UB, the Gobi, UB and home

We are home, after a 36+ hour trip.  Flew to Seoul at midnight, arriving at 4:00 am.  Oddly enough even the runway in UB was bumpy.   Sue had found us a transit hotel room for the 13 hour layover and we slept well for 7 hours.  The best part was the shower--hot water with great water pressure--hooray.  Now to finish the last few days of the trip:

We went back to Ulaanbaatar for an overnight and left early in the morning for the Gobi desert.  We were surprised and happy with the weather--cooler than MN and not the 100-110 degrees predicted.  We began in Eagle Valley and spent the day hiking.  Normally the valley, located in the southern Altai Mountains, contains a spur of ice--not this year.  Global warming seems to show it effects everywhere.  Beautiful craggy rocks with purple, red and yellow wildflowers everywhere--a bit of rain made the canyon walls sparkle like diamonds.  Pikas (cute, small guinea pig like rodents) provided entertainment as they darted from rock to rock and down into their holes during our walk. Before we entered the valley we visited a small museum with examples of local domestic and wild camels and many birds and mammals of the area.  Also had a few dinosaur eggs and bones.  The area is rich with dinosaur history. Back to the ger for dinner.

In the morning we drove, again, to Khongoriin Els, Mongolia's largest sand dunes.  Out of the flat steppe the dunes rise hundreds of feet.  Some of the group took on the climb to see if they could make it to the top to hear the dunes sing.  They made it 2/3 of the way up the dune, but two drivers made it to the top.  Quite impressive.  Coming down is fast and fun as you can run or slide.   The sand is so fine it is almost like dust as it blows.  Next stop, camel herders, where we rode the two humped bactrian camel.  A bit easier to ride then the one hump but Nancy is still found of the Morocco experience, but Sue loved her two hump camel.  They were soft, very tall and very gentle--felt like a camel coat since they had recently been shorn.  Back to the ger for a Mongolia hot stone feast known as a khorkhog.  A goat and veggies are cooked between layers of hot stones in a pit.  Interesting taste, a bit chewy but very mild and edible.  Thanks to our hosts.

The morning brought a drive to the flaming cliffs of Bayanzag--a famous archeological site--and reminiscent of the red rocks of the US southwest.  Lots of successful dinosaur excavations, many paleontologists think this is the mecca of the fossil world.  Lots of geods in the area.  We had a great time walking and looking at rocks.  Back to camp for the last night in the gobi.  The stars filled the night sky from horizon to horizon.  Very special to see them fill the heavens.  Still can't believe it rained and was cool most of the day into the evening.

One last bumpy ride back to the airport.  Saw gazelles and broke an axel on our van--that says it all.  Arrived safely, flew back to UB and visited one more art museum and had a final dinner together at a Mongolian bbq.  We were entertained by a power outage and then a group of modern throat singers, horse fiddle and drum group--quite exceptional music.  You have not heard anything until you hear throat singing.  By the way, Mongolian rap is pretty good--van music.

Farewell to our fellow travelers from Canada--and the long trek home will be made tolerable by our memories of Mongolia.  Bayarlaa--thank you.

Trip to the North and to Naadam Festival

Back to UB for a day--Visited the summer/winter palace of the last king of Mongolia.  Again beautiful silk embroidery, buddha and other statues, series of 22 or 24 buddhas with different faces of feminine characteristics.  It is said that every woman can find her face in one of them.  They also had 3 identical statues that were part of a set of 10,000 each commissioned from China, Tibet and Poland--interesting variations in the artist quality and attention to detail.  Tibet won.

It is no surprise, given the amount of goats, yaks and camels that we have seen that cashmere is a Mongolian big business.  We were fortunate enough to tour a cashmere factory seeing the process from the time the wools are sorted, de-haired, cleaned, died and knit into a final garment/product.  Quiet an impressive operation, one of the largest in Mongolia--it was well lit, clean and with safe working conditions compared to many factories around the world.  They employ 1300 workers in three shifts.  A red cashmere hoodie will be coming home with us.

We spent the afternoon shopping on Peace street while others went to visit a Ghengis Khaan complex 50 k out of town.  Then a nice evening dinner of spaghetti at the Irish pub.

Morning departure to the airport, delay (time was filled watching a combination inauguration/state of the union ceremony) and then on to the Naadam Festival and another Ger Camp. on the way into town we stopped at a small local Temple just as the monks started a ceremony they perform only about once a month. It is called the Call of the Mountain. The spirits are invited down from the mountain to protect or bless the town. We were invited in to watch by the monks. It was quite a ceremony. Singing, chanting, and offering. Monks ranging from about 10 to elderly. Drums and cymbal accompanying the chants. We were invited to share ceremonial biscuits /cookies after we joined in walk around the temple as offerings were made and shared. After the ceremony we walked the grounds and found a “Amusement Ride”. Nancy, Carole, Phil and Cecelia precariously peddled a cart like thing around a monorail like track. What were they thinking!

A stop snacks and then on to the grocery store for water beer and snacks. Then back in our 4 wheel drive vehicles and up the valley to our Ger. First Yak siting on the way caused a stop/walk across a field. 

Nice Ger, but a little lacking in western style bathrooms and showers.  Another adventure. 

Morning brought the opening ceremonies for the Naadam Festival.  Nadaam means games and the festival dates back to Ghengiss Khaan.  Side note--it is believed that 6% of the worlds population can be traced back to Ghengiss Khaan.  Back to the ceremonies--kind of like the olympics, athletes and sponsors and horses march in a parade around the stadium--a military band units are on the field.  Speeches are given, flags raised and troops of kids entertain.  It took the entire morning.  Then the games began--wrestling, archery, bone throwing and horse racing and some volleyball.  We went to the Ger for lunch and then saw a bit of the archery in the afternoon but our timing was off for everything else.  

Back to the Ger for the evening--have we mentioned that the roads are not paved, like a tilt-w-whirl redo.  Little did we know it would seem smooth compared to the road in a few days to the national park lake--that comes later.  Another double rainbow at dinner time.  A ger raising demo and then they shared some artifacts that will be placed in the ger as a museum.. A rifle that is 150 years old, a bear skin it killed, goat horns, carving and a beautiful chess set.  Most mongolians play chess so our Canadian entrant Phil was no match for the owner of the camp.  The night concluded with a traditional mongolian dinner and the playing of the traditional horse fiddle.  

Horse racing the morning--the race was for 3 year olds and is 30 kilometers across the steppe.  They love their horses and the riders are all young boys, mostly bareback.  Race takes about 30 minutes, they run full out the whole time.  First five place and the last gets the full stomach prize.  Our ger camp had two entrants, one came in 4th, the other 20th.  The race was attended by thousands, all pushing to get front row views of the finish line, we fended them off for an hour to hold our spots.  Our friend Ted protected us the onslaught from the left.  Fortunately Nancy was next to someone on a stool so he did not move towards us.  The fans run to touch the winning horses in order to have good luck all year.  

Then off the the stadium to watch the 4th and 5th round of the wrestling. Lots of ceremony and dancing the eagle dance by the wrestlers. There are no weight classes so the participants pair off and have a go.  The strongest pick their opponents so they can pick anyone.  It was surprising to watch the skinny little guys win when they wrestled the heavyweights.  Quickness, center of gravity and stamina are all necessities.  They stand to wrestle and the first to get the other to ground wins--no time limits or rounds.  The winner does an eagle dance around the flag pole and the opponents do an interesting victory/concession dance.  

The men wear little wrestling shorts and open vest tops as a result of a women entering long ago dressed as a man.  She won and the costumed changed to the current outfit so it would be impossible for a woman to do that again.  Women do participate in archery and volleyball.  The bone throwing is bit like tidily winks.  A launch pad rests on your knee and a square bone is flicked toward a target about 8’ away.  It was fascinating.  Four participate at a time and the judges chant while they wait for a participant to launch their bone.

Lunch at a hotel in town followed by a smooth highway ride for 100k with a stop at the Deer Stones.  And then 35K on a great rutted road.  Sue said she would like to get out and walk.  But the end took us to a gorgeous lake side setting in the mountains, much like going up north at home.  We are about 18K from the Russian border.  More on the activities here later.  We leave tomorrow morning for UB and then the next day to the Gobi.

Up early this morning so we can write about the last two days by the lake.  A stunning setting on a mountain lake.  We arrived for dinner and two full days of activities--boat ride to see the reindeer people and their reindeer.  We saw three, the heard of forty is across the lake.  They live in tepee, with a mongolian name something like wort.  Nomadic but children go to school and they get from one side of lake to the other by car.  They ride the reindeer with a saddle, but mostly in the winter.  We sat in the wort and talked with mom as wood boiled on the wood stove to make pipes. As we looked around we saw a cell phone taped to the wort supports.  Floors are dirt covered with hides and we were welcomed with reindeer milk tea.  We bought a carved reindeer that her son made.  Back by boat along the wooded shore reminded us of many other places is the world but the surrounding shores of steppe and mountains let us know we were someplace special.

Local women come to camp daily to sell Mongolian wears.  Had fun shopping and interacting with them.  They spread the goods on blankets--jewelry, socks and hats of sheep, yak or camel wool, felt slippers, bone carvings and other wonderful handmade items.

At happy hour we started an archery tournament, which was interrupted by the cows coming to smell the yak skin target.  Edith finally chased them away successfully and the games proceeded.  Lessons were followed by great cheers as the target was struck.  Bow was make of bone and arrows were not exactly straight--a good excuse.  And good fun.

Sunday morning we went horseback riding.  Handsome, well kept horses from the neighboring herders with herder guides.  Up the hill followed by dogs playing, chasing ground squirrels and generally enjoying the event.  Once up the hill the land opened before us to gers owned by the herders, we rode for about an hour.  Coming back around gave an expansive view of the lake and the shores--it was spectacular, quiet and a wonderful morning.  

The afternoon was spent hunting for rocks on the beach.  Many look like wood so we are wondering if they are petrified wood.  Others glisten as if they are filled with silver and gold, most smoothed over by time.  Then there is the quartz.  Stunning.

More archery, happy hour, dinner and bed.  Every night they build us a fire in the little round wood stove in the middle of the ger and early in the morning they quietly come in to build another.  All is quiet until they start the fire with a small portable blow torch.  Whoosh.  Sounds like hot airs balloons as they make their way from ger to ger.

We were worried when the stove pipe was supported by a rock, eventually after our ger filled with smoke we discovered the rock and rust had punched a whole in the pipe.  A new stove arrived yesterday morning--what a difference.  Off to the airport.

And we continue...

We learned alot at the Mongolian National History Museum.  Went through the history of the country era by era.  Met Ghengis Khaan and his family and saw the expansive mongolian territory they conquered--up into Poland, down to Cambodia and west into Roman empire.  Their armies moved in groups of 10,000 including families, herds and possessions.  When a major attack took place, they could come together to form an army of up to 100,000.  Each warrior had 3-5 horses with them so as not to exhaust any one horse on any one day.  The whole thing was quite remarkable.  Mongolians love their horses today as they did in the 1200’s.  One room was full of beautiful tribal costumes and hat.  Sue wanted to bring all the hats home.  The last room showed the history of moving to a democracy, first freedom from China and then from the Russians.  A socialist country until the 1920’s and then communist until their first president was elected in 1990.  Education is compulsory and land is free.  Nomads/herders pay no taxes but salaried workers do.

Keeping with a Mongolian theme, we had lunch and the Grand Khaan Irish Pub!!  Need we say more.

The Gandantegchenling Monastery is the largest working monastery in UB (Ulaanbaatar).  In 1938 the communists destroyed 900 monasteries and killed the monks or forced them to join the army.  In 1990 after the democratic revolution Buddhism began to flourish again.  The monastery includes temples, libraries, colleges and schools.  They are building a new statue of Buddha, of which the feet are the only part completed--they are 6 feet to the ankles.  The Japanese are funding the project.

Our pre-dinner show was the National Academic Theater performing folk songs and dance.  Absolutely stunning.  Costuming as well as the music and variety of unique instruments and voices coupled with great dance from different tribal backgrounds.  Sue’s favorite was the hats and the throat singing.  Can’t explain that one.

OFF TO THE GERS

Friday morning we departed by bus to drive Khogno Tarniin Els to spend our first night in a ger camp.  The area is a long strip of sand, brought the winds, and stretching from the Gobi to the central regions.  The expansiveness of the land and sky is breathtaking.  No trees, wind is blowing constantly and gers and herds dot the landscape as far as you can see.  Some rain last night provided a glorious double rainbow.

We visited a local nomadic family, a woman and her two grown sons have 6 gers and 1000 head of cattle, sheep, horse, and goats.  While the gers look tiny from the outside, 17 of us were in there comfortably to talk with the owner and learn about her family and life.

Dinners at the gers are westernized mongolian, meet, rice, potatoes tomatoes and cucumbers, various sauces which Sue and I do not get since we are allergic to garlic and get sauceless or mild sauce meals.  The first night we picked through the garlic dinner and then they brought us each a huge plate of pork instead, we had enough to share and appreciated the effort they make to accommodate us.  

Saturday off to Khogno Tarniin Els- where we went to Kharkhorin, the ancient capitol of the Ghenghis Khaan empire.  Stopped at an ancient sculpture on the way in, placed on the hillside between the village and a monastery.  The monks used to sneak out at night and travel to the village--to shame them the Lama of the monestary had a granite penis sculpture placed in the pathway.  The night time travel stopped.

The town is smaller now, with one of the oldest, and now preserved, monastery built in 1580.  The town is mostly permanent wooden bungalows with some gers scattered about.  The older generation prefers gers while the young generation wants houses.  There are some brick homes and each plot of land is surrounded by a high fence.  Blue and red tin roofs dominate the city landscape.

The monastery is surrounded by a wall and 108 stupas.  108 is an important Buddhist number.  Quite beautiful and active with monks and locals coming to worship.  Three temples make up the restored portion and a ger and a tibetan temple are used today.

The preservation project has reclaimed wall art that was intricate and colorful.  The rooms were original used by four monks who chanted together around a fire with left soot over the wall paintings.  Silk art and tonga paintings abound.

Sunday morning we climbed to he top of a hill to see the past and present mongolian empire depicted on huge curved walls of stone.  Then we took off for a long day’s drive to Khusti National park.  The landscape was gorgeous, green green green with huge rolling pastures and sometimes granite hills and outcrops.  Dotted everywhere were herds of horses goats or cattle.  Today’s landscape  was highlighted by the blue, blue sky and the Georgia O’Keefe clouds.

The roads go along fine for a bit the then a pile of dirt blocks you way and the construction detour begins.  Bumpy doesn’t describe it.  Sue says it is like riding a tilt-a-whirl for 8 hours. The temporary road is often deeply rutted from rain and many times there are three to four different track trough the grass to choose for travel--like off roading in a bus.   Our driver is quite amazing.

A beautiful and gently friendly dog joined us for our picnic by the side of the road.  Sue made a bargain with him, wait patiently and we would reward him.  He obliged and had a virtual feast of meat  pies.  The portions are far too generous for us.  Several horses with foals stood off to the side and the cattle was off in the field.  4 hours to go....

The national park is home to the Takhi horse (Przewalskii horse).  It is an ancient wild horse that was near extinction and has been reintroduced to the area.

First days in Ulaanbaatar

Sain baina uu--Hello

We have been here for three days, two on our own, sort of and then today with the entire group and the first official tour day.  Day one we wondered to the State Department store down Peace Avenue.  It is a modern department store just like you find in the US but a bit smaller.  Spent quiet a bit time on the top floor looking at local crafts--hats, boots, carvings, paintings and cashmere.  Bought little since we were tired and found some items at a fair trade store along the way.  Ate at the Amsterdam cafe.

The city is modern and old all mixed together.  In 1921 it was a town of only ger buildings, so even the old is fairly new.  It has grown rapidly to 1.5 million people in a county of 3 million.  With it comes all the issues of a city--traffic and bad roads....And just fun we will tell that it is hot.

City is in a bowl, surrounded by green big hills (little mountains).  High, high blue skies that they represent in the blue on their flag.  Costs are comparable to US, so no particular bargains.

We fell asleep at 4:00 pm and got up at 7:30 to get ready for bed at 9:00.  Skipped dinner and woke up at 4:00 am.  Not quite on local time yet.  The group of early arrivers went to a temple and then we split off to go to an art museum.  Had two canadians with us who were quite surprised by the traveling exhibit of Arctic Canadian photographs.  We enjoyed the photos and especially the Mongolian art, fairly contemporary but also depicting nomadic life.

Happy July 4.  We will finish the news of today at a later date....