So, winter has very much arrived here in Ulaanbaatar, and the temperature has plummeted all the way down to the icy depths of -30 degrees Celsius. Yep, it really is that cold. Before moving here I always assumed that those sorts of temperatures only occur at the poles, but here we are in a city of 1.5 million people, all freezing our balls off (well, 750,000 of us are, if you think about it).
For months my girlfriend has been telling me to buy a good winter coat in preparation for the winter, but I kept putting it off and putting it off until finally, last week, I could go on no longer. I trudged to the local outdoor equipment store and picked up a new jacket based on this Patagonia Nano Puff review. The review made the jacket sound great: lightweight, comfortable and warm. I was sold.
Unfortunately the review on Parka Review was later amended to include the warning that the jacket really isn’t designed for weather below around -20 Celsius. Now this is a problem for me, as the temperature only climbs above -20 for a couple of hours in the middle of the day, and after that it plunges almost 20 degrees until the following noon.
Anyway, this is the jacket I bought:
With a little luck it’ll be enough, paired with a thick sweater, to ward off the worst of the cold until we can leave this place for Thailand in a few weeks.
There’s nothing quite like heading out into the woods with nothing but a canvas tent, a few tins of food to cook over a fire and a torch to light the way. What isn’t fun, though, are the clouds of mosquitoes that follow you around everywhere you go.
Whenever I used to go camping I’d take with me a powerful DEET-based mosquito repellent, secure in the knowledge that I wouldn’t be bitten. Unfortunately DEET melts through plastic, so before long I’d destroyed my tent and other equipment.
I decided to switch to a non DEET-based natural mosquito repellent as an environmentally friendly alternative. It took a few years to find a natural repellent that actually did what it claimed, but since I found it I never looked back.
The mosquito repellent I use these days is perfect for the Chiang Mai weather, as the spray is water resistant. It usually lasts a good few hours before the rain washes it away and I need to reapply it, but while it’s on there it does a great job.
My favourite thing about the natural mosquito repellent I use – Repel spray – is the citrus aroma. So many DEET-based repellents stink of chemicals, but this one just smells like perfume. Unfortunately, this lovely smell was quickly ruined by my own stupidity and carelessness. I’d just bought a brand new travel toiletry bag for my latest trip, and I stupidly put my bottle of Repel into it without the bottle cap. After a few hours of walking around with the bag bouncing around my rucksack my new toiletry bag was thoroughly destroyed – though it smelled lovely.
Top tip, then: whether you’re using a DEET based or natural mosquito repellent, for the love of all the is holy make sure to put the cap back on the bottle before you put it away.
