Sunday, October 9, 2016 Ulaanbaatar,
Mongolia
The streets of Ulaanbaatar are very quiet
early Sunday morning. Our greeter led us to a waiting tourist bus and we headed
off to find our hotel. There were other passengers on the bus as well who were
headed for another destination. We dropped them off for breakfast first and
then proceeded to our new home, called H9.
Happily, our room was ready and we settled in
using much of the day to relax, sleep, take showers and read. It was our day
off!! We enjoyed a bountiful breakfast in the hotel café and did not eat again
until dinner. We had researched restaurants that served authentic Mongolian
food and chose one called Modern Nomads. The menu appealed to us, featuring a
range of soups, main dishes and desserts. We inquired at the hotel desk to find
the nearest restaurant, only to find that it is located around the corner from
the main entrance to our hotel, actually in the same building. Not too far to
walk. (We have since learned that this hotel chain and the restaurant chain are
owned by the same people.)
Dinner was wonderful! The menu offered some
feature dishes as well as an extensive list of simpler fare. We decided to go
totally Mongolian for this meal and ordered Mongolian beer and a mixed drink
with sea buckthorn berries as a base. Moving on to soup, Jim ordered a milk tea
soup with dumplings and I ventured forth by ordering a broth with greens and
horsemeat. I have never had horsemeat before but today was the day to try it.
Jim’s soup was interesting and tasty and mine was actually very good. Horsemeat
is tough though and the serving was large. Jim finished it off and enjoyed it
as well.
Then came the main course, a beautiful
display of meats and vegetables, all charcoal grilled, served in a small wooden
bucket, to be shared among the diners. Along with the bucket came a delicious
dipping sauce, a small serving of rice and a green salad. It is amazing how
much food was in that bucket. Jim and I enjoyed every morsel that we ate (lamb
ribs, potatoes, carrots, red and green peppers … and two very hot charcoal
bricks!) but we were not able to finish all that was served to us.
Just as we were finishing our meal, a
Mongolian family arrived for dinner. There were at least three, maybe four,
generations clearly celebrating an occasion. Grandma and Grandpa were dressed
in traditional Mongolian clothing, lots of wool, Mongolian hats on both heads,
and Grandma sporting a full length wool dress in a soft purple colour. They were
aged and fragile and beautiful!!!
A short walk in the crisp night air (yes, it
is cold here … below zero at night and daytime high of +4C) brought us back to
our hotel. In for the night, hoping to get some better sleep to prepare for our
adventure on Monday.
Monday, October 10, 2016 Ulaanbaatar,
Mongolia
Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!!!
Our driver/guide picked us up at 10:30 this
morning and provided a very full day of activities, information and learning
for us. First she gave us some insight into Mongolian etiquette through 5 rules;
2.
Never say thank you or I’m sorry.
In Mongolia these phrases imply a retribution for acts that preceded them. They
are not simply polite responses to a situation.
3.
Never say excuse me. Instead reach
for person’s hand and shake it.
4.
Use only your right hand,
especially for eating. Left hand use is considered rude.
5.
I forget the fifth rule …. I hope
I have not broken it!!U
Mongolia has a population of approximately 3
million people. Almost half of those people live in Ulaan Baatar and, based on
the traffic in the city, we think that every single one of them owns a car and
was on the road. The traffic was deplorable, although the drivers seemed more
courteous and alert than in other cities we have visited. They keep their eyes
open and are excellent at the ‘sudden stop’. Survival on the roads requires
some deft handling of the wheel and intense risk taking in changing lanes or
entering an intersection. Our hearts were in our mouths many times as we
adapted to these conditions.
Toyota is the vehicle of choice in Mongolia.
Prius is the most popular Toyota. At times, it was easy to count up to 10
Priuses with easy reach from our car. A Prius (or other Toyota) can be
purchased new at the local Toyota dealership or …. Are you ready?? Used Toyotas
can be purchased online and shipped directly from Japan. I was flabbergasted
that anyone would make such an investment sight unseen.
Our first stop for the morning was the Gandantegchinlen Monastery,
the ‘Great Place of Complete Joy”. It was quite a historical setting, comprised
of several Chinese styled buildings. It has been restored and revitalized since
1990, the year of Mongolia’s independence. This monastery is a training ground
for monks, currently 150 in residence, who wear various colours of robes
indicating their level of training. Inside the main building is the largest
Buddha in world, 26.5-meter-high
statue of Avalokiteśvara, completely
covered in gold and adorned by many, many precious stones. Each morning there is a
period of chanting by the monks. One of the senior
monks leads the chants and others join in. They clearly are not required to
participate fully though as we watched some come and go while others sat in
place chatting on their cell phones while the chanting went on around them. Not
surprisingly, aside from the main Buddha, the inside of the temple was
beautiful. Each image of Buddha had a specific facial expression and body
posture and carried a specific meaning to it – god of beauty, god of wisdom,
god of mercy etc.
We stopped for lunch at a Mongolian Grill,
another highly recommended restaurant (and not at all like the Mongolian Grills
at home) where we enjoyed tasty soup, delicious meat dumplings and a platter of
grilled calf liver with vegetables. What we are learning about Mongolian food
is that it is quite heavy to eat, usually involving noodles or dough, and that
the servings are huge. We have eaten two restaurant meals so far and could not
eat what was presented to us, no matter how delicious it was.
After lunch, we went to grounds where the last
king of Mongolia lived (He died in 1924).
Both the summer palace and the winter palace were in the large complex.
The summer palace was built in 1802, the winter palace built in 1902. Now a
museum, each building featured particular artifacts that were used or provided
insight into the monarchy of Mongolia. In two of the buildings were intricate
hand made silk quilts, depicting facets of the Buddhist faith. Some of these
works of art took more than 6 years to complete. The original illustration was outlined
on each colour of silk to be used in the finished product. Then each colour of silk
was cut to fit the spaces on the piece being created and delicately and
precisely hand stitched into place. Each picture on the quilt told a story of
significant events or times in Buddha’s life.
Our next stop was at a lookout high above the
city. While there were beautiful views, there was also a very cold wind blowing
and this visit was quite short.
Making our way back into the city at a busy
time of day was a challenge! But we still arrived a bit early at the theatre
where we would attend an early evening performance. The theatre had two gift
shops where we were able to do a lot of browsing and make a few small
purchases. The production we attended
featured traditional Mongolian song and dance. It was a fantastic show. Brilliant
costumes, talented musicians, traditional musical instruments, a great flow and
variety in the program. Singers produced music via their mouths, their throats
and even their noses, as soloists and in ensembles. Dancers danced stories –
life in the village, riding on a horse, and falling in love. Some were
poignant; some were humorous; all were entertaining.
A contortionist also performed. Her grace,
balance and poise stole the show, what a rnage of movement she had. So many
positions, such flexibilty, such a soft flow to her performance, often balanced
on one leg or arm. How did she do that?
We paid our guide for a terrific day and then
it was time to go ‘home’ to our very comfortable hotel and reflect on the experiences
we had had.
One more comment about Mongolia … the
currency called Tughrik (MNT). The values of the bills are enormous, making it
a mathematical challenge to convert to Canadian dollars. The smallest bill is
10 Tughrik which would be valued at about ½ cent in Canada. Extrapolated, 1000
MNT is about 60 cents, 5000 MNT equals about $5.00. So you can imagine paying a
bill that is $150.00. That would be 250,000 MNT. We have never dealt in such
high numbers before. We are constantly questioning whether we have calculated
correctly. Happily there are no coins at all.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016 Terelj
National Park
A great adventure awaited us today.
We were travelling out of Ulaan Baatar (known as UB in the tourist trade) and
spending the night in Terelj National Park. We were accompanied by an excellent
driver and a wonderful guide named, Haika. We travelled by van out of the city,
through the suburbs and into the open countryside. Vast tracts of open space
spread before our eyes. Covered with short grass and void of trees, these
plains extended for miles to the mountains that surrounded the enormous valley
we were in. It was absolutely breathtaking scenery under clear blue skies.
Apparently, Mongolia has clear sunshine for about 250 days per year.
The roads were terrible!! Bumpy and broken
concrete was the norm and the drive was very slow in places. In other areas, we
were literally travelling on mud tracks, deeply rutted by rains. Our driver
ably navigated all these conditions with great patience. Both he and the guide
were attentive to our needs by stopping for washroom breaks (when we could find
a suitable toilet) and photo opportunities.
We travelled beside the train tracks
we will be on in a couple of days when we travel to China. We saw a long coal
train chugging toward UB which led to a discussion about use of resources and
pollution from coal. Our guide was well versed in many topics and was willing
to engage in topics that we raised as part of the conversation.
Coal is the major fuel for homes in
the city. Most people live in apartment buildings (either owning or renting)
and the heat and electricity is provided as a centralized service. Coal is the
primary fuel at the power plants located throughout the city. Smoke spews into
the sky as cooler weather approaches. For those people who live in single
family homes, mostly in the newer suburbs, coal is still a main source of fuel.
That means that each chimney adds to the density of the smoke that enshrouds
the city.
In addition to the apartment
buildings and single homes, there are thousands of traditional gers in the
territory just outside the city. Gers are five sided, portable homes occupied
by agricultural nomads. Each ger has one central heater which provides both a
cooker and a heater for the ger. The chimney rises out of the middle of the ger
and adds more smoke to the skies. Of course, wood and coal are also the main
source of heat.
Mongolia achieved its independence
from China (or was it Russia?) in 1990. Both countries have had control over
this territory at various periods in history. The amount of growth and change
that has occurred since 1990 has been amazing. Sadly, the building and growth
has far outstripped the fledgling government’s capacity to develop and
implement policies and laws that will maintain safety and environmental
controls for Ulaan Baatar, in particular, and all of Mongolia in general.
As we continued our trip toward the
park, we saw our first Mongolian horses, including one being ridden by a Mongolian
cowboy. It was just like something out of the movies and, of course, we asked
the driver to stop so we could record the moment. We also saw our first yaks (another
photo stop) as well as huge flocks of sheep and goats dotting the landscape. In
Mongolia, horses and cattle are used for meat; yaks used for dairy; and sheep
and goats are used as food and wool production.
We came upon a stupa at the side of
the road that was primarily made of small stones and wa about 5 metres high.
Just ahead were the gates to Terelj National Park. Before entering park, the tradition
is to walk around the stupa 3 times in a clockwise direction and toss a new
stone on the pile in each round, wishing for successful trip in wilderness and
good heath to all natural things. We were happy to do just that.
We entered Terelj National Park after
a leisurely drive from the city (at least leisurely for us). More of the
sweeping grass plains leading to the mountains in the distance … in every
direction. The mountains are very rocky with craggy peaks, at times sporting a
single line of trees, creating an interesting profile against the blue sky.
There were interesting rock formations at various points along the highway and
in the grasslands. Lots of towers of rounded rocks that created interesting
shapes. One of the most famous ones is Turtle Rock. As we approached it, we
could certainly see the turtle profile with the head protruding from the shell and
four shortlegs supporting the body. Quite remarkable. What was even more
remarkable was the size. We first saw Turtle Rock from a distance and as we
drew closer, our eyes widened as the size became a reality. So very HUGE!!! And
lovely.
Next we stopped at a Monastery high
at the top of a hill. A long walk up a steep slope followed by 108 steps. (Many
things in the Buddhist faith have 108 components). I have to admit that I chose
to remain at the bottom and enjoy the small wooded area and the nearby herd of
resting cattle as Jim and our guide made their way to the top. Our guide had
warned me about how steep the stairs were with no railing. Hmm … not my cup of
tea. It was wonderful to spend some time in the sun and enjoying my book while
Jim made the climb. He was happy he did but was quite tuckered by the time he
reached the bottom again.
As we travelled along the road, we observed
small groups of cattle, larger herds of sheep and goats and large herds of
horses. At times, we could also see a shepherd tending the sheep and men on horseback
driving the horses from one area to another. There was also haying underway.
Closer to the city, the hay was gathered in bales but out closer to the ger
camp, the hay was cut and gathered loose on trucks, all work done by hand. The
hay is important to feed the animals in the winter.
Our final stop for the morning was at our Ger
Camp. Yes, we were staying in a traditional Mongolian nomadic home for the
night. A ger (similar to a yurt which is Turkish) is five sided, covered in
cloth, both inside and outside, and has 81 wooden slats holding up the ceiling.
A single layer of felt made from sheep’s wool is placed between the two layers
of cloth as the only insulation from the weather. In the middle of the ceiling
is a circle that is half window and half covered, following a Buddhist style.
In the middle of the floor is a small circular stove that holds a wood or coal
fire and serves as the source of heat for the ger as well the stove.
Simple furniture (3 single beds, 3 short
stools and a small, short table) were the only contents of our ger. Each bed
was prepared with several layers of quilts and blankets. Thank goodness for
that since the overnight temperature was predicted to be about -5C.
We settled in with our luggage and then
walked up to the restaurant for a communally shared meal. There were several
other people staying at the ger camp. It was the camp’s last operational night
for the season. How lucky were we!!
Our meal was delicious, very home style
cooking, and traditionally Mongolian. All meals were prepared and served from a
kitchen in this unheated building. After lunch, Jim went out to take photos of
the area and I sat with our guide and had a wide-ranging conversation on many
topics. Mongolian history, economics, education, politics, family life,
employment. Through him and his lifestyle, I was able to gain a lot of insight
into how traditional Mongolia remains when it comes to gender-based roles,
employment, sexuality, family life and age care expectations. Even arranged
marriages are still a reality in some parts of the country.
Later in the afternoon, we experienced
something that will remain a highlight for this entire trip. We were taken to a
ger where an elderly nomadic couple lived. It was not clear whether they would
still be there as it is time to move to their winter quarters which are a few
kilometres away. We were very fortunate to find them in situ and very excited
about having visitors from afar.
The lady of the house was not feeling well on
this particular day and her husband (age 80) was making meat-filled dumplings
for dinner. He also served us some fried bread which was delicious. In their
ger, like ours, there were three single beds and three stools and a small
table. They also had 3 traditional Mongolian dressers that had been handed down
through several generations. The central stove was alight providing some warmth
to the ger. What surprised us about their ger was what we referred to as
technology corner where there was a radio, a television, two cell phones and
two car batteries that were connected to the electrical system in the ger. When
asked about the batteries (through our guide as interpreter), we were told they
were connected to the solar collector on the roof of the ger, generating enough
power for all their electrical needs. Talk about being off-grid!
We were able to have a lengthy conversation
about weather, agriculture, their nomadic lifestyle, access to water and wood,
food storage and animal management. They also shared that they had 8 children,
all of whom they had raised in that ger which is the same size as the one we
are going to sleep in tonight. Seven of their children now live in the city and
one has also adopted a nomadic lifestyle. Due to the current size of their
family (about 40), they have erected two more ger to provide extra sleeping
space when they all come to visit.
They draw water from the nearby stream and
walk up the mountain to get wood for their fire. They have 12 cows and milk them
by hand twice a day. In winter, the cows remain in a very rustic shelter to
provide some protection from the frigid cold and windy weather.
The conversation was not all one way. They
were also curious about our lives, what jobs we had had, what the weather was
like in Canada and what Christmas was like. It was fun to be able to share some
of our life with them as well. Before we left, we gave them Canadian pins and
some maple syrup and candy which they had never had before … and loved!! We
also gave them a gift of money as recommended by our guide for their generosity
of time and access.
As we said farewell, we shook hands with the
man and the lady actually kissed both Jim and I. We walked in a clockwise
direction around the interior of the ger, a Buddhist tradition, before we exited
through the short door.
It was dark by the time we got back to our
ger camp and had dinner, another delicious homestyle meal. The heater in our
ger was lighted and as it warmed up, Jim and I got ready for bed. We made sure
were well under the covers before the heat disappeared from the ger. It did get
very cold overnight and both of us struggle to stay warm. We were happy to have
had this experience but one night in October was plenty.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016 Back
to Ulaan Baatar
No wonder we were cold last night!! The
temperature dropped to -5C. Although we had warm blankets, there was nothing in
the structure of our ger that was going to keep the cold out. Nce the fire
subsided in the small heater, the ger became very cold. Both Jim and I woke up
multiple times from the cold. Snuggling under the blankets, each of us in a bed
of our own, did not suffice in keeping us warm. We were grateful when someone
came in about 6 am and started a new fire for the morning. The ger was warming
up as we arose from our beds.
We had a lovely and plentiful breakfast and
said farewell to ger camp. On our way back to the city, we made two stops. The
first was at the Ghengis Khan statue. It holds the Guinness World Book Record
for being the largest statue in the world. And it was HUGE!!! And glistening in
the sun! It is made of stainless steel and stretches five full stories into the
air. It is designed to represent Ghengis Khan on his horse. It is possible to
travel up inside the horse for 3 floors and then climb a steep staircase up the
neck of the horse for a wideranging view of the landscape. It was pretty
impressive, to say the least … but then, so was Ghengis Khan in Mongolian
history.
We also stopped in a small town outside of
Ulaan Baatar. Our guide wanted us to see the Mongolian lifestyle outside the
city. Small shops lined the streets, school children scurried home for lunch,
people sat in the sun on the park benches and roadside vendors were selling
bundles of wood and bags of coal. Winter is coming!!
We had a ‘light’ lunch at a modest, local café
and enjoyed our ongoing conversation with our guide and driver. Of course, the
servings were larger than we could manage and we brought some of the dumplings
back to the hotel for a snack later.
Back in the city, I was happy to be back at
our very comfortable hotel, while Jim went out for one more stop with our
guide, the Museum of Natural History. While it was an interesting museum, Jim’s
energy for it wained after only about 30 minutes. Our cold night in the ger had
taken its toll on both of us.
And afternoon nap and quietly preparing for
the train to China occupied the rest of the day. We even found HGTV on the
television and watched some mindless TV in English. That was a treat.
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