Though ArcticTropic leaves for Southern Africa in just over a week, Mongolia is still fresh in our mind. Here, a serene sunset with a rainbow in the distance , hundreds of kilometers from Ulanbataar – one of the most peaceful parts of the Earth. This land would already be frozen and covered with snow now that it is mid- October.

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In July ArcticTropic ventured to Mongolia. The following posts portray our adventures in the vast Central Asian nation.

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On July 4th the Naadam Festival was held at Gurvanbulag, a nomad village in Bulgan Aimag. Music, horse racing ,wrestling and a gathering of families and friends from all the region to celebrate the midsummer holiday.

Winners of a 25 kilometer race.

Village Elders.

Watching the Races.

Exchanging Snuff.

Mongolia’s National Sport.

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Our hosts were Jargalsaikan and his wife Tuya. We stayed with them in the yurt ( ger ) on the left for two days and nights. The encampment is in Bulgan Aimag ( an Aimag is similar to a province or state ) about 15 kilometers from the village of Gurvanbulag,where they spend the winter.

With two children of the encampment.

The inside is very comfortable. A video of daily life will be uploaded shortly.

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Mongolia – with only 2.5 million people in 600,000 spare miles is the most sparsely populated country on Earth. The center of the Asian Continent is an empty spot on the globe !

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Horses are central to Mongolian nomad life. They provide transportation,clothing,meat and milk. The horses are small but very strong and have a wider head – related to Prezlowski’s Horse ( re-released into the wild a few years ago) – these are the horses ridden by Genghiz Khan.
Special thanks to our Horse Guide Tanj !

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Below are some Mongolian food pictures. The food is hearty and hot – perfect for the eight month winters where temperatures can drop to 60 below zero.

Goat Porridge – milk and meat from just outside the ger.

Kumys – mildly alcoholic ( less than beer ) fermented horse milk.

Horse.

Mutton Dumplings.

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We rode these camels for about 20 km. Not uncomfortable. They speak with a nasal sound similar to a whining dog.

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Every Tuesday morning at 8:05 , Train K23,the Trans-Mongolian Express, leaves Beijing Railway Station for the 30 hour journey to Ulanbataar,Mongolia. From there it is possible to connect all the way to Moscow. It is truly the way to arrive in Mongolia- to get a sense of how large,empty and remote this Central Asian nation is.

The Route.

The timetable all the way from Beijing to Moscow.

Midnight Crossing.

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Our final day in Mongolia was spent touring Ulanbatataar – the booming capital home to half of Mongolia’s 2.9 million people. It has the distinction of being the world’s coldest national capitol – January temperatures average close to 40 below zero ( C/F) even in the daytime. On this July day ,the temperature was pleasant – in the low 60s ( 18 C) and down to about 40 at night ( 5C ) . There is an excellent recent article in the The New York Times.

Lamasery. Beautiful ceremony inside with drums,chanting and bells – photography forbidden.

Peace !

The Communists shut down all temples and monasteries in 1922 and they did not reopen until 1992. Buddhist Life thrives once again.

The Natural History Museum has the world’s largest collection of dinosaur bones – all from Mongolia. It is currently under reconstruction.

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