My Trip to China, Mongolia and Russia 2000 By Mike Bailey

As the jet descended lower and lower I could see the houses where the Chinese people lived below. Some of the buildings looked to be made out of stone. Many had walls around their backyards. The jet landed. We had made it.

Entering Beijing Airport



We were taxied to the terminal and after a little wait we filed out of the plane. I had no idea what to expect. I hadn't done any international traveling since 1970 When I came back from Vietnam after my tour of duty was finished. Down the hall there was a line of people holding up cards with people's names on them. I didn't see any with my name on any of them. An announcement came over the innercom in English stating that our luggage could be found at carousel number one. Surprisingly I was feeling cool and calm under the circumstances. I was thousands of miles from my home in a country different then my own. It was a communist country. I didn't speak the language.

I followed the crowd into a room and was handed a little card to be filled out. It had all the usual information they wanted; the same information that is on your passport, where you were from and other things. It was a very short form. After that I gave it to someone who was standing at the entrance of a very large room. Here we had to get in line and give a person seated behind a counter a piece of rice paper we filled out while we were in the plane. When my turn came I stepped up to the desk where the custom worker was and handed him the piece of paper. He took my passport and then wrote something on a piece of paper then handed it back to me. I asked him where carousel one was. He looked at me with a puzzled expression and said something in Chinese. I smiled and said thank you and left.

I went down some stairs and saw that there were carousels so I found carousel one and after a little wait found my suitcase. I grabbed it, pulled the handle up and started rolling it toward a door in the middle of the building that led outside where other people were leaving.

The air was sultry but not too warm. I could tell that it had been raining recently. Outside the door there was a crowd of people. Again there were people holding up signs with people's name on them, some in Chinese and some in English and other languages. There were also taxi drivers soliciting for customers. Someone held up a little yellow card that had the word, MIR written on it. That was the name of the travel company I booked this trip through. I made eye contact with the person holding the card and lifted my index finger. "Are you Michael Bailey"? The American with dark hair asked. I said I was. He lifted the ribbon that separated the crowd from the people coming out the door and pulled me through and guided me to the back of the crowd. He introduced himself as Paul Schwartz, the tour manager. Then he introduced me to Yang who would be our guide while we were in Beijing. Paul mentioned that I had been the first one of the group he had found so far. He left me with Yang so he could find the others. While standing and waiting Yang told me twice that if I wanted to smoke I had to go outside. I told him twice that I didn't smoke.

Yang was a native of Beijing and knew the city well. In a few minutes Paul came back with two other member of our group; Fran and Arlene. We were taken to the van where we put our luggage and then got in. Other members of the group started to arrive. Sabine who was a world traveler and then a middle aged man with his eighteen year old son. We were ready to go. Yang said that it would take about an hour to get to our hotel since it was in the heart of Beijing. I was actually happy to hear that since it would give us time to see the city a little. On the way it was like watching a documentary of China like I had seen many times over the years, but this one was live. I was seeing it in the moment.

We were in rush hour traffic so the driver spent his time maneuvering through traffic trying to get us to the Peace Hotel. At times the traffic was stop and go.

Traffic



Everything in Beijing is big. The buildings are huge. The major thoroughfares are about six lanes in each direction. While we were driving along Yang was trying to explain to us that Beijing is constantly changing. If we would come back in three years we would not recognize it. That seems to be true of my city too, I thought.

We finally got to the hotel and checked in. We didn't do much that first day since the tour was to begin the next day.

The next morning I got up and went downstairs to the resturant and had breakfast. They had a variety of everything both American and Chinese. After breakfast we had a little time, so my roommate, Sabine and I walked around the block to see if we could find any hutongs.

Hutong



These are little old fashioned alley ways that represent the real China that are rapidly disappearing as Beijing modernizes. We found one not far from the hotel. As we were walking around in the early morning people were on their way to work either walking, riding bicycles or driving cars.

The Forbidden City

The van was waiting by the time we got back to the hotel. The ride to the Forbidden City was only a few minutes. We parked and got out. As we walked along the outer wall toward the entrance we were occosted by hawkers. These people were very pushy and threw themselves on you. They didn't really have to go through all this, I was going to buy their postcards anyway. They were very cheap. Only a few Yuan.

The formal main entrance starts at Tianaman Square where the large picture of Mao is, but we entered from a side door where the Meridian Gate is. The first thing I noticed was that all the doors were red with brass studs in them. The Forbidden City was built between 1406 and 1420. It was burnt down, rebuilt, sacked and then renovated many times in its long history. The city is constantly under reconstruction since the buildings are old and need constant repair. It was the seat of power for five hundred years,

The gate was massive. It is a forty foot, three sided quadrangle court. The walls are red

Meridian Gate and



decorated with artifacts. The roof is yellow glazed tiles. There are three tunnels which are the entrances with walls that are thirty five feet thick. We went through one of the long, dark tunnels. On the other side there was a massive courtyard.

Court of Golden River



I felt like I was walking into a history textbook. This courtyard was called the Court of the Golden River. It's four sides were inclosed by high red walls, colonnaded porches and low buildings. Before us were five white bridges over a moat. The middle bridge is the one the emperor used when he passed by there. The moat is supposedly a river of golden water. As we walked further we came to the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Once we got there we saw some of the art objects that are desplayed there. Then we came upon two great stone lions that guard the gate. It was explained that the male lion on the right has his right paw on a ball. The female lion on the left side of the door has her right paw on a baby lion.
Going through this gate we could see in the distance the Great Hall of Supreme Harmony. This is the place where the emperor had his throne and ruled the country.


Great Hall of Supreme Harmony

The walk over was about the length of two football fields. When we got there I noticed quite a few ornaments on display on the top terrace. There were things like; bronze incense burners and other objects. We could not go in the building since the doors were locked but we were able to look in the windows.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony



The emperor's throne was surrounded by art treasures that are symbolic of nature. It stands on a hardwood platform that is highly polished about two meters tall and is enclosed within six thick, gold lacquered pillars. The base of the throne and the throne itself were carved out of sandalwood. The floor was paved with golden bricks which were baked in an oven for one hundred and thirty six days and then immersed in tung oil and polished to a shiny, permanent gloss.

Around the throne stood two bronze cranes, an elephant-shaped incense burner and tripods in the shape of mystical beasts. On the ceiling there were two glass carved dragons painted with mercury playing with large pearls.

After this we walked around the Great Hall of Supreme Harmony to the smaller Hall of Central Harmony. As we walked the guide pointed out the Garden of the Palace of Benevolent Tranquility to the left. It looked magnificent from a distance.

We skipped the dozen or more other government buildings and went down a long cobblestone passageway lined with huge earthenware vats that held water incase there was a fire in one of the palaces, which was a common occurance in the olden days. At the end of the passageway we arrived at the Gate of Heavenly Purity that led into the inner court. This is the place where the Emperor lived with his wife, children and concubines.

Inside the Emperor's quarters we were able to look in the windows at the highly styled rooms furnished with very fashionable Ming and Qing Dynasty chairs and furniture with silk on the walls and curtains. Not far from this place was where the concubines lived. These were very small quarters.

After this we made our way down to the Gate of Terrestrial Tranquility, which is the entrance to the Imperial Gardens which is at the north end of the city. The garden was built during the Ming Dynasty and covers an area of over twelve thousand square meters. The Hall of Imperial Peace stands in the center of the garden surrounded by a rectangular wall that was built in the fifteenth century.

Two gilded unicorns stand at the entrance. They are supposed to protect the wall from evil spirits. The wall stands among trees, rockeries, flowerbeds, pavilions, terraces and bronze incense burners.

We walked along the decorated walkway through the garden and admired the artistry of the architecture and the layout of the grounds. There were several pagotas which were named for the seasons, such as; the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Springs which stands on the east side of the garden. It was built in 1535 and represents spring. Naturally the other pagotas symbolize summer, fall and winter respectively.

Pavillion of Eternal Spring



Everywhere you looked there were odd shaped rocks strewn around. There is on place called Gathering Beautiful Hill which is an artificial mountain with a cave. It is located on the northeast end of the garden. There are a few fountains around it.

Artificial Mountain



The Pavilion of Imperial View is on top of the artificial mountain. The royal family of the Qing Dynasty used to climb to this spot and enjoy the view of the festivals taking place below.

After looking around in the garden for awhile we went out the back door of the Forbidden City. Looking up to Prospect Hill which is across the way from the Forbidden City, we could see the pagota where the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty hanged himself. After that the bus came to take us back to the hotel.

The Great Wall of China

After the Forbidden City we were taken to the Friendship Store. This is a department store owned and run by the Chinese government. The place was quite big and there was a good selection of Chinese goods for sale. After that we went to a resturant that occupied the back of the building. We went in and sat down. All meals in China for foreigners are the same. The table you sit at is round. There is a lazy susan in the middle. The waitresses come and put many different dishes on the lazy susan. You turn it to get what you want to eat using chopsticks. The plate in front of you is about the size of a saucer so you fill it more then once. You keep eating and turning the lazy susan and putting more on your plate. The girls bring more dishes of food out until you are finished eating. We were unable to eat all the food they brought out.

After this we were off to the Great Wall of China. We got to the freeway and started heading north. It looked like any freeway I had seen in the United States except for the signs written in Chinese reminded me where I was. After about thirty minutes we got off the freeway and headed into a mountainous region in an eastern direction up a winding road. Occasionally we passed a village. We passed a place that made tile roofing where stacks of it were positioned in front of a store by the side of the road. Here people lived a more traditional life. I could see where generation after generations had worked the land laid the foundation on their property and the present generation was still carrying out the plans.

The place where we were going was called Mutianyu Great Wall. It is supposed to be one of the best kept parts of the Great Wall of China. It was built by the Qi and the Ming Dynasties and it has been rebuilt and restored down through the centuries. It has a 1,400 year history and many battles between the Chinese and the Mongols had been fought there.

When we got to the site the driver parked the bus and we got out and proceeded up a gradual incline passing a couple resturants and a few stalls where people were selling memorabilia and other souvenirs.

We took a chair lift to the wall which only took a few minutes but saved alot of walking. When we were let off there was a stone staircase we had to go up to get on the wall. Fortunately it was a pretty clear day except for a few rain clouds in the distance. The view was real good. The wall runs up and down the steep mountains which could be seen for miles.

After awhile it started to rain so we all took cover in one of the guard towers up a steep flight of slippery stairs. Inside there was a girl behind a table selling some stuff. Once we were all inside she started making a big fuss about us buying her stuff. The Chinese as a nation had been closed

Great Wall



off from the rest of the world so long that it seemed they didn't know how to act around foreigners. If she would have calmed down and stop begging maybe more people would have bought her stuff. I'm sure by now the Chinese people have stopped doing this when they try to sell their stuff to what they consider rich Americans. This was back in 2000 when China had only been an open country for a few years.

After this we went back to our hotel where we had to get ready for our journey to Mongolia that would start after breakfast the next day.

Train Through North China and Inner Mongolia

The next morning we got up early and went to the train station in downtown Beijing. Once there we were shuffled into a room where foreigners and Chinese minorities had to wait for their train. The main lobby of the terminal is reserved for Han Chinese. We were waiting for the Trans-Mongolian train which would take us to the capital of Mongolia. Mongolia is the country north of China about the size of Spain, France and Germany put together with a population of about 2.1 million people, but with twice as many cows, sheep, yaks and horses.

Beijing Train Station



We pulled out of the station at around 7am. All Chinese trains are painted dark green. Inside there was wood paneling on the outer walls and the carpet was dark blue. In the cars that had seats there were three rows of seats on one side and two on the other. We were assigned to a car that had cabins. There were nine cabins per car to sleep in once it got dark. The second class car had four bunks per cabin which is the way we were traveling.

A surreal feeling fell over me as we passed the landscape outside the train window. There were makeshift crowded houses that were squashed together. Each had a garden in the back. People were milling around or going to and fro in the streets and pathways. It wasn't long before we got to the outskirst of the city and started to come upon more rural areas. At one point we went passed one part of the great wall. Here most of the dwelling places are tiny, dirty, crumbling red brick houses with tile roofs. I could see that the roads were bad and needed a little TLC.

We were headed north through steep, winding hills, plunging valleys and then finally open plains. We even went through a fairly long tunnel. Was I really in China? I thought to myself. I pinched myself to see if I was going to wake up from a dream.

Engine



We would be arriving in Mongolia early the next morning I was told.

At 12 noon we had our first meal. We went down to the dining car which was a few cars away. Once there we had to wait in line and then eat in shifts. Once it was our turn to eat we were seated and a girl came and put the food in front of us. She gave us chopsticks. For drinks you got a choice of soft drinks or water. I had a coke with Chinese characters written on the can that had the old fashion pull tab that we used to use back in the 70's. The meal was some sort of beef chunks mixed with chunks of fat and some kind of spice I couldn't identify. Shredded, boiled cabbage was on the side and also a little bowl of rice. The rice was overcooked and tasted terrible.

We were passing all kinds of landscapes. There were mountain ranges in the distance. Most of the terrain was cultivated fields planted with corn and vast farm lands. There were also some other types of plants, possibly soybean and cabbage. Inbetween the farm lands there were villages. Each house had about two or three chimneys. Sometimes there was Chinese writing on some of the building close to the railroad tracks. It was possibly put there to identify the name of the town. I asked someone what kind of stoves these people use. I was told that they have open fires in their houses. I'm sure someone in one of those houses was steaming wheatcakes with red bean filling over a coal fire. I heard that this is one of the things these people eat in this region of China.

Country Side



The train rumbled down the tracks. Once in awhile we passed a factory with blue smoke pouring from it's smokestack. I also notice quite a few monsterous earth moving machinery. There were several graveyards along the way. Some were just mounds of dirt with a headstone at one end. In other areas there were just mounds of dirt with no headstone. I saw quite a few portable beehives set along side fields. When the bees finished collecting the pollen from plants in one field they are taken to another field.

Chinese House



For dinner we filed into the dining car again. This time it was chicken, rice and cabbage with the leftover beef from lunch dumped in. It was actually terrible.

The train only made one stop. It was at a station where people had push carts selling things to eat and souvenirs. I took the opportunity to get out and stretch my legs a bit. I bought some kind of snack that was kind of like popped corn that had a strange smell to it.

Inner Mongolia

We had been passing through big sky country for about three hours. We were in what is called Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. It is still controlled by China. All there was for miles and miles was grasslands. Occasionally we would pass a traditional Mongolian tent. The poles to these tents are made of birch branches formed into a lattice framework and held together by horse hair rope. In the center of the ceiling is a hole where the chimney pipe sticks out and is connected to a stove in the center of the tent. The outside of the tent is covered with white felt that is made by the Mongolian people and is tied into place with leather or horse hair rope. The herdmen in this country still follow the lifestyle that has remained unchanged from the time of Chinggis Kahn.

A Ger



We could still see an occasional Chinese house but they were not so close to the railroad tracks anymore. They are usually in large fields in the distance. We also saw sheep herders with their sheep and a few horses that are wandering around by themselves.

Livestock breeding and crop farming make up the economy of this country. Most Mongolian farmers in this region are very poor. They live in poorly built houses made of stone, cemented together with mud. They toil all day in their fields hoeing corn, millet and other crops. The larger farms are owned and supported by the Chinese who were sent into the country to populate it and dominate the Mongolian people. Only about one percent of the land is used for grain production.

As we got closer to the Gobi desert the terrain became more desert-like. There were no longer mountains along the horizon. It was more and more becoming vast steppe land.

Mongolian is the official language of the Mongolian people. It is a member of the Ural-Altic family of languages which includes Finnish, Turkish, Kazan, Uzbek and Korean. While under communist rule the Mongolians were forced to learn to write their language in the Russian Crillic alphabet. The origional Mongolian writing was in a downward flowing script as seen below.

Mongolian Writing



As the liquid sun slowly started to sink into the western horizon we all settled into our cabins in excited anticipation as our journey unfolded. Around midnight we arrived at the border of Outer Mongolia. We left the train and walked single file in the pitch black darkness to a large building where workmen were changing the grade of the wheels of the cars of the train. It is commonly called 'changing the bogies'. During World War one and two, in an attempt to thwarf their enemies the Russians made their trains and tracks wider then every other country so in order to enter Russian territory the gauge of the wheels had to be changed. This would take several hours we were told. When we got to the place where they were changing the bogies we stood around and watched for a while. First a car was released from the wheels. This was done by jacking up the car with a hydrolic jack, the wheels were rolled out from under the car, then raised by a crane and turned around and put back under the car and reattached. After they finished our car we were allowed to go inside our cabin and go to bed.

After a few hours some Chinese custom agents in green uniforms came around. I was awakened. We had to fill out some papers and show them our passports. After this we were able to go back to sleep for a few more hours.

MONGOLIA

Later the Mongolian custom agents came with more papers to sign. By this time everyone was awake. They stamped our visas and then we went back to sleep. After a few more hours there was a knock on the door. We were informed that the custom agents were back. We were given more papers to fill out and sign. Then finally we were left alone to sleep to the sound of the workmen changing the guage of the wheels outside the window.

The next thing I remember was the dry arid desert air blowing in my face from the overhead fan and the open window. My mouth was dry as cotton. I got down from the top bunk and shut the window and turned the fan off and pulled the curtain shut. Everyone else was still asleep. I went back to bed and slept for a few more hours.

The next time I woke up it was starting to get light. I got up and went out of the cabin and looked out the window.

Mongolian Train



Outside was the barren open plains of the Gobi Desert. We had been traveling through it most of the night. About twenty feet from the tracks there was a cattle fence to keep animals off the tracks.

Open Plains



The train stopped briefly at a little deserted town made up of Russian buildings, then we continued on. We went to breakfast and to our surprise there was a whole different dining car. New cooks, new dishes, new everything.

Dining Car



As we got closer to Ulaanbaatar the scenery didn't change much. The praire gave way to an occasional village of the Mongolian tent dwellings.

Mongolia



We made it to the capital of Mongolia called Ulaanbaatar, which is located in northeast, central Mongolia. It is surrounded by pine covered mountains. It is the largest city in the country. While we were entering the city I noticed on the outskirts of town there were clusters of the felt tents and little wooden cottages, some with fences around them. There were also children practicing with their horses for an up-coming festival which would take place in the next few days. It is the most anticipated festival of the year. It is called the Naadaam Festival.

Outskirts of Town



When we arrived at the train station there were many people waiting. I did not notice any platform or building at the station. It seemed to be the edge of town. Porters helped get our luggage off the train where we met our guide, Baskar. He was in his early twenties and was an English teacher in a local college. He led us to a van that was waiting not far away. For the last hour or so dark clouds began to gather and there was thunder rumbling in the distance along with flashes of lightning. Right when we were on our way to the van the rain started coming in a sprinkle but soon turned into a downpour. We scurried as quickly as we could into the van. After we were in the driver tried to get out of the parking lot and get away from the conjestion of cars but suddenly we were in gridlock. All cars came to a sudden stop. Every vehicle was blocking every other vehicle as everyone tried to go in opposite directions all at once. Finally a policeman arrived and straightened this mess out and we were able to leave. I came to this conclusion on this first impression that the people in Ulaanbaatar are wild drivers.

UB Hotel



We arrived at the Hotel Ulaanbaatar, a Soviet style luxury hotel and got a room on the second floor. The inside was massive. The hallways upstairs were dark and long. The ceilings were high. We just had time to put our bags in the room when it was announced that it was lunch time, so we immediately went down to the dinning hall on the first floor and sat down at a long table. We were the only ones there. The first course was a salad of shredded mutton and lettuce. The next course was fish soup. It was made up of; cut up fish with the skin on, carrots, turnups, onions, potatos, chicken stock and pickles. Then the main course came. It was penne noodles with chopped hot dogs with red sauce.

Traffic in Ulaanbaatar

National History Museum

The first one was the National History Museum of Mongolia where we learned about the history of the country. It has a collection of traditional costumes representing most of the minor ethnic groups living in the country.

Male Mongolian Traditional Clothes



They had a couple gers on display that showed how they are furnished with domestic tools, implements and religious objects. It showed the musical instruments they use as well as fishing and hunting equipment. In all there are ten galleries that show Mongolian history and culture from the dawn of civilization to the present.

Female Mongolian Traditional Clothes



There were exhibits that showed evidence of human existence in Mongolia from as far back as the stone age and bronze age. In all this museum shows all the aspects of life in the country, even how they bury their dead.

Museum of Natural History

The next museum was not far from the National History Museum. It houses dinosaur bones that were unearthed in Mongolia in and around the Gobi Desert. The museum covers five areas; geology, zoology, Botany, anthropology and paleontology. There is a large collection of stuffed and embalmed animals, birds, fish and all kinds of fossils.

Dinosaur



Later in the evening we went out to a resturant called, Restaurant de France. I was surprised that we didn't go to a Mongolian resturant. I was extremely curious about Mongolian food and culture. The resturant was very nice though, but very uppity. I had beef burgundy and rice with chocolate musse for desert. By the time we got back to the hotel it was dark. I went to bed early.

The next morning I got up and went down to breakfast. It was the ususal American fare. Scrambled eggs, hot dogs, bacon, orange juice and coffee. An ordinary Mongolian family would be having boiled mutton with fat and flour with some kind of dairy product or rice, and they would be drinking tea with salt in it.

After breakfast we piled into the three waiting Russian made jeeps. Our final destination would be the Erdene Zuu Monestary which was about 360 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar. We would be making a few stops along the way. I was in the jeep with the tour manager and our guide Baskar. The driver fought his way through the treacherous traffic in the city of Ulaanbaatar going in a southeast direction.

The Tour Begins

We finally made it out of town and onto the road that leads out to the wilderness. About ten miles down the road we stopped at a kiosk which was off to the side of the road. Behind it about a thousand meters away were two gers. Mostlikely where the store owners lived. There were three little wooden sheds built side by side. There were windows in front where the merchandize was on display. This included various kinds of soft drinks including Japanese Pepsi. There was also a Mongolian brand of alcohol, cup o noodles and things like that. I ended up getting a soda.

Nearby there was a pile rocks by the side of the road. There were coins, bones and other things thrown on it. One of the drivers had us start walking around it in a clockwise direction. He picked up rocks as he went and threw them on the pile and encouraged us to do the same. He said it was so we would have good luck on our journey and that we would be safe and come back in good health. Our guide Baskar told us this little ritual had something to do with shamanism. In all we went around the pile of rocks three times throwing small stones as we went, and then got back in the jeeps.

Ovoo



We were on our way to a national park for wild horses. After that we were going to go to a ger camp where we would stay the night and then go to a famous monestary the next day.

The roads in Mongolia are bad. At one time they were paved but now there were many pot holes in them. Consequently the drivers spent all of their time dodging those pot holes. There were other vehicles doing the same thing. Our driver felt that he had to do this while driving as fast as he could. Sometimes other vehicles would be coming straight toward us and it looked like we were going to have a head on collision, but at the last minute he would swerve out of the way. We were told that he had twenty years of experience driving on these roads. There were no seatbelts and Paul and I were tossed around in the back seat like a couple of rag-dolls at times.

The scenery was spectactular. The grade of the land would go up in places and then down. And then there was the endless sky. The clouds were puffy cotton balls. Sometimes we would come upon a herd of goats or other animals in the middle of the road. When this happend the driver would stop and patiently let the animals pass by. Sometimes you could see a herin or two standing at the edge of a lake or a river. That was a common sight.

Przewalski National Park

This park is a place where the wild horses of Mongolia are studied and monitored. The place where they house the horses is situated in the hilly grasslands a few kilometers down a dirt road off the main road. The horses are unique to horse lovers because they have a different number of chromosomes then all other horses. They are kind of like down syndrome horses. I have heard that the reason why they went extinct was because the Mongolian people eat them. Besides their regular name of Przewalski horses, they are also called Asian Wild Horses. They are the last remaining species of wild horses in the world.

When we arrived at the site where the horses were I was surprised to see a colonial style house sitting in a field. It must have been the office for the park or a place where back packers could stay the night. Nearby there was a ger that served as a museum. We were met by a slight woman in her early 30's. She led us over to the museum and started to give us a lesson on the horses. We looked at the pictures of horses on the walls. There were also graphs and maps and other material relating to the horses. I'm glad she didn't give us a test while we were there because most of this information went in one ear and out the other.

These horse became extinct in Mongolia about twenty five years ago. Over the years they were bred in captivity in various zoos throughout the world. There were sixteen of them in the Netherlands. When the zookeepers in the Netherland found out they were extinct in Mongolia they immediately sent them back to be re-introduced into the wild of their native country.

She gave a talk on the horses and answered questions and then we went out to the place where they were penned up. It was not far away. When we got to the large corral the lady instructed the jeep drivers not to park where the horses could see them otherwise they would start running up to the fense. The horses were a little distance away in a little shelter keeping their head out of the direct sunlight. After a few minutes the horses came out and we were able to see them through binoculars.

Wild Horse of Mongolia



After this we went back to the museum, then had lunch nearby sitting on the grass. The drivers had prepared everything. This time it was Mexican cuisine. The lunch was so big I couldn't eat it all. It was very good though. These guys were the best cooks. We had enchalates, Spanish rice, tacos and things like that.

When lunch ended we got in the jeeps and after avoiding a flock of sheep in our path we made it to the main road and continued over the barren and rolling steppes to Khgna Kahn, the place where we were going to spend the night.

Once we got started it was more of the usual: going at top speed, being bounced around in the back seat, sharp swerving to avoid pot holes, bearly missing other vehicles and looking out the window watchng the scenery go by. Every once in awhile the skeleton of an animal was seen in a field. It's bones bleaching in the mid-day sun.

Inbetween the barren landscape we would pass little towns that had Russian style buildings made of wood scattered among the gers. Some buildings had fences around them. I keep mentioning fenses because it seemed very unusual to see them in Mongolia where nothing usually is penned up. I even saw two gas stations on the way.

While driving along we came upon a bunch of little kids racing their horses along the side of the road. They were practicing for the real race that would take place during the upcoming Naadam Festival that would take place all over the country. It was quite an amazing sight seeing about fifty boys and a few girls between the ages of eight and twelve on horses galloping at top speed. Their horses kicking dust up beneath their feet and the children waving their whips wildly in the air and then slashing them down on the horses side trying to get it to go faster. Some of the lads were dressed in the full traditional Mongolian costume. Some had on only the Mongolian hat. Others wore sports t-shirts with a number enblazened on the front and back.

Late in the twelveth century a twenty year old Mongol named Temujiin emerged from the ranks of the common people and with a unique combination of skill, leadership and national pride managed to unite most of the Mongol tribes and take them on conquering campaigns that led them all the way into Europe. Shortly afterwards he was given the honorary title of Chinggis Kahn, which means Universal King. No other Mongolian leader before or since has been able to bring together the Mongolian tribes under one cause as effectively as he did. To all the nations that he conquered his name brought to mind merciless killing, savage looting, pillaging and war mongering, but to the Mongolian people he embodied strength, unity and law and order. Now twenty centuries from the time he walked the earth the Mongolian people still hold him as the idol of their hearts.

Chinggis Kahn



After driving for many hours and resting once for about a half an hour at the base of a mountain, our driver left the road and took a shortcut through the parched desert. By now we could see the camp in the distance. Twenty minutes later we arrived. The camp was located close to some twisted red rock formations that almost surrounded it. We got all our stuff out of the jeep and brought it to a ger that my room mate and I picked out. After we settled a bit it was time for dinner.

Mongolian Home



The food there was great. The beef was so tender you could cut it with a spoon. We also had potatoes, rice and a very small salad of shredded cabbage and carrots. Desert was a wafer stacked inbetween frosting. At sun-down the most beautiful purple clouds appeared in the western sky. By the time it was dark I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next morning I got up and went down to the resturant where they were serving fried dough and coffee for breakfast. This is almost like a donut but with no hole and is eaten with butter and jelly. It was not a bad concept. Paul said the Russians eat this with sour cream.

After breakfast we got all our stuff into jeeps and headed west. We were going to see the ruins of Kara Korum which were made into the Erdene Zuu Monestary. This has been a center for Buddhist activity for more then a thousand years. The city of Kara Korum was the launching pad for Chinggis Kahn's Campaigns in the thirteenth century. The palace where the great Kahn lived had silver fountains with jeweled lion and snake heads where wine, beer and mead poured out of. His empire stretched as far as Moscow and Turkey in its day. His empire was the largest continuous land empire in recorded history and its scope has never been matched. Kara Korum was later destroyed by invading Manchurian armies after the capitol was removed to Beijing in the days of Kubla Kahn, one of the grandchildren of Chinggis Kahn.

Years after Kara Korum was destroyed one of Chinggis Kahn's sons, with the help of some monks, used the rocks and rubble that was left of the city and built the Erdene Zuu Monastery. When they were finished there were seventy temples and shrines in closed within its walls. It was the first and also the largest Buddhist monestary in Mongolia. Each side of the monestary measures about a quarter of a mile.

We got to the fortress like structure after a several hour drive drive. I was amazed by it's massive front gate and the walls that surrounded it with a hundred and eight stupas strung around it. A stupa is the place where an esteemed monk's ashes are put after cremation.

We had come to see the three temples that weren't destroyed by the communists, built in a mixture of Chinese, Manchurian and Tibetan style of architecture. We were met by a middle aged woman with graying hair who would give us a tour of the holy site. She did not speak English so Baskar had to interpret. We walked over to the first temple and the guide got out her ring of keys and unlocked the padlock on the front door. It was emphisized that we were to enter the temple with our right foot and then once inside proceed around in a clockwise direction. Once this was established she began to tell us about the temple, it's meaning and everything about it.

One of Three Temples



The first temple represented the childhood of Buddha. Inside there was a large gilded and painted Buddha made of clay. It was about eight feet tall. She explained that only the head and hands were exposed. Clothing covered the rest of the statue's body.

The second temple dipicted Buddha's middle years. In the temples there were pictures painted by monks that represented daily life in Mongolia. They were painted with horse hair brushes. A single horse hair was used for very fine detail.

Buddhist Dieties



In all we went into almost a dozen of these temples. There were quite a few newer temples built in recent times besides the three old ones. Each had a padlock on the door and in each we had to enter with our right foot and go in the clockwise direction around to the front of the altar. Each had a Buddha or several Buddhas in them. Some Buddhas were on the side of the room and some were in the center.

After all these temples we went to the heart of the monestary to observe the monks preform their prayers and rituals. This is done in a Tibetan style building which is square in shape and not as elaborate as other Oriental buildings that have fancy wings and other fine features. Inside the semi-dark altar room the monks were mere boys, all of them were wearing orange robes. The younger monks sat furthest from the altar. The older and more experienced ones sat closest to the altar. Our presence was a distraction to some of the younger monks because when we arrived they stopped what they were doing and started looking at us. We were led clockwise around to the front of the altar where I believe we were supposed to leave an offering. Then we passed an older gentleman who I took for the presiding monk.

Tibetan Style Building



He was tending a large bowl of milk on a stove. Dipping a vessel into the milk he filled it, and raised it over his head and poured it back into the large bowl. Some of the monks were chanting, and some of them looked bored but had their prayer books open. After a few minutes the presiding monk started to ladle the fermented milk into bowls and then served it to the older monks first and then to the younger monks in the back.

Later I asked Baskar why they were serving alcoholic beverages to the monks while they were supposed to be chanting and praying. He said it was for refreshment and to clear their throats.

Later in the day we arrived at a new ger park a few kilometers away from the monestary high on a ridge. This place was much more modern then the one we stayed in the night before. There was electricity and lanoleum on the floors. Once we got all our stuff settled we had lunch. This consisted of the very same thing we had the night before for dinner; beef, rice, potatoes and salad.

After that we went over to a statue of a turtle made of soap stone weighing several tons. It was erected at the entrance to Kara Korum in the days of Chinggis Kahn and left behind when Kubla Kahn took the government to Beijing. Now it sits outside the walls of the Erdene Zuu Monastery.

Stone Turtle



From there we were invited by a family near the monestary to have tea. Upon entering the ger we had to walk clockwise around the inside to reach the place where we were going to sit. Here we begin to get a lesson on some of the traditions regarding these dwelling places of the Mongolian people.

The door of the ger always faces south. This is because the winter winds come from the north and also the Chinese live to the south. If they were going to be attacked by the Chineses they would be able to see them coming. Inside the ger toward the back and on the west side is where guests sit. In the back of the ger is where elders sit and the families treasures are kept. On the back wall is the family altar where family photographs and statues or pictures of Buddha are kept.

An old woman was sitting on a bed fingering religious beads. She was probably the mother of the lady of the house. We sat down on wooden chairs that were orange in color with ornate designs painted on them. There was a stove in the middle of the ger and a table with drawers next to it.

When we came in one of the younger girls who was present started taking bowls out of the drawers at the table next to the stove. Then other girls produced tea in thermoses from somewhere. Then they started pouring the tea into the bowls and handing them to us. When recieving tea it is customary to accept it with both hands or with the right hand. Never with the left hand. The tea was milk tea. The taste of it was strange to my pallet. It had the smell of animal. I drank all of it with no complaint. Then we had a little conversation with the lady of the house with Baskar interpreting. I was asked if I had seen the monestary and they wanted to know my opinion of it. I told them that it was very beautiful. A great place.

Before we left I gave them a postcard of my hometown.

The Ger



Inside the Ger



Since our camp was not far away we decided to walk back rather then take the jeeps. On the way I asked Baskar why the people didn't plant gardens since there was plenty of land. He told me that it was inconvienant for these people to have gardens because they were nomads and were constantly moving around. They stay in one place only long enough for their animals to eat all the grass in the area. Then they leave to greener pastures. They never stay long enough in one place to to reap the benefits of growing things.

As we were walking we came across a mother yak with her baby and other animals. Then we came upon a ger. There was a pen of goats outside and a woman with her son were milking them. She would hold the goat between her legs and squeeze the utters to get the milk out. When she was finished milking one her son would get another and put it in front of her. Outside of the pen her other son was shearing wool off of sheep. We watched them for awhile. They smiled and we took pictures. Then we continued down the hill. Baskar pointed out a river in the distance where he said people would catch a large type of fish at certain times of the year. He didn't have the English to explain exactly what kind of fish but I believe he was talking about sturgeon. The same kind of fish that the Russians extract caviar out of.

Woman Milking a Goat

The next morning after a breakfast of bread, butter, deep fried dough, jam and tea we got into the jeeps to make the long journey back to the Ulaanbaatar Hotel. We got a little way down the road when we came across a couple camels close to the road. They were the two humped kind found in Mongolia and hardly anywhere else in the world. They are very useful to the people and they adapt well to the harsh winters found in this part of the world. In the summer they shed their coat and this wool is used by the Mongolian women to make things with. An adult male can shed up to 18 kilos of wool a year. A female camel can produce up to 575 liters of milk during her 18 month lactation period. There are about 355,600 of this type of camel in Mongolia.

Camels



Our driver had calmed down a little after a wreck we saw the previous day. It effected every one. The vehicle was upside down in the road. I didn't see any bodies of the people that were in the cab of the truck. I think we arrive a little bit after it happened. The people involved in it were not there. They may have been taken by others out of the area. There were pelts of sheep in the back of the truck. When someone gets in an accident like this it is usually fatal. There are no ambulances, no hospitals, no doctors, and everything is miles away. All they have is shaman who practice an ancient form of magic and spells that borders on witchcraft. We were able to get by the accident and proceed on our way.


We were in a part of Mongolia where there are many hills. Once you pass a hill, pretty soon you would come upon another one. Then after you pass that one another one would appear in the distance. This went for quite awhile. In this part of the country the scenery was very nice.

After a while we stopped near a river and had a light lunch made by our guides. this consisted of hotdogs and bread with some kind of relish that was made in Russia. One of the drivers made sandwiches of butter and raw bacon. None of us Americans would touch the raw bacon. This little trick must have well calculated and well practiced by this guide and probably sprung on every unknowing tour group that came into his clutches. He well knew that Americans on the whole, don't eat raw bacon. So he and the other driver got an extra little snack. This was also in keeping with the tradition of Chinggis Kahn whose career was to plunger and steal from whoever he and his hoards came accrost, feeling it was their right to do.

After lunch we proceeded up the road and in a little while stopped at a couple wooden shacks by the side of the road which they called kiosks and got ice cream from a freezer that sat infront of one of them.

It took about four hours to get back to Ulaanbaatar. Once we got back in the hotel and got a room it was announced that we had to move to a different room. Someone made a mistake and put us in a room that had been rented out to someone else. So we got our stuff and drug it down the hall to the other room which was on a different floor. Lucky for us the new room was bigger and roomier then the previous one. There were actually two rooms to it and it had a regrigerator.

We had a little time so I decided to wash my clothes since I was running out of clean ones. I put my clothes in the bath tub and started running the water. I added soap. When there was a fair amount of water in the tub I turned the shower on and got in and proceeded in giving myself a wash down. Then I started stomping on my clothes with my feet. I did this for a while then emptied the tub and filled it with fresh water and stomped some more and kept doing this til the clothes were clean and rinsed. Then I wrung them out and hung them on a line that I brought with me on the trip and had strung around the room. I also hung some clothes on hangers and placed them around the room to dry.

After a little rest we were on our way to the Gandantegchinlen Monestary which was in town. It is the main Buddhist center in Mongolia, built in 1840. It is one of two monestaries that were not destroyed by the communists. The other was the Erdene Zuu Monestary. Before the Soviet take-over there were 110,000 lamas living in Mongolia in 700 monestaries. Thousands of monks were arrested and sent to Siberian labor camps and were never heard of again. Religious worship and ceremonies were outlawed. Then in 1990 when the Soviet regime collapsed religious freedom was again restored. Since then there has been a revival of the Buddhist religion as well as other religions.

As we approached the front gate of the monestary we were occosted by some locals who were trying to sell us snuff containers, coins and wooden hats. No one in our group bought any of these things or wanted them. The front entrance was a large oriental style portico.

Gandantegchinlen Monestary



In the distance there was a building that houses a large golden statue of Buddha which is very famous among the Mongolian people, and many go there to pray before it.

Building where large Buddha is housed



All the building in the monestary was closed that day so we were unable to go inside any of them. We were able to look at the architecture of the buildings and learn something about the ties between Tibetian Buddhism and the Mongolian people. These ties go back many centuries.

When we were finished with the monestary we went to dinner at a Japanese resturant. This was a very welcome visit. We hadn't seen fruit or a variety of vegatables in days. The Mongolian people don't eat a steady diet of fruits and vegatables. Their main food is the meat of the animals they herd and the milk products that come from them. They also eat a little grain which they barter for from people passing through the country side or when they can get it in the city. We had a great time in that Japanese resturant. After that we went back to the hotel.

Large Buddhist Statue

TERELJ NATIONAL PARK

Got up in the morning and had breakfast. It was scrambled eggs, bread, tomatoes and other things. Then we were off to a national park which is about eighty kilometers east of Ulaanbaatar. It was quite a long drive. On the way we passed through the rolling hills and the wide open plains of the Mongolian steppe. We passed the occasional village consisting of a cluster of closely built wooden shacks. It was a beautiful day to take a ride in the countryside. The sun was shining and the sky was blue with not a cloud in sight. Most of the roads there were of pretty good quality, but there were a few rough spots.

Life in the country in Mongolia is slow and laid back. It's not surprising to see a red faced man walking through a field at a slow pace with a bag slung over his shoulder with out a care in the world. Everywhere you go you see herds of cattle in the fields and sometimes in the road. The driver rarely honks at an animal in the road. I beleive he does this out of respect for the animals.

Man on Horse



Another sight often seen in Mongolia is of a horeman sittin high in his saddle on his horse prancing at a a fairly fast speed. It is quite a spectacular thing to see if your'e not used to this sort of thing.

We passed a large military compound that looked to be about a five hundred years old. Some of its walls were crumbling away and looked to be in immediate repair. At the entrance was a picture of Chinggis Kahn, the idol of every Mongolian.

Just before we got to the park the driver stopped the bus. We got out and climbed up a small bluff. On top was a beautiful view of the alpine scenery. The reason why we stopped was the ovoo which was a short distance away. It was a large one and had the usual blue cloth attached to a stick and was gently waving in the slight breeze. We walked clock-wise around it as usual and picked up small stones and threw them on it. This ovoo had a ram and a horse skull. There are no trees in most places in Mongolia, but this area there were larch trees, forests of birch, and pine and fir on the tops of the surrounding hills.

Finally we reached the park. There was a ger park there with a resturant ger and other wooden buildings. We were met by the curator.

After a brief introduction it was decided that all of the group except for three people were going to ride horses. I didn't want to ride a horse because I had an injured arm at the time. I pulled a muscle in my upper right arm and experienced some internal bleeding and if I fell off a horse it might start hemorrhaging again and I didn't want to take that chance. Gene and his son Daniel also weren't going to ride so we went on a hike instead. The scenery around us was beautiful but there were alot of flies and grasshoppers around.

We started walking in the direction of a tree line in the distance. To the right of us there were rock formations in unusual shapes. These were mountains. There were trees gowing on the top of them. It was hot but there was a cool breeze hitting our faces. We walked along and talked about all the things we had seen on this journey. On the ground there were some wild flowers that looked interesting. Even the weeds were unusual. They looked like something from the succulent family. Pretty soon we went around a bend and down a hill following the track of a four-by that had been there recently. In the distance there was a wooded area and beyond that there was a large field dotted with a couple gers. I wanted to get close to one of the gers to try to get a good picture. In those days I didn't have a zoom on my camera. I didn't even have a digital camera. They were just coming out then.

When we got down to the foot of the hill where the wooded area was there was a man getting water from the stream that ran through the woods. He was filling two small wooden buckets. He didn't see us at first, but when he finally did he got up and took his buckets and started walking toward the gers. We continued walking until we reached the trees and then stepped over the little brook and then into the open field where cattle grazing. Most of the grazing animals were yaks. We walked a little way farther then decided to go back. The man with the buckets was on his way back to the little stream to get more water.

Countryside



When we got back to the ger camp we found Fran and Arlene sitting on the porch of the building ajacent to the resturant ger drinking a beer. I went in the resturant and bought one and went back out to the porch and sat down. We spent a little while talking about Mongolia. After this we had lunch and then went back to the hotel in Ulaanbaatar.

Later in the afternoon we went to a park on the out-skirts of town to a place called Zaisan Hill. It is a monument commemerating the unknown soldiers of Russia and Mongolia. It overlooks the city of Ulaanbaatar. There is a statue of a soldier carrying a flag and a mosaic depicting Russians and Mongolians shaking hands and stepping on a Japanese flag with a horse and a tank in the background. This is one of the many monuments made by the Soviets during the communist days of this country.

Zaisan Hill



On our way back to the hotel we stopped at a large government store to buy a few things since we were leaving for Russia the next evening. I bought a few things for the train trip. Cookies, tea and bottled water.

That evening we went to the largest ger in Mongolia. It is a resturant. For dinner we had more beef, but this time they also served mutton. As we ate we listened to some traditional singers singing traditional songs in traditional costumes. They were playing on their traditional instruments including the horse hair fiddle. They were throat singers. I had looked forward for many years to hear something like this.

Musicians and Throat Singers



After the singing came the contortionist. It was a very young girl contorting her body in all kinds of ways on a table. Even balancing her body while holding something from her teeth. That took consentration, skill and endurance. The art of contortionism goes back a long way in Mongolian history.

Contortionist

NAADAM FESTIVAL 2000

The next morning after breakfast we went to the ancient, medieval games of the Mongolian people that has survived in that part of the world possibly from the time of the Huns. It is called the Naadam Festival. There are three main sporting events in the festival. They are; wrestling, archery and horse racing. Skill in these three sports allowed Chinggis Kahn and his hoards to sweep through Asia and part of Europe and overthrow many kingdoms on the way. After being freed from a seventy year of oppression by the Soviet Union, Mongolia has emerged bringing back their old customs, religions and folkways with new vigor and determination.

Outside of Stadium



We arrived at the huge stadium where the opening ceremony was to take place and where the event of wrestling was to start. We were standing around trying to figure out what we were to do now that we were there. Suddenly I heard the sound of many boots hitting the pavement in unison. I looked up and saw two squads of Mongolian Soldiers in bright red uniforms, marching directly toward us. I quickly got out of the way since I was directly in their path.

Mongolian Soldiers



After they passed we found out that we were to enter the stadium at the foriegn entrance. Once we found out where that was we got in line. While we were standing for a little while, a group of French people tried to butt in front of us. Paul immediately went over and had words with their tour manager. He wasn't making any headway with the Frenchman so he grabbed the entry tickets out of his hands. After this a few sharps words exchanged. Then some Americans from another group told them to go to the end of the line. They did and Paul gave them their tickets back. That was a strange occurance.

The gate opened and we went inside. The area we got to sit in had a roof so we didn't have to sit in the sun. After a little while once everyone was in the festivities began. First the president of the country came to the microphone and welcomed everyone games and officially opened the games. After that an army regiment came goose stepping out into the field. Then nine white horsetail banners were brought out by soldiers on horseback dressed in Chinggis Kahn warrior regalia. They placed the banner in the center of the stadium. Next an orchestra played the national anthem and other songs. All this took place quite a distance from where we were. After this an airplane flew by and a bunch of men jumped out and parachuted to the ground.

Parachute Landing



WRESTLING

After that the wrestlers came out. Like wrestlers all over the world, Mongolian wrestling has it's own unique style and rules in which they practice their sport. The wrestler's costume consisted of; knee high boots, a short jacket with long sleeves. The shirt is tight fitting across the back with the chest open, and they wear short trunks usually made of silk. At the beginning of a bout with an opponent they perform a little dance with resembles the flight of an eagle.

Wrestler



This dance helps them limber up but also gives them a chance to show off their physique. There is no time limit inwhich to pin their opponent so some of these contests can take a little time. There is also no weight category so you may see a large wrestler fighting with someone who is much smaller.