Week10+
(Mongolia)
2nd to
8th of October
……and what a
WELCOME she gave us???!!
The feedback on
the request if somebody from the hostel could come to pick us up from the
station was: tell us in what carriage you are so we can help you with your
luggage! Well, that should have prepared us on the welcome Mongolia and her
people gave us upon our arrival in the capital of Ulaanbaatar. Together with
some other travellers, we were transported to the Golden Gobi (family run)
hostel in Central UB. Middle sister and her driving team picked us up at the
station, brother Bob welcomed us with a handshake at the door, Mama made us a
hot drink and Sister Ogie helped us to plan and organize our cross-country-explore-Mongolia
trip. The ‘warmth’ in the hostel itself was the result of the friendliness and
welcome we received…and that will always be my impression of the Mongols. The
most welcoming and hospitable people I’ve ever came across…and that counts for
almost everybody we met!!
Mongolia, the
largest land locked country in the world (4 times the size of the UK) hosts
only half of the population of Scotland (2.9 million)!! 45% of these people
live in UB, with a third of the population living a nomadic lifestyle in the
countryside. If you happen to be a Nomadic family, you’ll on average ,have four
‘places’ you rotate your round tent, or ‘ger’ to, in accordance with the change
in seasons. The reason for this is the big change in average temperature during
the year. With a temperature dropping down to -40°C in winter, the Nomads move
close in to the mountain for protection. Here the livestock can be a bit more
sheltered form the elements and many of them build a permanent wooden structure
for man and animal. Next winter the family will return to this same location.
So the summer ‘site’ will be as far up upon a hill as possible, to usher in the
summer breeze while temperatures can soar up to 40°C. Then there is also a
dedicated autumn and spring site. With a countryside so fast, no precise
boarders between the land of different families are put up…everybody just live
harmoniously beside one another (or very far from one another) working together
with each other, supporting each other and making sure that their animals does
not get mixed up!! As our guide Naasa explained, when the animals get mixed up
by accident, they call it an ‘animal party’!!!
We’ve booked a 4
night /5 day road trip with Ogie. Our aim was to stay with nomad families to
understand their way of life better, but mainly we understand the value of a
practical cultural learning experience for the children.
For the next week we
are going to live inside our classroom!! Our wheels came in the form of an
UAZ-2206Russian 4x4 van (
known in Russia as
Bukhanka, “loaf” as it has a similar shape). Mr
Driver was accompanied by our tour guide and chef Naasa.
She was our talking
Wikipedia and Jamie Oliver combo. After receiving a hearty breakfast served by
Moma and helpers at the hostel, we were good to depart on our 290km journey. We
were venturing into the Semi-Gobi desert, west of UB. For such a big country
with so little people it was shocking how gridlocked the streets of UB were…but
then with half of the population resident there…no wonder…
Once we were in the country
side, we had a bit more time to pepper Naasa with questions. She was telling us
about the other ‘relatively big’ cities (populations all under 90 000 people) in
Mongolia which are mainly based around mining activities. She was telling us about
‘proud land’
-the acquired land in UB by
nomadic families-normally fenced in, but with nothing build on it…so weird to
see all this empty ‘camps’.
And about the independence
from China on 26 November 1924. 26th of November is a national Mongolian
holiday. This was the day that Mongolia declared itself as an independent
country with the adoption of its first constitution. The Mongolian People’s
Republic (MPR), a communist state, under the rule of the Mongolian People’s
Revolutionary Party (MPRP), lasted until 1990. Read more here.
On
this point, in my research a stumbled upon this information: Mongolia's Communist rulers attacked the
hereditary aristocracy in 1921, killing tens of thousands of princes and
princesses. Four years later, as the revolution intensified, the Communists
banned last names. The intention was for people to forget which class they
belonged to, forget that the state killed their relatives, forget Mongolia's
past.
Mongolia became
a land in which most people not only had no personal property but had no last
name. Visiting foreigners were told the use of only one name was a tradition;
Mongolians themselves forgot that the tradition was new.
"People
didn't even know 1921 happened. They didn't even know they had lost their
names," said Serjee Zhambaldorjiin, director of the State Central Library
and an expert on modern Mongolian history, who like many other Mongolians and
Russians uses a second name based on his father's given name. "It was a
way to eliminate the influence of the nobles and princes. This was a wiping out
of nobility in Mongolia."
In 1995, the
Great Hural, or parliament, obliged by passing a law reinstituting last names.
3 reasons: for Mongolians to reclaim their past, to make sure family members
does not get married to one another and to illiminate the fact that many people
in the city had the same name…(10 000 ladies were called ‘golden flower’ in UB
and it got a bit manic listing them in a phonebook, which was still organized
by first names!!)
We were still
going on a nice stretch of tarmac road, with the occasional gravel by-passes
around road works (where I could not see anybody actually at work trying to
clear the problem…) Then shortly after our first cooked lunch in a traditional
roadside Mongolian café (by the way – weird looking place with no running water
to wash hands or restroom…but the food were absolutely delish even Thomas AND
Philippa licked their homemade pasta-meat-soup bowls clean!!), we just left the
main road on a non-descriptive dirt track path into the country side and
beyond! We were now totally reliant on our Mr Driver and guide…and it felt sooo
good!! We were in the NOMADIC Mongolia!! After a bit of a bumpy ride we arrived
at our first host family, Galaa. We were welcomed by Granny and Granddad,
ushered into a ger for the first time and served with milky-white-Mongolian
horse-milk tea. Needless to say, Arno and I had to down quite a few cups in
polite fashion!! (The following time we kindly refused any on the children’s
behalf!!)
Then it was
time for our camel-ride!! Wow, I was sooo excited, since I really did not
expect it! Then so disappointed that we could not convinced Thomas to join us.
He was just not up for it. Nina hopped into the saddle between the two humps
with me, Philippa with Arno and Alana on her own. The Bacterian camels were
lead by our host – him on his horse. As the sun was setting, we were lead out
to some sand dunes, had some dune-time and then headed home…my camel seemed
excited to return home, so wee Nina and I had to hang on!! Camels are guided by
a piece of wood stuck through it’s two nostrils…looked pretty brutal to me, but
it seems to be the ancient way!!
It was starting
to get VERY nippy and I pulled out our ski-jackets, neck-scarves, gloves and
hats. I was absolutely delighted that we were actually going to use all this
paraphernalia!! We got settled into our guest ger, and Naasa came to get our
little stove going. On this occasion the fuel came in the form of camel
doo-doo. The children were absolutely fascinated by the whole process and paid
careful attention…next thing I knew, they were stoking and feeding the fire by themselves…especially
Alana. She just got a fancy to light a match, scoop in fuel-poop and poking the
fire...
I heard there
was some rounding up of animals happening outside, so we went for a wee
investigation. It was also then that I witnessed for the first time in my life
how a horse was getting milked by hand.
Naasa served us
a meat, potato and carrot strew-soup, we made a final dash to the
out-house…(everybody got a bit side tracked on our way there and back.. trying
to find the ’big dipper’ and gazing up at the bright starry night sky). We
taught the kids how to brush teeth without using much water and then tucked
everyone into bed, since it was getting seriously cold. Our host came to stoke
the fire to full throttle and pilling more blankets onto the kids. He even
helped us to tuck them all in!!! He told us (in sign langue!!) to leave the
door unlocked so he can come in throughout the night the keep the fire fueled
up.
Now this was
the first time, since I was in primary school that I felt the heaviness of a
heap of thick sleeping bags, duvets and blankets pinning me to a bed (and
remember the bed is not particular bouncy with softness… but hey ho, at least
we had beds to sleep in…but more about that later!!). It took me back all the
way to Bethel, in the Free State, where we went to visit my Mum’s aunty Betty
in a small little stone built cottage in the freezing Karoo winter.
Naasa served us
egg-sandwiches and cakes for breakfast and the traditional hot flask was left
for us to brew our own black tea. Too soon the ‘loaf’ was packed and we were
lining up for a pic with our first host family!
After a short
play in the sand pit we headed over to the Khogao Mountains for a climb about
on the big boulders, then over to our second family - arriving before lunch
time. The Terbish family again welcomed us into the family ger and served tea
and dough balls (really closely related to ‘koeksisters’ without the syrup).
This family had a 9 year old daughter and a baby. The kids started playing
together and that was them for the rest of the day..and the next morning. Our
guest ger was a bit more traditionally Mongolian this time, with the wooden
framed boxed beds, decorated in colorful painted patterns. These beds were even
harder and bumpy’er than the first. We had a relaxing afternoon filled with
walking and some horse riding. The little girlies were soooo excited. They got
kitted out with ski-style helmets (provided by Naasa) and the ponies were hand
lead around the field a few time. Delighted to report…also Thomas joined in!!
YAY!! Then Arno, Alana and I went on a 40min ride with our host, known as the
Horse Master.
Another crisp
bright starry night lead us to day 3. We were up early and Naasa did not
disappoint with the lovely French toast and breakfast cakes. We had a long
drive over terrain that would’ve put a grin on the face of any 4x4 enthusiast!
(Herlu and Oupa Hagar we were thinking of you!!) Over grass lands, dusty paths,
through river beds and a little stretch on the only tarmac road in
Mongolia…soon to embrace the real Mongolian roads again on our pursuit of the
Hustai National Park. This is the Mongolian proud land for reintroducing the
Przewalskii horse- Thaki. This breed of horse is the only still living ancestor
of the domestic horse. Here I realized for the first time, how beautiful, lush
and green this country can become when the last of the ice has melted and the
wild flowers lifts their heads in the spring. We’ve just seen the hills in
shades of brown, with a few autumn colored trees…but a DVD showed us Naasa and
Mr Driver’s Mongolia in it’s summer greens and I WANT TO COME BACK then!!!!
Naasa lead us up a hill to get a bit up close and personal with some noisy
deer. By this time is was late afternoon. Unfortunately we did not see too much
wildlife, but was fortunate to lay eyes on the Thaki’s. 12 out of the 320 in
the park, trotted over a hillock and we were stunned by their beauty!!
Naasa knew in
which direction to go in order to find the family she was planning as our
overnight stop. Now, you’ll understand sometimes there might be confusion with
the Mongolian names… so after a good hour or so bouncing aboot over the
Mongolian prairie land, we encountered a lone horseman, who broke it to us - we
were heading in the wrong direction… What’s a man to do?? Well, the ‘loaf’ was
turned around and we headed back towards the mountains. At this stage it was
early dusk and I notice that we might be in a bit of a stressful
situation…since nowhere were any ger/lights to be seen. I am also referring to
our own vehicle here….the headlights were not in working condition anymore…ooops!
Even the faint guidance of the the bumpy dirt track was cast aside and we went
into the ‘infinity and beyond’… The little ‘loaf’s off track radar system was
now put to the full test as we were hopping about over grassland, rocks and
‘donga’s’(ditches). It was too dark now to go with out light, so Mr Driver
resorted to his only alternative: finding his way by light of the hazards.
Close to the mountain we bypassed an empty winter house, but with no family
there it was not really an overnight option. About 20min later, we stumbled
upon a ger without signs of life. A few shouts and honks did not change the
situation. It was quite dark now. Fear not, in a distance we noticed a moving
light, and it was coming in our direction!!!
A mini-bus
pulled up beside the ger and from the excited voices, we concluded that
accommodation was sorted out for the night.
Father of the
Dorj family turned the light on inside the ger, Mum and baby followed and we
were invited in and to share in the flask of warm tea and Mongol rusks(‘vet
koek’). At this stage and particularly after Naasa has explained to us that
they just arrived home after a trip to the town (60km away), together with the
fact that she has NEVER before brought any travelers to their ger and that this
was the first time that she’s met this family, made us understand the depth and
the sincerity of Mongolian hospitality. Not only this. There was only one ger.
Previously all the families had at least 2 or 3 ger’s and we had the luxuary of
staying in privacy in our own ‘guest ger’. The kids were treated to a comic
channel on their satellite TV monitor, which, together with the lights and the
mobile phone chargers, are run of car batteries. The ger’s power supply is
turned on and off by connecting and disconnecting the positive and negative
terminal clamps!! So basic, but so effective too. This battery contraption is
propelling the Nomadic family into the 20th century!! The question
might have formed in you mind already, but I was starting to evaluate the
situation… One ger…they did not expect us…sleeping arrangements?? Well, besides
welcoming us into their one roomed house, they even provided us with a space to
put our sleeping bags down. The floor was covered with two more rugs and that
was going to be our lovely mattresses for the night!!! So the Mr and Mrs and
their 2year old son, shared a double’ish looking bed, the 6 of us stretched out
on the floor and Naasa and Mr Driver tried to make themselves comfortable (not)
in the ‘loaf’.
I’ll just say we were all glad when morning
came, happy to have been warm and dry and for the amazing hospitality of this
family!! Mrs Dorj runs her own dairy, milking cows, then cooking all the milk
to sterilize it, make butter, yogurt, fermented milk, curd, and yogurt-cakes (she
dries these little cakes made out of sour yogurt – apparently it is a staple in
the winter. They just re-hydrate it by adding a bit of water, or eating it like
it is in a dry-cake form.) While she is buzzy with the animals baby Dorj is
basically left to mind himself, toddling about! That for sure is a wee glimpse
into the hard and lonely life of the nomadic family.
Theoretically
we were still inside the Hustai National Park. After saying our final goodbye’s
we headed over to an Neolithic site, the Ongot grave site. About 1200-1400
years ago people of Turkic origin carved the manlike grave stones. The king
lined up the standing stone’ people’ to come to pay homage to his grave site;
he had a lion made out of stone, for protection and a ram/sheep to provide him
with food in the afterlife.
A long and
dusty drive took us on the off-road-southern-ring-track (can’t call it a road,
because everybody just drove where ever they saw fit…) round UB. We were
heading now to the east. A fantastic stop at the Chinggis Khaan Monument gave
us time to catch up with the ancient history of the country and her people.
Just a few
facts I dotted down while in the museum: During the 13th century the
Mongolian Empire was spanning most of Eurasia – this created a world free-trade
zone. The Mongol Khans encourage travel over the silk road with the ‘Ortog
system’ – in setting up posts every 30km to provide safe shelters for
merchants. They also set world standards for receiving and welcoming diplomatic
entourages. The question arises: How could such a vast area have been
controlled by such a small number of people? The explanation lies in the fact
that they recognized their intellectual potential, combined with strict discipline, law and governance
and their excellent rational management of human resources! We can all consider
this philosophy for a moment …mmmmm!!!
Nasaa was very
proud of bringing us to this monument. Over the last 20 years, the once great
Mongol giant has slowly starting to wake up again. Most of the national pride,
monuments, culture have been wiped out under the oppressive regime of the ‘Red
Army”. Even the meaning of Ulaanbaartar reflects the previous regime – ‘Red
Hero”. So this 40 meter tall statue of Chinggis Khaan on his war horse
epitomizes the free Monglia and freedom of each Mongol – claiming back his/her
name which the enemy has taken from them. The project is not complete yet, but
tourist ger-camps with landscpaped gardens will eventually make a statement of
restoration in Mongolian pride!! We had fun taking the lift to the horse’s neck
for a birds-eye view of the whole site.
Arno and Thomas
were drawn, like magnets, to the on-site Golden Eagle handler and had some big
dreams came true, by actually holding a massive birdy for themselves!! Alana
could not stand on the sideline watching, so she demanded her shot too!!!
We were so
happy to realize that our accommodation for our last night with the Nomads was
not too far from here. This time we were treated with the Kaszak hospitality of
the Orlbej family. The spread that was put out in the ger to welcome us one
final time, took my breath away… oil-cakes, home made butter on bread with a
thin layer of sugar spread over the top, curd, home made cheese, Mongolian tea,
a ‘cookie-dough’ mix (??) look-a-like…we really did not know what to eat and
what to leave. And remember, this was only a welcome snack!!!
Naasa informed us
of a personal emergency resulting in her imminent departure. The kids were
really sad about her leaving, especially Nina!! We soooo hope that we will meet
her again one day…
Granny Orlbej
cooked us a beautiful home-made pasta and meat stew after she attended and
milked more than 10 cows!! Philippa was completely fascinated by the whole
milking procedure. We stayed with Granny for most of the time…even after
everybody else went inside to hide form the cold evening air!!
During dinner
Naasa was replaced by Ictor, our new guide. Our last night was spent with
Granny (Grandpa hitched a lift to town to pick up a motorbike…but we did not
see him return…) and Ictor, sleeping in the Kaszak ger. The family was
preparing to move to their winter-house in a few days, so most of the
belongings and the other 2 gers, which are normally used to accommodate the
tourists, were moved already. Granny said the most people she had sharing her
ger with her at one time, were 20!! Hee-hee…at least there were only 7 of us
this time (Mr Driver slept in the van again.) Mr Dirver loves his van. Whenever
we stopped for sight seeing, or an overnighter, we saw him cleaning and
polishing the ‘loaf’. Such a shame that this van, only 7years old, has some
nasty damage to it’s body work already. The roads in Mongolia……
So Granny piled
blankets on top of us and stoked the stove and the sweat were running down our
legs…although we had padded sleeping mats rolled out for us, it was the most
uncomfortable night of our whole trip around the world so far!!
Ictor could
never reach Naasa’s cooking standards, but he came very good second!!! After
breakfast we were bundled into the ‘loaf’ and headed over to the Gorkhi TereljNational Park. A deep valley with high mountains very close to UB, provide a
great weekend destination for the locals. We stopped at the Turtle rock and a
relatively ‘new’ Buddhist Temple (10 year old) with a awesome view of the
valley. This temple just underlined a simple observation of the nation to us…
although a lot of new buildings are rising up in the oppression-free Mongolia,
the people still has a long way to go before their self-pride will be
completely restored. Why do I say this… beside Mr Driver, we did not notice
much care being taken over buildings, in particular this temple, and possessions in general. Everything gets
build and then forgotten. The paintwork will start peeling and general
weathering will take over. Before this nation is not going to start taking
responsibility for it’s ‘new’ infrastructure and buildings, not much of lasting
importance will be left standing for the next generation to come. Ictor was not
to positive in his appreciation of how the government is directing and applying
the funds for generating a new economy. UB is a booming and expanding city, but
it is dirty and dusty and messy, traffic is horrendous and motorways
non-existing. This brings me back to the
importance of identity…of who you are…of what your name is…and where your
heritage is coming from. What can your future paths be aimed at, if you are
uncertain of where you are originating from? With such a natural gift to
connect, with such a legacy as a welcoming hospitable community, we are praying
that commercialism and greed do not immobilize the “Great Khaan” permanently…
As we walked
through the door of our hostel dorm, I heard Alana breathing in a sigh of
delight: “Wow, soft beds, with real matrasses!!”
THIS is what this RTW trip is all
about….thankfulness!! A realization that
we are so blessed to have been born into a culture of order and a family of
love…something that we had NO control over…
…that we can
sleep on soft beds and have running water and ‘potty’ toilets with doors….
Let’s never
forget…..
Ps Besides the joy of hole-in-the-ground-toilets (if we were lucky...), did I mentioned that we were wearing the same clothes for 5 days and went without a shower....When in Mongolia ....
