GDL to MEX to NRT to UBN: I made it to Ulaanbaatar

There were times I wasn’t sure I’d get here, but I made it to Ulaanbaatar after three long travel days.

Here’s a rundown of the journey.

GDL to MEX

There is major construction underway on the Carretera Guadalajara-Chapala, which is the route to the airport from Ajijic. Knowing this, I allowed plenty of extra time. And although there were two accidents en route, the delay wasn’t too bad. It would be about 45 minutes when there’s no traffic; on Tuesday it took a little over an hour.

I’m so impressed by the improvements they’ve made to Aeropuerto Internacional Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. Everything about it works so much better than before. Traffic flow getting into the unloading zone, security, food options, restrooms, concourses — it’s clean, bright, modern, and efficient. Since I had no checked bag, I went through security in no time, had some lunch, and waited. 

I foolishly decided to gate check my carry-on. This was totally unnecessary, since I was in boarding group 1, and there was unlimited space in the overheads. But I figured it would be easier when landing to just pick it up at baggage claim

My flight left right on time, and an hour later, we landed at AICM (Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México). It took nearly a half hour for them to deliver bags. Even though I was in no hurry, I was regretting my foolishness.

I spent the night at the Camino Real, just across a skybridge from the airport. But it was not a long night. My flight was at 06:05 Wednesday morning. So after a few hours’ sleep, I crossed the skybridge again.

MEX to NRT

I flew All Nippon Airways (ANA) Business Class on this leg. (My connecting flight, from NRT to UBN, was on MIAT Mongolian Airlines.) ANA is one of the highest-rated airlines, so I was looking forward to it. 

At check-in, the agent asked me if I had a return flight out of Mongolia. I said I do, but it was booked by the tour company, so I don’t have a ticket. She said there’s a possibility they won’t allow you to enter Mongolia if Fortunately, OAT did provide the flight information, including my Record Locator Number, so I showed her that, and she said I should have it read to show the immigration officer when I arrive.

I only got my boarding pass for the ANA flight. She said I would have to get my other boarding pass when I arrive at NRT.

Lounges at MEX are one of the many things that suck about that airport. The only real reason to hang out in the lounge is that there’s not enough seating at the gate areas. I had a cup of coffee.

They did an extra round of screening at the gate, so once you entered the gate area, you weren’t allowed to leave without going through the extra screening again. And guess what: there weren’t nearly enough seats. So I stood for a half hour waiting to board.

ANA Business Class

We flew on a 787. The Business Class cabin was in a 1–2‑1 configuration. I had a window seat in row 3.

My overall experience of ANA Business Class was disappointing. After takeoff they served breakfast. There were just two choices: a Japanese menu or an international menu. I opted for international. It was not breakfast, though. It was dinner at 7am. I guess they were shifting us to Japan time, where it was 10pm.

The food was okay. It was a beef dish with mushrooms, mashed potatoes and vegetables, and the beef was tender but very fatty. The prawn appetizer was very good. The dessert was a hunk of corn cake.

The movie selection was very limited, and there was nothing I cared to watch. So I read. (I’m reading To Live, a novel about China recommended by Google Gemini before traveling there). I tried starting this blog post, but the WiFi was extremely slow, so I quickly gave up. I tried sleeping, and napped a few times, but didn’t get any real meaningful sleep. The seat was not very well padded. They provided a little tatami mat, but it didn’t add much in the way of comfort.

About halfway through the 14-hour flight, I consulted the menu. There was a long list of options for snacks and light dining. I ordered ramen, which was quite good.

A few hours before landing was another mealtime. Again, the choices were Japanese or international, but they also offered the entire menu of between-meal snacks. I opted for the international menu again.

The amenity kit looked like a little purse. I left it behind. The flight crew were attentive. I’ll give them that. But overall, as Business Class goes, this was one of my least favorite. 

NRT

Narita International Airport has three terminals. We arrived at Terminal 1, and my outgoing flight was at Terminal 2. I made my way to the international transfer area, where I had to go through security screening. They wanted to see my boarding pass, but I didn’t have one. So I dug my eTicket out of my email, and they let me go through.

Before I boarded the shuttle bus to Terminal 2, I wanted to confirm that’s where I needed to go. The terminal was almost deserted, and there was no one around to ask, but I found a self-service info screen, and confirmed. 

I got the the shuttle bus, and the driver wanted to see my boarding pass. I showed him my eTicket, and he let me board. There was just one other person on the bus.

When we got to Terminal 2, I had no idea where to go. It was about 2 1/2 hours before my flight was scheduled to depart. I couldn’t find a board with departure information. So I just started wandering. Eventually I found an infomation kiosk with real people working, and they told me I could get my boarding pass at the gate, but not until an hour before my flight. I asked about lounge access, and they pointed me to the shared Business Class lounge.

Again, with no boarding pass, I couldn’t enter the lounge, but the woman at the entrance took a photo of my eTicket and made a phone call, assumedly to somewhat at MIAT Mongolian Airlines. They confirmed I was in Business Class and so I got to go in the lounge. 

My gate was in a satellite terminal, so I allowed myself plenty of time for the walk. As I approached, an agent greeted me, “Mr. Galloway?” I wondered how she knew. Maybe because I was probably the only non-Asian to be seen. There was also a small whiteboard in front of the desk with my name on it. They confirmed that I had a departing flight and gave me my boarding pass.

MIAT Business Class

We flew a 767 with 15 Business Class seats in a 2–1‑2 configuration. The seat was comfortable enough for a five-hour flight.

The food and service were very good. Flight attendants brought food and beverages around on carts, similar to how it’s done in the Economy cabin, but it was well-prepared and tasty.

Then they brought fresh fruit for dessert, and later they came around with small cups of Häagen-Dazs. Overall, I was more impressed with the experience on MIAT than I was on ANA.

Arrival

The best thing about Business Class (well, maybe not the best thing, but one of my favorites) is being off the plane first. Back at Narita, I was the first to go through the international transfer security screening, with no waiting. And here at Chinggis Khan International Airport, I was first at immigration, no waiting. (And they never asked if I had a return ticket, only how long I was staying.) From getting off the plane to getting out of the airport took all of ten minutes.

“Chinggis Khan,” by the way, is the phonetically more accurate way to spell the name of Genghis Khan.

My driver, pre-arranged with OAT, was waiting for me with the OAT sign. He didn’t say a single word to me. I suspect he didn’t speak a word of English.

It’s about 45 km from the airport to the Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel. We got on the highway, and I didn’t see a single other car for the first 20 km or so. But that didn’t last. When we approached the city, the traffic started. It took over an hour to go the last 15 km. Horrendous traffic!

Finally, we arrived, I got to my room, took a much-needed shower, and collapsed.

Sleep came quickly but so did waking up. I am used to this when I travel. Eventually I will start having more regular sleep, but it will take a few days.

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Since I woke up early, I had more than enough time to write about the journey to get here. I’m sorry if it’s a big bore. I will try to make my blog posts more interesting once we get into the crux of the trip.