...I have to admit, that title was Patrick's pun! (Guess it only works if you know what a 'steppe' is...a 'vast, semi-arid grass-covered plain', according to an online dictionary). So, here we are, on the other side of our short, but very sweet, Mongolian countryside adventure. Instead of giving a long, diary-like description of each day, I'm going to give you, in no particular order, my top ten Mongolian experiences so far...
1. Staying in three different 'gers'- traditional felt tents used by Mongolian nomadic people. From the outside, it looks like a small circus tent, but the homely feel once you step inside is amazing. Family photos, mini Buddhist stupas, four beds, a small table with two mini-stools, and an urn in the middle. I also loved the intricate paintwork on each of the ger's beams; I really wish I could post pictures to show you, as my words really don't do it justice! It's amazing to think that these people pack up everything- including the tents- and move wherever the wind takes them. I asked our guide, Una, about where the children went to school; I thought it might be another 'Three Cups Of Tea' scenario. But no, the children are sent away to school in the nearest village, either staying with relatives or in dorms.
2. Closely related to #1- meeting a Nomadic Mongolian family. We met the mum, dad and their 4 children- 3 daughters aged 14, 11 and 7 (so identical looking, they could have been Russian dolls), and one little boy, nearly 3....all incredibly adorable and charming. Embarrassingly, I thought the little boy was a girl at first, because of his ponytail. Uunaa, our guide, explained to us that at age 3, every child goes through a 'hair-cutting' ceremony. The whole extended family brings presents, and in return gets a huge feast hosted by the child's parents...and a little piece of the child's hair. Lovely.
3. Trying new Mongolian delicacies:
- Airag- fermented mare's milk, made slightly alcoholic by continual fermentation. Very sour taste- one to sip, and an acquired taste, I'm sure. It's amazing how every nation finds a way to make something intoxicating out of natural resources...'toddy' in India, and 'airag' here. We got to see the mare's milk be collected...never thought I'd see a horse be milked!
- Dried cheese- created by pouring yoghurt into a bowl over a slow burning urn, continually stirring for 30 minutes, then leaving it to dry on the roof of the ger. Yummy snack!
- Dried yoghurt- pretty much what it says on the tin. Very hard and sour...not such a yummy snack.
4. Riding on horseback to a waterfall across the Mongolian countryside- an awesome experience, even if my legs are still paying for it. I got some 'jockey' tips from the eldest daughter...my thighs couldn't quite handle the continual 'sit-down, stand-up' trick! Little-known horse fact #1- Mongolian horses are much smaller than our Western racing horses, somewhere in between a donkey and a horse. Little known horse fact #2- there are three million horses in Mongolia; that's more than the Mongolian population. So there you go...you learned something new!
5. Bombing through the countryside in our 1960s-style (inside and out!) Russian minivan, holding on for dear life as our smiley, toothless driver, Bayraa, skillfully maneuvered the sandy tracks. 'Mongolian surprise!' he said as we hit each bump.
6.Visiting three meaningful Mongolian statues:
- King's Monument- three large maps showing the great Mongol empires. It's incredible just how much of Russia, Asia and even Europe Chinggis Khan took over as part of his empire.
- Turtle monument- one of 4 built to protect the old capital. Turtles were picked as protectors because of their long life.
- Penis momument- Yes, you read correctly...and yes, it is literally a stone penis. The story behind it: a group of male monks were staring across the valley, dreaming of the female nuns that lay beyond. As a reminder that this was strictly forbidden behaviour, the authorities consecrated a stone penis in the middle of the valley. From that moment on, the male monks were too embarrassed to day-dream across the valley. These days, it's a fertility symbol...couples who find it difficult to get pregnant go to the statue and pray for a baby, with the woman riding the, ahem, penis. Think that's enough about that monument; onto #7...
7. Regularly sighting blue scarves along the road, placed by Nomadic travellers onto trees, stick bundles and pretty much anything else as a symbol of their gratitude for Nature's creation. Blue was chosen to symbolise the foreverness of the sky.
8. Staying at a hot spa in the middle of nowhere, inspired by the natural hot pool (80 degrees Celsius!). Shame about the horseflies that kept trying to eat our faces...kind of ruined the peaceful vibe. Still one of the highlights, though.
9. Visiting the old capital, Karakorum, now just a small town of 10,000 people. While there, we saw one of the only surviving monestries from the Russian invasion. There were even some real life monks chanting their 'mata', and rattling their special instruments, while people prayed in front of them. Slightly surreal to see tourists buying souvenirs in the adjacent gift-shop, but I always find visiting a monastery to be a humbling experience, no matter what. The main Mongolian religion used to be Shamanism, until after three tries and an attempted thwarting by the Russians, Buddhism was firmly established.
10. Riding a two-humped camel- a type of camel only found in Mongolia. More comfortable than a one-humped camel, I have to say. Our guide was riding a Mongolian horse next to us...makes you realise how small they really are.
BIG shout out to Uunaa, our lovely 27 year old guide, for her upbeat attitude and funky tights! If you're ever in Golden Gobi hostel in Ulaanbatar, I'd definitely recommend her as a guide.
Our Mongolian experience is not over yet...oh no, siree. Tomorrow, we get to experience Day 2 of 'Nadaam', Mongolia's version of the Olympic Games. Wrestling, horse-racing, anklebone throwing...this will be a sporting event like no other. After that? Back to Ulan-Ude, then WESTWARDS to Mockba...I mean Moscow! (Private joke- 'Moscow' is spelled 'Mockba' in Cyrillic; I keep accidentally calling the city 'Mockba' to Russian locals, and wondering why they don't understand me. Think I left my brain somewhere around Vladivostok...)
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