I Tried to Wild Camp in Mongolia, It Didn’t Go Well

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[tserenchimedbattulga]

I'm a Mongolian here to inform you that Khar Zurkhnii Huh Nuur, also known as Blue Lake, is not owned by anyone. Everyone, whether a Mongolian citizen or a foreign tourist, pays a small fee at the checkpoints when entering the natural reservoir. This fee contributes to a fund dedicated to protecting the area. We Mongolians feel joyful when we see a village or small town in the countryside, as it means there are people taking care of the place. The density of rural settlements is a real challenge due to migration to larger cities.
And if you're looking to experience wild nature, why not venture a bit further from the capital? Just a few hundred kilometers away, you'll find vast, untouched landscapes, as 99.7% of the land in Mongolia remains uninhabited.
Personally, I do not appreciate the entitlement and lack of communication with locals regarding the issue. I hope that next time, you will make your videos with a better understanding of the history, culture, and the reasons why things are the way they are.

[CrossKnight]

This one was a bit difficult to
Came off as an entitled tourist and started to cry when a small village ruined her "natural and exploring" narrative.
You literally followed a road with signs to a

Like everyone else said, it's a small guarded village on a tiny side of a big lake. Most likely has a guard from the local government to protect the water or protect from illegal dumping. Could've just asked why they were there and learn about the area and culture.

Mongolia as a whole is pretty empty. A simple google search renders "A vast, incredibly sparsely populated country is 99.7% empty".

[malcoski]

I traveled for 10, 000+ miles in Mongolia to the far corners and of that 80 were on tarmac. I wild camped the whole time and would often drive for days in unbridled wilderness and freedom. To be upset about the wilderness being taken over in one small lake that provides local income insanely close to the capital city in relative terms just seems on the hunt for a narrative that whilst has some truth is probably least evident in Mongolia. If you’re crying about development in Mongolia I would urge you to drive for 10 mins in any direction.

I think this is way too simplistic a take on this subject (for the views) and when in such an awe inspiring place it deserves a more thoughtful and retrospective understanding.

[julia]

Not to throw down the academia card, but I'm currently working on a degree in Mongolic and East Asian studies. I've read literally hundreds of books about the Mongols and Genghis (actually Chinggis) Khan and written several papers. My passion for the subject cannot be overstated. The 13th century Mongols are endlessly fascinating linguistically, culturally and historically. Their brutality, in some instances, was exaggerated, but not by that much. Chinggis and his sons were responsible for the massacre of tens of millions of people, up to 10% of the world's population. Some Khans encouraged exchange and tolerated (key word being tolerated) religious freedom while others executed Muslims on the spot for performing halal slaughter. While it's essential to view the Mongols in the context of their time and with cultural nuance and depth, the sheer scale of destruction was appalling even by the standards of the 13th century. There's a reason the Mongols are frequently described (and describe themselves) in primary sources as divine punishment or a natural disaster. Something like this had simply never been seen before. While turbulence and war were common, destruction on this scale was not.

I should add: none of this is meant to criticize, simply to offer historical and textual accuracy.

[sylviarogue]

I understand what you are feeling, but it's clearly based on a very limited view of things. You are travelling on a gas guzzling monster filled with equipment to help you on your "wild" adventure shopping for a lighter in a convenience store... feeling bad that countries want to maintain the nature is very counterproductive. You want them to care for the "wilderness" but you can't also stop societies from developing and bettering their conditions for your selfish need to be in the wilderness. That is the definition of privilege.

[Ribastein]

The fact that the place you wanted to go to has now got a fence around it may mean it has become a popular local destination. A fee is probably being charged to keep the place clean. Channels like yours show ppl around the world these beautiful places. As soon as we all want to go then they need to be protected.

[hunyuanzhuang]

9:05 I understand your feelings, but have you ever thought about it that you and your business is part of that process?

[maryr]

Not sure why you have to cry. Look at how commercial Mt Everest is. Your trip to Antarctica was commercial. You had to pay to go to a place that now has cruise ship tours. That land should have been left untouched by humans.

[fredbrackely]

That's only a $1.47 though, and the problem is that channels such as yours encourage the exploration of wild places. You can't have it both ways.

[michellhuber]

Eva, I truly enjoy your videos, but I think you are way off here. Please research Ghengis Khan. And charging for the upkeep of a pristine lake is not a sin. I recently went to Morskie Oko in Zakopane. Yes, I had to pay, but the trails were excellent, there were bathrooms. And none of it took away from the pristine beauty of the lake and mountains. Not everyone can do "wild", but want to enjoy nature, too.

[olivver]

Please correct me, this video is monetized right? So by visiting this place and showing it on your youtube channel, wouldn’t it be like you’re also treating it as a commodity?

[WombatBrunft]

Sorry to say that, but travel influencers are also a part of the problem. They visit some very beautiful places and crate the urge in other people to visit these places too. Thus creating tourism there. I really respect all your hard work and sharing all of this with us, but I also have to say it always feels a bit strange and even makes me sometimes mad/sad that I don’t own a car or use planes in respect to climate change (I could afford a car and flying), limiting myself in traveling very much. While many other people don’t even seem to care and also many travel bloggers/influencers go everywhere and so on. Why should there only be a few people being entitled to see these places? Or drive around in such vehicles and fly everywhere every few weeks?

It is fine to feel sad about this, but then also reflect and accept being part of the problem.

edit:
Many other people seem to have similar thoughts about this in the comments and I really hope that you could address this in a future video. Because you always come across as a very decent and intelligent human being and should give this some thoughts. Not to mention the Genghis Khan stuff.

[demaderios]

Been following you and liking your videos for a while now, but I have to say, this one struck me as supremely privileged and ableist. With many wilderness areas not accessible for people with accessibility needs, having small cabins and the like accommodates that. You came across in this video as someone who thinks that only those with access to privilege, should be allowed to take nature in. Don't even get me started on you swooning over Genghis Khan...good lord. To think you took the time to film yourself there, edit the video, and post it, without taking the time to read anything about Genghis Khan?

[alexhass]

I would imagine that $1.50 goes back into the upkeep of the land, this was an overall strange episode

[Rondache]

never comented before but both your reaction on the lake and Gengis are wild like what the hell

[lizn]

I hope Eva takes down this video because from the swooning oer Genghis Khan with that "if only men like him existed now" to her tearing up at the sights of remote civilization around the wild (that reaction was wild in itself), this video was a little off.

[jntd]

Love her stand how she dramatizes EVERYTHING.

[MIEJ]

Maybe the fee pays for picking up litter, environmental damage etc created by tourists. She is part of the problem being there and encouraging others to go too. It is not hers to access for free at the expense of the places visited, and make profit on YouTube from.
And then lights a fire despite a perfectly good cooker with her. How hypocritical.

[ericcartman]

"We are becoming everthing into roads"
Says the girl traveling on a car

[havitrose]

With that 1.50 they probably preserve the lake, its not that deep.