Yesterday I had lunch with a publishing colleague who is off to Ulaanbaatar for a visit (I Googled to check its accepted spelling; this version seems consistent although I had always thought it was two words). We had been discussing a few work projects and realised we needed to meet again before I head back to Sydney in October.

“I’ll email you when you get back to set up a time,” I offered.

“Oh no,” he said instantly. “I’ll be on email in Mongolia.” I burst out laughing. That’s not a sentence most of us will utter in our lifetimes. And not quite what I had in mind for a list of the most important things to do when in Ulaanbaatar.