This part of the festivities ended and everyone started to leave the stadium. Our group also left at this time. Everyone went in their own direction. We had a little time before we had to go to the hotel so I went outside to where all the stalls were and started walking around and taking pictures. We had all agreed to meet at the front gate in one hour. I ended up going around the stadium three times.
President of Mongolia
On the third time around I ran into the president of Mongolia and his entourage. I quickly seized the moment and snapped a picture. After the presedent and the secret service passed I continued to wander around taking pictures until it was time to return to the front gate. I got there at the time we arranged but didn't see anyone there. Suddenly Baska appeared out of nowhere. He explained that everyone else wanted to go back to the hotel so he stayed behind so he and I could take a taxi back. Me paying of course.
We walked out to the main road and hailed a car down. It had no taxi markings. In Mongolia any regular driver can turn his car into a taxi and earn a little extra money any time he feels like it. We piled in and the driver took us back to the hotel.
After resting for a little while at the hotel it was time to go to the archery contest which took place at a location outside of town. Archery is one of the most important sports to the Mongolians. In the time of Chinggis Kahn it was a skill that was used by all his men while they robbed and pillaged their way across the vast Russian steppes. The bows and arrows that they use today are very similar to the ones they used in ancient times. The bow has no sights and the string is made from the tendons of bulls. Arrows are made of thin, straight twigs. Arrow head are made of carved bone and the feathers that guide the arrow in flight are from some species of the vulture family.
Archery
After watching this for awhile we went down the road further out of town to witness the horse races. The sun by now was starting to climb higher in the sky and it was getting hot. Fortunately a couple of us brought our umbrellas with us to shade ourselves from the penetrating rays of the sun. Horse racing is the surpreme sport in Mongolia. Since horses are the number one form of transportation in that country and everyone learns to ride them practically before they can walk, it is natural that they would participate in horse racing. It's something they practice all year round and the final race is performed during the Naadam Festivities so it is a very important race for the people, and the whole country participates.
People Came from Miles Around to Witness the Horse Races
Some people spend three months traveling to Ulaanbaatar to attend the horse races even though there are similar races conducted in all the providences of the country. The Naadam Festival held in the capitol holds more prestige so many people from the outlying areas of the country come to the one held in Ulaanbaatar.
The contenders that participate in the horse races are children between three to eight years old. The race track is about fifteen to thirty kilometers. When we got to the place where we were to view the race it was very crowded and there was alot of tension in the air. Someone from our group was kicked by a horse and became very upset. It was so packed I didn't see the race at all. I was told it was taking place about a half a mile from where we were.
The Winner of the Race
When the race was over the winner, along with some of the other racers came over for everyone to admire. It was a very proud moment for this little boy after he won the race. It is considered good luck to touch the sweat of the horse, so many people went up to the winning horse to touch it. We were the only Americans there that I could see at the race. The Mongolian people don't go around taking pictures like we do so it was kind of a strange experience taking pictures of all these people and capturing it all with some people not knowing what to make of it. I was very aware of the fact that some of these people felt we were stealing their spirit everytime we snapped a picture. Some people didn't want their picture taken and they let us know that in a very obvious way.
President of Mongolia
On the third time around I ran into the president of Mongolia and his entourage. I quickly seized the moment and snapped a picture. After the presedent and the secret service passed I continued to wander around taking pictures until it was time to return to the front gate. I got there at the time we arranged but didn't see anyone there. Suddenly Baska appeared out of nowhere. He explained that everyone else wanted to go back to the hotel so he stayed behind so he and I could take a taxi back. Me paying of course.
We walked out to the main road and hailed a car down. It had no taxi markings. In Mongolia any regular driver can turn his car into a taxi and earn a little extra money any time he feels like it. We piled in and the driver took us back to the hotel.
After resting for a little while at the hotel it was time to go to the archery contest which took place at a location outside of town. Archery is one of the most important sports to the Mongolians. In the time of Chinggis Kahn it was a skill that was used by all his men while they robbed and pillaged their way across the vast Russian steppes. The bows and arrows that they use today are very similar to the ones they used in ancient times. The bow has no sights and the string is made from the tendons of bulls. Arrows are made of thin, straight twigs. Arrow head are made of carved bone and the feathers that guide the arrow in flight are from some species of the vulture family.
Archery
After watching this for awhile we went down the road further out of town to witness the horse races. The sun by now was starting to climb higher in the sky and it was getting hot. Fortunately a couple of us brought our umbrellas with us to shade ourselves from the penetrating rays of the sun. Horse racing is the surpreme sport in Mongolia. Since horses are the number one form of transportation in that country and everyone learns to ride them practically before they can walk, it is natural that they would participate in horse racing. It's something they practice all year round and the final race is performed during the Naadam Festivities so it is a very important race for the people, and the whole country participates.
People Came from Miles Around to Witness the Horse Races
Some people spend three months traveling to Ulaanbaatar to attend the horse races even though there are similar races conducted in all the providences of the country. The Naadam Festival held in the capitol holds more prestige so many people from the outlying areas of the country come to the one held in Ulaanbaatar.
The contenders that participate in the horse races are children between three to eight years old. The race track is about fifteen to thirty kilometers. When we got to the place where we were to view the race it was very crowded and there was alot of tension in the air. Someone from our group was kicked by a horse and became very upset. It was so packed I didn't see the race at all. I was told it was taking place about a half a mile from where we were.
The Winner of the Race
When the race was over the winner, along with some of the other racers came over for everyone to admire. It was a very proud moment for this little boy after he won the race. It is considered good luck to touch the sweat of the horse, so many people went up to the winning horse to touch it. We were the only Americans there that I could see at the race. The Mongolian people don't go around taking pictures like we do so it was kind of a strange experience taking pictures of all these people and capturing it all with some people not knowing what to make of it. I was very aware of the fact that some of these people felt we were stealing their spirit everytime we snapped a picture. Some people didn't want their picture taken and they let us know that in a very obvious way.
posted by THE REAL MIKE BAILEY at 1:56 AM
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