In a country whose very name conjures images of one of the most remote destinations on this planet, the adventuresome tourist can still encounter people herding animals over vast, unspoiled tracts of land, living in tents much as their ancestors have done for centuries.
The nomad is alive and well and living in Outer Mongolia-today known as the Mongolian People`s Republic.
With all of the changes in today`s world-including Mongolia, where there has been movement toward a free market economy and democratization-it is interesting to find that descendants of Ghengis Khan still roam the steppes of this dramatic land.
Situated in the center of Asia, between Russia and China, this large country (twice the size of Texas) is a land of contrasts.
From the Altai and Khangai mountain ranges in the west and north, to the Gobi Desert in the southeast, Mongolia is home to only 2 million inhabitants. With a quarter of the population residing in the capital of Ulan Bator, the remainder of the country is sparsely populated.
But animals exist in abundance. Particularly numerous are the Mongolian Big Five: camels, cattle, sheep, goats and the renowned Mongolian horses that literally took the world by storm during the 13th Century. More exotic species include gazelles, Siberian ibex and the elusive snow leopard.
Today, after centuries of Chinese supremacy and decades of communist rule under the ”guidance” of the Soviet Union, the Mongolians are facing an uncertain, but independent future.
Some herders have abandoned their nomadic lifestyle for the bright lights and the big city, but many things remain the same. Gers (the traditional yurt or tentlike dwelling) are found throughout the countryside and on the outskirts of Ulan Bator as well.
The occasional motorcycle is seen, but the horse is still the most popular mode of transportation.
Friendly inhabitants, often wearing a del (a traditional robe), invite visitors inside their gers for a glimpse into the past.
Mongolian guest rules
But before you visit a Mongolian ger, you should familiarize yourself with a few rules of etiquette:
1. Do not knock on the door to announce your arrival. Instead, loudly shout ”Nokhoi Khor” or ”Hold the Dog.” Even if there is no dog in sight, this is the customary greeting.
2. Always accept the traditional bowl of airak-fermented mare`s milk-in both hands, ensuring that you drink it to the last drop. Anything less would be perceived as unspeakably rude.
3. Never stretch your legs toward, throw trash into, or bring sharp pointed objects near the fire in the central hearth-horse or camel dung being the principal combustible component. Any of these constitutes an act of desecration to the master of the ger.
Once a welcomed guest, you will not only be able to quaff a bowl of airak, but may even be lucky enough to witness the steps involved in the production of this national beverage.
Five or six times during the course of each day the horse-herding nomad rounds up the mares and colts for the milking process. If they resist, the Mongolian ”cowboy” may resort to using the uurga, a looped piece of rope at the end of a long wooden pole.
Each colt in turn is allowed to begin nursing. Once the flow of milk has begun, the colt is nudged aside, and the remainder of the liquid collected in a small metal pail. After the mares have been milked, the result is added to the fermenting airak in a large horsehide bag displayed inside the ger.
The ger-the white, felt-covered tent-is indispensable to the nomadic lifestyle. Cool in the summer, warm in the winter, Mongolians say that living in one adds 20 years to the normal life span. It is also said that the entire structure, the history of which is said to date back to 3000 B.C., can be assembled in half an hour.
The dwelling that results is roomy and cozy, with the central hearth providing ample warmth.
Inside, arranged around the perimeter, are brightly painted wooden chests, beds, small table and stools. It is not uncommon to find a sewing machine and a radio next to an altar to Buddha, often decorated with Polaroid family photos-souvenirs from previous Western visitors.
Tent accommodations
Does all that sound inviting? You too can spend the night in a ger. There are several tourist camps throughout Mongolia where accommodations are in gers.
Terelj, about 50 miles from Ulan Bator, is in a scenic valley surrounded by peaks whose northern slopes are covered with forests. This is the land of the horse-herding nomad, as well as home to the maral, roe and musk deer.
Excursions include visits to local horse breeders and unique rock formations, including one shaped like a giant tortoise. A day trek to Gunjin Sum monastery can also be arranged.
Manzhircourt tourist camp, 30 miles from the capital, is near Bogd Uul Mountain in an area set aside 300 years ago as a nature preserve for the pine, cedar, larch, ash and birch trees that cover its slopes. Animals found here include the sable, wolf and fox.
Tourists can visit the ruins of the Manzhir monastery, former site of ritual Buddhist mask dances or trek around Bogd Uul Mountain on horseback.
A 1 1/2-hour flight from the capital takes you to a tourist camp in the Gobi Desert. The small Russian-made aircraft lands on the open desert terrain- not even a grass landing strip here-and taxis up to deposit you literally on the doorstep of your ger.
This is the land of the camel-herding nomad. The Great Gobi Reserve, one of the world`s largest, is the only place where viable herds of wild bactrian camels still survive. It is a vast land comprised of desert and semidesert, unique rock formations and mountain ranges, sand dunes and ice caves.
It is also where Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the fossilized remains of dinosaurs and their eggs in the 1920s.
Possible excursions include trips to the Cemetery of the Dragons at Bayanzag, the dramatic Yol Valley and the vast Hongorin Els Sand Dunes.
At the end of a rough day of riding over rugged terrain where there are no roads, only ruts, perhaps you will look forward to relaxing in your ger with a large bowl of airak.
