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Published: November 17th 2006
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Ger camp in Terelj National Park
The chimney was bent by the force of the winds. I have just returned from a four day trip of the countryside and although there is so much of Mongolia to see, i feel that i've seen a good small bit of it in a few days. Due to winter setting in, November is normally the last month for tours and expeditions except for those who love pain and discomfort and can stand regularly temperatures well below -10degC.
Most of the first day of the road trip was spent driving out of Ulaanbaatar until we arrived at our first destination beside sand dunes in a place called Mongol Els. We overnighted in a ger camp in preparation for a little exploring amongst the sand dunes the following morning.
The second day was a relatively short drive to Kharkhorin, the site of the ancient capital of Mongolia as established by Chinggis Khaan in 1220 and home of Erdene Zuu Khiid, the first monastery in Mongolia. It's hard to believe that we were at the once political, economic and cultural centre of the largest empire in the world. The west have generally been tough critics of Chinggis Khaan due to the destruction and devastation he wreaked throughout Asia and eastern Europe
Frozen river
The horseman breaks off some ice to water his thirsty steed. in expanding the Mongol empire but there's no doubt how highly he is regarded by the people of Mongolia. Chinggis Khaan's image and name is used in almost every direction you look. They remember him not only as a hero but the man who united the warring clans of Mongolia, expanded the Mongol empire to a size never before equalled, introduced written script for the first time and encouraged religious tolerance so that all religions could be freely practiced.
The third day was short drive to a beautiful lake at Ogii Nuur via some old Turkic ruins. The lake and surrounding hills were quite spectalur and reminded me of some parts of the south island of NZ. We stayed in the ger of a young mongolian family who cooked freshly caught fish for our dinner. They were very hospitable and insisted were took fish home with us.
The last day involved a couple of stops at more historic sites before heading back to the capital. On the way home we suffered three (yes three!) flat tyres and depending on how you look at it, we were pretty lucky as someone stopped to help us each time.
It's
nice to be back in the capital now and to spend my last weekend catching up with Peter and Sylvia before i fly out on Monday for Beijing.
Another highlight was a weekend trip to Terelj. Our plans to mountain bike back to UB were quickly quashed by what felt like gale forced winds. The winds were so strong one of the gers at camp blew over and our metal chimney was almost bent in half by the force of the winds. It didn't stop us however from doing a nice hill climb the following morning.
My time in Mongolia has been an amazing experience. The countryside in particular is beautiful and the traditional nomadic families are hospitable to travellers. I suppose everybody needs to be as a shelter and warm food are essential comforts against the harsh climate. Navigating around the countryside should not be attempted without a guide who knows the area or unless you have GPS and know how to read a map as in most place 'roads' are nothing more than worn out trails that lead to some destination in the horizon. Where there are 'sealed roads', they are often scattered with potholes and
Stupas of Erdene Zuu Khiid
108 of these Stupas surround the grounds of Erdene Zuu, each containing an ancient relic. are badly delapidated due to poor construction. There's no point being in a hurry when driving out in the plains as it only leads to frustration.
Mongolian cuisine isn't the most creative i have to say. A lot of their diet consists of meat and the more fat the better and while you're at it, cook it in lots of lard. It's not really the kind of place for vegetarians although you can find imported vegetables at markets. If you're vegan, i wouldn't suggest mentioning it here as the concept would probably be met with a blank look. Although horses are revered by Mongolians as hard working animals and often an essential mode of transport, horse meat supposedly keeps you warm. Vegetarian or not, it is always polite to accept or at least sample a bit of whatever food you are offered by your host.
Next stop is Beijing and i'm certainly looking forward to exploring that city. It is of course the host city for the 2008 Olympic games so i'm expecting to see a lot of build-up in preparation for the games. Aside from that, it's the capital of the most populous nation on the planet
so it should be a hive of activity in any event.
I'll do another update from Beijing, but for now i've gotta check on the horses.
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