{"id":9107,"date":"2011-10-17T23:03:26","date_gmt":"2011-10-17T15:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/?p=9107"},"modified":"2014-04-26T18:42:10","modified_gmt":"2014-04-26T10:42:10","slug":"travel-blog-mongolia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/le-mckernan.com\/?p=9107","title":{"rendered":"Travel Blog — Mongolia"},"content":{"rendered":"

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‘Oh, bugger<\/em>‘ was my first thought as I went flying thru the air. \u00a0‘Ouch<\/em>‘ was my second thought as I landed on the painted rocks which served to demarcate the boundary separating the spectators and the players. \u00a0Buzkashi is a horsegame typically compared to polo — but the former is played with a ball whereas the latter is played with a headless goat carcass. \u00a0The other difference is that polo is typically considered a gentleman’s game whereas buzhashi is a seriously rowdy, highly competitive and very fierce spectacle. \u00a0Nonetheless, I thought I was relatively safe as I was seated in a place of honour. \u00a0I was on the front bench alongside some senior and distinguished Eagle Hunters. \u00a0Surely these boys won’t want to run over their grandfathers, or so I thought … \u00a0Not so as these boys take buzhashi very seriously and the locals know this. \u00a0So, as a wall of four galloping horses headed towards the benches, the ‘grandfathers’ were swift and nimble and avoided the horses. \u00a0I, on the other hand, went flying thru the air as the horses (and riders) ignored the painted rocks.<\/p>\n

As I dusted myself off, my third thought was on whether or not I’d managed to get ‘that perfect shot’ of the thundering horses coming towards me. \u00a0But, before I could check the images from my camera, I noticed that I was suddenly surrounded by the locals. \u00a0“OK? \u00a0OK?” they all asked with their eyes and kind gestures. \u00a0“I’m OK.” \u00a0I smiled and gave them the ‘thumbs up’ and tried to assured them that all was fine but they still seemed genuinely concerned. \u00a0“OK? \u00a0OK? \u00a0Sit, sit.” \u00a0And then, more people came up to check that I was unhurt. \u00a0It was then that I realised that there was some secret or unspoken code of hospitality at stake. \u00a0The locals were appalled that a visitor was potentially injured. \u00a0I tried to assuage their concerns by resuming normalcy and taking more photos of the game. \u00a0(Note: \u00a0nothing stops\u00a0buzhashi.) But the crowds remained. \u00a0And then the penny dropped — the locals were now forming a human shield around me against future harm.<\/p>\n

I was so charmed by their generosity that the game no longer became important to me.\u00a0 Instead, I started to take photographs on my iPhone of the kids protecting me.\u00a0\u00a0 I used the Hipstamatic application on the phone to create interesting images and the kids were thrilled to see their portraits. \u00a0And, before I knew it, the game finished. \u00a0In the end, I didn’t get that ‘perfect’ shot. Nonetheless, I had something better —\u00a0I had the warmest memory of the kindness and concerns shown by ordinary Mongolians towards me during the game. \u00a0It was an endearing and unforgettable moment.<\/p>\n

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The bitter and biting cold was another unforgettable memory of Mongolia. \u00a0We did our research beforehand and packed for all seasons. \u00a0During the day and under the blazing sun, it was warm and bright (sunblock and hat mandatory). \u00a0But, on a clear and star-filled night, it was brutally cold. \u00a0On the first night, I had my woollen stockings plus two layers of thermals whilst tucked inside an Arctic sleeping bag and under a thick wool blanket (loaned to us by the family we were staying with). \u00a0During the autumn and winter, the family moved into their mud-brick winter house; during the summer, they use their ger (a Mongolian yurt) as they move their herds to summer pasture. \u00a0We were sleeping in their summer ger — and it provided little warmth. \u00a0Every night, the host lit a dung fire in the ger’s central stove, but, the dung fire burned too quickly. \u00a0Within 30 minutes, the ger was cold again as the biting winds found every holes and gaps in the thin walls. \u00a0On the second night, I added more thermals but I still found it uncomfortably and incredibly cold. \u00a0It was so cold that it was difficult to fall asleep. \u00a0In fact, it was so cold that the decision to remain inside the sleeping bag and shiver\/suffer the cold (and pray that I’ll eventually fall asleep) was better<\/em> than to unzip the bag and expose myself to even more horrible coldness in order to put on more layers. \u00a0Each night thereafter I added more layers until I looked like the Michelin man. \u00a0It was only on the seventh and final night in the ger that I finally had a warm and comfortable sleep — at that point, I had: \u00a01 woollen stocking, three pairs of wool\/cotton socks, three thermal pants, three thermal shirts plus a double-thickness cotton shirt plus 1 cotton rugby shirt whilst tucked inside a sleeping bag under a wool blanket and a sheepskin coat (also on loan from the family) used as another blanket. \u00a0And this was in early October! \u00a0I cannot imagine the cold during the deepest and darkest winter.<\/p>\n

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‘the leaky ger’ \u00a0— \u00a0see video tour (external link to YouTube)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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‘the leaky ger’ at night<\/p><\/div>\n

Manaa, our host, is a champion eagle hunter with a beautiful wife and 11 grown children. Most of his fledglings have either moved to the village and\/or are boarded at school. \u00a0Even so, the house is rarely quiet. \u00a0Mongolian hospitality is a never-ending pot of milk tea and a continual stream of neighbours and visitors. \u00a0During the weekend, the school kids return and the house teems with life. \u00a0In addition to the kids, the house is home to two golden eagles. \u00a0The elder eagle has been in Manaa’s care for 5 years and is quite docile. \u00a0The other bird is newly acquired and still very wild. \u00a0As such, it is kept in the kitchen so that it would acclimatise to the sounds, smell and sight of humans.<\/p>\n

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our host with his trained eagle<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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a wild eagle in the kitchen <\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The eagle hunters only use female birds as they are significantly larger than male birds. \u00a0Furthermore, they only use eagles that have already been trained to hunt by their mother. \u00a0The hunters then train the birds to hunt for them. \u00a0The first step is to teach the young eagle (typically at age 1) to accept food (a poor bunny in this case) from the eagle hunter. \u00a0 Once the bird accepts the eagle hunter as it’s ‘master’, then the eagle is taken outside and tethered to a rope and taught to catch a lure and then fly back to it’s master. \u00a0We were told (via our translator) that Manaa has trained 6 eagles successfully in his career and that it would take approximately 20 days to train a smart eagle. \u00a0Once an eagle is trained and successfully captures an animal, the eagle hunter would reward it by giving it the warm liver of fox\/rabbit\/marmot. \u00a0A good hunting eagle is typically kept for ten years before it is released back into the wild so that it could breed. \u00a0At the start of the breeding season on the eagle’s 11th year, it is taken to the top of the highest nearby peak and released. \u00a0We were told that it is extremely rare for a released bird to return back to it’s master’s home. \u00a0But if it does return, then it is taken further afield and released again.<\/p>\n

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We were in western Mongolia specifically to see the two-days Golden Eagle Festival<\/a>. \u00a0This is a public-private enterprise between the local government and a tour group (Nomadic Expedition) to showcase and to preserve a local tradition as well as give an economic injection into a sleepy part of Mongolia. \u00a0We wanted our tourist dollar to stay in Mongolia and therefore opted to travel independently. \u00a0We used a local agent (Blue Wolf Travels LTD<\/em> — which we would\u00a0NOT<\/span><\/strong> recommend) to book our private gerstay, our translator\/guide, and our driver. \u00a0The plan was to arrive before the crowd and spend two days exploring the region first. \u00a0Then, we would attend the festival followed by two days of horse riding & hunting with the eagle hunters. \u00a0And our seventh and last day in western Mongolia would be a rest day. \u00a0Very little went according to plan because Blue Wolf was hugely disorganised<\/em><\/strong><\/span>. \u00a0In fact, the only days that went perfectly were days that Blue Wolf was not involved in the logistics. \u00a0(I would recommend avoiding<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Blue Wolf — please see the specifics in my review of the company<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Blue Wolf malarky aside, we thoroughly enjoyed visiting western Mongolia. \u00a0We loved staying with Manaa and his family. \u00a0We ate with the family and shared their communal plates. \u00a0Like the locals, we dropped into other people’s houses to say hello and were supplied with endless milk tea (full fat and salty). \u00a0The evening entertainment was based on songs and storytelling. \u00a0Despite their hard lives, Manaa and the others know how to live to the fullest. \u00a0On the last night of the Eagle Festival, Manaa and his neighbours celebrated the local village’s festival successes until 5:30 AM. \u00a0The celebration only ended because it clashed with the start of his morning chores. His animals needed care so he exited from the party and\u00a0took the birds out for their morning exercise and then he tended to the cows, yaks, horses and goats.<\/p>\n

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Manaa’s sons kill a goat for dinner<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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a typical dinner scene: mutton and potatoes in the communal plate (center of the table), endless cups of tea, and Mongolian vodka. <\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Travel to western Mongolia required a robust constitution. \u00a0Prior to our arrival, I’d spend weeks trying to hunt down the elusive typhoid vaccine. \u00a0The global manufacture’s recall resulted in a very tight supply and I was told by numerous medical centres and hospitals in Hong Kong that the vaccine could not be purchased in HK for love or money. \u00a0Many false leads later but thanks to a tip from the HK government, I found a Christian medical clinic that had the vaccine in stock. \u00a0And, it was needed!<\/p>\n

In western Mongolia, one did one’s\u00a0ablutions in the open fields. \u00a0In addition, the primary source of fuel for cooking was animal dung. \u00a0And, whilst there was a washing basin the kitchen, the water was from a nearby well. \u00a0Furthermore, the cook (from Blue Wolf) didn’t always wash her hands after filling the stove with the quick-burning dried dung.\u00a0\u00a0And so we were incredibly grateful that we were fully vaccinated up for all types of bugs and ailments before we arrived.<\/p>\n

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What we didn’t anticipated were the bruised elbows and sore back from bouncing along the rocky steppe and dirt paths. \u00a0There is ‘off roading’ and then there is ‘Mongolian off roading’. \u00a0We crossed boulders-ridden riverbeds, climbed steep mountain sides, and tracked across stoney and sandy desert paths in an old Soviet jeep. \u00a0 Coming from a super-condensced city, it was a joy to be able to stretch one’s eyes towards the horizon. \u00a0But, the joy was quickly replaced when we realised that getting from point A to point B required hours<\/em> of travel.<\/p>\n

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See video — note: this is an external link to YouTube<\/p><\/div>\n

Mongolia was truly and dramatically vast. \u00a0Thankfully, Bruce downloaded some old Soviet maps and overlayed these maps onto Goggle Earth and he uploaded these files onto his GPS device. Thus, we were able to see our progress in real-time in Mongolia. \u00a0Once we were travelling some distance to see a stone monolith. \u00a0A quarter of the way there, the driver stopped the car (twice) to inspect something. \u00a0At this point, we checked Bruce’s GPS device and realised that we were in the middle of absolutely nowhere. \u00a0Furthermore, we were in the Mongolian desert and had no spare water (and no spare blankets in case we got stuck there at night). And, we were so remote that there was no mobile phone reception. \u00a0And to make matters worse, due to a Blue Wolf screw-up, we had a change in the itinerary which meant that no one knew our true destination. \u00a0So, if the car broke down in the middle of Nowhere Mongolia<\/em>, we would truly be 100% buggered. \u00a0At this point, Bruce made the right decision and cancelled our outing to see the stone monolith.<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately, this curtailed roadtrip was not an isolated incident as the local agent was completely ‘canat’ (a newly invented adjective!). \u00a0Thankfully, we had a very good driver and translator\/guide which helped mitigate our losses. \u00a0But despite losing time going to the wrong places, etc. we could not stop enjoying the endless natural beauty and stunning landscapes.<\/p>\n

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The absolute highlight of the trip was the Golden Eagle Festival<\/a>. \u00a0At approximately 10 AM, it started off with a parade of the Eagle Hunters (my guestimate was that approximately 30 Eagle Hunters participated in the 2013 festival). \u00a0 The first two hours of the festival was vicious — every Westerner (and his dog) had multiple cameras, smartphones, video cameras, binoculars, etc. \u00a0And so before the official eagle competition started, the photographers (myself included) jostled and competed amongst ourselves for ‘the photo opportunity’. \u00a0It was an ‘Eagle Hunter paparazzi’ on an epic scale. \u00a0Thankfully, the photo mania calmed once everyone realised that the festival spanned two days, there was plenty of space to spread out, and by stepping on top of each other, no one was going to get a good photograph.<\/p>\n

Day 1 was to test the eagle’s response to it’s master’s voice. \u00a0One by one, the eagle hunters called out to their eagles. \u00a0The eagles were released from a high peak and they were timed. \u00a0The quickest one to perch onto it’s master’s arm was the winner.\u00a0On Day 2, the test was on the eagle’s ability to catch a moving bait (dead fox\/rabbit dragged behind a horse). \u00a0Again, the eagles were timed and judged on speed and effectiveness on landing the bait. The eagle competition ended by midday on Day 2. \u00a0That afternoon was an opportunity for the local boys to demonstrate their horse riding skills as well as compete against neighbouring villages in robust games of\u00a0buzhashi.<\/p>\n

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Bizarrely, some of the eagles determined that photographers were more desirable than the dead foxes\/rabbits. Two photographers were “attacked” — and one was actually hunted by the eagles twice! (Bad eagle karma?) \u00a0Thankfully, neither the photographers nor the birds were injured.<\/p>\n

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photographer used his tripod to defend himself from an eagle<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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the bait … <\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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the horseman luring the eagle with the rabbit bait<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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picking up a small parcel on the ground whilst on a moving horse<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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show-off !<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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Ouch! Player is knocked off this horse during a game of buzhashi<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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Despite the bitter cold at night, the harsh travelling condition and the many frustrations and disappointment with our local travel agent, we thoroughly enjoyed visiting Mongolia and would highly recommend the Golden Eagle Festival in Olgii\/Ulgii. \u00a0If possible, we would recommend avoiding the the tourist gers and hotels. \u00a0The best way to get “under the skin” of a place is to do a homestay or a gerstay with a local family. \u00a0Our recommendations are posted below.<\/p>\n

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at feedback@le-mckernan.com. \u00a0 Happy travels!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

BTW — the first image below is the image I’d managed to take before getting knocked over. \u00a0The second image shows one of my “human shields” trying to get my attention to warn me about the approaching horses. \u00a0It still tickles me pink when I reflect on the kindness and care of the locals!<\/p>\n

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before …<\/p><\/div>\n

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after …<\/p><\/div>\n

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For additional photographs, please check out this\u00a0link<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Travel Tips:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For anyone interested in travelling to Western Mongolia, our suggestions are:<\/span><\/p>\n