Chingis (Gengis) Khan was born only 60 kms from where we are staying. He would have ridden his horse through this valley and all the locals here are excellent riders on their short-legged horses that are known for their strength. Japanese tourists come here for a week and ride every day because there is no opportunity at home for them.
We have been very pleased to have Emma as our guide, explaining the history and geography of the country, interpreting what we see and read, explaining local customs and translating for us and acting as gobetween wherever we go. It has made our visit to mongolia much more meaningful and enjoyable. Our driver has had the difficult job of coping with shocking roads and traffic and has delivered us everywhere quickly and without incident. He always comes up smiling. After a solid breakfast Emma took us for a walk in the hills and we peppered her with questions while taking in the magnificent surroundings. We walked past a herd of baby yaks.
Lyn got close enough to this one for a good shot.
It was quite cool in the wind as we are 1400 meters above sea level, but he sun was shining as we climbed the hill.
The rock pillar on the left is called E.T. by the locals. Harder to imagine in close-up.
We studied the remaining wildflowers as autumn creeps in and even found the elusive edelweiss.
The view around the mountains was excellent in the sunshine.
At the top of the hill we looked across to the Meditation Centre we visited yesterday and appreciated better the way it was built as an elephant's head.
We came down a different track that was quite steep.
And at the bottom we watched a nomad's bullock cart go past.
His family were camped less than a kilometer away from our ger.
As we returned we saw a chipmunk scurrying down the hill and diving under the edge of our ger. We never found him inside. He kept disappearing down his hole next to a nearby tree.
Find the chipmunk poking his head out competition.
They are funny to watch because they stand very upright to look around, just like a meercat. After lunch we packed and loaded our luggage into Arna's van. Emma guided us along barely discernible tracks across the meadows so that we could visit a family of nomadic herders who had come in from the Gobi Desert to support a daughter at University. This is their main ger camped near a river, with the baby emerging.
They have a TV and DVD player powered by the solar panel. They also bring a thousand animals of different sorts with them when they move. This is our host who has 10 children and is 67 years old. He told us he is old now and happy to follow his children, but he has come a long way in his truck from his native area in the west and probably will not be going back there to live.
In the past he has won awards for Herdsman of the Year so is highly respected amongst the nomads. Inside the ger we met some of his family and ate some home-made bread, butter and milky tea with salt.
A ten litre bucket of yoghurt made today (and each day) was produced and we sampled it. It tasted like Greek yoghurt; must be quite a large component of their diet. The father then produced a four litre bottle of clear liquid which turned out not to be water but vodka with 18% alcohol, which they make from mare's milk. He passed it round in a wide bowl and we were asked to take three sips. We took two pretend sips and one sip big enough to stimulate the throat. We spent half an hour asking questions through Emma who did a good job of putting them at ease in the presence of us strangers. They can be quite shy but like to be hospitable. We were very privileged to share this time with them. We thanked them and felt guilty that we had run out of souvenirs from Australia, as it is traditional to bring a little gift. Nearby at a small stadium, there appeared to be horse races or games in progress.
We took two hours again to get back to the White House Hotel in Ulaan Baator. The traffic in the city was a nightmare. They have 1.5 million people with no local trains or trams, only buses. They do have police on point duty swinging light sticks and blowing whistles, which helps a lot and takes us back to our childhood when traffic lights did not exist. Our driver blew his horn often and squeezed into any space other drivers were careless enough to leave, while monitoring the radio/CD and talking on his mobile phone. Every bus was packed to the doors. We passed this statue in honour of horsemanship.
Next to our hotel was a temple with a statue of the goddess Tara in front of it.
When we arrived at the hotel it was quite a contrast. A porter loaded our bags from the van to a trolley and delivered them to our rooms, while Emma arranged the check-in for us. The hotel's name comes from the presidential suite you can take for less than $200 per night. Ours was a deluxe but still very spacious and luxurious. Clearly the flashest room we have had so far. We will enjoy our 3 nights in these surroundings.
We have been very pleased to have Emma as our guide, explaining the history and geography of the country, interpreting what we see and read, explaining local customs and translating for us and acting as gobetween wherever we go. It has made our visit to mongolia much more meaningful and enjoyable. Our driver has had the difficult job of coping with shocking roads and traffic and has delivered us everywhere quickly and without incident. He always comes up smiling. After a solid breakfast Emma took us for a walk in the hills and we peppered her with questions while taking in the magnificent surroundings. We walked past a herd of baby yaks.
We studied the remaining wildflowers as autumn creeps in and even found the elusive edelweiss.
And at the bottom we watched a nomad's bullock cart go past.
As we returned we saw a chipmunk scurrying down the hill and diving under the edge of our ger. We never found him inside. He kept disappearing down his hole next to a nearby tree.
They are funny to watch because they stand very upright to look around, just like a meercat. After lunch we packed and loaded our luggage into Arna's van. Emma guided us along barely discernible tracks across the meadows so that we could visit a family of nomadic herders who had come in from the Gobi Desert to support a daughter at University. This is their main ger camped near a river, with the baby emerging.
A ten litre bucket of yoghurt made today (and each day) was produced and we sampled it. It tasted like Greek yoghurt; must be quite a large component of their diet. The father then produced a four litre bottle of clear liquid which turned out not to be water but vodka with 18% alcohol, which they make from mare's milk. He passed it round in a wide bowl and we were asked to take three sips. We took two pretend sips and one sip big enough to stimulate the throat. We spent half an hour asking questions through Emma who did a good job of putting them at ease in the presence of us strangers. They can be quite shy but like to be hospitable. We were very privileged to share this time with them. We thanked them and felt guilty that we had run out of souvenirs from Australia, as it is traditional to bring a little gift. Nearby at a small stadium, there appeared to be horse races or games in progress.
Next to our hotel was a temple with a statue of the goddess Tara in front of it.
When we arrived at the hotel it was quite a contrast. A porter loaded our bags from the van to a trolley and delivered them to our rooms, while Emma arranged the check-in for us. The hotel's name comes from the presidential suite you can take for less than $200 per night. Ours was a deluxe but still very spacious and luxurious. Clearly the flashest room we have had so far. We will enjoy our 3 nights in these surroundings.
We are up to date again. We have chosen a selection of photos to represent a sample of what you have been doing and seeing. Although we like your statue collection we have chosen views of what seems typical. E will talk about your doings as she moves through the photos at Nurture Group. We need you back at Mahjong as numbers have dwindled a bit. Noelene has been retrenched along with others in the church office. Mavis has had her knee replaced yesterday. She is going well. She is thrilled with your card. Shirley Richards is talking about her life on Thursday next. E&G
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