Khakhoren

Trip Start May 12, 2007

Trip End Aug 09, 2007

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Flag of Mongolia Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Monday, June 18, 2007

I just returned from the area of the countryside surrounding Khakhoren, the old capital city of Mongolia. It is located about 9 hours (by car) outside of the city, and I think it is safe to say that it is not an easy ride. First of all, the road essentially ends only a little while outside of the city, so that soon into the ride, only dirt paths and bumpy rocks await you, leaving you with nothing but a sincere hope that you know where the hell you are going. Fortunately, we had a driver who knew Mongolia like the back of his hand so we didn't get lost--but it was the bumpiest ride I'd ever been on. When we finally arrived at our ger camp, it was already almost 10pm, but I had enough time to explore a bit and find that the camp was situated on an unbelievably gorgeous piece of land. On one side, it was surrounded by towering rocky mountains, and on the other side were these sand dunes with those perfect wavy lines that look like a picture out of a desert painting. And amongst all of that, in the middle, was this huge, green, open field of hundreds of animals grazing freely. The next day during daylight, I was able to walk around this field and fully take in my surroundings. I spent hours just watching the animals and their herders. The herders ride around on horses (including children as young as 6 or 7), tending to the animals and carrying out their daily tasks.

The more I am exposed to the countryside on these weekend excursions away from the city, the more I'm really starting to recognize the differences between the countryside people and the city people, which I'm sure I will learn even more about during my research. There is definitely a divide--both physical by the enormous stretches of rolling fields and bumpy roads in between--and one that is much less tangible. I sometimes sense an uneasy feeling from the city people in reference to countryside people, and the countryside people also seem a bit distanced from city people. Being that Mongolia was a purely nomadic country for such a long time, it seems as though many countryside people who are continuing this way of life, either do not like or more likely, simple do not relate to, city lifestyle-- a lifestyle that in their eyes, mostly consists of material richness and overly complex interactions. And alternately, it seems as though many city people look at the lives of countryside people as a bit too simplistic. Of course, this is not to say that there is no respect for each other, because there certainly is. One thing that I do find relatively universal here in Mongolia, whether in the countryside or city, is the value of respect. It is just diferent, and as the country continues to modernize and become more globalized, it will be interesting to see how people will come to (hopefully) reconcile these differences.

The rest of the weekend consisted of alot of walking and watching, beautiful natural sites, and a quick trip to an old monastary built atop the ruins of Khakhoren--all of which were fascinating. I have about 4 days left of language classes, and then I am off to the Gobi desert this weekend. When I return, I will immediately jump right in on my research. I will update again after my crazy Gobi adventure!

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