MONGOL SERIES, DAY 4-5
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
Living with a Mongolian farmer. This morning we headed back to Karakorum one last time for some more photos. Although not a lot to see, I just can’t get enough of the history here. Then it was onto the homestay.
BOARD GAMES WITH ANIMAL BONES DOESN’T GET ANYMORE REAL THAN THAT.
Before we arrived at our hosts home we paid a quick visit to the Przewalski’s horse sanctuary. These fiercely aggressive horses are the last wild horses of the world and are currently critically endangered. The threat however is not humans but themselves as they are incredibly territorial and protective of their harem.
The horses are free to run wild in this huge open park and still there are issues with fighting and many of the horses get seriously injured.
HOMESTAY
Just a few hours up the road, we arrived at our host’s home in a stunning setting. The home sits in a large, lush valley surrounded by mountains. I hoped the weather would behave itself!
We wasted no time and, after I received a welcome gift and dressed up, we went to slaughter a sheep for tonight’s dinner. I eat meat with every meal, so I understand the process. But watching a sheep get cut open and its artery severed while it moans in agony isn’t easy. They say it’s the quickest way for the sheep, which is something, I suppose.
RELATED READ: HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WHILE TRAVELLING
MONGOLIAN HORSES
Mongolian horses are world famous and known for one of the reasons why Chinggis Khan was able to take over large parts of the world. Their strength, aggression and bravery is not matched in this region. But now it was my job to jump on one of these horses (albeit much smaller) and herd in the sheep and horses the family own. I was looking forward to it all until I was told by everyone to be careful, these horses can sense weakness in the rider which didn’t help tbf. Anyway, it all went well, we herded the 1000 or so sheep and the 20 something horses before it was time to eat.
ABOUT THE COUNTRY:
- LANGUAGE – Mongolian
- HELLO – “Sain bain uu?“
- HOW TO CHEERS – “Khundaga öndör”
- BEVERAGE OF CHOICE – Airag (also known as Kumis), which is fermented mare’s milk.
- POPULAR SPORT – Wrestling, horse racing and archery
- STAPLE DIET – Meat and dairy products.
BOARD GAME
I never thought I would be eating sheep one minute and then playing games with its bones the next. The food was great but after we played a local board game made purely from animal bones.
There were 30 spaces and it was basically the first person to get to the end. Similar to rolling a dice, each person has a turn of rolling 4 small vertebrae which can land on any 1 of 4 sides, however you can only move if one or more lands on the side known “horse” as nothing else counts. This was painstaking for me as there was clearly a technique and I came last…
DAY 5
This morning I was met with the most insane view as soon as I got walked out of the ger, the greenest plains, stunning mountains and incredible blue skies (finally). There was no better way to wake up.
We had our usual Mongolian breakfast and then said our goodbyes to the family before making our way back into Ulaanbaatar.
GANDAN MONASTERY
After a quick trip to another hospital for a redressing we were back in the city and at Gandan Monastery, the heartbeat of Mongolian Buddhism which flourished during the 16th & 17th centuries. However, during the rule of the soviets in the 1930’s there was a brutal camping campaign that led to the destruction over 1000 monasteries and the persecution of thousands of monks.
This wave of anti-religious purges against a once-thriving Buddhist culture left just one monastery out of the 1200 that were around the country. The Gandan Monastery here in Ulaanbaatar was the sole monastery to survive this devastation, continuing to function underground.
JOSEPH STALIN
However in 1944, on the recommendation of none other than Joseph Stalin, the monastery was opened again. Though It wasn’t for another 50 years when the soviets finally left Mongolia that Buddhism began to flourish once more and Gandan monastery became a symbol of resilience within the country…
ZAISAN MEMORIAL
To end the trip we headed to the top of the city, to a memorial which honours allied Mongolian and Soviet soldiers killed in World War II. It also celebrates peacetime achievements such as Soviet space flights including the flight of Soyuz 39 which carried the first Mongolian into space.
TODAY’S YOUTUBE VIDEOS
If you want to see today from a different perspective, and catch a few different stories from the front row, then check out today’s YouTube videos below.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Well that’s it for Mongolia, from its breathtaking landscapes to its rich history as the birthplace of Chinggis Khan, every moment was unforgettable. The friendly and welcoming people made the journey even more special. Sheep was good too!
NEXT UP
Heading out to Hong Kong for an interesting nights stay!!! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
171/229
This episode is from The Mongol Series, for the entire series click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
