It's Chinggis, not Genghis
Trip Start
Mar 27, 2008
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29
42
Trip End
Jun 30, 2008
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Ulan Bator,
Mongolia
Monday, June 9, 2008
Landing at "Genghis Khan Airport" just made me laugh. Although he is a feared and reviled figure throughout much of Europe and Asia, Genghis Khan (or Chinggis Khaan as he is known in these parts) is a national hero in Mongolia, and quite rightly. I can't say that I approve of his methods, but he founded the largest empire that the world has ever seen - at its height it stretched from Korea to Hungary, Busan to Budapest.
From the Genghis Khan Beer Club (which, honest to God, is next door to the Children's Creativity Centre), to the Genghis Khan Country Club, his name is absolutely everywhere in Mongolia, and it never fails to make me smile. To Western eyes it seems incongruous, a little bit like having a Vlad The Impaler Memorial Hall, Attila The Hun First School, or Eric Bloodaxe Community Centre. The list goes on.......
Most of my time in Mongolia will be spent in the Terelj National Park, about 90km North East of Ulan Bataar and a couple of hours drive away.
Home, sweet home. My ger, Terejl
Mongolian roads are constructed almost entirely from potholes, with the odd lump of tarmac thrown on top to break the monotony, and to avoid the worst bits, you have to leave the road altogether. Out in the country it's even worse, as you share the road with roaming herds of goat, cattle, sheep, and the occasional yak. Add the fact that Mongolians are amongst the worst drivers I have seen anywhere in the world, and the journey there was 'interesting' to say the least.Mongolia is a big country (it has 2 time zones), and two thirds of the country is steppe, rolling grassland that seems to go on forever - the other third of the country is taken up by the Gobi desert. At Terelj, the steppe is broken up by mountains, and there are some very strange rock formations. It's good walking country and that's what I've spent most of my time here doing.
I've been living in a 'ger' and it's brilliant. Gers are circular tents made up from a wooden frame that is covered in felt. We're in a small valley, where a couple of families live and take paying guests in a ger camp. It's very peaceful, and I love it here, but I've got a problem with the log lady.......
Inside the ger is a wood burning stove, which is tended by a Mongolian woman. It's fairly warm outside, but she comes and lights my stove every morning and evening - then crams it with wood until there's a roaring fire and I begin to melt. The first time it happened, I ended up stripped down to my pants with the door wide open - and I was still sweating like a pedophile in a playground.
Genghis Khan Country Club!
Eventually it cooled down enough for me to be able to go to bed, but half an hour later she was back and she turned the place into a sauna again. This happens every day, and she won't take no for an answer. She speaks no English, and spits like a China-woman. She's a woman possessed and short of hitting her over the back of the head with a log, I have no idea how to make her stop. At one point I did consider barricading myself inside the ger, but of course the door opens outwards.....Randomly:
Food. Because of the harsh climate, Mongolian cuisine is shocking. We were fed well here, but that's because we are foreigners. They can't really grow vegetables, and in the winter live primarily on mutton and flour. Mongolians are superstitious of fish, and believe it to bring bad luck and ill health. The majority of Mongolian are still nomadic, and in the summer, the herdsmen live on what they call "white food". This is dairy produce that vaguely looks and tastes like those fake candy cigarettes that used to be sold in sweet shops in Britain. It's horrible.
Housing here is very unusual, and I haven't seen anything like it in other countries. Every family seems to have at least half an acre of land, which they fence stockade style. The house is in the middle of the stockade, and may be a shack or a ger, or sometimes both together. They don't really do anything with the land though, apart from fence it off, and it just seems a bit of a waste.
Health. This is not a good country to fall ill. There is an acute shortage of health workers, and almost no medicines. Outside of Ulan Bataar, you'll be lucky to find an aspirin. If you need medication here, then bring it with you, but first and foremost, stay healthy.................
Wildlife is plentiful up in Terejl. I saw chipmunks, eagles, and marmosets - Dean and Julie had a marmoset inside their ger one night. According to the Mongolians, this will bring them wealth and good luck. We'll wait and see.
There's a camp for Mongolian teenagers just down from us, which I have to pass each time I go for a walk. As with teenagers everywhere, the boys try to look cool and the girls try to look cute - neither coolness nor cuteness is possible for them and it will not happen. They are Mongolian.
Tomorrow it's back to Ulan Bataar to catch the train. Next stop Siberia.....................
Comments
Love ya Ger!
Wow! That looks soooo cool!! (Though courtesy of your log lady its not quite as cool as you might wish obviously). I can just see them taking off at Glastonbury as an alternative to the tepees. Are you able to drink local hot drinks equivalent to tea/coffee? Just wondered if they are pink on account of the Yaks milk?
Still enjoying seeing your travels and hearing about the places you are visiting -its excellent :-)
Great stuff mate
Hi Jonny
These blogs get better and better almost like being with you . so interesting I am looking up the places online to get info but its not as good as your descriptions . Can't wait till you get get home to talk to you about all your adventures. Well done mate thanks for all your efforts really really enjoying it
Re: Great stuff mate
...er, stop that now - you're making me blush! It will be nice to get home though. I'll be able to sit down and plan the next trip.
See you then.....
Re: Love ya Ger!
...there was actually a tepee camp just down the road - it's a similar idea, just a different shape.
For hot drinks, there's been plenty of tea since Japan, which suits me down to the ground as I prefer it to coffee. The Mongols prefer 'ayrag' though, which is fermented horse milk. They're welcome to it - according to a survey in the States, it was top of a list of the least thirst quenching drinks in the world - contrary buggers!