Ulan Bator,
Mongolia
Monday, July 9, 2007
I'm in MONGOLIA! How crazy is that? The border crossing from Russia to Mongolia took 10 hours, mainly due to the vast, lumbering Russian bureaucracy. There was a whole lot of sitting around, waiting, sweating and waiting some more. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we are off to the countryside and a traditional ger (yurt) camp where we will ride horses, drink fermented mare's milk (a Mongolian delicacy) and marvel at the myriad stars in the Mongolian sky. On Wednesday, we return to Ulaanbatar to experience "nadaam," the centuries old Mongolian festival of horse racing, wrestling and archery. Since 1921, it has been celebrated on or around July 11th, the date of the Mongolian independence from China. Unfortunately, they asked the Soviets for help and traded the yoke of imperial China for communist USSR. True independence was earned in 1990 after the fall of the iron curtain. If you are interesting in learning more about the misunderstood and misrepresented Mongolian icon Genghis (pronounced Gin-gis we have learned) Khan, check out
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford. It is a fascinating exploration of the true history of the Mongols and their expansive yet progressive 13th century empire.
PS: In case you didn't get the title, I grew up in Magnolia, a neighborhood in Seattle. Often misrepresented as Mongolia given somewhat out-of-the-way location in the city.
