Mile
With Smile
Help Taxi and Mongolia Tour Company:
Help Taxi and Mongolia Tour Company:
Public
Service Like No Other
 |
| Sukhee, the most sought-after guy in town |
This is the code that Myagmarsukh or Sukhee
and his fleet of drivers go by. Come hailstorm, snowstorm, fog and smoky
conditions, neither icy roads nor time can stop this dedicated and hardworking
group of Mongols from delivering their services to their clientele from here
and abroad.
Commencing in May 2011, with Sukhee himself and one other driver, Erdenetsogt, the Mile With Smile Help Taxi and Mongolia Tour Company has exceeded all expectations. Now he has ten drivers on call.
 |
| Erdenetsogt, Terelj National Park
To improve their skills in the English language, a very important factor in attracting and maintaining a clientele that is composed mostly of English-speaking expatriates, Sukhee has organized English language lessons for everyone.
Running the most popular taxi company in the city of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Sukhee – a 2009 graduate from the School of Tourism – logs in more than 150 calls a day, for taxi pick-ups, city/shopping or business, or discovery tours. One sees him most times with a mobile phone on each hand, ready to take calls and answer text messages.
|
The company cars, Help Taxi, are a familiar sight in all embassy grounds, at school parking areas of the International School of Ulaanbaatar, British School of Ulaanbaatar, American School, Erel and others; at posh cafés, bars, and restaurants; at hotels, banks, clinics/hospitals, markets/supermarkets, national parks and of course, at the Chinggis Khaan International Airport.
Sukhee’s incredible success stems from the fact that he and his drivers and tour guides go the extra mile for anybody under their care. I am talking from first-hand experience. Sukhee arranges all my travels such as touring around Mongolia, school runs and shopping pick-ups. He will be with you on the phone updating you on the status or whereabouts of his drivers, while you are waiting to be picked-up. He texts you the plate number of the car that is at your disposal. The drivers are always ready with their warm smiles.
Last summer, when my daughter Ysabelle and I visited the famed Khuvsgol lake area in the north of Mongolia, Sukhee facilitated our travel needs, airline tickets, resort/guesthouse reservations, transport and all, including having Suvd to accompany us all around, as tour guide/interpreter. Suvd, a Senior at the Mongolian International University, is one of the best tour guides you may encounter. She coordinated with guesthouse owners and checked on facilities and food.
When we picked up a touring couple that did not have reservations for accommodations, Suvd kindly contacted the guesthouse where we were headed to, to notify them about additional guests. At night, Suvd would sit up and feed the fire with wood, to keep everybody warm. She hardly slept. She also arranged our horse rides and visits to local families including the Tsaatan.
 |
| Suvd holding the reins; on our way to visit the Tsaatan |
 |
| Ysabelle and I at Toilogt Camp, Khuvsgol |
 |
| Milking the yak assisted by Suvd, Khuvsgol |
 |
| Suvd, Ysabelle and Yak, Khuvsgol |
 |
| Suvd and Ysabelle inside our teepee, Toilogt Camp, Khuvsgol |
 |
| Ysabelle, Suvd and me, back in Ulaanbaatar, after a gorgeous stay in Khuvsgol, northern Mongolia
With me clamouring for Naadam Festival tickets, the biggest summer event in Mongolia, Sukhee queued up outside City Hall until three o’clock in the morning, just to be able to get hold of two tickets for me. I felt so sorry for him when I found out, but that is Sukhee. Special service served up on a gold tray.
Most recently, they collaborated with Hong Kong businessmen who did bank-to-bank visits, but their most challenging job, so far, was transporting delegates to the Germany-Mongolia Corporate Days around the city to various meeting venues such as the Blue Sky Hotel, Edelweiss Hotel and different government ministries. In all their dealings with customers, Mile With Smile Help Taxi and Mongolia Tour Company always make it a point to be on time for pick-ups, quite a daunting task considering the infamous UB traffic jams.
After almost two years in public service, Sukhee finally found time on Sunday, the 23rd of December 2012, to gather everybody to celebrate the fruits of their hard work. Everyone came to dinner dressed smartly. I felt honoured to be part of the Mile With Smile Help Taxi and Mongolia Tour Company dinner party. I could feel the warm camaraderie and close kinship between Sukhee and his group. This kinship was also extended to me. I strongly felt I was with my family.
A million thanks to Sukhee and to everybody at Mile With Smile Help Taxi and Mongolia Tour Company.
Here are some photographs from my travels, organized by Sukhee. Just a phone call away.
|
 |
| A visit to the bee farm in Terelj, with Erdenetsogt, me and Bruce Conkle, a visiting American artist who was chosen to attend the prestigious Land Art Mongolia 360 |
 |
| That's me in Tsonjin Boldog |
 |
| Manzuchir khiid ruins in summer, Tuv aimag |
 |
| A view to the River Tuul in autumn, Erdene soum |
 |
| Checking out the remnants of the Russian past, just outside UB, on our way to Tsonjin Boldog |
 |
| On one of my numerous sojourns to Gandan monastery grounds, Ulaanbaatar |
 |
| Gandan monastery pigeons |
 |
| Blazing sunset behind Terelj Hotel, Terelj National Park in winter |
No comments:
Post a Comment