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Published: April 1st 2008
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Spending time in the Mongolian countryside has enriched my soul.
Leaving the hectic life of Beijing behind (after spending the final night there watching an acrobatics show that defied all logic on what the human body is capable of doing), I was thoroughly excited by the prospect of visiting such a remote location. Aboard the train, I was at first struck by the striking, jagged mountains that we passed through as we headed west, before veering north into Inner Mongolia. The barren and stark landscape was an incredible sight after spending so long in congested cities. In the middle of the night we had a couple of two hour stops either side of the border, as not only were we being processed by the customs authorities, but they also had to change the bogies on the train, as the tracks in Mongolia are a different size from those in China. An ornate Mongolian dining cart was also attached, replete with bows and arrows. It was like stepping into a bygone era.
We arrived in Ulaanbaatar and were met by our bubbly and friendly guide, who proved to be a wealth of knowledge on the history of her country. We
spent our first day visiting the sights of the capital, which included ascending a hill that overlooked the city and surrounding hillside. We also visited Sukhbaatar Square, where the parliament buildings are located. The main building has an enormous statue of Chinggis Khan at its entrance. Our guide was very confused as to why people outside of Mongolia refer to him as Genghis Khan, to which we had no answer. We have had to make a concerted effort to get his name right in conversation since, as all Mongolians seem to revere their greatest ever leader. After travelling through the more southern regions of Asia for the past two months, it is quite a shock to see the sheer size of many Mongolians. Both the men and women appear giant-like in comparison to their southern neighbours, with the nomadic herdsmen in the countryside leaving me dwarfed by their hulking mass.
On our second day in UB, we went to the Natural History Museum and gazed at some enormous dinosaur skeletons that have been discoverd in the Gobi Desert. Afterwards, we boarded our minivan and began our 6 hour journey into the countryside. We had a hairy moment once we
reached the snowy regions, as our van began to fishtail in a rather violent manner, resulting in a sequence of 180 degree rotations as we slid along the ice. Luckily there were no vehicles coming the other way at that point in time, so we came out of this little episode unscathed. Then, all of a sudden, our driver turned off the road and began heading across the snow smothered terrain towards our ger camp. How he was able to find his way through the blizzard, I'll never know, as everything was white and visibility was minimal. Gers are what the nomadic people of Mongolia live in and they are essentially a large circular tent with a wooden frame and felt coverings, with the all important stove (for warmth) in the middle. We were thoroughly looking forward to spending time in the countryside and getting an experience of the traditional Mongol way of life. When we arrived, the temperature outside was around minus 20 degrees celcius, so stepping into our cosy and warm ger was a welcome experience.
On our second day in the countryside we set out for the city of Kharakhorum, which was once the capital of
Mongolia. This was only 120km away from the camp we stayed in, however the journey took us over 7 hours! This was because a blizzard had swept through overnight and left behind snow drifts that were many meters in depth. As a result, we had only travelled about one kilometre before we got well and truly stuck. To our dismay, the driver had set out without a shovel and our minivan was not a four wheel drive! Luckily we were near a camp of nomads, so they helped us by providing a shovel and their considerable manpower (the English guy we are traveling with coined the term 'Mongolian Monster' for one of them) to help us dig and push the van out of the snowdrift. Meanwhile, our driver (who later became known as 'The Terminator' - we later discovered that his name actually meant 'Metal Hero', so we weren't that far off the mark with the moniker we had given him) had gone back to our camp and I later spotted him running through knee-deep snow with a shovel and a bag of rocks! He really was a machine. After two hours we eventually freed the van of the snow
and we returned to our camp to dry out, get warm (it was well below zero) and have some lunch. Over the next few hours of our journey we became stuck many more times and by the time we arrived at our camp we were all very sore from the digging and pushing of the van.
After dinner, we were treated to a performance of traditional folk songs on traditional Mongolian instruments from the man who owned the camp. It was incredible hearing all the variations of throat singing that accompanied the music. We felt very privileged to be treated to this performance in a ger in the wild countryside. During the course of the night we heard that there were over 150 people missing in the province we were currently in due to the blizzard, so we felt very lucky to have actually made it to Kharakhorum. I thoroughly enjoyed being in the throws of this wild storm in such a striking landscape.
At Kharakhorum we were taken to the ger of the camp owner, which was really special. It
only took us two hours to travel the two kilometres to his ger due to getting stuck in the snow so many times! Despite taking so long, I found it to be a really satisfying experience getting the van free of the snow through sheer, hard physical work. This day was typified by a brilliant blue sky which made the snow glitter like it was filled with starlight and we ascended a small peak which granted us sweeping views of the surrounding mountain ranges and the city of Kharakhorum. Half way up this climb we stopped at a rock which is in the shape of the male reproductive organs. Mongolian women sit on this rock if they are unable to get pregnant - apparently it works every time!
I will never in all my life forget the three nights we spent in the countryside. Mongolia has long been a place of mystique and legend in my mind, none of which has been diminished by my time here. I would actually like to come back here and spend another month or so visiting places such as the Gobi Desert and the mountains in the west. It would be wonderful to visit during summer or spring and see the green landscape, to provide a contrast with the snow covered terrain we have seen. All of the nomads we met in the countryside were calm and happy people and there is a sense of pride amongst the people about being Mongolian, but not in an arrogant way. After seeing the sheer size of the Mongolian race and the harsh landscape and climate they live in, it is little wonder that they were such a force to be reckoned with in the field of battle. I'd say that their staple diet of meat for every meal has a lot to do with their size and I have been in heaven with the cuisine here, being the carnivore that I am.
In a couple of hours we will board our train for Russia, but it will be with a tinge of sadness that I leave Mongolia, as I will miss its people and its landscape.
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LinzTrotter
Lindsay
Ah!
I cannot wait to get out into the countryside! UB is nice but it is still a city. I envy you, tho I should be getting out there this weekend for some horseback riding. Luckily there's no snow about right now though it is frightfully cold!