So this morning we got up early and went to visit a local monastary. It is up in the mountains. What a beautiful spot. A local lady whos grandson was restoring the monastary gave us a tour. She just ran up the hills in her slippery soled shoes. We stumbled up after her. This monastary is defintely one of the more scenic ones. The old grounds can still be seen from up above. We bought some handi crafts from the store to help support the restoration.
Our driver is anxious to get on the road back to U.B. So we start to make the drive back. One thing that Blake wants to do that we haven't done is visit a nomadic family. We tried to tell the driver and Bobo that this is important to him. So we finally stopped. It wasn't the same as Ann and I's visits. But he got an idea of what a typicall ger looked like. They served us some tea and dried cheese and of course yoghurt.
They were shearing the sheep and the whole family was there to help. They even had a son that had cerebral palsy. He couldn't walk and drug himself around on the ground. He was right in there helping shear the sheep. It was nice to see the son on the family farm verus in the orphanage that we had visited earlier.
The rest of the ride home was uneventful.
Once back in U.B. we said goodbye to our guide and driver. And made dinner plans with Blake for the following day.
Oh yeah it still rained a few drops.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
one more time in the sand dunes.
We are off to another small sand dune. This one is suppose to be cool because there is an oasis there. So we pull up to our next ger camp. The usuall. It is a small family run operation. Which is more to my liking. They have to light a fire under the hot water tank to heat the water for showers. There is a beautiful lake here. Lots of animals and right next to the water is the sand dunes. Kinda like beach front property in the middle of desert. There are also some huge mountains close by. This area is very diverse and beautiful. WE have a small simple lunch and a warm beer. then go for a walk to the lake. WE have to take off our shoes and walk through the muck to get to the other side. I tried not to think about what \i was walking in. In the warm water was a huge amount of tadpoles. Our guide Bobo said look at the fish. I said these are baby frogs. Then went on to explain how it all works. There were also some fresh water snails. She was laughing because i was teaching her about local animals. I guess they don't have frogs in Ulaan Bataar.
Before supper we got a local guy to take us camel riding. Blake got on this huge camel. And Ann and I rode our nice small ones. We got to control our own camels which made it a interesting ride. We wanted to ride in the dunes and they wanted to eat and drink. Guess who won... Not us. It was funny. We paid for Bobo to ride with us. She has never been able to afford to go camel riding. It cost us an extra $5. Her smile was worth every penny. The camel owner was telling us that he lost all his camels after last winter. He had been doing camel riding for the tourists for 7 years and had his camels nice and trained . They didn't survive the harse winter of 09. So he had to buy all new camels this spring and start over. So many sad stories all over mongolia.
We had dinner and another warm beer. Then of course it rained with thunder and lightening. We turned it for the night.
Before supper we got a local guy to take us camel riding. Blake got on this huge camel. And Ann and I rode our nice small ones. We got to control our own camels which made it a interesting ride. We wanted to ride in the dunes and they wanted to eat and drink. Guess who won... Not us. It was funny. We paid for Bobo to ride with us. She has never been able to afford to go camel riding. It cost us an extra $5. Her smile was worth every penny. The camel owner was telling us that he lost all his camels after last winter. He had been doing camel riding for the tourists for 7 years and had his camels nice and trained . They didn't survive the harse winter of 09. So he had to buy all new camels this spring and start over. So many sad stories all over mongolia.
We had dinner and another warm beer. Then of course it rained with thunder and lightening. We turned it for the night.
day 4 central mongolia
So today we are off for some hot springs. And we are looking forward to it. It is a short drive today which is good for our driver who is in pain.
We decide to go to the springs first before our hotel for the night. Good thing. The drive was beautiful. we criss crossed these small brooks and drove through fields of wild flowers of all colors. What a amazing valley. ANd then we are at a numch of ger camps all around the hotspring. We asked our guide if we could stay here instead of intown. SHe called her manager and they made the arrangements. So we got our bathing gear on and got ready to plunge into the healing hot spring. IT is 86 at the source so they have to cool it down. There are warnings all over if you have high blood pressure or heart condition to not go in or keep the time to a minimum. So we get in...... brrrrrrrrr. What? Can someone pee so it will warm up? We are very confused and a little pissed. We drove all day to get here and moved our accomodations to stay here and the showers were so hot we couldn't stand them and then the pool was freezing. Blake went to get someone. He said no hot water in mongolian and they understood. Just open a pipe and put more water in. Then it warmed up a bit. We would have had to stay in along time for it to be too hot that is for sure.
While we were soaking a young couple from Toronto came into the pool. THey were on this epic journey on horseback. Just the two of them , no guide, no gps, and 3 horses. They were 20 and 21 with moderate experience on horseback. I guess they had this romantic adventure in mind. They started out 2 weeks before with a map that had a road they were going to follow. Except the road didn't exsist. They spent alot of time getting lost. They basically went until they saw a ger and stopped to ask directions to the next well. Then 3 wells in a row were dry. They were dehydrated and the horses were dry and they managed to find a little boy who took them home and the boys dad lead them and their horses to another well that had a little water and alot of muck in it. I guess the major problem they had been having was the semi-wild horses of mongolia. The horses have an attitude and wouldn't let the guy get on one day. They tried for 8 hours to get on and the horse would just spin like a mad man in circles. Or the horse wouldn't move if they were on their back. So they spent alot of time walking the horses. The hot springs were half way into their trip. So they had to weeks to go still. They weren't looking happy.
We invited them to join us for dinner. They looked relieved. We chatted about travelling and they were going to turkey next so I gave them some hints.
Went to bed early because another long day on the road adhead.
We decide to go to the springs first before our hotel for the night. Good thing. The drive was beautiful. we criss crossed these small brooks and drove through fields of wild flowers of all colors. What a amazing valley. ANd then we are at a numch of ger camps all around the hotspring. We asked our guide if we could stay here instead of intown. SHe called her manager and they made the arrangements. So we got our bathing gear on and got ready to plunge into the healing hot spring. IT is 86 at the source so they have to cool it down. There are warnings all over if you have high blood pressure or heart condition to not go in or keep the time to a minimum. So we get in...... brrrrrrrrr. What? Can someone pee so it will warm up? We are very confused and a little pissed. We drove all day to get here and moved our accomodations to stay here and the showers were so hot we couldn't stand them and then the pool was freezing. Blake went to get someone. He said no hot water in mongolian and they understood. Just open a pipe and put more water in. Then it warmed up a bit. We would have had to stay in along time for it to be too hot that is for sure.
While we were soaking a young couple from Toronto came into the pool. THey were on this epic journey on horseback. Just the two of them , no guide, no gps, and 3 horses. They were 20 and 21 with moderate experience on horseback. I guess they had this romantic adventure in mind. They started out 2 weeks before with a map that had a road they were going to follow. Except the road didn't exsist. They spent alot of time getting lost. They basically went until they saw a ger and stopped to ask directions to the next well. Then 3 wells in a row were dry. They were dehydrated and the horses were dry and they managed to find a little boy who took them home and the boys dad lead them and their horses to another well that had a little water and alot of muck in it. I guess the major problem they had been having was the semi-wild horses of mongolia. The horses have an attitude and wouldn't let the guy get on one day. They tried for 8 hours to get on and the horse would just spin like a mad man in circles. Or the horse wouldn't move if they were on their back. So they spent alot of time walking the horses. The hot springs were half way into their trip. So they had to weeks to go still. They weren't looking happy.
We invited them to join us for dinner. They looked relieved. We chatted about travelling and they were going to turkey next so I gave them some hints.
Went to bed early because another long day on the road adhead.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Day 3 in central mongolia
So we have a long day ahead of us. 300km drive but on pavement so a nice smooth ride. We stop at couple of monuments along the way for stretches. We get word of another small local Naadam. It is a sheep ankles tourny. We pop in to see some of the action. It is hot of course and dusty. The only game in this tourny is sheep ankles. We are the only foreigners this time and people are interested in us. One mongolian guy came right up to us and in pretty good french started asking us where we were from. Turns out he lived in France for 2 years and was itching to use his french. Well mine is almost useless but our travel mate Blake has some. So between the three of us we managed. Everyone wanted pictures with us and we wanted pics too. Then it was time to leave. We bought some lunch of fried meat dumplings and left to have a picnic.
We are driving to Kharkorum. It is called the acient city. There is a huge ruin site here. Ghengis Khan built this city to be the capital city of Mongolia. Here is a large monastary now. But you can still see the outline of where the original capital city stood. We have to wait til we get to the museum in Ulaan Bataar to see what the old city looked like. They are suppose to have a model of it. There is talk of moving the capital city back to here for 10years to commemorate the 250th anniversary. Not sure how they think thet are going to move a capital city to a place that has dial up and no major roads. Well if anyone can these people will figure out a way. We will have to wait a few years to see.
We drove up to a lookout . It is a huge monument to honor the acient city. It has amazing views of the Orkon Valley.
In the morning we go for a horse back ride. Ann opps out but Blake wants to ride so \i go to keep him company. But this ride is different. They want to lead our horses. So Blake who is quite an experienced rider is feeling like a 6year old at a pony ride. I have also ridden and felt capable of controlling my own horse. But they didn't understand us and there we went at a snails pace.
Our driver this morning was looking rough. I first thought he must have had some vodka with the other drivers last night and \i ask Bobo our guide if he is hungover. She said "no, he is sore" I guess he lost his favorite knife that is on his keychain while working on the van. It was dark and while he was looking around for it he fell down into a gulley and fell back and banged his head pretty hard. I think he had whiplash. Then while having lunch that day he said he couldn't find his cell phone. We felt so bad for him. He looked like his puppy had died. Ann gave him her multi tool and \i put it on one of my extra caribiners so he could hook it to his belt. He was so happy. Amazing what something small to us can do to cheer someone up. It turns out the knife he lost was a gift from his sister when she visited the states. So this knife being from canada (via China) was almost as good.
We are driving to Kharkorum. It is called the acient city. There is a huge ruin site here. Ghengis Khan built this city to be the capital city of Mongolia. Here is a large monastary now. But you can still see the outline of where the original capital city stood. We have to wait til we get to the museum in Ulaan Bataar to see what the old city looked like. They are suppose to have a model of it. There is talk of moving the capital city back to here for 10years to commemorate the 250th anniversary. Not sure how they think thet are going to move a capital city to a place that has dial up and no major roads. Well if anyone can these people will figure out a way. We will have to wait a few years to see.
We drove up to a lookout . It is a huge monument to honor the acient city. It has amazing views of the Orkon Valley.
In the morning we go for a horse back ride. Ann opps out but Blake wants to ride so \i go to keep him company. But this ride is different. They want to lead our horses. So Blake who is quite an experienced rider is feeling like a 6year old at a pony ride. I have also ridden and felt capable of controlling my own horse. But they didn't understand us and there we went at a snails pace.
Our driver this morning was looking rough. I first thought he must have had some vodka with the other drivers last night and \i ask Bobo our guide if he is hungover. She said "no, he is sore" I guess he lost his favorite knife that is on his keychain while working on the van. It was dark and while he was looking around for it he fell down into a gulley and fell back and banged his head pretty hard. I think he had whiplash. Then while having lunch that day he said he couldn't find his cell phone. We felt so bad for him. He looked like his puppy had died. Ann gave him her multi tool and \i put it on one of my extra caribiners so he could hook it to his belt. He was so happy. Amazing what something small to us can do to cheer someone up. It turns out the knife he lost was a gift from his sister when she visited the states. So this knife being from canada (via China) was almost as good.
Friday, June 18, 2010
day 2 in central mongolia
So we left Terjl this morning to head for Hustai National park. It is where all the wild horses are. We stop at a cave where 100 Llamas hid during the communist purges in the 30's. Amazing to think 100 people lived in a small dark area. The monks managed to avoid being killed. yeahhh monks.
We arrived in Hustai at 12:30 just in time for lunch. Of course it was anothe 5* affair. I am gla
d we got to see the real mongolia first. Probably allot of people only stay in these monster ger camps and never interact with the people in the countryside. But... I can check my email here.
Tonight after dinner when it is cooler and the horses come down to eat we will go looking for them. lets hope they are wanting to visit.
So before we went to the horses we got a real treat. what a surprise to find out that some throat singers and horse head fiddlers our coming to have a concert. It was my last thing on the list to see. Didn't think it would happen as most of the throat singers are in the west and we can't make it there. The performance was truly amazing. These men can do things with their voice that dosen't sound human. I had tears in my eyes from the awe inspiring performance. At the end we visited with one of the singers and it turned out that he sang for the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. He spoke pretty good english and said his favorite part of canada is Banff. He is coming back in Oct to do another concert. He has sung for the queen recently. we bought his CD "of course" so you can all here when we get home.
Then after we had another 4 course dinner. and then drove to see the endangered Taki horses. These horses are the only remaining species from the original horses. they had shipped some of these horses to another country 100 yrs ago to help another country restore their numbers. Then in 1960 mongolias numbers of Taki horses sent to 0. In 1966 The former country donated 18 horses back and now there are 250. We got to see alot of them and some babies. These horses look kinda like a zebra with out the stripes. They have a rounded face with very short manes. Big eyes and dark feet. The park we stayed in has alot of rangers to protect them from us humans and wolves. What a special day. The luck of the canadians is continuing.
We arrived in Hustai at 12:30 just in time for lunch. Of course it was anothe 5* affair. I am gla
d we got to see the real mongolia first. Probably allot of people only stay in these monster ger camps and never interact with the people in the countryside. But... I can check my email here.
Tonight after dinner when it is cooler and the horses come down to eat we will go looking for them. lets hope they are wanting to visit.
So before we went to the horses we got a real treat. what a surprise to find out that some throat singers and horse head fiddlers our coming to have a concert. It was my last thing on the list to see. Didn't think it would happen as most of the throat singers are in the west and we can't make it there. The performance was truly amazing. These men can do things with their voice that dosen't sound human. I had tears in my eyes from the awe inspiring performance. At the end we visited with one of the singers and it turned out that he sang for the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. He spoke pretty good english and said his favorite part of canada is Banff. He is coming back in Oct to do another concert. He has sung for the queen recently. we bought his CD "of course" so you can all here when we get home.
Then after we had another 4 course dinner. and then drove to see the endangered Taki horses. These horses are the only remaining species from the original horses. they had shipped some of these horses to another country 100 yrs ago to help another country restore their numbers. Then in 1960 mongolias numbers of Taki horses sent to 0. In 1966 The former country donated 18 horses back and now there are 250. We got to see alot of them and some babies. These horses look kinda like a zebra with out the stripes. They have a rounded face with very short manes. Big eyes and dark feet. The park we stayed in has alot of rangers to protect them from us humans and wolves. What a special day. The luck of the canadians is continuing.
Meeting Blake and central mongolia
So we got back to UB all in one piece. Did a mad rush to have a shower and get our laundry done. We left to pick up a few things for our next trip and found an ice cream parlour. We met our new trip partner Blake on time and no problems. We all seem to get along quite well. We went out for Mongolian BBQ. It was just like the Mongolian grill in Kamloops. But way bigger and some funky stuff you could add to your meal. Such as intestines and toungue ect. WE called it a night early and went back to our guesthouses.
Day one in central Mongolia. We get picked up 8am sharp and are off east to see Terjl National Park. It is right close to UB. We first stop at a Cheggins Khan monument. It is huge. It is their statue of liberty. You can climb a flight of stairs to the top and look at the views of the valley. It is made of stainless steel. and inside the building it contains a museum full of artifacts from the bronze age. This is a private collection owned by a Mongolian person.
We leave to go into the park. It is quite close and the roads are all paved. Whew what a difference. We are so used to hanging on for dear life that we can't relax . WE pull up to this huge ger camp. It has showers a lodge with fancy linen tables. wow. A 5* ger camp it is. They have a set menu for lunch and it is part of our stay there. Kinda like a all inclusive but no beach and no umbrella drinks. WE have a 4 course western style lunch. ALOT of food. I have to admit it was nice to eat chicken. Nothing mongolian about this place. Other than the ger. After luch we drive to turtle rock , which is a huge rock formation that looks like... you guessed it a turtle. We climb it to the top for a great view. Had to squeeze through a couple of tight spots but it was fun. Then we drove to a monastary. It was built in the 90's pretty new looking. No monks live here it is more of a meditation center. After we spin our prayer wheels we hike back down to the van and head back to the camp.
Our Van for this trip is a russian van that looks like Mr. Bean would drive. It looks really old. We asked the driver how old it was and he said that it was from 2003!! I still think he misunderstood. These vans can carry six tourists and 2 people up front. Lots of handles all over to hang on. They seem quite top heavey and bob and rock all over the road. We saw lots of these in the desert on the really rough roads and I am glad that we had our jeep. I would have been motion sick in a van. Half of the people in the van have to ride backwards. So not only are you bouncing around like crazy you can't see what is coming to brace your self.
The central part of mongolia is supposed to have mostly paved roads. Which are still pretty bumpy and have random craters in the middle.
We have our 3 course dinner of pork chops and steamed veggies and play a rousing game of sheep ankles. Every time I pull out the ankles our new guide and driver make a face. My ankles I was given still have a little "meat" left on them. I guess I should clean them up before I import some sheep meet to Canada.
Blake did well with his first time playing and picked up the rules quickly. Not sure if we will be sheep ankle champs or not but in canada no one will know that I suck here.
Day one in central Mongolia. We get picked up 8am sharp and are off east to see Terjl National Park. It is right close to UB. We first stop at a Cheggins Khan monument. It is huge. It is their statue of liberty. You can climb a flight of stairs to the top and look at the views of the valley. It is made of stainless steel. and inside the building it contains a museum full of artifacts from the bronze age. This is a private collection owned by a Mongolian person.
We leave to go into the park. It is quite close and the roads are all paved. Whew what a difference. We are so used to hanging on for dear life that we can't relax . WE pull up to this huge ger camp. It has showers a lodge with fancy linen tables. wow. A 5* ger camp it is. They have a set menu for lunch and it is part of our stay there. Kinda like a all inclusive but no beach and no umbrella drinks. WE have a 4 course western style lunch. ALOT of food. I have to admit it was nice to eat chicken. Nothing mongolian about this place. Other than the ger. After luch we drive to turtle rock , which is a huge rock formation that looks like... you guessed it a turtle. We climb it to the top for a great view. Had to squeeze through a couple of tight spots but it was fun. Then we drove to a monastary. It was built in the 90's pretty new looking. No monks live here it is more of a meditation center. After we spin our prayer wheels we hike back down to the van and head back to the camp.
Our Van for this trip is a russian van that looks like Mr. Bean would drive. It looks really old. We asked the driver how old it was and he said that it was from 2003!! I still think he misunderstood. These vans can carry six tourists and 2 people up front. Lots of handles all over to hang on. They seem quite top heavey and bob and rock all over the road. We saw lots of these in the desert on the really rough roads and I am glad that we had our jeep. I would have been motion sick in a van. Half of the people in the van have to ride backwards. So not only are you bouncing around like crazy you can't see what is coming to brace your self.
The central part of mongolia is supposed to have mostly paved roads. Which are still pretty bumpy and have random craters in the middle.
We have our 3 course dinner of pork chops and steamed veggies and play a rousing game of sheep ankles. Every time I pull out the ankles our new guide and driver make a face. My ankles I was given still have a little "meat" left on them. I guess I should clean them up before I import some sheep meet to Canada.
Blake did well with his first time playing and picked up the rules quickly. Not sure if we will be sheep ankle champs or not but in canada no one will know that I suck here.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Gobi back to UB
So today we got up early.Our guide, Sasso, fainted a little bit. Didn't pass out completely but was on the ground. She said it was too hot. But it was 8 am. she has been having nose bleeds everyday in the morning. Blamed it on the dry weather. Rain everyday? so of course Ann and I sprang into action. Sit in the shade head between the legs and have some water. She promised to see a doctor in UB when we got back.
We had breakfast. The most interesting breakfast yet. Sasso trying to be creative. Cut up some cabbage, carrots,onion, and......sushi seaweed. yep. Some kinda of soup. Gross. Ann had two helpings and the driver and I politely put ours in the ditch. We had an early lunch and I and Dashgka pigged out. No norri soup for me. We drove 4 hours to UB which is 150km.
We also met our new travel buddy from San Francisco. Blake. He seems really nice and chatty and I think we will get along very well. Then next week is high style for us. Ger camps with showers and hopefully cold beer. I have never been on a holiday that hasn't included cold beer. Oh well definetely not loosing weight with the high carb diet. Sometimes one meal includes pasta, potatoes and rice or bread. And I only have had an upset tummy once. which is good. Squatting in a flat field without even a rock to hide behind takes alot of getting used to. Ann and I have been quite creative with a jacket tied around our waists.
We had breakfast. The most interesting breakfast yet. Sasso trying to be creative. Cut up some cabbage, carrots,onion, and......sushi seaweed. yep. Some kinda of soup. Gross. Ann had two helpings and the driver and I politely put ours in the ditch. We had an early lunch and I and Dashgka pigged out. No norri soup for me. We drove 4 hours to UB which is 150km.
We also met our new travel buddy from San Francisco. Blake. He seems really nice and chatty and I think we will get along very well. Then next week is high style for us. Ger camps with showers and hopefully cold beer. I have never been on a holiday that hasn't included cold beer. Oh well definetely not loosing weight with the high carb diet. Sometimes one meal includes pasta, potatoes and rice or bread. And I only have had an upset tummy once. which is good. Squatting in a flat field without even a rock to hide behind takes alot of getting used to. Ann and I have been quite creative with a jacket tied around our waists.
day 6 in Gobi
So today is a driving day. A long driving day. I think it is flatter than the prairies. We did stop and see a huge monastary. Actually it was ruins. The Russians at it again with the destruction. It is slowly being rebuilt. We run into the americans again. We seem to see them every now and again. they pissed me off the first moment I met them and I made a comment. I know how unlike me. so now I have a reputation. Sorry to all my fellow Canadians. These Americans probably think less of us now. They were rude to me and kinda disregarded me when I was looking to talk to an older gentleman. There was an writer who wanted to interview him first before I got to him. so I made a comment on how we were the polite country. Yeh still paying for it. So we saw them again at the monastary and they asked if I would take a group photo for them. Of course being the polite Canadian I said "of course". One girl actually said within earshot. " you mean she actually said yes?" sigh.... I took many pics of them. And good ones too.
Other than the monastary it was 10 hours of bumps and napping,. We did manage to find a beautiful spot to set up our tents and camp. We have another long day tomorrow.
Other than the monastary it was 10 hours of bumps and napping,. We did manage to find a beautiful spot to set up our tents and camp. We have another long day tomorrow.
Day 5 in the Gobi
WE get to sleep in today. I woke to a herd of goats going thru our camp. WE hiked into the surrounding dunes this morning looking for dinasor fossils. No luck. But lots of little lizzards and birds.
We drive to Bayanzag or the flaming cliffs. The tops of these cliffs were the bottom of the sea once. Crazy to comprehend. The rock formations are out of this world. They are flaming red hence the name. We do the photo op of course buy a few trinkets from a couple of local cute kids and head out into the dunes to play. But first we have to fill our jugs with water from the well. Ok so there are these wells all over that they use for themselves and for watering the livestock. this one was a small brick building with no door. There is a hole in the ground with a piece of wood covering it. the wood had holes all through it. You walk through the sheep and goat muck that is inside the shed. Take off the wood "covering" and lower a stick with an old tire sewn into a "bucket" into the well. Scoop some out and try to fill your container before all the holes in the "bucket" let all the water out. Meanwhile there are little faces poking into the holes in the wall trying to lick any moisture they can. So of course I help. And Can't believe we are going to drink this water even if it is boiled and treated. Not good.
WE drive into the sand dunes. We went to the little dunes because the big dunes were far away and we opted for little dunes and the Naadam instead of just the big dunes. Of course it is blowing like crazy and looks ominous in the skies. I ask if we can use a local families camels and go for a ride in the dunes. Of course!!! So we stop and pop into a ger. The most friendly people sit us down and give us our first Airag. That is the fermented mare milk. It has a mild alcohol level. We only have a bit. I like it ,it is pretty tangy , It isn't to Ann's liking. She tries not to make a face. We chit chat and the I ask the woman if I can pet the baby camels. She says ok. So off we go. The babies aren't tourist friendly so the petting didn't last long. She asked me if I wanted to milk the mommmy. Why not. Never milked a camel before. So I did. I have decided that professional camel milking is not in my future. We then saddle up and go for our short ride. The wind is howling off the tops of the dunes and I don't want skin resurfacing. So they lead us up the dunes and along the tops. It was painful and it is now 2 days later and my butt bones still hurt. The lady then asked if we wanted to see her homemade crafts for sale. of course we said. So we stocked up on souveniers. She asked if I wanted to learn to sew a tourist camel. What do you think I said. yeppers. So she got out her crafting supplies. A hide from a newborn goat that didn't make it. oohhh so sad. But soo soft. We traced out a 2 hump camel on it and cut out our pattern. Then I sewed mine. Took me oh around 1.5 hrs. embarassing. she did hers in 10 min. She left us and went to make supper. I kept sewing mine. It started to get dark and I took a break and went into their cooking ger for some tea. She gaves us some soup made with camel meat. It was good. And we tried this root. It is from a fower that only grows in the gobi. they dry it and use it for tummy problems. She gave us a little bit to use for the rest of the trip. It was sooooooooo bitter. sucked every bit of moisture out of my mouth. they all laughed and kept on munching theirs like it was an apple. I took this break in the nasty weather to try to slide down a dune on my garbage bag. It is on my list of things to do. Wasn't sure how it would work. The kids were all in of course this is their back yard. We race to the top. I sucked wind of course and they did it with no shoes on. I jumped on my bag while they held it for me and .... nothing. I just sank in the sand and stayed there. Jenny Craig here I come. The kids laughed but weren't discouraged. They took me to a steeper slope. I tried a running start. Nope . just a whole lot of sand in a whole lot of places. Well it was fun trying.
I did finish sewing my camel and we stuffed it with wool and she sewed on little feet and eyes. I gave it a haircut so that it had some definition and voila! A camel that no tourist in their right mind would buy. Crooked legs and kinda wobbly. So she gave it to me. I love it.
We made up our beds and went to sleep to the camels calling.
We drive to Bayanzag or the flaming cliffs. The tops of these cliffs were the bottom of the sea once. Crazy to comprehend. The rock formations are out of this world. They are flaming red hence the name. We do the photo op of course buy a few trinkets from a couple of local cute kids and head out into the dunes to play. But first we have to fill our jugs with water from the well. Ok so there are these wells all over that they use for themselves and for watering the livestock. this one was a small brick building with no door. There is a hole in the ground with a piece of wood covering it. the wood had holes all through it. You walk through the sheep and goat muck that is inside the shed. Take off the wood "covering" and lower a stick with an old tire sewn into a "bucket" into the well. Scoop some out and try to fill your container before all the holes in the "bucket" let all the water out. Meanwhile there are little faces poking into the holes in the wall trying to lick any moisture they can. So of course I help. And Can't believe we are going to drink this water even if it is boiled and treated. Not good.
WE drive into the sand dunes. We went to the little dunes because the big dunes were far away and we opted for little dunes and the Naadam instead of just the big dunes. Of course it is blowing like crazy and looks ominous in the skies. I ask if we can use a local families camels and go for a ride in the dunes. Of course!!! So we stop and pop into a ger. The most friendly people sit us down and give us our first Airag. That is the fermented mare milk. It has a mild alcohol level. We only have a bit. I like it ,it is pretty tangy , It isn't to Ann's liking. She tries not to make a face. We chit chat and the I ask the woman if I can pet the baby camels. She says ok. So off we go. The babies aren't tourist friendly so the petting didn't last long. She asked me if I wanted to milk the mommmy. Why not. Never milked a camel before. So I did. I have decided that professional camel milking is not in my future. We then saddle up and go for our short ride. The wind is howling off the tops of the dunes and I don't want skin resurfacing. So they lead us up the dunes and along the tops. It was painful and it is now 2 days later and my butt bones still hurt. The lady then asked if we wanted to see her homemade crafts for sale. of course we said. So we stocked up on souveniers. She asked if I wanted to learn to sew a tourist camel. What do you think I said. yeppers. So she got out her crafting supplies. A hide from a newborn goat that didn't make it. oohhh so sad. But soo soft. We traced out a 2 hump camel on it and cut out our pattern. Then I sewed mine. Took me oh around 1.5 hrs. embarassing. she did hers in 10 min. She left us and went to make supper. I kept sewing mine. It started to get dark and I took a break and went into their cooking ger for some tea. She gaves us some soup made with camel meat. It was good. And we tried this root. It is from a fower that only grows in the gobi. they dry it and use it for tummy problems. She gave us a little bit to use for the rest of the trip. It was sooooooooo bitter. sucked every bit of moisture out of my mouth. they all laughed and kept on munching theirs like it was an apple. I took this break in the nasty weather to try to slide down a dune on my garbage bag. It is on my list of things to do. Wasn't sure how it would work. The kids were all in of course this is their back yard. We race to the top. I sucked wind of course and they did it with no shoes on. I jumped on my bag while they held it for me and .... nothing. I just sank in the sand and stayed there. Jenny Craig here I come. The kids laughed but weren't discouraged. They took me to a steeper slope. I tried a running start. Nope . just a whole lot of sand in a whole lot of places. Well it was fun trying.
I did finish sewing my camel and we stuffed it with wool and she sewed on little feet and eyes. I gave it a haircut so that it had some definition and voila! A camel that no tourist in their right mind would buy. Crooked legs and kinda wobbly. So she gave it to me. I love it.
We made up our beds and went to sleep to the camels calling.
Day 4 in the Gobi
We wake up early. Today we are going to Bayanzag. The flaming cliffs. only the tire is flat. So in minutes he changed it. great we are on our way. Driving through the cayon to get out is cool. He always takes a new route so we never know where we are. While we are visiting the gorge another driver told Sasso about a impormptu Naadam Festival. Naadam is a celebration of mongolian sports. Kinda like a rodeo in Canada. They do wrestling, Archery, and horse racing. The big Naadam is held in UB in July. It is a big deal. Lots of smaller Naadams are held in each little community. The wrestling is the main thing.A lot of guys in tied on speedos and cowboy boots wearing shawls. Some foriegners wrestled the Mongolians. They held up good butin the end lost misserably. There are no weight classes just winners of each match facing off against each other until one guy is left. The matches can go really long. Some used to take 4 hours each. They get in a hold and try to wait the other guy out. Boring.... So now there is a 30min time limit.
Archery can be men or women. But most of these games are by men. Even the animals used have to be male. The horse racing is done by kids. 5-12 years old. They race across country 15k or 30k depending on the race. Full out crazy racing. When they cross the sweat of the winning horse is scraped off and the people wipe it on them selves. Yep me too. And it was gross. But anything for good luck. They pour airag over the winning horse which is the fermented mares milk. Mongolian people are all about luck and superstition. Some of it is good and some seems pretty far fetched. It is blazing hot out and really dusty. The wind is a steady 50k so sand storms come and go. Dashgka got another flat tire on our was to the Naadam so he went to town to fix the 2 tires and get his part for the starter. We are stuck there with no shade and it is pretty uncomfortable. There is no cell service so we can't call him. We sit in on a sheep ankles tournament. At least it is in a ger out of the sun and wind. I was going to enter the tournament but it was another game I havne't learned yet. One of the men gave me a quick lesson and I tried but sucked big time. We resort to sitting in the shade of a big truck waiting for Dashgka. Finnaly he shows up. whew. We head for a ger camp. Again they aren't happy. they want us to stay with a local family. But it gets to be awkward just sitting in the middle of someones house not being able to speak to them. So we opted for the camp again so we could have a badly needed shower.
That night Sasso explained to us that families have extra gers they rent out to tourists. So instead of sleeping right with them you get your own ger. oooohhhhh now we get it. And the money stay in local families pockets. I wish we would have know sooner. Of course it rains and thunders that night too. We were suppose to sleep in the sand dunes but they were saying it could flash flood and sand storm. No thanks. Ger it is. tomorrow BAyanzag
Archery can be men or women. But most of these games are by men. Even the animals used have to be male. The horse racing is done by kids. 5-12 years old. They race across country 15k or 30k depending on the race. Full out crazy racing. When they cross the sweat of the winning horse is scraped off and the people wipe it on them selves. Yep me too. And it was gross. But anything for good luck. They pour airag over the winning horse which is the fermented mares milk. Mongolian people are all about luck and superstition. Some of it is good and some seems pretty far fetched. It is blazing hot out and really dusty. The wind is a steady 50k so sand storms come and go. Dashgka got another flat tire on our was to the Naadam so he went to town to fix the 2 tires and get his part for the starter. We are stuck there with no shade and it is pretty uncomfortable. There is no cell service so we can't call him. We sit in on a sheep ankles tournament. At least it is in a ger out of the sun and wind. I was going to enter the tournament but it was another game I havne't learned yet. One of the men gave me a quick lesson and I tried but sucked big time. We resort to sitting in the shade of a big truck waiting for Dashgka. Finnaly he shows up. whew. We head for a ger camp. Again they aren't happy. they want us to stay with a local family. But it gets to be awkward just sitting in the middle of someones house not being able to speak to them. So we opted for the camp again so we could have a badly needed shower.
That night Sasso explained to us that families have extra gers they rent out to tourists. So instead of sleeping right with them you get your own ger. oooohhhhh now we get it. And the money stay in local families pockets. I wish we would have know sooner. Of course it rains and thunders that night too. We were suppose to sleep in the sand dunes but they were saying it could flash flood and sand storm. No thanks. Ger it is. tomorrow BAyanzag
Day 2 and 3 in the Gobi
So we woke up to a few drizzles and a bit of wind. Of course the lucky canadians are in the rain again. We have breakfast that Sasso our guide cooks for us. We pack up and wait patiently for our driver Dashgka to drive over to load our gear. Hmm his hood is up at the families ger. Not a good sign. so with some help from the family we carry all our gear to his jeep. Apparently when he went to start it the wiring under the dash melted and the starter chip thing was melted big time. He had the whole dash apart with wires all over. He looks at us. Sorry but no problem. Looked like a huge problem to us. But I was well prepared that in Mongolia vehicles break down all the time and drivers are also mechanics. But what will he do with no Cadian Tire? Just cut out the bad parts of wire. Steal some from the stereo and clocks. Bypass the starter and tape it all together with packing tape and stuff it all in. Don't forget to save a piece of wire so you can hot wire it to start it. Done. whew. so only 2 hours late leaving. Not bad. the weather was getting darker and windier. We drive in to a neighboring town to pick up some air in the tire and look for a lucky part. No luck. It is so windy now you can hardly stand up. They decide against the usual picnic lunch and take us to a local greasy spoon restaurant. Yummmmmmyyyyyy. Now it is major thunder and lightning outside. And we just get in the car that we push start and get going. Into the gobi desert with no one around the storm looks like it could produce a tornado. I ask our guide if they get tornados here. But was having a hard time explaining what they were. She just said no tornados. Sure..... So as we are driving on this flat like Saskatchewan field with no roads and we are the highest thing for miles around. lightning all around wind , driving rain, flash flooding. I am the only one worried. Ann is sleepping on and off and the guide and driver and chit chatting lightly. OK Rena go with the flow. the ground is quickly saturated and very deep with mud. They say that the ground does not absorb the water quickly so if we take to long the mud will get worse. Dashgka is an amazing driver. We are all over the place and he is the expert. We head deeper in to the desert. It is so dark out you would think it was nighttime. The wind is blowing the rain sideways. Don't even think about pee breaks. We drive in those conditions with outa break for around 3 hours and then the desert is white. It took a minute to figure out it was hail. A thick blanket of hail. they said we would experience 4 seasons in one day, they were right. After the longest drive ever we reach a ger camp for water jug filling. Ann and I am staying here. they look at us. You don't want to camp? Are you kidding me? 80k winds there is a crazy storm we just drove through and it could be coming? I said that as far as we were concerned that we had a choice to pay extra and sleep in a dry secure ger with flush toilets or sleep in an open field in a tornado waiting to happen. hmmm. It cost us 130000 togrogs which is $10 for all of us to stay. And we cooked in comfort and played games in comfort.
In the morning it was all over. nice and sunny and hot. So on we went. We drove to this amazing place called the white stupas. It is a cliff with beautiful views of the valley below. Driving there is like being on a roller coaster. Then we went to Yoli Am. It is a national park that is 2.7 million hectares. We hike into this gorge that is full of ice almost year round. So beautiful. The ice almost seems like a glacier but it can't be in the middle of a desert. There is a small herd of wild horses that we can get close too. they are used to humans but aren't owned. The setting couldn't be better for them. Lots of fresh water, lots of grass, shade, and no polution.
We hike out of Yoli Am and Dashgka takes us on another of his driving adventures. WE drive down this canyon and follow this small river. The canyon gets narrower and narrower. then he says I think I can fit through that slot. Yeah right. WEll he does. Maybe a couple of inches on each side of the jeep. He laughs at us non believers. Did I mention that he is a good driver.
We set up camp for the night along this river on a knoll. BEautiful spot if we had more time it would have been cool to ride horses through here. Just had to catch one first.
we have a late supper and go to bed.
In the morning it was all over. nice and sunny and hot. So on we went. We drove to this amazing place called the white stupas. It is a cliff with beautiful views of the valley below. Driving there is like being on a roller coaster. Then we went to Yoli Am. It is a national park that is 2.7 million hectares. We hike into this gorge that is full of ice almost year round. So beautiful. The ice almost seems like a glacier but it can't be in the middle of a desert. There is a small herd of wild horses that we can get close too. they are used to humans but aren't owned. The setting couldn't be better for them. Lots of fresh water, lots of grass, shade, and no polution.
We hike out of Yoli Am and Dashgka takes us on another of his driving adventures. WE drive down this canyon and follow this small river. The canyon gets narrower and narrower. then he says I think I can fit through that slot. Yeah right. WEll he does. Maybe a couple of inches on each side of the jeep. He laughs at us non believers. Did I mention that he is a good driver.
We set up camp for the night along this river on a knoll. BEautiful spot if we had more time it would have been cool to ride horses through here. Just had to catch one first.
we have a late supper and go to bed.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Leaving for the Gobi Desert
Our new guide and driver arrive at 8 am sharp to pick us up from our guesthouse. We are heading into the desert. Looking forward to some heat and sunshine. It is going to be along day of driving. We have to go just under 300k and it will take us 7hrs? Brutal. WE drive along some pretty rolling hills... and some more pretty rolling hills. Oh my it is getting flatter and flatter. Saskatchewan must be right around the corner. Then all of a sudden there is a massive mountain. Crazy landscape. We stop at this specail ovoo. Which is the pile of rocks with lots of offering to Buddah. There is an underground spring here that bubbles up through a hole in a rock. there is a dipper to get some water out. Suppose to be good for your eyesight. the hole is empty. sad... I guess I will still wear my contacts for a while yet. The monks come here to pray and make a pilgremgage.
We keep driving into these cool rocks they are round and smooth with lots of cracks. Kinda moon like. And hidden in the rocks are these acient ruins. Used to be 50 monks living here. The monastary was destroyed by Russians and partially rebuilt. There are poplar trees here. In this dry arid rocky area just within the monastary grounds there are poplar trees. Healthy and green. Hmmm bigger power keeping them alive?
WE over night next to a nomadic family's ger. They insist on feeding us til we burst. We are sleeping in tents this trip. So after alot and I mean alot of dairy products we retire to our comfy sleeping bags . It is windy and looks like rain. But we are well protected.
We keep driving into these cool rocks they are round and smooth with lots of cracks. Kinda moon like. And hidden in the rocks are these acient ruins. Used to be 50 monks living here. The monastary was destroyed by Russians and partially rebuilt. There are poplar trees here. In this dry arid rocky area just within the monastary grounds there are poplar trees. Healthy and green. Hmmm bigger power keeping them alive?
WE over night next to a nomadic family's ger. They insist on feeding us til we burst. We are sleeping in tents this trip. So after alot and I mean alot of dairy products we retire to our comfy sleeping bags . It is windy and looks like rain. But we are well protected.
well here we are again.
So I am really behind on the blog. No internet means alot of time inbetween entries.
I last left you in Northern mongolia in a city called Moron. Let me tell you about the northern mongolians. They are very hard working people who have a simple life. They were the same clothes each day and eat the same food each day and sometimes each meal. This last winter was very long and cold. Alot of snow meant that the animals had no food. The one family we stayed with lost 300 animals last winter. That is half their herd. And when we last left them they had just found out 10 oxen went missing. they are due to move to their summer location this week . but pretty hard to do with no oxen to pull the carts. Every where we went all we heard about was the harsh winter. The city of Moron is about 35000 people and is the 2nd largest in Mongolia. Ulan Bator is the largest of course. 70% of people are out of work in Moron. More than double the national average which is 30%. so as you can imagine people here are quite poor. I have already left my good wool socks behind and promised my sleeping bag to our guide when I am done. I will mail it from UB.
On our last day here in Moron we went to see the Deer Stones. These are grave markers from the bronze age about 4K years ago. Each one has carvings of Reindeer on them. there are 16 in total. There are Deer stones all over the world but here in Moron there are the largest grouping of them. Lots of reasearchers have studied them but can't figure out why or who put them here.
After walking around the deer stones we decided to sit in a meadow by a river and play a local game called sheep ankles. Yep they are played with sheep ankles. You get 10 or more of them. They each have 4 sides and you roll them like dice and so far I have learned 3 different games. I need to practice to be able to beat our guide.
We arrived back at the airport and hung out with all the other tourists waiting to fly back to UB.
I last left you in Northern mongolia in a city called Moron. Let me tell you about the northern mongolians. They are very hard working people who have a simple life. They were the same clothes each day and eat the same food each day and sometimes each meal. This last winter was very long and cold. Alot of snow meant that the animals had no food. The one family we stayed with lost 300 animals last winter. That is half their herd. And when we last left them they had just found out 10 oxen went missing. they are due to move to their summer location this week . but pretty hard to do with no oxen to pull the carts. Every where we went all we heard about was the harsh winter. The city of Moron is about 35000 people and is the 2nd largest in Mongolia. Ulan Bator is the largest of course. 70% of people are out of work in Moron. More than double the national average which is 30%. so as you can imagine people here are quite poor. I have already left my good wool socks behind and promised my sleeping bag to our guide when I am done. I will mail it from UB.
On our last day here in Moron we went to see the Deer Stones. These are grave markers from the bronze age about 4K years ago. Each one has carvings of Reindeer on them. there are 16 in total. There are Deer stones all over the world but here in Moron there are the largest grouping of them. Lots of reasearchers have studied them but can't figure out why or who put them here.
After walking around the deer stones we decided to sit in a meadow by a river and play a local game called sheep ankles. Yep they are played with sheep ankles. You get 10 or more of them. They each have 4 sides and you roll them like dice and so far I have learned 3 different games. I need to practice to be able to beat our guide.
We arrived back at the airport and hung out with all the other tourists waiting to fly back to UB.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
we survived the trip north.
Well were still fighting the jet lag when we borded our afternoon flight to Moron. We have no plans and some Japanese men who are going up to the lake are worried about us. They try to make some last minute arrangements for us but they don't work out. So we get off the plane in Moron and the place is empty. No taxis no people in the middle of no where. oopps. So I ask the last person in the airport if she speaks english. She does!!! And then gives us a ride into town. Drops us off at a hotel and we promise we will be ok. Then hotel is full for the night. oopps again. So they call us another taxi and it takes us to a ger camp. Finally we get to see inside a real ger. It was clean and warm and they brought us some bottled water and we slept. In the morning there was a knock on the door telling us it was time for breaky. Fried sausage, fried eggs, bread and some wierd porridge. We have some sentences prepared in our language book. And the young girl there says " would you like a translator?" We jump on it and say yes please!!! So an hour later Saraa shows up. She speaks wonderful english and is willing to put her life on hold for 5 days and be our guide up north. We work out an itinerary and price and she leaves us for a bit to make the arrangements. 4 hours later she is back with a driver, a plan, and ready to go. She brings her 3 year old son with us his name is Jagvalaral. Don't ask how to pronounce it. We go to the black market to buy some groceries and water for the 5 days. And we leave around 4 ish. The roads are brutal. Ok so there are no roads. Make a path as you go . If you want to follow anothers path then ok but feel free to drive all over the land. It is the most 4X4 ing I have ever done but instead of a jeep it is in a minivan. Not for those who get car sick. Half way Saraa decides that we should spend the night with her cousin in their ger. These people are real nomads. They move 4 times a year to graze their herds. We just show up and they welcome us with open arms. they remind me of my relatives in nova Scotia. Sit and drink some milky salty tea and eat some cookies and bread smeared with yak yoghurt cream. Like margarine. It is ok but really fatty. It is Mongolian tradition to make a pot of soup for first time guests so we get a big pot of noodle soup with yak meat in it. Not bad. Defintely not as bad as I was thinking it would be. And if you still haven't had enough she brings out the home made yoghert. Now it is ok to say you are full. We visit for a while they ask alot of questions and we ask a lot of questions. Then they yell Rena! time to go get the babies. so we run around trying to get baby sheep and yaks and goats into their special pens so they are safe for the night. What a workout. They do this everynight. The whole family helps so it goes by quickly. The men on their horses and us on the ground scooping them up. What fun but cold brrrr.
Now it is bedtime and their are 5 of us to find space for. There are 3 gers with family in them. We sleep with Saraa and her son and the cousin and his wife. She is so warm and welcoming that you feel right at home. Saraa and her son get the bed and the rest of us sleep on felt mats on the floor. We lay out our sleeping bags crawl in and she put these heavy blankets on us. Really heavy blankets. And she tucked us in. Litteraly. I haven't been tucked in, in a long time. Then lights out good night. We sleep like logs. Then she is up 5 am to make a fire and tea for her husband who then gets up has some tea gets ready for the day then out he goes to get the herd to pasture. then we have to milk the yaks. Where are the teets on these wooly beasts? Just keep digging and you will find them. But try to do this while the baby wants some too and it is blowing like crazy out freezing and ...snowing. Yep just a bit but it was there. Not a fun life. But they are happy people who live a very simple life.
These herders in particular lost half their herd this last winter. Brutal. She said that most of the herders lost at least half their herds. It was a hard and cold winter and a long spring. We say lots of skeletons along the way. There are these vultures there that will devour a carcass in one hour.
I think tour guides should tell their guests this fact. It would stop people from wandering off on their own.
We say goodbye to our new friends. I leave him a pair of my merino wool socks as he has none. And we give her some money to help out with supplies. She isn't expecting money and is grateful. She sends me off with a bottle of yogurt. yummmy.
We drive up to the National Park of Khovsgul Nuur. It is beautiful. We pull into our ger camp for the night. It is closed. ooppss. But the caretakers are a very poor young family and need the money so we agree to stay in an old ger. It is pretty dirty
and you can see through the felt in some places. But we are tired and it is freezing cold so we agree to stay. The lady puts up the stove and airs it out. she goes to light the stove using a little gas. A spark from the match must of hit the gas container. Next thing we know she is screaming and running from the ger , it looks like she is on fire and the ger is definetly on fire.!!!! She is carrying the gas can and throws it out of the ger. We run over to see what we can do. She grabs a board and starts to beat at the flames. the lake is far away and we don't have a bucket. She runs into her ger and grabs their water can and pours it on the flames. The ger is out but the grass fire need to burn out. All our hearts are beating a mile an hour. A ger fire is a big deal. Especially when you don't own the ger. Saraa said that she will have to pay for the damage done. They are so poor that you can't imagine where she will get the money. The ger is still ok to sleep in. Just let the smoke clear out first. Relight the fire. At least it smoked out most of the spiders.
She comes over later to sit with us and apologize. She also makes hand made slippers , toques , mittens and other stuff. We ask her to bring us some slippers over. She doesn't have our size and agrees to make us some custom ones. We buy a couple of toques and order some baby shoes for the new little grand daughter. A good thing we bought those toques. It was freezing that night. couldn't even get out of bed to relight the fire. Not happy campers in the morning. We talk to Saraa about moving to a ger camp that is open and has showers. We are on day 4 with no shower and the lake is frozen. She is more than happy to move as well. The man at this ger is a horse guide and we hire him and a couple of horses to take us to our next camp. Mongolian horses come with alot of rule. No taking pictures, no carrying anything that might make a rattle noise, mount from the left only, never pet them( they bite). So keeping the rules in mind off we went. The moring was warm and sunny for a change. We had a nice ride through the forest and along the lake. our horses were very well behaved and responsive. Most of the horses in Mongolia are considered semi wild. They are everywhere and when a herder needs a horse or two extra he just chases one down and uses him then lets him go again. Yep we rode wild horses!! well almost.
When we were done riding Saraa was waiting for us with a new driver and car. We went to our next camp. It was a palace. warm, clean, hot showers, right on the lake. And not too busy. So we all stayed the night even the driver,. The driver made us some fresh illegal fish. I don't care. It wasn't beef. So good. And we taught them how to play Yatzee. HAd a few beer and called it a night.
The next day is June 9th, Saraa's son's birthday. He is 3 years old today. he reminds us alot of Trevor and we don't mind him at all. We pack up and head out early. Back into Khatgal village for gas some air in the tires and a pee.
We stop back at Saraa's cousins place to pick up some milk and yogurt for her mom and of course we have a bowl of milky tea and cookies. I play with some baby sheep and goats one more time. And we are on our way back to Moron.
Now it is bedtime and their are 5 of us to find space for. There are 3 gers with family in them. We sleep with Saraa and her son and the cousin and his wife. She is so warm and welcoming that you feel right at home. Saraa and her son get the bed and the rest of us sleep on felt mats on the floor. We lay out our sleeping bags crawl in and she put these heavy blankets on us. Really heavy blankets. And she tucked us in. Litteraly. I haven't been tucked in, in a long time. Then lights out good night. We sleep like logs. Then she is up 5 am to make a fire and tea for her husband who then gets up has some tea gets ready for the day then out he goes to get the herd to pasture. then we have to milk the yaks. Where are the teets on these wooly beasts? Just keep digging and you will find them. But try to do this while the baby wants some too and it is blowing like crazy out freezing and ...snowing. Yep just a bit but it was there. Not a fun life. But they are happy people who live a very simple life.
These herders in particular lost half their herd this last winter. Brutal. She said that most of the herders lost at least half their herds. It was a hard and cold winter and a long spring. We say lots of skeletons along the way. There are these vultures there that will devour a carcass in one hour.
I think tour guides should tell their guests this fact. It would stop people from wandering off on their own.
We say goodbye to our new friends. I leave him a pair of my merino wool socks as he has none. And we give her some money to help out with supplies. She isn't expecting money and is grateful. She sends me off with a bottle of yogurt. yummmy.
We drive up to the National Park of Khovsgul Nuur. It is beautiful. We pull into our ger camp for the night. It is closed. ooppss. But the caretakers are a very poor young family and need the money so we agree to stay in an old ger. It is pretty dirty
and you can see through the felt in some places. But we are tired and it is freezing cold so we agree to stay. The lady puts up the stove and airs it out. she goes to light the stove using a little gas. A spark from the match must of hit the gas container. Next thing we know she is screaming and running from the ger , it looks like she is on fire and the ger is definetly on fire.!!!! She is carrying the gas can and throws it out of the ger. We run over to see what we can do. She grabs a board and starts to beat at the flames. the lake is far away and we don't have a bucket. She runs into her ger and grabs their water can and pours it on the flames. The ger is out but the grass fire need to burn out. All our hearts are beating a mile an hour. A ger fire is a big deal. Especially when you don't own the ger. Saraa said that she will have to pay for the damage done. They are so poor that you can't imagine where she will get the money. The ger is still ok to sleep in. Just let the smoke clear out first. Relight the fire. At least it smoked out most of the spiders.
She comes over later to sit with us and apologize. She also makes hand made slippers , toques , mittens and other stuff. We ask her to bring us some slippers over. She doesn't have our size and agrees to make us some custom ones. We buy a couple of toques and order some baby shoes for the new little grand daughter. A good thing we bought those toques. It was freezing that night. couldn't even get out of bed to relight the fire. Not happy campers in the morning. We talk to Saraa about moving to a ger camp that is open and has showers. We are on day 4 with no shower and the lake is frozen. She is more than happy to move as well. The man at this ger is a horse guide and we hire him and a couple of horses to take us to our next camp. Mongolian horses come with alot of rule. No taking pictures, no carrying anything that might make a rattle noise, mount from the left only, never pet them( they bite). So keeping the rules in mind off we went. The moring was warm and sunny for a change. We had a nice ride through the forest and along the lake. our horses were very well behaved and responsive. Most of the horses in Mongolia are considered semi wild. They are everywhere and when a herder needs a horse or two extra he just chases one down and uses him then lets him go again. Yep we rode wild horses!! well almost.
When we were done riding Saraa was waiting for us with a new driver and car. We went to our next camp. It was a palace. warm, clean, hot showers, right on the lake. And not too busy. So we all stayed the night even the driver,. The driver made us some fresh illegal fish. I don't care. It wasn't beef. So good. And we taught them how to play Yatzee. HAd a few beer and called it a night.
The next day is June 9th, Saraa's son's birthday. He is 3 years old today. he reminds us alot of Trevor and we don't mind him at all. We pack up and head out early. Back into Khatgal village for gas some air in the tires and a pee.
We stop back at Saraa's cousins place to pick up some milk and yogurt for her mom and of course we have a bowl of milky tea and cookies. I play with some baby sheep and goats one more time. And we are on our way back to Moron.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Day 3 in Mongolia
Well yesterday was a very productive day. We managed to book a driver and guide to take us out into the Gobi desert in a week. If they find another person to come and join us that would be great as it helps keep the costs down. We also booked some flights up to the northern part of Mongolia. The capital city of that province is called Moron. Not pronounced that way though. We will hopefully hop on a bus to take us to Lake Khovsgol. It is a very deep and large lake that feeds Lake Baikal in Russia. It is supposed to be crystal clear and beautiful. Hopefully we can do some paddling and horseback riding there. Not sure about this leg of the trip we are kinda winging it.
Let me tell you about the capital city of Ulan Bator or U.B. as everyone calls it. It is a large city of 1.5 million people and the total population of mongolia is 2.5 million. so alot of the population lives here. It is a not a beautiful city. Lots of soviet style cement housing blocks for living. And then in the surrounding areas are dirt lots with a ger on them. When you walk around the city people are very busy and always going somewhere. Alot of foriegners live here so you see a mix of people everywhere. Mining is huge here. And canada plays a big part in the mining industry here so they are quite used to us. Enlgish is very spotty at best. we have run into maybe 3 people who could speak good english. there is a language institute here that they can go to for 4 years to learn english. People over all are very friendly and will try to help if they can understand what you want.
The mongolian people say they are born Asian but follow a western culture. They have no rules for fashion. So long hair or short on both men and women. Where whatever you like and drive like a madman and it is all good.
We also met the director of the orphanage that we brought supplies for. wow this woman in busy. But she made time to come and pick us up and bring us to the center where the little kids live. There were probably 20 or so. Wouldn't all sit still for me to count. All ages smallest being 2 or 3. She has 2 babies right now but they live with her at another children center where the big kids live. The Mongolian government made her split up the kids for some reason so it is harder for her to take care of them. The house was huge but not pretty. No furniture other than 4 bunk beds per room. and a couple of bench seats from an old car in the living room.
Di Di the director is from Austraila and came here 17 years ago to teach yoga and ended up taking in one street child to help. Well it turn into 240 children in 3 centers. So she has staff to help her and some volunteer. But when we were there, there was only one adult to take care of all the kids. She says it is hard to monitor the staff when she dosen;t live on site. The kids were all happy to see us and wanted hugs and to hold our hands. I would say 10 or so are special needs. Di Di says it is hard for her to accept special needs kids because she dosen't have the help or training it takes to take care of them. She said there is a mental hospital that the more severely challenged kids go to or else they live on the streets. She also said that there was a state run orphanage that used to take the special needs kids and they got shut down because a 100 kids a year were dying. BRUTAL>>>>> I don't know how these kids were dying but that's crazy. So she manage to take a few in so they didn't have to live on the street.
All her funding comes from private donations and most of it is international. The kids do go to school and they have a kindergarten for the little kids. She never seems to kick a kid out even when they are grown up. she said she has some in their 20's because of their rough childhoods they struggle on their own.
She was very grateful for all vitamins and shoes. She has to sort through it to dole them out to the kids that need them. Di DI has also just bought 10 acres of land out of town so that she can build a full center that all the kids can live on together. She is trying to build a green house run by solar power and wind.
Well my fingers are tired and my coffee ( thanks mom for the starbucks via) in getting cold. So I will sign off now and maybe they will have internet up north. who knows.
We are both well and eating a ton of meat. gross. And still trying to find the perfect beer. Chingis so far is my fav.
ttfn miss you all
Let me tell you about the capital city of Ulan Bator or U.B. as everyone calls it. It is a large city of 1.5 million people and the total population of mongolia is 2.5 million. so alot of the population lives here. It is a not a beautiful city. Lots of soviet style cement housing blocks for living. And then in the surrounding areas are dirt lots with a ger on them. When you walk around the city people are very busy and always going somewhere. Alot of foriegners live here so you see a mix of people everywhere. Mining is huge here. And canada plays a big part in the mining industry here so they are quite used to us. Enlgish is very spotty at best. we have run into maybe 3 people who could speak good english. there is a language institute here that they can go to for 4 years to learn english. People over all are very friendly and will try to help if they can understand what you want.
The mongolian people say they are born Asian but follow a western culture. They have no rules for fashion. So long hair or short on both men and women. Where whatever you like and drive like a madman and it is all good.
We also met the director of the orphanage that we brought supplies for. wow this woman in busy. But she made time to come and pick us up and bring us to the center where the little kids live. There were probably 20 or so. Wouldn't all sit still for me to count. All ages smallest being 2 or 3. She has 2 babies right now but they live with her at another children center where the big kids live. The Mongolian government made her split up the kids for some reason so it is harder for her to take care of them. The house was huge but not pretty. No furniture other than 4 bunk beds per room. and a couple of bench seats from an old car in the living room.
Di Di the director is from Austraila and came here 17 years ago to teach yoga and ended up taking in one street child to help. Well it turn into 240 children in 3 centers. So she has staff to help her and some volunteer. But when we were there, there was only one adult to take care of all the kids. She says it is hard to monitor the staff when she dosen;t live on site. The kids were all happy to see us and wanted hugs and to hold our hands. I would say 10 or so are special needs. Di Di says it is hard for her to accept special needs kids because she dosen't have the help or training it takes to take care of them. She said there is a mental hospital that the more severely challenged kids go to or else they live on the streets. She also said that there was a state run orphanage that used to take the special needs kids and they got shut down because a 100 kids a year were dying. BRUTAL>>>>> I don't know how these kids were dying but that's crazy. So she manage to take a few in so they didn't have to live on the street.
All her funding comes from private donations and most of it is international. The kids do go to school and they have a kindergarten for the little kids. She never seems to kick a kid out even when they are grown up. she said she has some in their 20's because of their rough childhoods they struggle on their own.
She was very grateful for all vitamins and shoes. She has to sort through it to dole them out to the kids that need them. Di DI has also just bought 10 acres of land out of town so that she can build a full center that all the kids can live on together. She is trying to build a green house run by solar power and wind.
Well my fingers are tired and my coffee ( thanks mom for the starbucks via) in getting cold. So I will sign off now and maybe they will have internet up north. who knows.
We are both well and eating a ton of meat. gross. And still trying to find the perfect beer. Chingis so far is my fav.
ttfn miss you all
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Well we made it alive and well
So after the ash cloud delay in Vancouver, we flew into Beijing and waited an hour for the luggage to come through. Beijing has a very nice airport , very clean and bright and modern. And no people anywhere. Funny how you think you are in Asia and it should be jammed packed all the time. The airport was deserted at 6pm and again at 8 am . didn't even look up at us when stamping our visas. Lots of thermal measuring devices everywhere though.
We overnighted in an airport hotel and slept hard. It was a long day and couldn't really get any sleep on the plane. the beds are hard as rock but the pillows are super soft. I guess no Chinese have bad backs. We got up early to eat our complimentary breakfast which consisted of shredded veggies with tofu, mixed califlower with other veggies kinda pickled, steamed buns, some slimy potatoes with egg plant and of course soup instead of coffee. This was the yummiest breakfast ever. lots of flavor, filling, and good for you.
We left on the shuttle for the airport in lots of time to make our flight. We of course had a Starbucks Latte while we waited. It was goooooodddd..
our flight to Ulan Bator took of on time and was uneventful.
Then the eventful stuff started when we reached the MOngolian airport. It was a crazy time to get our luggage and go through customs and then they x ray you bags. Ann went first and they pulled her over. Me no problem. I couldn't figure out why she was taking so long. Well they didn't like the bags of goodies for the orphans. Apparently the vitamins need to be tested to see what they are and the shoes were used and could have foriegn plant and dirt on them. It took us along time to figure out what the problem was. The customs lady was scary and didn't speak english. They just kept Ann there and checked all other people through. There were a few people trying to plead our case but the customs lady was having no part of it. So we waited and waited for ....I still don't know who we were waiting for. our driver from the hostel showed up to pick us up and pleaded our case and again to no avail. I tried to find any words in my book and i pod that would help like healthy food and such. She wasn't smiling. We were just going to say look take them and let us go or lets get a move on. Finally no one but us left in the airport she comes over and yells at us and waves her hand at us dismissivly and we are free to go. Just like that. So we get a move on and get out of there. Whew so the orphans get their loot after all.
We get settled into into Zayas guesthouse. It is very nice, clean , friendly and safe. We are made to fell at home. Zaya is russian with very good english and married to a mongolian man. She is giving us lots of tips about what to see and do here.
We decided to find train station on our own to buy our return tickets. We were told to ask any young person where the train station was and they would point us in the direction. Yeah right. No one speaks english at all. We pulled out our hand translation book and pointed to train station and that got us there in about 45 of walking in 35c heat. Then at the train station we couldn't find the ticket place. Up and down the stairs and into every nook and cranny we couldn't find tickets. hmmm. We did go out side the station and find an info booth. She said go back across the street and it is in the yellow building. You want to know how many yellow buildings with cyrillic writing on them there is >? alot. So we walk some more. and look lost and then a man figured out what we were looking for and pointed the way. Another yellow building across another road and we were in. Went upstairs to the V.I.P. area thinking we were pretty smart and then the lady didn't speak any english. So there we are acting out what we wanted and pointing to the calendar which isn't in english and dosen't work the same as ours. She kept taking deep breaths. Maybe she was asmatic.
So we buy our tickets and hope we have the right ones.
We defintely saw alot of the downtown today. Will sleep good tonight.
Internet is spotty at best.sometimes it works and sometimes it dosen't so I will do my best to keep the blog going.
ttfn Rena and Ann
Ps they are just breaking out the breakfast food right now. Can you say mystery meat under glass?
We overnighted in an airport hotel and slept hard. It was a long day and couldn't really get any sleep on the plane. the beds are hard as rock but the pillows are super soft. I guess no Chinese have bad backs. We got up early to eat our complimentary breakfast which consisted of shredded veggies with tofu, mixed califlower with other veggies kinda pickled, steamed buns, some slimy potatoes with egg plant and of course soup instead of coffee. This was the yummiest breakfast ever. lots of flavor, filling, and good for you.
We left on the shuttle for the airport in lots of time to make our flight. We of course had a Starbucks Latte while we waited. It was goooooodddd..
our flight to Ulan Bator took of on time and was uneventful.
Then the eventful stuff started when we reached the MOngolian airport. It was a crazy time to get our luggage and go through customs and then they x ray you bags. Ann went first and they pulled her over. Me no problem. I couldn't figure out why she was taking so long. Well they didn't like the bags of goodies for the orphans. Apparently the vitamins need to be tested to see what they are and the shoes were used and could have foriegn plant and dirt on them. It took us along time to figure out what the problem was. The customs lady was scary and didn't speak english. They just kept Ann there and checked all other people through. There were a few people trying to plead our case but the customs lady was having no part of it. So we waited and waited for ....I still don't know who we were waiting for. our driver from the hostel showed up to pick us up and pleaded our case and again to no avail. I tried to find any words in my book and i pod that would help like healthy food and such. She wasn't smiling. We were just going to say look take them and let us go or lets get a move on. Finally no one but us left in the airport she comes over and yells at us and waves her hand at us dismissivly and we are free to go. Just like that. So we get a move on and get out of there. Whew so the orphans get their loot after all.
We get settled into into Zayas guesthouse. It is very nice, clean , friendly and safe. We are made to fell at home. Zaya is russian with very good english and married to a mongolian man. She is giving us lots of tips about what to see and do here.
We decided to find train station on our own to buy our return tickets. We were told to ask any young person where the train station was and they would point us in the direction. Yeah right. No one speaks english at all. We pulled out our hand translation book and pointed to train station and that got us there in about 45 of walking in 35c heat. Then at the train station we couldn't find the ticket place. Up and down the stairs and into every nook and cranny we couldn't find tickets. hmmm. We did go out side the station and find an info booth. She said go back across the street and it is in the yellow building. You want to know how many yellow buildings with cyrillic writing on them there is >? alot. So we walk some more. and look lost and then a man figured out what we were looking for and pointed the way. Another yellow building across another road and we were in. Went upstairs to the V.I.P. area thinking we were pretty smart and then the lady didn't speak any english. So there we are acting out what we wanted and pointing to the calendar which isn't in english and dosen't work the same as ours. She kept taking deep breaths. Maybe she was asmatic.
So we buy our tickets and hope we have the right ones.
We defintely saw alot of the downtown today. Will sleep good tonight.
Internet is spotty at best.sometimes it works and sometimes it dosen't so I will do my best to keep the blog going.
ttfn Rena and Ann
Ps they are just breaking out the breakfast food right now. Can you say mystery meat under glass?
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Already stuck in an airport
So the ash cloud got us. Can't believe we are flying to china and the ash cloud in Europe is delaying us. On the bright side it is only for 2 hours and Air China is feeding us for our incovenience. So killing time in the Vancouver airport figuring out how to blog on an i touch. Will keep you posted. Oh yeah just checked the weather in Ulan Bator and it is 18c @ 4am heading up to 32c
Today is the big day.
So we are all packed and ready to head for the airport for a final breakfast with our dear friend Christine. We are heavily laden this trip due to the generous donations from friends and family and others we didn't even get a chance to meet. It all started with wanting to take a few soccer balls to the kids there. It turned into 140 lbs of supplies for the Lotus Childrens Center in Ulan Bator, which is an orphanage. The orphanage sent me a wish list of things they needed and vitamins and kids shoes were at the top of the list as well as craft supplies. So we spread the word that we were looking for kids shoes to bring to these orphans. Well , did we get some shoes, garbage bags full of shoes, new ones and used but still good ones, some loaded with socks, and some for little babies. Then Ann's union donated $500 for vitamins. So we bought 4 large cases from Costco. That's alot of vitamins! Then the mens soccer team from TRU donated soccer balls and the kamloops minor soccer did the same. Whew. Just when we thought we were all full up our doorstep got filled again with more shoes and vitamins and tons of art supplies. So in every nook and cranny of our packs and these huge duffel bags are stuffed with packs of crayons, bottles of vitamins, pads of paper, soccer balls (deflated of course) and shoes of all sizes and styles.
I would like to thank all the people who helped us out getting these supplies ready. The children of Mongolia will greatly appreciate your generosity. The vitamins are very important as these children come to the orphanage very malnurished due to the poor economic plight of the herding farmers. A large percent of their herds are dying each winter and not being able to feed thier children anymore they turn them in to orphanages in the city.
So on a happier note. wooohooooo ready for Beijing then to Ulan Bator . We will be there 9 am thurs morning soo hmmm lets do the math , that is 11pm weds night to you all .
The weather in Monglia right now is cold at night and hot during the day. So we are layering up. It is sunny and cloudy with the odd rain shower. Mongolia is considered the land of the sun so we are looking forward to bright blue skies with endless views.
Well I should sign off and head to the airport now. See you all when we get back.
I would like to thank all the people who helped us out getting these supplies ready. The children of Mongolia will greatly appreciate your generosity. The vitamins are very important as these children come to the orphanage very malnurished due to the poor economic plight of the herding farmers. A large percent of their herds are dying each winter and not being able to feed thier children anymore they turn them in to orphanages in the city.
So on a happier note. wooohooooo ready for Beijing then to Ulan Bator . We will be there 9 am thurs morning soo hmmm lets do the math , that is 11pm weds night to you all .
The weather in Monglia right now is cold at night and hot during the day. So we are layering up. It is sunny and cloudy with the odd rain shower. Mongolia is considered the land of the sun so we are looking forward to bright blue skies with endless views.
Well I should sign off and head to the airport now. See you all when we get back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)