View Full Version : The Land of the Khans
I was fortunate to be able to join a hiking group to Mongolia. If you enjoy big sky country and pristine nature, horse riding and dramatic natural scenery it’s tough to beat. Aside from the scenery, The Mongolians are very hospitable. They suffered greatly under the Soviets, and are very proud of their democracy and historic martial culture. Naadam their annual national festival celebrates the “manly games” of wrestling, archery, and horse racing, and they treat their uniformed servicemen with great respect.
Mongolia has vast mineral resources and is modernizing rapidly, but a great deal of folks are still nomadic horsemen, herding cattle or sheep to make a living. The people are rugged, and direct relative to many Asian countries. They love meat and vodka, and think vegetables are what food eats. The cities are fine, but bleak in the Soviet style. Their culture shares many similarities with the magnificent Plains Indians of the Dakotas and Midwest. They hunt with Golden Eagles in the West, it's quite a sight.
The pictures are from Arkanghai and the Gobi Desert.
craigepo
07-28-2014, 22:11
Damn. That must have been the trip of a lifetime.
Sounds awesome......did you get to stay in a yurt?
did you get to stay in a yurt?
Yes, though they call them "Ghers", a Yurt is the Russian word for same thing, but Stalin purged thousands of their religious leaders and temples and there is still some bad blood. A standard Gher is an insulated tent, and has a wood burning stove in the middle for the cold nights, the ones in the Gobi substitute a large rock to anchor against heavy winds.
We got to stay with a nomad family one night. They had a nine year old boy , and he worked hard all day. He was up at dawn milking the goats, then he helps his dad and grandpa herd cattle, then he tends to the camels before going to school in the afternoons.
Mongolians don't scare easily, Peljidiyn Genden was the Mongolian Prime Minister killed in 1937. As documented during his negotiations with Stalin, when he was pressed to destroy Buddhist monasteries, Genden got so angry that he slapped Stalin in the face. Genden described the Soviet Union's actions in Mongolia as "red imperalism'' He was placed under house arrest and later shot.
Golf1echo
07-29-2014, 21:40
Beautiful pictures it must be a wondrous place. Thanks for making me do a little research. I see they have what the Tajiki's call the Marco Polo Sheep and the Marco Pollo Ibex.
The male Argali sheep or ram has circular horns that can weigh up to 35 kg (75 lbs) and 190 cm (6 ft 2 in) long. These massive wild sheep are the largest in the world with the Altai subspecies of the Altai Mountains being the largest of 3 subspecies. A male Argali can weigh up to 182 kg (400 lbs) with the largest recorded being 216 kg (480 lbs).
Yaks and the inevitable Winter camel races...
That rock weight is very interesting, thanks for the post.
For some reason there was a Gher/Yurt on KAF (Kandahar Airfield) next to the old PX...some of the gals from the Stans selling stuff.
The felt of the tent body was a few inches thick, excellent insulation.
BTW, that is a nice 'rock' over the table....half my buds would knock themselves out after a beer or two.
mark46th
08-05-2014, 08:23
There is a Russian movie called "Close to Eden" about a family in Mongolia and their interaction with a Russian truck driver. If you can find it, watch it for the scenery if nothing else. It is pretty funny in places...
I was fortunate to be able to join a hiking group to Mongolia. If you enjoy big sky country and pristine nature, horse riding and dramatic natural scenery it’s tough to beat. Aside from the scenery, The Mongolians are very hospitable. They suffered greatly under the Soviets, and are very proud of their democracy and historic martial culture. Naadam their annual national festival celebrates the “manly games” of wrestling, archery, and horse racing, and they treat their uniformed servicemen with great respect.
Mongolia has vast mineral resources and is modernizing rapidly, but a great deal of folks are still nomadic horsemen, herding cattle or sheep to make a living. The people are rugged, and direct relative to many Asian countries. They love meat and vodka, and think vegetables are what food eats. The cities are fine, but bleak in the Soviet style. Their culture shares many similarities with the magnificent Plains Indians of the Dakotas and Midwest. They hunt with Golden Eagles in the West, it's quite a sight.
The pictures are from Arkanghai and the Gobi Desert.
Awesome, Glad you got to did this.