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Fighting Crime in Mongolia

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Exhausted and groggy when we arrived at the Ulaan Bataar train station at 6:30am on Saturday, we were met by the hostel owner, Zaya, who was full of energy and information she wanted to share with 3 new bright eyed optimistic foreigners. Amongst other things, she warned us that theft, particularly pickpocketing, was a problem in Ulaan Bataar. According to Zaya, several years ago there was a very harsh winter that killed the nomadic people’s livestock in the countryside and drove many of them into the capital city of Ulaan Bataar. Lacking skills, many of these people are unemployed, and have turned to some less than honest ways to survive. She warned us to keep our wallets close and our eyes open.

So, after a long morning nap that spilled over into the afternoon, we headed out for something to eat. We chose a restaurant with a patio and sat outside to watch Ulaan Bataar in motion on a Saturday afternoon. I placed my bag on the chair next to me. About half way through our meal, a man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, said a few words of jibberish to us and began to move the table and chairs next to us. All of our attention was focused on him until I noticed a man had just inched his way behind me. I thought this was strange, so I immediately put my left hand on the seat of the chair to my left, realized my bag was gone, and snatched it back from him with my right hand. It all happened very quickly, and before I had time to communicate that I had my bag back, Annette had tackled the would-be bag snatcher. Tackled.

While they were on the ground wrestling, she relieved him of his jacket and sunglasses and he was very close to losing his pants, too, when he escaped her grip. But not for long. Enter Ben who pinned the guy’s arms behind his back and didn’t let go until he knew I had my bag back. The people working in the restaurant came out to see what the uproar was about, but they were less than enthusiastic about taking any action. This didn’t matter much to the three of us because in our eyes we had just defeated the descendants of the great Genghis Khan over a leisurely afternoon lunch. We all agreed that this, without a doubt, was one of the highlights of the trip so far, especially since nothing was lost except one Ulaan Bataar pickpocket’s dignity.

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Spinning the prayer wheel at Gandan monastery, Ulaan Bataar

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The streets are filled with children who have been left behind by poor families

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Gates to Gandan Monastery, Ulaan Bataar

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Ghengis (Chinggis) Khan is practically a God here. He even has his own beer.

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Poverty on the streets of Ulaan Bataar



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11 responses to “Fighting Crime in Mongolia”

  1. matt says:

    you take pictures of the most odd stuff…

    what month are u coming to bangkok?

    and im thinking about doing what ur doing but in reverse- mu khun pie gruntape, raow poot leh dim chaa yen

  2. Adam Shane says:

    You didn’t take any pictures of the pickpocket in his shame?!?!? I’m a bit disappointed =P

  3. Kristy says:

    wow! Maybe you should have gone to Kung Fu School before Mongolia!! I am glad you and your bags are safe. Have you had the carrot cake and latte’s at Millies? Not that I would ever go to an overpiced western establishment, but i might have heard they are delicious!! I hope you are enjoying Zaya’s stories and slippers and the bus horns!

  4. Twy says:

    Oh boy……….and the beat goes on! Keep Annette close by. She’s my hero!! She’s your hero!!
    BE SAFE!!!!

  5. Amanda says:

    Khun Matt, Yay! Odd is good! I seriously frown upon the ordinary. I’m sure you’re just disappointed there aren’t any pictures of girls in mini-skirts:-) I’ll be in Thailand Sept/Oct and yes I will indulge in my Chaa Yen addiction!

    Khun Kristy, Millies?! I could have sworn I’ve already been to every over-priced western establishment, but this is new to me. I’ll have to ask Zaya. I’m sure there will be a story or two or three about Millies!

    Khun Adam, I know!! It all happened so quickly I didn’t have time to whip my camera out!! Where are you? When will we be kung fu fighting? I think I’ll be there the 22nd of this month… or the next weekend.

  6. Tony says:

    Finally……….some action!!!!nrI think that’s funny as hell. If it’s anything like I’ve experienced, the locals usually know the loser and are feed up with their thieverish ways, almost numb to it. I’m sure happy to see a good ole fashion beat down happened when it was in order. The world of decent people certainly appreciates it.nrGlad that you are having fun!nr

  7. Scott says:

    If that child with Annette is homeless, he/she is one of the best-dressed homeless children I have seen.

    And if the child is homeless it seems odd to have a smiling American giving a thumbs-up sign to the camera! “Score! We got a picture of a real-to-life street urchin!”

  8. Greg says:

    Holy crap….congratz on busting the bag snatcher in the act…that is AWESOME! Did you at least give him a severe wedgey or curse his mom in Thai before you sent him running?

  9. admin says:

    Ha ha ha 🙂 … No, Scott, that child is not homeless… His dad was gambling just around the corner from us. I was in a rush at the internet cafe and those pictures came out a little confusing!! The note about homeless kids and the picture of the beggar were in (apparently) poor support of my bag snatching story. I didn’t mean to imply he was homeless, but it certainly came out that way. Geez, give me a break Mr. English Ph.D.!!! (And don’t think I’m forgetting about “purse snaggling” anytime soon):-)

  10. Mootz says:

    I guess it is a bit different there. In the US they tell you to throw your bag away from the smuggler and run in the other direction. Annette rocks. I would have liked to see a picture of the take-down, but I’m sure y’all were a litte preoccupied. Nevertheless, the photojournalism is outstanding.

  11. Adam Mercer says:

    I want to tackle a bag theif! That sounds so crazy, and I’m glad it all turned out okay. The pictures are great, and I’m loving living vicariously through you! Can’t wait to see a snapshot of your eagle’s claw attack at kung fu school.

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