Searching the neighbours

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Searching the neighbours

Roads are not roads, but tracks on the dusty ground - dusty only because we were too early in the year for proper green and tourism.
Maps are not maps, but pieces of paper with some black dots for villages and lines connecting them - imaginary roads straight through the country, turns only if there happens to be a mountain or a sand dune in between. Only people who call orienteering their sport of choice try to read maps in Mongolia (sometimes even successfully) - others stick to the normal Mongolian way which in other parts of the world is called womanly: ask for directions.
Houses are movables and that is what people do about twice a year: they take their sheep, horses and camels, pack their belongings and move. Every year in spring, when the still dusty ground only slowly turns proper green, the guide from the hostel in Ulan Bator turns off the only roadish road in the country (connecting Kharkorin and Ulan Bator - old and new capital) onto one of the imaginary lines of the map in search for their host family. He searches in a womanly way, heading straight for the next white round movable house and asking for directions. The grass wasn’t green yet and the camels’ bumps were still hanging sadly down, not yet filled with summer grasses’ energy. Ante-tourist-season. The families had to be searched. The fires had to be lit every evening - nourished by horse, sheep or camel dung which burns for hours and gives a warm homey feeling - smelling of animals and cosiness, reflecting the colours of the hanging carpets and cloth, boiling water for Mongolian tea.
Early nights without electricity, games of cards or books if there is a gas lamp for use. Literature discussions and world politics in the long hours driving over imaginary roads straight through the country from one dot to the next. Stop, if there happens to be a mountain or a sand dune in between, to climb it and take some pictures. These are the tracks we take home to our immovable house next to our roadish road where the grass is proper green, the fire burns with wood and our cat is well nourished year round. And if our neighbours move out - are we going to search for them?



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Planet Portrait

• Top 3:
  
  Camels of the Gobi
  
  Sunset in the Khongor sanddunes
  
  Morning activity in the Gandan monastry
  
  
• Our route: Ulan Baatar - Lun - Erdenedalai - Yolyn Am - Khongor - Saihan Ovoo - Kharkhorin - Ulan Baatar
  
  
• That was bad: We couldn't stay longer...
  
  
• Recommended guest house: Chinggis Khan GH in UB; the only one we tried and it was good.
  
  
• Visa: 30 days for 50 Swiss Francs. (Arranged that one in Switzerland already)
  
  
• We paid for a meal: 2000-4000 Tugrik (cheap restaurants) and self-catering.
  
  

Planet Pictures

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Photos

Monk boys
They just loved being photographed.

The 'flaming cliffs' near Bayanzag
Deep in the desert you might still find fossilized dinosaur eggs.

The Konghor sanddunes
Maybe not quite as high as advertised but a truly spectacular sight.

Mongolian Highway
Just remember to give way to the right.

Monk in the Gandan monastery
Is he the future buddha?

Comments

[Graciela]

Wow
This is really a great trip. So unknown to me. Very interesting.