Look for the intercity bus station, which is on the outskirts of the city. From there, almost every hour, there is a direct bus to Pekn. These are our favorites, where instead of seats you find beds. Here you can sleep the following 10-12 hours roads to 800 km... One way ticket price is about 400 CNY.

Dinosaurs will accompany you on the way. Where are they from here? They say that their fossils were found in these places and the administration of the district decided in this way to perpetuate this memorable place and turn tiny Erlian into the "home of dinosaurs."

Summarizing

Total, all costs for the alternative route from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing are summed up in 35 hours and $ 45. This way you can spend the remaining $ 50 on something more valuable than a desert trip :)

China Inner Mongolia Erlian Hot. Erlian is a new "gateway" to Russia. Hitchhiking - departures from the city