On June 19, 2014, I departed Colorado and made my way to Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia for a 2 1/2 week adventure. Traveling with friend, Sherry Domenie, our trip has been organized by Nomadic Expeditions; we will travel by plane, car, horse, camel, kayak and foot.
"From the air, Mongolia looks like God's preliminary sketch for Earth, not so much a country as the ingredients out of which countries are made:grass, rock, water, and wind. A river spilled a silver lace work of water across soft downs. The emptiness is startling. Mongolia made the sky, with its baroque clouds, seem crowded and fussy..." Stanley Stewart, In the Empire of Genghis Khan, p. 85
This country is an incredibly pleasant surprise... we knew it would be beautiful with wide open steppes and mountains and desert and few people - and we are not disappointed. We did not know it would be such a contemporary, democratic society. Mongolia is an 'emerging or 'developing' country. The 'feeling' here is progressive, low stress, civilized and a good balance between an old, long standing culture and new ideas. They are preserving the remaining monasteries even in the center of UB. The Choijin Lama Monastery remains in the shadow of the Blue Sky building - a modern glass high rise complex of residential and commercial space. While preserving the history of Genghis Khan and his many positive principles, they are moving into the 21st c. in a directed and measured way. Certainly there are problems to be resolved! For example,they have recognized that the exporting of raw materials and the importing of finished goods is not good business -- income less than expense. Thus, they are developing plans and skills to produce more finished or value-added goods in country. What impresses me is their apparent intelligent and academic approach to problem recognition and resolution. The literacy rate in Mongolia approaches 99% with a large % of students gaining a University degree. The educational infrastructure is in place to develop skills and knowledge to move forward in the desired direction. And, it is free.
(Delicious) FOOD of MONGOLIA ...
Many more vegetables and fruit than expected! Since water is very fresh and clean, we ate raw vegetables without any problem. Thus, we were able to have salads at almost every meal. Of course, the meat (beef, mutton, pork) is grass fed and not treated with any antibiotics, etc. by definition "all natural".
OVERALL IMPRESSION ...
This country is an incredibly pleasant surprise... we knew it would be beautiful with wide open steppes and mountains and desert and few people - and we are not disappointed. We did not know it would be such a contemporary, democratic society. Mongolia is an 'emerging or 'developing' country. The 'feeling' here is progressive, low stress, civilized and a good balance between an old, long standing culture and new ideas. They are preserving the remaining monasteries even in the center of UB. The Choijin Lama Monastery remains in the shadow of the Blue Sky building - a modern glass high rise complex of residential and commercial space. While preserving the history of Genghis Khan and his many positive principles, they are moving into the 21st c. in a directed and measured way. Certainly there are problems to be resolved! For example,they have recognized that the exporting of raw materials and the importing of finished goods is not good business -- income less than expense. Thus, they are developing plans and skills to produce more finished or value-added goods in country. What impresses me is their apparent intelligent and academic approach to problem recognition and resolution. The literacy rate in Mongolia approaches 99% with a large % of students gaining a University degree. The educational infrastructure is in place to develop skills and knowledge to move forward in the desired direction. And, it is free.
As travelers in many un/underdeveloped countries, we are surprised at little things like the exceptional cleanliness of public toilets and the soft toilet paper! The crime rate in the cities is very low and virtually non-existent in the rural areas. Traveling is easy and safe! Sherry has characterized Mongolia as "the most developed undeveloped country that I have experienced".
Since we are traveling in fairly remote areas and have very limited WiFi access, the blog has few photos. Over time, I will add many photos. I have posted on Facebook when possible.
THE PEOPLE OF MONGOLIA
(Delicious) FOOD of MONGOLIA ...
Many more vegetables and fruit than expected! Since water is very fresh and clean, we ate raw vegetables without any problem. Thus, we were able to have salads at almost every meal. Of course, the meat (beef, mutton, pork) is grass fed and not treated with any antibiotics, etc. by definition "all natural". BASIC FACTS
Country name: Mongolia (when aligned with Communist Russia 1924 - 1990, known as Mongolian Peoples Republic; until 1924 was called Outer Mongolia).
Capital: Ulaanbaatar (means Red Hero) In 2014, population exceeds 1,000,000 people, about 1/3 of the total population. Situated on the Tuul River.
Size: 604,826 square miles (1,566,00 square km) Four times the size of U.K., three times the size of France, or about the size of western Europe. Mongolia is the world’s largest landlocked nation and is the 18th largest country in the world. (Russia #1, Canada #2, USA & China are #3 & #4 - varies by source!)
Location: Northern Asia, situated between China and Russia
Population Density: 4.7 persons per square mile (1.7 persons per square km) Approximately 65% of Mongolians live in urban centers, 35% are pastoral nomads. Semi nomadic life still predominates in the countryside, but settled agricultural communities are becoming more common. However, in Ulaanbaatar, the capital and largest city (1/3 of total population), the density of both people and cars rivals any fast growing city lacking the supporting infrastructure. Languages: Khalkh Mongolian (90%), Turkic, Russian (most frequently spoken foreign language). Cyrillic script is used in writing. Kazakhs in the NW of Mongolia speak both Mongolian and Kazakh; they are best known for hunting with eagles.
Literacy Rate: 98.4%
Religions: Mahayana Tibetan Buddhism (96%); Shamanism; Kazakhs practice Islam.
Government: Parliamentary Democracy (since early 1990's with collapse of Soviet Union; eliminating demand for communism).
Mongolia has 21 provinces which are divided into 343 Soums.
Climate: Extreme Continental (large daily and seasonal temperature changes). Summer averages +68 F degrees. Winter averages 13 F degrees. Winter season runs from October till April. Annually Mongolia has more than 260 sunny days on average.
Average Elevation: More than 5,180 feet (1,580 meters) Average altitude in Mongolia is one mile above sea level -- like Denver, CO!
Major Rivers & Lakes: The Orkhon River is the longest river in Mongolia at 698 miles (1124 km). Lake Hovsgol is Mongolia’s largest lake and holds 2% of the world’s freshwater supply.
Terrain: Desert steppe, Desert plains, Grassy steppe terrain is found in most parts of Eastern Mongolia, Mountainous zone covers 5% of Mongolia’s territory, Mountain forest, Taiga forest region in the north is 5% of Mongolia’s total landmass.
The Gobi Desert is the world’s northernmost desert and has a mostly gravel surface with low-lying rocky hills. One of the earth’s great deserts it ranges through most of southern Mongolia and comprises 17% of Mongolia’s total landmass. Annually desertification in the Gobi Desert area is increasing due to overgrazing primarily.
Highest peak: Khuiten Peak 14,350 feet (4374 meters) in the Altai range.
Currency is Mongolian Tughrik U.S. $1 = 1771 MNT (July 2014)
Main Exports: Copper, Textiles, Cashmere and cashmere products, Fluorite, Wool, Livestock and livestock products.
ECONOMY
Since the fall of communism and collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990's, Mongolia has shifted to a parliamentary democracy with a market economy. Economic growth is driven by untapped mineral wealth. With more than 40% of its population living a traditional nomadic life, Mongolia is working to strike a a balance between developing its resources while preserving its cultural and natural heritage. Settled agricultural communities are developing. GDP has been growing at almost 20% for past few years.
OUR ITINERARY ... where we traveled, what we did by text and photos
http://www.nomadicexpeditions.com/trip-finder/from-yak-to-kayak/
Link for original itinerary from Nomadic Expeditions. Some changes were made 'on the spot' due to weather and personal preferences. For example, tent camping at Lake Hovsgol was canceled due to rain -- pouring rain! We also skipped several restaurant dinners in UB due to an overabundance of food.
Thursday & Friday, June 19 & 20 & Saturday, June 21 Traveling ...
Who said 'Getting there is half the fun"? To get to the other side of the Earth, 14 time zones from home is a lengthy process. Given American Airlines flight schedule, we depart Summit County at 1:30 pm on Thursday for 5:35 pm flight to Dallas and overnight. Friday morning 10:55 pm we depart Dallas for Seoul, Korea... almost 14 hours flying time. Saturday afternoon, we fly Seoul to Ulaanbaatar arriving at 10:30 pm. Adjusting for 14 hour time difference, total travel time is 43 hours:-)
In a civilized manner, we had breakfast at Hotel and got 8:45 am shuttle to DFW. What a nice way to travel! Since we are traveling internationally in First Class, we have access to American's Admirals Club. Boarding at 10:30 am, we had champagne to welcome us into AA's first class from DFW to ICN (Inchon Airport, Seoul, Korea) and prepare us for almost 14 hours of flying. Sherry and I have each used more than 100,000 frequent flier miles for this experience :-) We each have our own (small) space with seat that reclines flat to become a bed. Blankets and large pillow protect us from the AC! I managed to sleep 4-5 hours quite comfortably. We were able to have "dinner" together since there is a seat in each 'cubby'.
Our route takes us north over Wyoming, Montana, the Canadian Rockies in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, across Alaska, the Bering Sea - flying 'over the pole' taking advantage to the earth's curvature, and crossing the International Date Line (immediately gaining a day!) in the Pacific Ocean heading to Seoul, Korea. When we arrive it will be tomorrow...
Friday, June 20, 2014 -- Saturday, June 21, 2014
In a civilized manner, we had breakfast at Hotel and got 8:45 am shuttle to DFW. What a nice way to travel! Since we are traveling internationally in First Class, we have access to American's Admirals Club. Boarding at 10:30 am, we had champagne to welcome us into AA's first class from DFW to ICN (Inchon Airport, Seoul, Korea) and prepare us for almost 14 hours of flying. Sherry and I have each used more than 100,000 frequent flier miles for this experience :-) We each have our own (small) space with seat that reclines flat to become a bed. Blankets and large pillow protect us from the AC! I managed to sleep 4-5 hours quite comfortably. We were able to have "dinner" together since there is a seat in each 'cubby'.Our route takes us north over Wyoming, Montana, the Canadian Rockies in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, across Alaska, the Bering Sea - flying 'over the pole' taking advantage to the earth's curvature, and crossing the International Date Line (immediately gaining a day!) in the Pacific Ocean heading to Seoul, Korea. When we arrive it will be tomorrow...
From Seoul to UB on Korean Air KE 867 at 10:30 pm. Transfer to Ramada Hotel, Ulaanbaatar ... and a good night's sleep!
Sunday June 22 Gandan Monastery & Gun Galuut Nature Reserve
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Arriving at ICN at 2:20 pm local time, we will endure Seoul's spectacular airport for several hours. Actually there were comfortable lounge chairs in the transit area! At 7:55 pm we depart ICN on Korean Air for Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Flight to UB filled to the rafters! Not only Mongolians flying home, but large number of American men apparently working in Mongolia's mining industry- its largest source of revenue.
We arrived at Genghis Khan airport at 10:15 pm, made our way through Immigration and met our guide, Ogi, and driver, Ganbaa who took us to Ramada Hotel. While it is time to sleep in UB, our bodies' clocks think it is morning! However, a shower and a little organization permitted us to sleep for about 5 hours.
Ulaanbaatar, known as UB by locals, is a complex city with old temples, Russian-style streets, lots of construction, modern high rise buildings, vast numbers of cars... and a beautiful sky!
Ulaanbaatar, known as UB by locals, is a complex city with old temples, Russian-style streets, lots of construction, modern high rise buildings, vast numbers of cars... and a beautiful sky!
Sunday June 22 Gandan Monastery & Gun Galuut Nature Reserve
Excellent and abundant breakfast at Ramada Hotel... not only eggs and bacon but also dumplings, soups, rice, noodles and salad... and really good coffee. It is nice to know that every 2-4 days we will be overnight in UB in the comfort (and luxury) of this Hotel!
It is early Summer in Mongolia and flowers are abundant!
Herds of sheep, goats, horses, even yaks are abundant on the steppes and in the Gobi. They not only provide food to nomadic herders, but also support a thriving livestock business.
Monday, June 23 Ghengis Kahn Statue; Gerki Terelj Park; Ariyabal Monastery ... overnight in UB
Drove to Gorkhi Terelj National Park enjoying the landscape, herds of sheep, goats, horses and even yaks along the way. We are heading west in the direction of UB. Stopped at huge statue and museum dedicated to Ghengis Khan...
After lunch, we drove to Ariyabal Monastery passing Turtle Rock... simply a rock formation resembling a turtle if you look from the right direction. Ariyabal is an interesting place! Built in 1998 by a Yoga Master. Climbing a steep path and steps up the side of a mountain to a beautiful building, there are a myriad of signs describing the Buddhist philosophy of one man. From the top, a magnificent view across entire valley...and, a large number of wildflowers along the path!
We arrived UB and the Ramada Hotel around 6 pm. Sherry and I decided to forgo the planned dinner at restaurant and spend a quiet evening in our quite nice room with wine from minibar and a room service pizza.
Tuesday, June 24 Ulaanbaatar The National Museum; Zanabazar Museum; Mongolian BBQ; Choijin Lama Museum
We are very impressed with The National Museum of Mongolia! There are 10 Halls that cover the period 800,000 BC to the present. A chronological 'map' shows what was happening elsewhere in the world when Ghengis Khan was building his empire 1206 - 1260. For example: 1163 Construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris began; 1186 Angkor Wat in Cambodia was consecrated; 1200 Construction of the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde began; 1265 Dante (Divine Comedy) was born; 1298 Marco Polo returned to Venice from China and his travels on the 'Silk Road'; 1325 Mexico City was founded. And these were Medieval times!
Model of Buddhist Protector; mural - planning for democracy- highlighted in center is Mongolia's current President, Elbeg Dorj. President and Mrs Bush visited Mongolia in 2005, honoring Mongolia's democracy.
The Zanabazar Museum houses Buddhist art collected by Zanabazar who was the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia during the 17th c.
Lunch at Mongolian BBQ .... good food and good fun. You select what you want cooked on barbecue (meat, veggies) choose your sauce and give it to chef to cook! Of course, there was lots of salads!
After lunch, we visited the Choijin Lama's monastery an interesting complex of buildings from the 18th c. all in the shadow of the Blue Sky building, a tall residential and commercial structure made of glass panels - a 21st c. building. None of the buildings in the monastery complex were destroyed by the communists... a huge collection of art, thangkas, masks, ...
Our evening started with a performance of traditional dancing, throat singing and an orchestra featuring the Horse Head fiddle. Fabulous costumes. Dinner was at the Marco Polo (Italian) restaurant. Back at Hotel by 9 pm Wednesday, June 25 Fly to Muron and drive 4.5 hours to Lake Hovsgol & Toilogt Ger Camp
Sherry and I discussed our Guide, Ugi ... a very nice young man whose knowledge, experience and English language are limited. We agreed to communicate our disappointment to Nomadic Expeditions in the U.S. I sent an email on 6/24 at 5 pm Mongolia time (5 am in NY). When we awoke on 6/25, I had received an email from Nomadic Expeditions in NJ that we would have a new guide this morning! NJ contacted Doljo, Nomadic Expeditions Manager in UB, and the change was effected! At 9 am as we prepared to depart UB, we were met at Hotel by Doljo and Temka, our (new) guide! While Temka is also young and a 3rd year student at University, he is able to communicate with us in excellent English and discuss economics, politics, history.... in an appropriate manner. We are very positively impressed with Nomadic Expeditions and their willingness and ability to ensure the high quality of our experience in Mongolia!
We departed Hotel at 9 am to take an 11:30 am flight to Muron arriving at 1 pm. Not only an easy process and flight, but we were so pleased with the information in the Aero Mongolia magazine (National News Times) that we each took a copy. Articles on the Economy, Political system, history, agriculture... how Mongolia is moving gracefully into the global environment of the 21st c.
After lunch in Muron, we visited the Deer Stones ... in the 8th c. (Turkic Empire) these large pieces of granite were carved with images of flying deer as memorials or grave markers.
Continuing to drive north, we arrived at Toilogt Ger Camp, Lake Hovsgol, before 6 pm. Dinner at 7 pm; 8 pm they turned on electricity and I am charging computer awaiting a 9 pm performance of dance and singing! The performers are the staff of the camp - summer jobs for students. During the day, they maintain the camp and the guests; after dinner they perform as accomplished musicians and dancers. We were very impressed with the high quality of their musicianship!
This camp is on the shore of Lake Hovsgol: 85 miles long, ~ 20 miles wide; provides 70% of freshwater for country; 90 rivers flow into the lake and only one flows out... the exiting water flows into the Selenge River and into Lake Baikal in Russia!
Thursday, June 26 Horse Trek; Tent Camping Change of plan due to inclement weather!
Breakfast at 9 am and planned "departure on horseback at 10 am with arrival at campsite planned for 4 pm." BUT weather has caused a change of plans. It rained most of last night and this morning. We will stay at the Ger Camp and, if weather allows, we will kayak and go horseback riding. Alternative is to walk, read, talk... relax... and work offline on my blog.
Discussion after breakfast with Temka and Mugi, guide of another group. Mugi is 28 years old, married and the father of a 4 month old. He has been guiding for 7 summers. During the rest of year he has other employment. Focus of discussion on the history of Mongolia from Genghis Khan and progeny's vast empire in the 12th c. - 14th c, through conquest by Manchuria and China 14th c. - 19th c., and the ascendance and life style of Tibetan Buddhism, the communist period as part of the USSR 1924 - 1990 with the destruction of most monasteries, elimination of most lamas and Buddhism, to the progressive democratic country of today - 25 years in the making 1990 - 2014! It appears that the underlying Mongol culture has endured centuries of blood shed, destruction and divisiveness. The democratic principles of Ghengis Khan appear to have persisted throughout these centuries. Starting in 1990 with the collapse of the USSR, Mongolia has (re)embraced democratic principles of government and is applying them in a contemporary manner.
In the National Times News magazine, June 2014, Issue II www.ntn.mn , there is an article entitled "We Seek To Build Capacity of Organizations and Individuals That We Work With", an interview with Mrs. Meloney C. Lindberg, The Asia Foundation's country representative in Mongolia. ... "In 1989, The Asia Foundation received a call from Mongolia's UN Ambassador requesting support as Mongolia was in the process of transitioning to a democracy and market-led economy."
Late morning when the rain stopped, Sherry walked and I worked on blog. I am so intrigued with Mongolia that I am trying to capture all of the information we are gaining and share it with all. Sherry and I are spending many hours doing our best to verbalize these ideas.
This afternoon we kayaked for a short time until the wind came up and my shoulder had had enough of paddling into the wind with a fairly heavy paddle. (I now realize how important it is for me to get serious about exercises and PT!) Late afternoon drinking tea, we had a very interesting discussion with Patrick..., French Businessman. Patrick is CEO and Founder of a company that 'in sources' management to companies that are recovering from a crisis (earthquake, e.g.) or are implementing a major change. He had been head of KPMG's Consulting Practice and 13 years ago started this company. Very bright and articulate in English, we had a fairly serious conversation about the future of the world and the demise of the middle class in developed countries like France and the US.
With a fire in ger, we were warm and comfortable as the temperature dropped outside. Pouring rain this evening and through much of the night...
Friday, June 27 Horse Trek, Kayaking, Walking...
... rain stopped early morning. By the time we emerged from our ger before 7 am, the sun was bright with blue skies scattered with cumulus clouds! After breakfast, Sherry went kayaking and I did shoulder exercises.
At 10 am, we are off on a horse trek and "picnic" lunch. We rode about 3 hours with a rest stop then had an excellent lunch! The Chef from the Toilogt Ger Camp prepared an excellent barbecue for us... actually the dinner we would have had last night if we had gone to tent camp overnight! We had 'appetizers' of crackers with cucumbers and tomatoes and cheese; then green salad with tomatoes and olives and tuna salad; main course was grilled steak and mutton, sliced potatoes, corn and kidney beans and kimchi (Sherry's favorite!). Dessert was fruit plate - apples, banana, grapes. A feast! 
The wildflowers are abundant here in Mongolia; similar to Colorado. Altitude is approx. 5000 ft with plains, valleys and mountains. Blue Gentian, Lousewort, Jacob's Ladder and other Vetch, Purple Daisies or are they Asters?, Mountain Death Camus, Yellow Buttercups, Mouse-eared Chickweed, Trollius, Bog Orchid, Thistles, Day Lilies, ... After lunch we rode about 2 hours home; much trotting on the return so the trip was faster. Sherry has not had much riding experience and she did a great job -- even sitting the trot! Returned to camp at 3:30pm.... electricity turned on so we charged phones and my computer.
Guests at Ger Camp are from Italy, France, Sweden, Singapore, Korea, Germany and 2 Americans (that's us!). Before dinner we spoke with a Swedish couple who have completed a two year assignment in Almaty, Kazakhstan; David works for Ericcson, Swedish Telecom company. Traveling with 3 children, they are returning home via Mongolia! We met them again at Three Camel Lodge, Gobi
Saturday, June 28 Morning in Toilogt; Travel to UB
Flight to UB delayed because of weather. We will have the morning and lunch in Toilogt. At 1:30 pm we depart and drive to Muron for 4:40 pm flight to UB and the Ramada Hotel, our UB 'home'. When we arrived at Muron airport, we learned that there was a further delay of flight -- in fact, we departed at 7:35 pm. Fortunately, our driver Naidaan, lives in Muron, the capital of Hovsgol Province. We drove through this city of 80,000 people, seeing its Russian-style homes with metal roofs of many colors - blue, red, green. We visited a museum which housed artifacts as old as the 13th c. When ready to depart museum, Naidaan's new car (Toyota Land Cruiser) did not start! Several men tried to discover and solve problem, but no luck. So they drove Naidaan to his home for another car -- his old Toyota Land Cruiser-- and we were on our way! Dinner at local Hotel - very good salad and chicken steak with vegetables - and back to airport for departure to UB. Naidaan has been driving for Nomadic Expeditions for 6 years.
Arrived UB at 8:50 pm.... at Hotel by 10 pm. A hot shower to wash off travel dust!
Sunday, June 29 Travel to Gobi and Three Camel Lodge
Depart hotel at 10 am for 11:50 am flight to Dalanzagad and the next phase of our Mongolian adventure -- the Gobi Desert!
We arrived at the Three Camel Lodge in time for lunch -- a gourmet surprise: salad with vermicelli; tomato soup (with tomatoes grown in Lodge's greenhouse and an amazing pizza with a thin crisp crust. The 3 Camel Lodge was built about 10 years ago by Jalsa Urubshurow, owner of Nomadic Expeditions built as an upscale Eco Lodge to rival the top African Lodges. Excellent customer service, Mongolian haute cuisine and accommodations are at the core of Jalsa's management philosophy... and it shows. Doljo, Nomadic Expedition's Ulaanbaatar Manager, has surprised us with an upgrade to a deluxe ger... not only 2 queen beds, but also a bathroom with toilet and sink. 
Monday, June 30, 2014 Moltsog Els (Sand Dunes); Flaming Cliffs (Dino Egg discovery 1923); Camel Trek
From the cold weather up north at Lake Hovsgol and yesterday in the Yol Valley, we are now experiencing the hot weather of the desert. After a great breakfast of freshly made omelets with veggies and bacon, we headed out driving to Moltsog Els and a hike in the sand dunes. Driving in the desert deserves comment! Augi, our driver, is masterful driving the Land Cruiser in this vast area with no roads... and he knows where he is going! While there is an occasional outcropping of sand or rocks and the position of the sun to use as compass, to the untrained eye, the sameness is endless. There has been an unusual amount of rain this year, thus stubby green grass a shrubs are dotted everywhere.
Driving across the desert, we came upon a nomadic family of sheep herders shearing their sheep....
Driving across the desert, we came upon a nomadic family of sheep herders shearing their sheep....
Next stop is to the Flaming Cliffs where the first dinosaur eggs were discovered in 1922 by Dr. Roy Chapman Andrews and a team from the American Museum of Natural History identifying the Gobi as a source of research for Paleontologists and Archaeologists. Tomorrow we will visit Tugrigiin Shiree where remains of the fighting dinosaurs were found. (Photos of dinosaur eggs and the remains of the dinosaurs are included in July 4 description when we visited the Paleontology Lab in UB.)
We drove to the Camel herders ger and were served milk tea, biscuits and cheese curd. Then, on to camels for the rest of today! After 1.5 hours, we stopped for lunch... an amazing treat. Not only is our driver, Augi, tracking us across the desert, we also have a van with a cook, driver and camping gear in a minivan. By the time we got to lunch spot, they had prepared food and shelter (from the heat) and a multi-course lunch! 
After lunch (about 2:30 pm) we continued on camels to our camp site... a remote location in the desert with no one for miles! Sherry took a break from the camel for about an hour; I persevered for another 3.5 hours! We did stop a few times to get off and stretch. Quite an experience! When we reached camp site, we were given the option to not ride camels tomorrow and - we agreed with little hesitation!
Dinner was another excellent meal prepared in the back of the cook's van! Cozy in our North Face tent, we had a good night's sleep. Trillions of stars in the sky... lighting our way to the 'toilet enclosure' during the night.
Tuesday, July 1 Tugrigiin Shiree (site of Fighting Dinosaurs); Bulgan village
After a sumptuous and leisurely breakfast of (all prepared by cook in van!) cereal, fruit, juice, cheese with thinly, fried 'bread', pancakes and bacon and eggs! I had actually left the dining tent after cheese and 'bread' and was very surprised when I returned with my book to sip coffee to find the eggs and bacon!
About 9 am we left camp and drove to Turgrigiin Shiree. In 1940, Russian paleontologists found the remains of 2 dinosaurs locked in combat... Velociraptor vs. Protoceratops. Although we hiked around the site, there are no remains to be seen. But, we did visit the Research Lab in UB where the dinosaur remains are stored.
Next stop was the village of Bulgan where, thanks to an underground spring, there is ample water to irrigate a farm. The farm is maintained by residents of Bulgan. Vegetables are grown to feed the ~2000 people in Bulgan and for many miles in the Gobi.
Our driver, Augi, lives in Bulgan with his wife, 3 yr old son, Batchaa, and wife's 14 yr old sister who cares for Batchaa when wife works as an Environmental Ranger - she is a university graduate. Augi is a driver for Nomadic Expeditions here in the Gobi. We were served freshly made steamed dumplings and milk tea. Their ger is complete with flat screen TV, DVD player, Refrigerator, Microwave and electric burner... all in a fenced yard. Amazing!
For the first few minutes of our trip back to Three Camel Lodge, 3 yr old Batchaa climbed into the front of car, sat on console with his hand on his Father's shoulder and was dropped off at a friend's ger for a 'play date'!
Returning to the Three Camel Lodge in time for late lunch!
Wednesday, July 2 Return to UB
Up at 5:30 am to have breakfast, pack and depart for early flight for UB. It is a beautiful day here in the Gobi --- sorry to leave this vastness!
Returned to UB late morning and checked into Ramada Hotel - again. Today we are in room 1312..... with each return we are moving up in floors (706, 812, 1110 - now 1312). Silly me to remember all the room numbers! Especially since rooms are essentially the same with firm beds and soft pillows and breakfast on the 5th floor is a treat:-)
We chose Mongolian BBQ for lunch.... still very good. This afternoon we are searching for cashmere and a pillow cover... good luck with cashmere, not with pillow cover. Later afternoon chilling in hotel reading and washing ourselves and enough clothes to last for several days. We have chosen not to go out to restaurant for dinner; Temka ordered a pizza for us and had it delivered to our room. This is good service :-)
Thursday, July 3 Hustai National Park; TAKHI Horses
Within an hour of UB with its high (and low) rise buildings and vast mounts of traffic, is Hustai National Park - home to more than 300 Takhi horses, grass-covered rolling hills and a ger camp. The Takhi horse is the wild ancestor of today's domestic horses. Nearing extinction, a foundation was created by a Dutch businessman to return the takhi to their original home. Collected from zoos, the takhi returned and are thriving! Late afternoon we drove deeper into park and found several herds of takhi...they passed very close to us heading for the river! The Takhi travel in family groups - one stallion, several mares and foals. When two mares from one group 'invaded' the space of another group, the two stallions had a confrontation with each other. This ended amicably with both stallions backing away. And, I have it on video!
Lunch and dinner at ger camp... plenty of vegetables! Note solar tubes to heat water for heat in ger... alternative is wood stove. Building in back right of photo has large solar array used for 24/7 electricity in camp.Group of Americans here traveling with Nomadic Expeditions as their 'in country' travel company, their trip was booked with Abercrombie.
Lunch at the Seoul Club - Korean food. Dinosaurs in Mongolia --Excellent visit with Paleontologist at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Research Center of Paleontology and their dinosaur discoveries and research. I had heard of some of the unique dinosaur finds in Mongolia when I traveled with granddaughter, Mollie, last summer in Colorado and Utah on the American Museum of Natural History "Dino Dig". The research in Mongolia is among the best in the world; the Gobi desert is filled with dinosaur fossils.
Protoceratops, below, was one of the 'fighting dinosaurs, found at Turgrigiin Shire, which we visited on July 1. Below are the fossils of dozens of protoceratops infants newly brn. Were they hatched from eggs or do they represent live birth? This is a question paleontologists are wrestling with. No remains of egg shells were found anywhere!
Pizza delivered to room for dinner! That and the rest of last night's bottle of wine were our final dinner in Mongolia!
ULAANBAATAR... 'UB'
Approximately 1/3 of Mongolia's population lives in Ulaanbaatar, capital of country. Traffic is terrible! Construction underway to widen roads; amusement Park for families...
Saturday, July 5... Travel Day UB/Seoul/Dallas/Denver/HOME
ULAANBAATAR... 'UB'
Approximately 1/3 of Mongolia's population lives in Ulaanbaatar, capital of country. Traffic is terrible! Construction underway to widen roads; amusement Park for families...
Saturday, July 5... Travel Day UB/Seoul/Dallas/Denver/HOME
Depart Ramada Hotel at 6 am to check in for 8:45 am flight. Sad to leave Mongolia... a very beautiful country with a long and fabulous history and very nice, well educated people moving swiftly into the 21st c.
Anecdotes from trip home....
Mongolian Air flight to Seoul/ULN departed and arrived on time. However, they would not let us carry our bags on plane. Sherry's bag was checked through to LA since she is flying Asiana ICN/LAX and they partner with Mongolian Air. American, my carrier, does not so I my bag was only checked to ULN. But, when we got to ULN, I could not figure out how to get me bag! Finally, AA tracked down bag and is having it transferred to my flight to Dallas. IF all goes well, I will get a new baggage ticket and pick up my bag in Dallas with time to 'breeze' through immigration and customs and make my flight tp Denver.
For now, I am in the Asiana First Lounge enjoying coffee and sushi... need to switch to wine or champagne...
All worked out well! My bag was waiting for me in Dallas to clear immigration and customs and on to last leg of trip...
Space available for further thoughts as I digest my Mongolia experience. I have alerted friends and family to the availability of my blog and look forward to reactions and comments!
