The Life of a Nomad July 10, 2006
Muugii and Toma picked us up at the hotel after Holly and I had breakfast and checked out. We drove to a temple in Ulaanbaatar where we discovered that Mongolian and Tibetan Buddhism are closely linked. There were several pictures of the Dali Lama in the temple and the monks chanting sounded very much like what we had heard when we were in Tibet a couple of years ago. When we asked Muugii about this he confirmed that the two sects were closely related.
The first recorded history of the Monguls was about 800 years ago when the Chinese introduced writing. Before that their history was remembered in their oral epics sung by bards. Much of the early written history told of the “greedy Monguls” and reflected the sentiments of their neighbors, mainly the Chinese. Today a lot of the history has been rewritten with a more objective perspective. Archeologists have discovered human remains dating back as far as 500,000 years. Their history is of being conquered by and conquering the neighboring states. The one constant is that until the last half of the Twentieth Century they have been mainly a nomadic people moving with the change of seasons in order to maintain their livestock. After the Revolution of 1921 they came under Soviet control when Communism dominated the political arena. They followed the Soviet lead and religious repression, including executions and expulsions were practiced until the 1970s. With the wane of Soviet power reform began in 1984 and a more democratic government began to emerge. With the fall of Soviet Communism in 1990 Mongolia was thrown into an economic depression and pro-democratic protest hastened reform. Mongolia still struggles today with politics and economics.
This being festival week, the temple was crowded with tourists and the devout. A wedding was being held on the grounds while we were there which seemed a little strange to us as it was 10:30 in the morning, but the wedding party seemed to be having a good time. The bride and groom were dressed in western wedding apparel and we were told that that was the norm especially during the summer as the traditional Mongolian dress was too heavy and hot.
We left the temple and headed for Terejl National Park. It’s located about 70 miles from town which was about a two hour drive over the rough roads. Winter must be tough on the roads here as they have numerous pot holes and frost heaves, but our faithful Hyundai Sonata got us here. We stopped along side of the road once we were in the park at a large pile of rocks (called an ovoo) which had a pole in the middle that was pointing skyward. Muugii told us that it was Mongolian tradition to walk around the cairn three times, each time picking up a stone and tossing it higher on the pile. This is to bring good luck on your journey. Not wanting to tempt fate we did as instructed and moved on our way.
We arrived at our ger camp a short time later and were shown to our ger. There are about twenty five gers in this camp and most are occupied. We saw thirty or forty other ger camps in the park and we were told that ger camping is popular with both locals and visitors.
A ger is a conical shaped tent that is the traditional Mongolian nomad shelter. It has an internal frame work and is covered in wool felt. I’m told that there is usually a hole at the top although ours is covered with a plastic sheet. There are five beds, a stove, a small knee high table and three small stools for seating. As I write this I am sitting on one of the stools with my lap top resting on my bed. The bed is slightly taller than the table which makes it more accommodating for my limited key boarding skills.
We were served a lunch of carrot salad, coarse bread and beef. The meal was tasty and very filling. The service was great and the people here could not be friendlier.
After lunch we drove to turtle rock where it was easy to see how they came up with the name. We were able to climb about 2/3 of the way up which gave us a magnificent view of the valley that lay beyond. At the end of the valley, perched on the side of a mountain was the Meditation Center, our next destination.
We hiked from Turtle Rock to the MC along a dirt road. You can actually drive there but we wanted to walk as the day was beautiful. The sky was as blue as I can ever remember. The mountainsides are green in some places with trees but mostly open grasslands covered with colorful wildflowers. We passed a local family’s ger and Muugii told us we would stop and visit on the way back. The walk took about an hour and after a short climb up a trail and then steps we were at the Meditation Center.
The view back down the valley was breathtaking from the landing and it was difficult to go inside but even on extended trips the clock keeps ticking. An accommodating lady caretaker escorted us around the interior of the elaborately decorated center and explained, with Muugii interpreting, how and why the center was built. As the name states it is a retreat for both monks and the public. It was easy to see why they chose this spot. She then treated us to a tour of their museum which consisted of a hall with illustrated plaques that included wise sayings. An example is “The four seasons; spring, summer, autumn and winter remind us that this life is not forever”. A little sobering to say the least. There were about a hundred of these gems in the hall. The best ones described the different kinds of hell that one may be sent to, and the message was clear. You’d better get your act together. Not so different from western religions.
On the way back to Turtle Rock Muugii asks us if we want to stop at a local ger and talk to the family. We immediately say yes and Muugii walks off the road to a couple of gers that are standing a hundred yards or so from the road. He waves us over after a moment and we are invited in. This turns out to be a disappointment as the ger is et up specifically to show tourist and the lady does not seem particularly interested in talking to us. She does serve us a cup of fermented mare’s milk which is a staple drink here. They milk a mare that is nursing a foal and put it up in earthen ware jars to ferment. YUM! It would not replace beer in the US. We stay for about five minutes and then leave.
When we arrive back to Turtle Rock we find TomA sleeping peacefully on a sunny hillside. I wish I could say that we let him sleep, but after the warning at the MC I don’t think I’ll lie about it. He cheerfully got up and drove us back to our camp.
We arrived just in time for dinner. This time a variation of cole slaw, pot roast, mash potatoes and rice with a Kit Kat for dessert. You gotta love people that will give you a Kit Kat for dessert!
A QUICK ice-cold shower, a few minutes admiring the scenery outside our wooly house and we’re calling it a day. We have a fire going in the stove and clean sheets to sleep on. I think I could get used to this nomad life.
The first recorded history of the Monguls was about 800 years ago when the Chinese introduced writing. Before that their history was remembered in their oral epics sung by bards. Much of the early written history told of the “greedy Monguls” and reflected the sentiments of their neighbors, mainly the Chinese. Today a lot of the history has been rewritten with a more objective perspective. Archeologists have discovered human remains dating back as far as 500,000 years. Their history is of being conquered by and conquering the neighboring states. The one constant is that until the last half of the Twentieth Century they have been mainly a nomadic people moving with the change of seasons in order to maintain their livestock. After the Revolution of 1921 they came under Soviet control when Communism dominated the political arena. They followed the Soviet lead and religious repression, including executions and expulsions were practiced until the 1970s. With the wane of Soviet power reform began in 1984 and a more democratic government began to emerge. With the fall of Soviet Communism in 1990 Mongolia was thrown into an economic depression and pro-democratic protest hastened reform. Mongolia still struggles today with politics and economics.
This being festival week, the temple was crowded with tourists and the devout. A wedding was being held on the grounds while we were there which seemed a little strange to us as it was 10:30 in the morning, but the wedding party seemed to be having a good time. The bride and groom were dressed in western wedding apparel and we were told that that was the norm especially during the summer as the traditional Mongolian dress was too heavy and hot.
We left the temple and headed for Terejl National Park. It’s located about 70 miles from town which was about a two hour drive over the rough roads. Winter must be tough on the roads here as they have numerous pot holes and frost heaves, but our faithful Hyundai Sonata got us here. We stopped along side of the road once we were in the park at a large pile of rocks (called an ovoo) which had a pole in the middle that was pointing skyward. Muugii told us that it was Mongolian tradition to walk around the cairn three times, each time picking up a stone and tossing it higher on the pile. This is to bring good luck on your journey. Not wanting to tempt fate we did as instructed and moved on our way.
We arrived at our ger camp a short time later and were shown to our ger. There are about twenty five gers in this camp and most are occupied. We saw thirty or forty other ger camps in the park and we were told that ger camping is popular with both locals and visitors.
A ger is a conical shaped tent that is the traditional Mongolian nomad shelter. It has an internal frame work and is covered in wool felt. I’m told that there is usually a hole at the top although ours is covered with a plastic sheet. There are five beds, a stove, a small knee high table and three small stools for seating. As I write this I am sitting on one of the stools with my lap top resting on my bed. The bed is slightly taller than the table which makes it more accommodating for my limited key boarding skills.
We were served a lunch of carrot salad, coarse bread and beef. The meal was tasty and very filling. The service was great and the people here could not be friendlier.
After lunch we drove to turtle rock where it was easy to see how they came up with the name. We were able to climb about 2/3 of the way up which gave us a magnificent view of the valley that lay beyond. At the end of the valley, perched on the side of a mountain was the Meditation Center, our next destination.
We hiked from Turtle Rock to the MC along a dirt road. You can actually drive there but we wanted to walk as the day was beautiful. The sky was as blue as I can ever remember. The mountainsides are green in some places with trees but mostly open grasslands covered with colorful wildflowers. We passed a local family’s ger and Muugii told us we would stop and visit on the way back. The walk took about an hour and after a short climb up a trail and then steps we were at the Meditation Center.
The view back down the valley was breathtaking from the landing and it was difficult to go inside but even on extended trips the clock keeps ticking. An accommodating lady caretaker escorted us around the interior of the elaborately decorated center and explained, with Muugii interpreting, how and why the center was built. As the name states it is a retreat for both monks and the public. It was easy to see why they chose this spot. She then treated us to a tour of their museum which consisted of a hall with illustrated plaques that included wise sayings. An example is “The four seasons; spring, summer, autumn and winter remind us that this life is not forever”. A little sobering to say the least. There were about a hundred of these gems in the hall. The best ones described the different kinds of hell that one may be sent to, and the message was clear. You’d better get your act together. Not so different from western religions.
On the way back to Turtle Rock Muugii asks us if we want to stop at a local ger and talk to the family. We immediately say yes and Muugii walks off the road to a couple of gers that are standing a hundred yards or so from the road. He waves us over after a moment and we are invited in. This turns out to be a disappointment as the ger is et up specifically to show tourist and the lady does not seem particularly interested in talking to us. She does serve us a cup of fermented mare’s milk which is a staple drink here. They milk a mare that is nursing a foal and put it up in earthen ware jars to ferment. YUM! It would not replace beer in the US. We stay for about five minutes and then leave.
When we arrive back to Turtle Rock we find TomA sleeping peacefully on a sunny hillside. I wish I could say that we let him sleep, but after the warning at the MC I don’t think I’ll lie about it. He cheerfully got up and drove us back to our camp.
We arrived just in time for dinner. This time a variation of cole slaw, pot roast, mash potatoes and rice with a Kit Kat for dessert. You gotta love people that will give you a Kit Kat for dessert!
A QUICK ice-cold shower, a few minutes admiring the scenery outside our wooly house and we’re calling it a day. We have a fire going in the stove and clean sheets to sleep on. I think I could get used to this nomad life.
posted by Gary and Holly Davis @ 7:17 AM
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