October 22, 2016
Reflection and Impressions of Mongolia: Ending Stage 5, Dushanbe Tajikistan to Ulaanbaatar Mongolia
Impressions of Mongolia: 36 days, 5300 km
Mongolia once part of the Genghis Khan empire, is a landlocked country between China to the south and Russia to the north. It’s known as the “land of blue skies” of steppe and semi-desert landscapes. The population of Mongolia is 2.8 million people with a third of the population in Ulaanbataar, the capital and 40% of the country’s workforce is nomadic. (check out three pages of pictures)
1. Mongolia, “Land of the blue skies” or “Land of Blue Heaven” with 260 sunny days per year
2. Money: Togrog (MNT) 1USD =2200MNT
3. Language: Mongol 90%, Turkic and Russian
4. Divided into 21 provinces or aimags: we came through
5. Major Religion Buddhism
6. The oovoo are sacred stones heaps used as shrines and are a Shamanistic practice. Often found at the top of mountains and high places, it is the custom to stop and circle an oovoo three times clockwise in order to have a safer journey, along with adding a stone to the pile.
7. A “Hadag” is a blue silk scarf hanging everywhere and has an important meaning in use and color. The hadag is an important well-wishing and greeting of respect and honour. The color is blue, the most sacred color in Mongolian culture representing the eternal blue sky. In Buddhism, the scarf is white and represents the purity of heart by the giver.
8. A deel is traditional clothing worn since the Mongols looking like a large overcoat and below the wearer’s knees. The deel is worn by men and women especially by herders, with buttons at the side pulling the right flap over the left, and a large sash of silk. In between the flaps and above the belt is a large pocket to carry items.
9. National footwear seems to be boots. The herders all wear boots by necessity and in the city women dress in leggings and modern styled heeled boots
10.Food includes lots of dairy and meat with very little fruits and vegetables. Most popular is Buuz (meat filled steamed dumpling) and Khuushuur (a deep-fried meat pie). Other dishes Khorkhog, a mongolian BBQ , and Guriltai Shul a soupy noodle dish.
11. Drink is a salty milk tea called suutei tsai. This did taste good when really hot and it’s cold, in restaurants automatically served the tea, we were not so fond of...
12. National drink seems to be vodka. Poorly stocked stores of food items will have shelf after shelf of vodka. There’s no missing the empty vodka bottles along the roadside.
13. National food dish is Tsuivan, a noodle stew of mutton and noodles
14. Gers (yurts) are the traditional dwelling of nomads. A tent-like structure made from a wooden frame and covered in wool felt.
15. Horse culture is still major, along with herds of yaks, sheep and goats
16. In the part of the country we saw with very few trees, it was surprising to see wooden fences. In towns wooden fences surrounded buildings and gers
17. Nomadic Hospitality. Knock on the door of a ger and ask if can have a place to sleep. Welcomed and fed. Best to choose a group of gers if traveling solo especially women.
18. Roads! Master plan is to connect all capitals of aimag (provinces) to Ulaanbataar with paved roads. We cycled in the Western provinces of Khovd, Govi Altai, Zavkan, Arkhangai, Ovorkhangai, Central, and Ulanbataar. We had paved road to the Chinese mine, after Altai was mostly dirt, and after Tosontengel the roads were mostly unpaved. On the dirt tracks, we knew the direction we needed to go and just kept picking the track that most likely we could cycle.
19. Ulaanbataar is a very modern city with a wide main boulevard, Peace Avenue. Plenty of restaurants that serve dishes other than mutton and noodles. Lots of Korean markets and restaurants, a hub for Korean Air, and we don’t discover why the connection to Korea. Department stores look huge from the outside, but once inside see how the floors are laid out in a convoluted old bazaar kind of way.
20. Controversial and confusing rule of registering within 7days if staying longer than 30 days in Mongolia, even though as US citizens we were given 90 days. The border crossing from China does not have an office to register. Registration is available if crossing from Russia and in Ulanbataar. This resulted in us paying a hefty fine. Otherwise loving Mongolia, this leaves a not so good feeling for the country.
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