In the distant Alps there is a comfortable house with the national flag of Mongolia. One wonders why the Mongolian flag was raised here. This is “Batceren” resort. The only Mongolian family in the Alps built this resort in Batcerengi Dunnbileg in 2018. But this family saw profit and did not build a resort. In order to make the Mongolians who came to rest in the Alps comfortable, even for a few days, half of their house was decorated as a resort. It also aims to create a sense of familiarity for compatriots who have lived in a foreign country far away from their homeland. This time, we talked to B. Unenbile, who is “proudly” flying the Mongolian flag in the Alps and helping Mongolians in human lands.
– I WISH MY MONGOLS TO BE COMFORTABLE EVEN IF THEY CAME IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY-
– Hello. A few days ago, information about a Mongolian hotel in the Alps was posted in the “World Travelers” Facebook group, and people received it with great interest. When did your family settle in Switzerland?
-Good. Hello. My name is Batcereng Thunbileg. I came to Switzerland in 2002 and am still living there. I moved to the Alps in 2018. Ours is a very rich, industrial family. My wife and I decided to make the Mongolians who came here comfortable instead of leaving the house unoccupied after our children separated due to school, culture, and occupation.
– Did you say it can accommodate eight people?
– Yes. There are a total of five rooms in the apartment, including four bedrooms, a large living room, and a kitchen. It’s probably better to say it’s a resort than a hotel. Mongolians not only in Switzerland but also in Europe, if they come to the Alps on vacation, they will have to spend a lot of money on travel, lodging, and food. Resorts here are very expensive, and Mongolians like to have their own way. My wife and I first came up with the idea of accommodating Mongolians in our apartment for 25 francs per person per day (80,000 MNT) in order to feel comfortable and feel like they are in Mongolia even when they come to a foreign country. There is everything from a garage to self-catering.
– You first visited Switzerland in 2002. Why did you go to the Alps from the city?
– It’s a long story. Long story short, after I arrived in Switzerland, I was working on a construction site and had an occupational accident that injured my cervical spine. After sitting at home for a while, I decided to live in healthy air away from the footsteps and noise of many people and moved to the Alps.
– How quickly did a person get used to eating and getting used to going from the urban area to a small place?
-People think of the Alps as a very cold place. But not too cold. The coldest it’s been since we arrived was probably -18 degrees. It cannot match the coldness of our Mongolia. Two meters of snow fell two seven days ago. Today it is +3 degrees. The weather was nice, so it wasn’t too difficult to get used to eating.
– Where exactly are you in the Alps? What vehicles and trolleys are available?
– Ours is right in the center. It can be understood as the central part of the Alps, which belongs to the territory of Switzerland. In this area, there are large centers for recreation, hiking, mountain biking and sledding. Only one bus goes to our place. It is possible to arrive by train, but the station is 30 km away. Sometimes people who come without a car come to our place from the train station and I pick them up. When he returns, I will also take him back and welcome the next guest/laughs/
– DECORATED IN AN TRY TO KEEP ALL THINGS REMINDERING MONGOLIA-
– How many Mongolians have come to your country since 2018? Have you both made a calculation? Are Mongolians still living there?
– Probably 400-500 people came with luggage. Now a family has arrived from France. Another family is going to be received in the afternoon. In general, there are many people in our place both in winter and summer. I also enjoy meeting and talking with Mongolians and showing them places to see.
-People often said that it is the only Mongolian family in the Alps. Are there any Mongolian families other than yours?
– There is no other family that settled in the Alps than ours. A few Mongolians living with foreigners live in cities near the Alps.
– It felt great to see the Mongolian flag raised in the Alps. In addition, there were pictures of wrestlers inside?
– There are many people here, both with and without documents, who could not go to Mongolia due to their work. He decorated it like this to make people feel like they are in Mongolia and at home. Nearby hotels have nothing but beds to sleep in. But my wife and I tried to keep everything reminiscent of Mongolia. As for the wrestling pictures, at first I wanted to hang pictures of the mountains of Mongolia on my wall, but such pictures are rare. And the 2017 wrestling calendar