Ulaanbaatar
April 25, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ 🌙 8 °C
My flight to Ulaanbaatar was delayed for about an hour but it was perfect as we approached Chinggis Khan International Airport, the sun was setting and gave me my first glimpse of Mongolia. The views were breathtaking and the realization came upon me that this was Mongolia! With amazing desert vistas and moutains that seem to go on endlessly in this vast land, all the while colored beautifully by the setting sun. I felt my excitement slowly rising, ready to see what this country has to offer.
I was able to get by smoothly and from the arrivals, I exchaged some money which was more than enough for my whole stay. A couple of taxi drivers approached me but I ignored them and went on my way around the airport. One old guy stuck by me and pointed me towards the money exchange and sim card. I opted not to get the sim card as they said there is no coverage outside UB. I also really wanted to get that digital detox. I ended up going with the taxi driver and off we were into the wilderness. I felt the icey touch of the wind but I didn't want to put the windows up as it was so refreshing and I was able to see and feel the land a bit more. We passed through small towns and I saw the occasional ger every now and then. We were soon in UB where the traffic became a bit more congested. The driver introduced himself as Baysa and I learned how to say "Thank you" from him, which was "Bayurla" in Mongolian. He was a nice old man, he was facetiming with his daughter and then with his wife which I guess was normal to do while driving in Mongolian culture. I asked him to drop me by CU, a convenience store, and I walked over to UB Guesthouse, rang the bell and made my way up to see Bobbi. The person I have been talking to for a long time before finally arriving in Mongolia. On the shared space were Emily and Rohan, strangers who will become my good friends the next day but as for today, I settled in bed and tried to get some sleep for the big day ahead.Read more
Ulaanbaatar II
April 26, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
The next day, I took a shower and spoke with Bobbi a bit about the upcoming trips. I had two, one towards Orkhon Valley and the other towards Gobi Desert. I was going to be with Emily for the former and so I also wanted to get to know her a bit more before going. Emily and Rohan went to Terelj National Park today, I was also offered to join last night but I was too tired and wanted to explore the city a bit more today.
I first set off for Gandantegchinlen Monastery. I really like arriving at night as the city was still shrouded in darkness, today was really the first time I am seeing Ulaanbaatar. It seemed quite old with a lot of Soviet style architecture and dusty cars but it also had a certain rustic charm to it. I passed by a statue of Yellow Tara, I was quite happy to recognize her and finally see her for myself. I also passed by a shaman camp but they were still closed so I proceeded further up the street towards Gandantegchinlen Monastery. The middle island had a huge flock of pidgeons which made my approach to the monastery really memorable. I was looking to purchase a ticket but there wasn't anyone at the booth and after waiting for a long time, I went ahead to explore the surrounding areas. I first went to the statue of the child Buddha and spun some prayer wheels. I went to the biggest building on the left side to find that there was a Buddhist prayer ceremony going on. It was quite a vibe in there and I grabbed a seat at the back and did some meditation and absorbing the sounds around me. I went to another temple on the right side this time, there were so many prayer wheels here that I just had to spin them all, hoping to get some of their benefits. The path led me all over the temple grounds and out where there were several larger prayer wheels that required my whole body to push. I checked the ticket booth again and it really seemed like the guy in charge wasn't planning on going in so I decided to just go to the main monastery where a giant golden statue of Boddhisatva Avalokitesvara was enshrined. On the way, I accidentally interrupted a cat on the hunt and cost it a meal, or perhaps I saved a pidgeon's life that day as it flew away? The main temple of Avalokitesvara was huge with a larger than life golden statue towering above everything else. I did my prayers and went around the whole temple spinning prayer wheels while surrounded by hundreds of tiny Buddha statues. The wheels were cold to the touch and spinning so many of them required some effort but it was a really nice experience. Outside, I saw people were ringing the bells on the incense pot so I went ahead and did that too. I was curious as to what was inside the shops so I peeked and had an idea to try and find a singing bowl. The second shop I entered had it, I wanted to buy another for Janelle and I got a slightly bigger one at another shop with some incense as freebies.
I passed through the shaman tents again but seems like they still weren't open. I went ahead to check out the Zanazabar Fine Arts Museum next which was one of my main highlights. I was really happy to be able to see a lot of these beautiful Buddhist artworks. I went to have chicken linguini for lunch before heading back to the guesthouse to chill and relax for a bit and talk with Bobbi some more. She gave me some moisturizer to use and advised me where to get one as well. I set off once again, this time the weather was a bit more cloudy.
I went to the National Museum next, it was interesting but I much preferred the Fine Arts Museum, it focused a bit more on the traditional clothing and way of life of the Mongolians as well as the history of the country all the way from the prehistoric ages. A block away the museum was Sukhbaatar Square, where a giant statue of Chinggis Khan sat overlooking, flanked by two horse-mounted soldier statues. There were also police men on horses stationed at the square, while a concert stage was erected and played loud Mongolian pop music. I wanted to go to Choijin Lama Temple next, and on the way I was able to see the classic landmark, the Blue Sky, one of the finest pieces of modern architecture in Ulaanbaatar.
In Choijin Lama Temple, the ticket clerk seemed to have a sense of humor as he gave me ten tickets and my reaction made him and the female staff roar with laughter. I was lucky to have the whole temple to myself, it looked quite ancient but the interiors were so colorful as is usual with Vajrayana Buddhism. The Buddhist figures were so intricate and exotic, each building was very unique.
I had planned to also visit the Bogd Khaan Palace but it was closed, I still tried to go, slightly hoping it would be open. I passed through statues of a camel caravan and saw Bogd Khaan Palace from a distance, it covered a huge area but it was unfortunately closed. It also started to rain a bit, I continued a long walk towards Zaisan, taking a few breaks every now and then.
I got to Buddha Garden first, where a giant golden Shakyamuni Buddha stood tall. It was the perfect place to rest. The sun was up and shining again so it was the perfect time to do a hike, though my legs were a bit worn from walking since morning. I went up Zaisan Hill to see the Zaisan Monument, a tribute to the Soviet soldiers who died arm-in-arm with the Mongolians during their war for independence. The artwork had a really nice style to it, reminiscent of old war propaganda. The panoramic view of Ulaanbaatar was something to behold as well, with so much buildings, factories, and the smog. Makes it hard to believe half the population of Mongolia lives in this city. The wind was really strong here and it seems like a sandstorm was heading my way so I quickly descended and started to wait at a bus stop. Some sand already hitting my face as we all tried to take cover from the dusty winds. My bus finally came and it was a smooth ride back to the guesthouse despite the traffic, I was quite happy to be able to rest my legs.
Back at UB Guesthouse, I shut myself in the room to just rest and integrate the day. I overheard Emily asking Bobbi if I was around so I showed myself out and started to talk to her and Rohan. We agreed to go out for dinner and maybe the Jazz club or Karaoke. I also had to buy some moisturizer for the trips outside of town. We went to get my moisturizer first and then went to this popular restaurant that has been around for a while. Emily and I got some chicken with pineapple while Rohan got only a single piece of dumpling. We also went to have desert at the place next door called Belchika, we thought it had Mongolian deserts but turns out to be just normal western stuff but it was still pretty good. To end the night, we went to have karaoke and it was a blast! So similar to the Japanese styled karaoke booths, we sang our hearts out and went back as better friends.Read more
Kharkhorin
April 27, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ 🌩️ 1 °C
Finally, my Mongolia adventure was about to begin. It was my first time to go outside the city. We first stopped by the supermarket to buy some stuff for the journey ahead such as snacks and water. We were accompanied by our driver, Gana, a kind-hearted old man who smoked a lot of cigarettes. Most of the trips in Mongolia, you're stuck in the car for more than 5 hours or so but the beautiful countryside more than makes up for it. The terrain drastically changes every half hour or so, I was never once bored of staring outside the window. It was only Emily and I for this trip so we had ample space in the car to put our legs up and we already had good vibes after last night. We stopped by a makeshift stupa, stones put on top of each other in the shape of a dome with a flag structure on top of it with blue flags. We also stopped by to take some photos of camels. Our journey took the better part of the day and we arrived in Kharkhorin, the ancient capital, close to sunset. We were staying in quite a fancy hotel today, with beds better than the guesthouse and a shower and toilet.Read more
Kharkhorin II
April 28, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ 🌬 3 °C
The next morning, Emily and I decided to go on a little morning walk in freezing cold. It was a silent walk though the cold was really grounding and the entire ordeal was very meditative. We went to the opposite direction today instead, towards the mountains instead of the temple. After a long walk back, we had breakfast with Gana before he took us to the temple. The weather was fantastic today, with blue skies which made the cold temperature much more bearable as we explore the huge expanse of Erdene Zuu Temple.
It stretched as far as the eye could see with four walls surrounding it. The side temples were really intricate and featured various artworks of Buddhist deities and cosmology. The 3 main temples were also pretty unique as it featured Shakyamuni Buddha in 3 stages of his life, young, present and old. Something I've never seen before. We also went to the Kharkhorin Musem which had a nice virtual video of one of the aristocrat's tomb and also featured a recreation of the old capital. I was quite surprised to find out just how progressive Chinggis Khan was as they had allowed Islam and Christianity to co-exist inside the main city.
Leaving Kharkhorin behind, we had lunch at a village where there were some school kids who we tried talking with via Google Translate. Emily and I had chicken again while Gana had his usual sheep.Read more
Orkhon Valley
April 28, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Our long ride from Kharkhorin took us all the way to the Orkhon Valley, the terrain here was very different with high mountains and a frozen river. Plenty of animals to see from goats, sheep, horses, camels, vultures and even an eagle. We picked up a random hitchhiker and drove him all the way towards the valley. At one point, were trying to find our camp and Gana seemed to have gotten a bit lost and asked a random ger for directions.
We eventually found the right place and got situated inside the nomadic family's tent. It was our first time in one, even for Emily who had done the Gobi trip and she said that this was one of her highlights. I enjoyed their hospitality as well and ate some of their delicious bread. Emily tried talking to them via Google Translate and the grandma cooked some food for us. They had an adorable dog and four horses, one of them was quite skittish and I had to earn its trust slowly but it eventually let me pet it and when I stopped, it asked for more.
We then went to the Orkhon Waterfall which was the main spot for the day, except that it still didn't have water so it was just this frozen wall with icicles and the lake below was also half frozen. Instead, Emily and I had a walk around the area which was breathtaking with a lot of rock formations and so much space (and poop). I meditated on a boulder for sometime before Gana's car came my way, I had wanted to wait for sunset here but it seems like we were going back.
For dinner, I had some delicious potatoes and rice and this special relish that they put on it which was absolutely amazing, I got seconds. I didn't want to miss the sunset so I went out to scout for a place to hike, I ran towards it with the dog who seemed to accompany me all the way up where I saw just how beautiful the land was. A meandering river flowed right across the grasslands while surrounded by mountains on both side, all the while during sunset was such a power moment that I felt my soul shedding a lot of baggage. I went back to our ger, the had put some wood in and it was getting quite hot, I squeezed in my sleeping bag which was on a hard bed and hoped to get some sleep. In the morning when the fire died out, it got really cold to the point where I had to go into a fetal position and cover my entire head with the sleeping bag.Read more
Orkhon Valley II
April 29, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ 🌬 8 °C
Waking up freezing the next morning, I braved the cold outside and made my way to the nomadic family's tent to warm up. They laughed at my suffering which was no doubt quite funny with how I was charading that it was so cold. I ate some breakfast while watching TV with them, just various programs on temples, a drama on nomad life, Ulaanbataar, really simple stuff. Emily soon came in after and we went out for a horse ride. It was another cloudy day and I was on the horse that I befriended yesterday, the nomad took us around the perimeter. There were a lot of poop littered around, bones as well. After the horse ride, we said good bye to the nomadic family and went on our way towards Hustai National Park.
Not too long after we started the trip, Gana got a bit excited and pulled over asking if we wanted to take photos. I didn't understand what was going on until Emily pointed out that there was a foal, newly born! All of us went down the car to get a closer look. Gana went straight for the baby and started touching it while calling us over. I was so afraid but the mother was too tired and didn't seem to be too protective or maybe it was used to humans? I approached the baby, Gana encouraged me to touch the baby's body and head, he kept repeating "Is good! Is good!" So my guess at that time was that it was a really auspicious event in Mongolian culture. We were doubly surprised when Gana rode the baby horse, not putting his whole weight on it but just pretending to ride it which was apparently also extremely lucky. He encouraged me to do the same to which I reluctantly and in a panic ended up doing. Bobbi later clarified that only males were allowed to do this and that he who does it will be lucky for life. Good for me, I guess? Gana wouldn't stop at that though, Emily and I watched in horror as he pulled out the mother's placenta and started playing around with it like a little kid. He was trying to find something to feed the baby horse, I think some part of the placenta. He also rolled it around in dirt, at this point I have no idea what he was doing. I was able to get tons of photos that I felt were really once in a lifetime and was so giddy and happy with how everything turned out. I still couldn't stop laughing in the car at how the events of the day turned out.Read more
Hustai National Park
April 29, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
It was a long trip back, we passed through a lot of terrain until things were suddenly much greener, greener that I had ever seen before. From there, it became the desert again, with sands much more red and bright. The camp we were staying in that day was a much more luxurious one, our ger itself had showers and toilets inside but unfortunately the showers weren't working yet. Still, it was as close as we got back to civilization even though we were only staying with the nomads for one day.
I wanted to catch the sunset and walked towards some mountains that I saw earlier, I realized the mountains were too far and it didn't seem like I would be getting closer anytime soon. I backtracked, seeing Emily talking with someone on the phone, and went to plead Gana to take me to the mountains in the back part of camp. He agreed with his usual "Let's go?" and even went to get Emily and drove us to the mountain at the back of our camp. From there, it was an easy hike with interesting craggy rock formations. It was cold but the desert surrounding was breathtaking. Emily and I sat in silence while watching the sun slowly make its way down the horizon, the sky turning into wonderful shades of orange. It was really great and profound moment. I remember flipping over a rock and finding a shell of a ladybug there, which was so odd.
After the sunset, we went back to Gana and we had dinner together back at camp. This time we had a full on hotpot, sadly it was all beef and some beef dumplings, I couldn't bring myself to eat it while Emily couldn't eat the dumplings so Gana was absolutely delighted to take it all from us. He was saying something about the horse baby so I guess this is his luck turning into his favor. I did get to eat my fill through the noodles, mushrooms and veggies. I sneaked in a shower with the faucets of the bathroom and went back to our tent where Emily was laying down on the bed. We traded a lot of music that night in the dark and one of the songs that stuck with me was Spiritbird.Read more
Hustai National Park II
April 30, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
The next morning, Emily and I had a delicious breakfast where I got to taste the best cheese I've ever had. I also took a shower again in the faucets which refreshed me quite a bit while we went around to check out the wooden cabins with the playful dog that was blind in one eye. After our goodbyes, we were off to the nearby Hustai Park. Emily and I shared an edible on the way.
When we arrived, we went with Gana inside the office building to get our tickets but there still wasn't anyone there so we were left wandering around for a bit. Eventually, we did get our tickets. Emily was busy talking to her friend on the phone as it was her birthday so Gana showed me this space debris that came from outer space that left a crater and showed me to the movie room and then the museum. At this time the gummy was starting to creep up.
It started to get full on effects as we were driving around the park, which was an amazing experience as it felt like I was in a theme park with all these ups and downs and twists and turns. We got to see a lot of wildlife like marmots, deer and the main sight the Przewalski's horse. The only true wild horse left in the world as all the other breeds have been domesticated. At one point, Gana told us to walk so I assumed we were going to do a trail of some sort and Emily and I kept on walking for a long time and saw a huge herd of deer up in the mountains, I always loved that feeling of having these animals accompany us on a hike. Emily was having second thoughts about the whole thing and was thinking that the trail was too long and that there was nothing but more trail ahead, so after a while we had a rest and decided to turn back. On the way, we got picked up by a Mongolian family and got to hitchhike back to Gana's car. Silly old man knew none the better.
The trip back to Ulaanbataar was a relaxing one after such a long day and an amazing first half of the trip.Read more
Ulaanbaatar II
April 30, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Back at UB Guesthouse, I was so tired but still tried to get some chores in. Had to do my laundry and fix my things as I was immediately leaving the next day for Gobi.
I was to mellow'ed out so during the meeting with the rest of the group with Bobbi, I was just there but no there at the same time. It was an interesting bunch and I had my reservations at first, I didn't know these people and I wasn't sure about traveling with so many at the same time I just came from a duo traveling pair. There were 5 of us in that room, Hayata and Ryo from Japan, Changyoon from Korea and Carmen for the Netherlands. Nanami who was late but arriving later that night made our group 6. All in all, I was a bit stressed and couldn't care too much so I went back to the room to chill for a bit before heading out with Emily to grab some dinner.
Coming back, I saw Nanami come in and I managed to talk to her for a bit before retiring for the night.Read more
Tsagaan Suvarga
May 1, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ 🌬 16 °C
The first morning, we loaded up our stuff in Gana's car. I was quite elated to be able to go on a second journey with him, our bond was stronger this time and he was the only one I was actually really close with during this time. In the car, my social battery was depleted and I was quite reserved, I retreated into my inner shell and was just vibing by the window, making small talk but I wasn't really feeling it. The people I was with were good, but something about me was holding me back from actually talking with them. I guess maybe I was just too tired and a bit overwhelmed to be suddenly traveling with so many people at once. This continued for the duration of the trip.
We stopped by in the middle of nowhere for lunch, they played around and found a skull of a horned animal which made for an excellent photo op. They went around the place and did some hikes while I stuck around with Khulan, our cook, and Gana. I walked around towards the other side where a herd of sheep were grazing near a frozen pond. Lunch was delicious soup, it was good, we ate inside the car as the sandstorm was kicking off.
We made another brief stop at a road side where they took a group photo, I was too shy and ended up just hiding behind the car and making some lame excuse. In exchange, I did teach them a bit about photography composition. I helped take their photos in the roadside and Carmen at Gana's car, they loved it which made me happy and I think from then on I started to slowly come out of my shell and open up a bit.
Things turned even better when we finally reached the sight for the day after 7 hours on the road. Tsagaan Suvarge, the White Stupa. These scarlet-painted mountains that seemed to extend endlessly towards the desert horizons were such a power spot that I felt so happy and energized. The wind was strong, strong enough to blow poor Gana's hat away. He was able to get it back somehow. The cliifs we were on were insane, these textures were out of this world. It was a seabed in there were a lot of colors hidden once I looked closer. I helped Hayata take his photos and edited it in Lightroom as a gift.
Back at the camp, we stayed with a nomadic family's ger again, my second time. Changyoon, Hayata and Nanami played some games at night while Carmen played some tunes. I couldn't be bothered to join as I was so tired.Read more
Khongoryn Els
May 2, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
The next morning, I woke up and made my way to the nomadic family's ger to give them some hand gifts. Milk tea that I had brought all the way from Japan. They're the second family I shared them to and I still had so much left. I was able to invite the others inside later and they got the chance to see and have that cultural experience.
We also stopped by a farm that was run by UB Guesthouse and the nomadic family. This time the journey was much longer, we had lunch at a restaurant in a small town. I was able to give the gang a crash course on photo editing using Lightroom and helped Carmen edit some of her photos which she was really happy with. We also stopped by a small village to refuel on water where we were able to interact with a lot of the local children.
The roads took us through deserts, grasslands, and even mountains and valleys. As we went closer and closer towards Khongoryn Els, we were able to see from a distance a cloud of smoke that was moving too fast to be a horse, they turned out to be gazelles! Such magnificent creatures.
Arriving at our next camp, we found the ger to be quite warm already, it was a foreshadowing of the horrible hot night that was to come. The surroundings were spectacular with sand dunes all around and plenty of camels. Carmen, Nanami and Ryo were the first ones to go on a camel ride. Hayata and Changyoon had an armwrestling match while we were waiting. I was sharing some of my worries with Khulan that we might not have time to catch the sunset above the sand dunes at this rate but she reassured me and tried explaining her plan but her English wasn't enough and in the end we just laughed and I told her that I'll just trust her. When it was our turn for a camel ride, one of the nomads went back halfway and gave me the reigns for Hayata's camel, I was thrilled, we were like a mini-camel caravan now with Changyoon in front of me. We seemed to be heading towards a different direction, going towards the sand dunes where Gana went ahead to pick us up, saving us time. Khulan was then saying "Now you understand?" to which we both laughed some more.
The sand dunes that seemed so close appeared to be much further as the drive still took a couple of minutes and when we did arrive, I was both ecstatic and bewildered at the sheer size of it, the highest sand dune was around 300 meters and we had only 30 minutes to scale that before the sun set. It was game face on, and Carmen and I were leading the pack, motivated.
Motivation slowly drained as we waddled through the sand, I forgot just how difficult it was walking on it, Carmen reminded me to step on the footsteps of others which did make it easier however, we still haven't even begun the hike. I was barefeet and the hike was absolutely brutal. In our rush to catch the sunset, we had also forgotten to bring water so I was on a full on survival run. Going up slowly but surely, it was a mental battle as much as it was a physical one. From two-legged and I had to go on all fours as it was getting so steep, I had only felt this way during the Salkantay trek and Mt. Fuji, this overwhelming feeling of wanting to just turn tail and give up, losing hope that I'll be able to see the other side of this dune. At the same time, my indomitable spirit rising up to the challenge, wanting it so much I kept on going no matter what, praying to Tara or to any being to just give me the strength to keep pushing on. I passed by a Korean guy who was also staring at the sand, contemplating his life decisions no doubt. I encouraged him and we pushed forward a bit but soon he was left in the dust, he urged me to move on and I parted ways with him with a heavy heart but with hopes that we would meet again at the top. Hayata at this point had overtaken me while Carmen had joined the others below, I had to keep going on. It still seemed like a monumental task but eventually Hayata made it to the top first, this spurred me to keep pushing. Finally, the peak was at hand and I made it second, the sun setting in pretty close to the horizon but it was still there, the colors magnificent, a view very much well-earned. It was made even better as slowly the rest of the group came with Ryo being the last. It turned perfect when Ryo was the only one in our group who had brought water, now I was energized and I think it was really this day where I felt a strong bond with the group. Such a profound moment to celebrate this friendship, scaling a giant dune and every one making it just in time for sunset. I was thankful for this memorable experience. I was even able to see the Korean dude again, we shook hands, no words needed.
The way down the dunes was always unbelievable easy and so much fun, I ran down for a bit and walked the rest of the way with Carmen, catching up with Khulan and Gana as they were preparing our dinner in the desert. We still had some blue hour photography when the rest of the group arrived and we got amazing silhouette shots. Dinner was also a nice experience, eating in the dark with just some lights with feet on the sands. On the way back, I even saw a hedgehog scuttling around some brush.
Back at camp, Hayata, Changyoon and I tried taking a shower out in the cold night with some water bottles, Khulan later saw us and laughed at us. She said that there was a shower right there, at first we all thought she was joking but she showed us where so now we were these half-naked idiots wet in the cold. I went back to take a shower but my glasses' screw came undone and I lost one of the lens somewhere. There were some Koreans who helped me find the lens but the screw was gone, screw it. I went back to our tent and knew just who to ask. Ryo, ever the reliable, had some tape and we were able to MacGyver up my glasses and hey, it lasted the rest of the trip.
At night, it was Changyoon's turn to be the DJ as they played some more games. Ryo joined them this time around while Carmen and I were chilling. The night turned out to become one of the challenging nights as they stoked the fire with some wood, the ger turned into a sauna. The heat staying all throughout the night even until morning, everyone had a hard time sleeping but Ryo and I were able to sleep just fine. Changyoon had the worst of it and he had to keep going out the ger to cool off, he said he even saw a ghost that night!Read more
Yolyn Am
May 3, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
The next morning, I awoke to a still very warm tent. so I went out to catch some fresh air. First stop was a cold morning shower and boy it was cold alright, somehow even colder than last night but twice as refreshing. I visited the nomadic family's tent to pay my respects by giving them some more of my milk tea which was slowly running out. I ran into Gana as well, he's taken a cold shower too. He smirked and told me "is good!" to which I heartily agreed. I love cold showers.
From the distance, a herd of camels were grazing and I went up to get a closer look. Nanami and Carmen also joined me afterwards. Soon, it was time to go and we said good bye to this memorable place, looking forward to where today was going to take us. Our next destination was Yolyn Am, otherwise known as the Valley of the Vultures or simply Ice Valley. Emily told me this was one of her main highlights and I was wondering how it could possible beat the epicness of the Singing Sand Dunes of Khongoryn Els. I was about to eat my words.
On the way, we saw a bigger caravan of camels, numbering to hundreds. Some more gazelles running around, and the usual horses. The terrain changed from deserts to grasslands to mountains. After several hours, we reached our camp near Yolyn Am where we got to rest in the tent for a bit. Hayata and Changyoon went to a nearby farm while we waited for Khulan to cook our meal. I went inside their lodge to find old Gana taking a rest, looking like an angel. He must have been so tired driving us around for so many days, even before the Gobi trip when I was with Emily.
When food finally arrived, Carmen cranked out her old speakers and the first song she played sounded so familiar, I couldn't believe that I was hearing this song a second time in Mongolia but I think it was Spiritbird again! Carmen so my reaction and thought I didn't like it and she was asking if she should switch it but I was like "Is this Spiritbird?" and she was like "Yeah!" I shared with her my experience with this song, and she told me she also gets goosebumps with it. Now I was really happy, with good food, good music and good people. All is well.
Now, I was planning on sharing with them some of the edibles I had for Ice Valley, all of them had a half gummy each while I took a whole one. Our roadtrip took us deep into towering mountains and we finally began our trek. It was around 4 kilometers and I was so ready to start, the effects were still slow but it was quite a beautiful place. Tall brown mountains on a cloudy day gave it a really dramatic earthy mood. I was wondering why it was called Ice Valley as there wasn't really much ice but the terrain was still quite breath taking. We encountered a small frozen stream, could this be it? No, couldn't be.
Hayata, Changyoon, Carmen, Khulan and I kept moving forward until we saw a baby yak that got separated from its herd, it was running around trying to find them and we tried not to get in the way. Khulan said it should be fine so they proceeded deeper but their pace was too fast for me, I wanted to take my time to enjoy so I let them go and waited for Ryo and Nanami instead who walked at a much leisurely pace. Together we made our way forward and at this point the edibles were starting to take effect. I was absolutely mesmerized and as if the high was one with the valley, now I could see why they called it Ice Valley. A huge frozen river was in front of us, at first we tried to go around it but when we realized it was unavoidable, we actually had to trek on the ice for the latter half of the trek.
I was ecstatic, I could see why Emily said this was her highlight. It was so unique, the energy of the place was insane and the sensory experience of feeling the ice crack under my feet was both exhilirating and a little bit terrifying. Everything was so majestic and I could see that Nanami and Ryo were so happy as well. We walked and took plenty of photos, Nanami helped me get my shot of the day too.
We walked on the ice until we ran into Hayata, Changyoon and Carmen, they were on the way back now. Khulan was there waiting for us at the end of the trek were the valley converged deeper and narrower, Khulan said it was dangerous to go beyond this point and this was where the trek ends. In this lake of ice, I was too satisfied. At the side, we saw a leg of an animal which turned out to be a horse. We were asking Khulan what could have eaten it and she said that it was a snow leopard. We thought she was doing one of her jokes again but turns out she was serious. A snow leopard! So close to the trail too, that was pretty dope.
I curiously asked if the water here was drinkable, she said that it was, it's very clean mountain water. At first, I thought she was joking again but when I realized she was serious, I couldn't pass the chance to try out some water from this powerful spot. I scooped up some water with my hands and put them to my mouth. The water tasted amazing, so clean, so fresh, so energizing. I was grateful to be able to drink a water from such a magical source. Nanami and Ryo were afraid that the water's gone stagnant and that it wasn't clean, but I trusted Khulan completely.
I thought the trek was already perfect, it couldn't possible get any better but boy I was so wrong. Khulan noted that there were yaks near yonder and I saw that from the top of the mountain, a herd was slowly descending. We waited and saw that more and more were coming until a huge herd were only a small stone throw's away from us. The hike turned from magical to straight up spiritual for me, being able to walk back with the yaks accompanying us was so emotional for me. It really felt like the Yolyn Am itself was seeing us off. They came down to drink the waters from the mountain as well. I could stare at them the whole day with plenty of photos in between.
Towards the end or the start of the trek I should say, I saw these stacked up rocks in the shape of a dome with a flag on top. I've been seeing a lot of these man-made structures around Mongolia, I saw Ryo bow to it in thanks so I asked him what it was. It turned out to be a make-shift stupa, so it's of Buddhist origin. I prayed and gave my thanks as well for such an amazing hike.
We also saw another leg, I asked Khulan if it was the same one. She said that it was, I asked her how she knows it to which she replied "I'm Mongolian", yes of course I wasn't doubting her skills but I was just curious what gave it away. She mentioned that it was the hooves, she remembered which was way too cool.
I went back such a happy kid, but the fun wasn't over yet.Read more
Ömnögovi
May 3, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Back at our camp, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to see these goats that Hayata and Changyoon were mentioning. Nanami, Ryo and I went with Changyoon to check them out again and I have to say, this was also one of the main highlights for my whole Mongolia trip.
There was a nomadic family there tending to a huge herd of goats and sheep. They had a cute puppy running around and two adorable children that seemed to have all the joy in the world, playing with all these animals. It was like heaven, the animals were really friendly and allowed us to touch them, the baby kids, still with tiny horns, were especially endearing and approached us for plenty of pets (or probably looking for milk). The children played with us as well, some form of tag and stone throwing game that I couldn't help but play along to hear their laughter. The goats and sheep had amazing colors, really earthy tones of different shades of brown that synergized perfectly with the land and weather. I gave some more milktea as handgifts to the mother there. The father was very kind to the animals according to Changyoon, and it shows as the animals here weren't afraid of us at all. The goats were really patient with the children as they yanked at their tails and hit their behinds playfully, they weren't that patient with the puppy though. The young thing was teething and would bite anything it could get its jaws on.
We went back to camp after spending a long time in the farm, this time around I was DJ for the night and played some tunes from my playlist while all 5 of them played some games. I was too relaxed to play so I let them have their fun and enjoyed listening to my music for the rest of the night.Read more
Baga Gazariin Chuluu
May 4, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ 🌬 5 °C
Today we were going back to Ulaanbataar's direction with one last sight to see, Baga Gazariin Chuluu. Really unique natural rock formations. We freshened up in the morning and had a hearty breakfast, Khulan always made a ton of food and we were kinda sad that we couldn't finish them. Today, we had even had sushi which was pretty international.
We had lunch again in the middle of nowhere, it was much colder that day so except for Ryo and I, the rest ate their share inside the jeep. As usual, it was another 6-7 hour ride but it was always palatable with the amazing scenery. I had one last edible left that I saved until we passed through Mandalgovi, the same place we stopped by to get gas in the first day. Taking that in, listening to White Tara mantra, the ride became extremely profound and I had really deep insights.
When we stopped over for a break, the sky was looked so beautiful and with the greenery of the grasslands, I knew it was going to be a good day. We finally got to our camp maybe a couple of hours before sunset, our group separated with Hayata and Changyoon with me, Ryo going off alone and Nanami and Carmen chilling back at camp. Huge props to Bobbi as she really knows how to make the tour, the camp was situated in a huge field between mountains and it was breathtaking to think this is where we were staying tonight, I felt like a king.
I asked Khulan where would be the best spot to view sunset, I had wanted to go to the back mountains but she directed me to the rocky mountains up in the front, of course I trusted her judgement and told Hayata and Changyoon to head that way with me.
Baga Gazariin Chuluu didn't disappoint, giant rock formations forming these cascading like structures that stretched towards a rocky mountain towering above the rest. It felt extraterrestrial, I've never seen a place like this in my life. As we walked deeper into the the rocky labyrinth, it felt like we could get lost (spoiler alert, I did). I shared that we shouldn't go to deep and they agreed so we found ourselves some giant formations to climb on. We ran into Ryo as well, Hayata and Changyoon took their tops off and started to do some push ups on top of the rocks for a video while Ryo helped shot. I started to meditate on top of my chosen rock, feeling the wind caress my face, embracing the sharp cold, getting grounded by the earth. The energy was mighty here.
Ryo went ahead and told us which way the camp was. Hayata and Changyoon were saying that they were going back to get the girls and said good bye but then Changyoon then asked me if I was meditating, I said yep, they shared a look at each other and Hayata was like "I wanna try meditating too" so the two of them found their own boulders, Hayata to my left and Changyoon to my right and so the three of us continued meditating in this place. As the sun set, the wind's icey touch got even colder.
After half an hour of meditating, I needed to warm up my body, I saw Changyoon was already wandering about so I tried to find an even higher vantage point to watch the sunset. I crossed over to the other side and saw that there was another nomadic family with a farm and animals at the bottom. I found the spot that I wanted and would take refuge time to time behind the rocks to shield myself from the harsh wind but eventually I simply sat and watched the sun go down behind some clouds. I saw that Hayata and Changyoon went ahead so now I was left alone in this beautiful desolate place.
I had the idea to check out the nearby nomadic family and maybe make my way around the mountains to circle back to my camp. This was a huge mistake on my part as I did go down and did see some cute animals but eventually it didn't seem like the path was going where I wanted to be. It was just a huge expanse of nothingness, and the more I went forward, the more my doubt grew that this was the right place. I then decided to cut off and go diagonally to where I thought the camp might be, going through the rocky maze again. Another stupid mistake, I kept going forward thinking that this could be it, the camp should be here only to end up in a field of nothing again. At this point, the realization set in that I could seriously be lost right now, it was getting darker and colder by the minute with the sun already below the horizon. I checked my phone, I had no signal, no wi-fi (not that I would be able to find my camp if I had any) and I realized it was at 2% left, I could have used it as a flash light but now it was getting bad. I tried to remain calm but definitely started to run a bit more, backtracking and chanting the Green Tara mantra. I had a plan to use the biggest mountain as a landmark and to go back to the nomadic family to ask for help but at the same time I also trusted that Green Tara would help, then I heard birds. This place was devoid of life and I didn't see or hear any birds the whole time I was meditating and wandering around, suddenly there were the chirping of birds. I don't know why, but I felt like the birds might show me the way. I wasn't that stupid to just go for it, of course I had plan B which was to go back to the nomadic family, but it seemed like it was going to the general direction of my camp, back to where we started. I just followed the bird.
The bird changed from one direction to the next, I have no idea if it was the same bird or not but it changed direction 5 times across large distances, were there a lot of birds or just this one? I could constantly hear the chirping, I kept on praying the Green Tara mantra all throughout. There was one opening towards a field, it looked a bit familiar as I could see the back mountains. I was thinking of going left but the bird went right, so I went right and was absolutely dumbfounded to find my camp right there. I immediately thanked Tara and the spirit bird who helped me find my way back. With a huge sigh of relief, I went to the nearby farm to look at the sheep and back to my tent where everyone was worried about me. I tried to play it cool, "I was just hiking around" but that was really a life-threatening situation for sure. Well, it's not the first time I found myself in that situation, but it was a time for gratitude either way.
I ate dinner heartily and was happy to get the DJ priviledges again as Carmen said I had really good tunes. I also opted to join the card games for the night, finally the whole group was playing for the first time in a long time. We played GoFish first and then Carmen taught us how to play this Dutch card game that's similar to Uno.Read more
Baga Gazariin Chuluu II
May 5, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C
Our final day out in Mother Mongolia's great outdoors. After another hefty breakfast, Gana drove us all to the actual site of Baga Gazariin Chuluu where we could do some hiking, Baga Gazariin Chuluu's peak was considered sacred by the Mongolians. There were remnants of temples here that were destroyed during the war.
We passed through several stone stupas on the way until Khulan let us go to explore on our own for an hour or so, telling us to come back to the same place when we're done. I started to meditate again and Hayata joined me too. I did some exploring on my own as well and ran into Ryo. I invited him to scale the higher peaks with me and we went to one after the next until we decided that it was time to go back.
Funnily enough, we saw the other group going in the wrong direction, it was a good thing we called out to them and that they saw us. They said they would have kept going on if not for us. They'd have ended up lost like me, in the last day too!
We all met up with Gana again and said good bye to this majestic place. Gana brought us to this restaurant that only had one item in their menu: buuz, Mongolian dumplings except this one only had sheep meat. I had no choice but to eat, not the first time Gana put me in this position with his love of sheep meat. It was an actual battle finishing these giant buuz, numbering up to 8 per plate. Everyone had a hard time eating all of them but we managed to chow 'em down.
We also stopped by a surreal liminal place that somehow pulled off both a nomadic and soviet vibe, a sand storm was brewing in the horizon. The rest of the trip back to UB was peaceful and uneventful. Everyone was quite tired from such a long journey and slept throughout most of the ride.Read more
Ulaanbaatar III
May 5, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C
Finally back in Ulaanbaatar, we were finally able to get back and relax, for some reason there was no hot water available so we still had to bathe in the cold water.
I shut myself in the room, it was a very beautiful one, much better than my previous room. I was happy to just be able to have time for myself, something that I didn't have most of the time here in Mongolia.
I said farewell to Khulan, gave her a nice warm hug. And Gana, oh my dear Gana, it was so sad to partways with him even after spending such a long time. He gave me a sheepish "Bye bye" with a nice handshake, I told him that he was my friend for my life in Khongoryn Els and I really did mean that.
I arranged for the group to have one last dinner before we all parted ways. In the meantime, Carmen went to a different hostel while Hayata and Changyoon went to the State Department Store to do some souvenir shopping. Nanami went off to buy Cashmere fur and Ryo and I stayed behind. We all found ourselves together at a nearby classy restaurant.
We were thinking of hitting the Fat Cat Jazzclub but the other guys had a different idea of going to a strip club instead. We went back to UB Guesthouse and Nanami recruited two other Japanese girls to join us. I didn't want to go and told them that I had no money but Ryo said that he'd treat me so I ended up just going thinking it would be an interesting experience. Hayata had a friend in the area that hooked him up.
Our walk took us pass Chojin Lama Museum and into a very fancy building, they were saying that it was in B1 but the building's floor sign didn't show that at all. We waited for a long time until they said it was finally ready. I was surprised to see the place, it was next-level luxurious. This wasn't your average strip club, this was the sort of place that big-wigs would go to (it made sense now that the European Union building was right next to it). We all had different seats, the 3 girls grouped together at a bench and each guy had their own. The dancers put on an amazing show, their pole dancing skills were really fun to look at. I tried my best not to fall into carnal desires and just chanted the Tara mantra to protect myself.
Soon, the guys started ordering drinks and started getting lap dances. It was quite intense and they seemed to be having fun. I didn't pay attention to them and just looked at the interior design. After a while, one of the girls approached me, she gave me her hand and I unconsciously took it. I thought maybe she wanted to dance and that seemed fun, she took me somewhere at the back instead so I thought she wanted me to buy her a drink as the bar was there. She took me past that to the seats at the back where another friend joined her. They both gave me a lap dance and I was quite in a powerless position, my defense mechanism was just to laugh. I tried not to touch them at all and when one of the girls took my hand to put on her breast, I pulled away. This went on for a while and they said thank you afterwards, I said thank you as well and went back to my seat. My emotions were swirling. I didn't know how to feel about that, I already had a girlfriend and I had no intentions for things going that way but it did. I tried telling Ryo about it but he said "2 on 1, that's paradise!" Well, I don't know about that, maybe if the circumstances were different. As I looked around, Hayata and Changyoon moved to the back and were just going at it and Ryo ordered another lapdance, it seems like everyone was falling further into debauchery. At this point, I've had enough and asked Ryo to just pay for me so I could leave. I said good bye to everyone and walked in the cold at home, my mind and heart heavy. It was a bitter way to end the trip to Mongolia but it gave me a lot to think about. Is this what being a man meant? What if I was single, would I have acted the way they did? Many questions floated in my mind as I tried to get some sleep.
The next day, I felt a bit better and fixed my stuff. Bobbi helped me call Baysa the night before, and he came through. Sent one of his guys to pick me up and dropped me back at the airport. He was there too so I was quite happy, we shook hands and I said good bye to him and Mongolia. I will be coming back!Read more
