Marvellous Mongolia

Asia
August 1st 2018

Published: August 4th 2018

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MrsMac

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Temple

We arrived in the capital city of Mongolia about 9am and disembarked for the last time. We said goodbye to Natalia and Elena with hugs and kisses. They had been so great in looking after us for the trip. it was rather sad to realise that the main thrust of our tour was over. From the train we were taken to our first stop by our local guide, Tonga. She is a very personable lady who interacted in a friendly manner. I don't know what I expected to find in Ulaan Bataar but I was suprised about the modern, traffic-jammed city we encountered. Before we left on the bus we celebrated our guide, Olga's 29th birthday. We had bought her some chocolates and had printed out a great photo of all of us and framed it for her. She was surprised and vey happy and we sang Happy Birthday.

We were taken to a Buddhist Monastery,which contains a building housing a golden Buddha, 27 metres tall..Tonga explained that Buddhism is the main religion here. The monastery followed the same pattern as most we have seen in other Asian countries, but here was the painting on the temples was rather faded,

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Prayer Wheel

but had an air of authenticity. We went inside the first temple and walked around the outside while the monks and their pupils were chanting. Then we went into themain temple and marvelled at the massive statue towering above us. Again we walked around, watching the locals spin the prayer wheels and offering incense. Outside there were some stupas and other Buddha statues. After an hour or so there we were taken into the centre of the city and opposite the Blue Sky Hotel, our accomodation for the next two nights,was a statue of Marco Polo who visited this area in the 13th century We crossed the street to the city square. Again, as in most of these cities, this is a large open space with a statue of a local hero in the centre. He is the hero after whom the city is named, Bataar meaning hero and after the Communists took over in Mongolia, the prefix was changed to Ulaan, mreaning red. The building which dominates the square is the parliament building with a large statue of Chinngis Khan in front. The buildings surrounding the square are all very attractive. There is a bright pink Opera House in

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small Buddha statue

Neo-Classicist style and other colourful government edifices.

It was now lunch time so we returned to our hotel for a buffet meal in their Seasons restaurant. After that we checked in and went to our room for a short rest.We were soon out and about again, this time to the Palace of the last King of Mongolia., the Bogd Khaan Palace Museum.This contained a series of pavilions with exhibits of some beautiful silk hangings, as well as many statues of Buddhas and other religious artefacts. The pavilions were beautifully decorated with colourful ceilings and decorative carvings. The main structure was built for the king by Russians which was his winter residence. This had some very interesting objects which once belonged to the royal family and the rooms are decorated as they would have been in their time here. There were examples of their clothing and household articles and it was a fascinating insight into the way of life here,

The last stop for the day was at the imposing statue of a Russian soldier which overlooks the city and dominates the skyline. After climbing the 150 steps to the base of the statue we had a

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Marco Polo

panoramic view of the city. Next to this is a circular structure in homage to the soviet era with Socialist Realism paintings on the walls. These are very strong propaganda paintings but are very interesting, We admired the views from up there and the art work while understanding its place in history. Then it was back to the hotel for dinner. We all sat together and after, we went up to the rooftop bar with Olga for a nightcap and a final birthday drink.The view from here was spectacular with the lights bright below and the traffic still crawling, bumper to bumper, along the streets.

The next morning was an early start. We were headed to the countryside to see how the people live outside of the city and to enjoy a local show. It was an interesting drive. The road was shocking, paved with concrete slabs so the bus jolted over every connection. However, the beauty of the terrain was worth the discomfort. Sweeping grass plains with low hills, dotted with white gers and wooden villages, many cattle and horse herds, was what greeted us. We stopped at a small siding where there were local people with animals

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Opera House

to show and goods to sell. They had eagles here, tied to poles, which you could pay to have sit on your arm. Many of the Italian group were enjoying doing this while I was feeling sorry for an eagle who seemed to be trying to fly away. A man came up with his camels, Bactrian ones followed by a donkey. These were beautifully looked after animals with large eyes and soft skin. At the stall we found some very interesting local artefacts. We bought a metal elephant teapot which Fletcher fell in love with.

Further on we were astounded at the massive statue of Chinggis Khan which has been erected at a point where he supposedly found a golden whip which gave him his right to kingship. The statue is over 40 metres high and made of metal. Tonga said it is the largest horseman statue in the world. We were able to walk up and inside it. To get to the mane of the horse where there is a lookout, there is only one small lift, so we eventually walked up the very narrow staircase to the viewing point. This was certainly worth it with stunning views

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Parliament Building

over the surrounding countryside and an up close view of the face of the man himself. We inched our way to the front and stayed for enough time to take photos anad then edged back through the crowds and descended. We stopped at the first floor cafe and tried to buy a beer but were told no. Tonga later explained to us that there is a law in Mongolia that on the first day of each month alcohol cannot be seved. Unusual!! From the statue we walked back to the car park and in the adjacent field we saw an army of mounted soldiers each differnt, and beautifully sculpted.

We continued our trip into the plains and stopped at Guru Camp, a village on the side of a hill. Here we were taken into a beautiful wooden restaurant, shaped like a ger (yirt) for lunch. This followed the russian style with salad, soup, main and sweets. All was tasty and filling. We even managed to have a glass of wine and a beer with it in spite of the law. then it was time for the cultural show. This was held in a field not far away and was

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Bogd Khaan Palace

a highlight of the trip so far. We had music from throat singers to players of the two-stringed violin type instrument accompanied by a xylophone player. Then there were the wrestling matches, These was held in three minor rounds with a final between the best two. This was entertaining as it was the first man to put the other fully onto the ground. The winner was well deserving and highly applauded. There were also dancers and acrobats, women who were very graceful and flexible. The finale was a horse race with young jockeys and there an archery contest between an older man and a woman, with the lady taking the honours. She was great!

We were then taken to a local nomadic encampment where an elderly lady invited us into her ger and offered us local snacks of curd, bread and milk vodka, made from mares'milk. This was not great but the bread and curds were very tasty. Her two cute gramdchildren joined us and she explained how they lived in this very comfortable looking mobile home. She has 22 cows which are now looked after by her one son who has stayed with her while her other 5

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statue at the palace

children are overseas or in the city, studying and working. A fascinating insight into the lives of these Mongolians.

The drive back to the city was over an hour and uneventful. We were supposed to go to a fashion parade and cultural show straight away but Fletcher and I were pretty tired so Alex and Dragana and us stayed at the hotel. We then later were picked up and joined the others at a Hot Pot restaurant. Here we were given our own boiling water pot and heaps of meat and other vegetables that we could boil in the water and eat with fried rice. There was an overabundance of food but the meat was rather bland, though the fried rice was great. Again we could not have a glass of wine with our meal because of this bizarre law. We then returned to the hotel for a welcome rest and a beer from the mini bar. A very full but enjoyable day. I really like Mongplia, especially the countryside and the very gentle anad friendly people..