The Mongolian Experience

23/07/09

Mongolia inspires the imagination with wide open spaces under a blue sky that stretches for miles in every direction like a massive blanket hanging over the earth. The landscape is dotted with ger camps, livestock and men on horses. You can drive for miles without seeing anything but dirt tracks through the grass. You guess which one will be the driest, get stuck a couple of times, break down a couple more, push on and on through day and night until finally mountains break the steppe appearing far off on the horizon. The grass seems barren but a closer look reveals that it is teeming with life. Each square metre contains all variety of insects, dozens of plant and grass species and occasionally a hole made by a tasty little marmot.

The sky is dotted with the silhouette of raptors soaring in circles with wings spread, seeking a meal on the steppe. The tradition of falconry is ancient in this country. The Khans kept large aviaries of predatory birds and used them for sport hunting. Nowadays it is possible to visit the eagle hunters in the west. These horsemen carry their birds, keeping them hooded until the time comes to release them. Their powerful wings spread, they descend on the helpless creatures of the steppe returning the meat to their masters.

Back in the city the streets are flooded and everything is a mess. Thieves ply the streets looking for easy prey. The drivers are madmen and don’t stop – street crossing is an unwelcome adrenaline sport, perhaps the worst I’ve ever seen. The city is dirty and in a horrendous state of decay. It is not these memories that I will take from this place.


I will think back on the ‘three manly sports,’ the huge meat-fed wrestlers, the felt walls and smoky stoves of the gers, and all the great people who picked me up at the side of the road. Perhaps foremost in my mind is the transportation network, which is virtually nonexistent for large swathes of this massive country. Twenty seven hour bus rides, six flat tires, two breakdowns, more people than seats, the dirt tracks fanning out across the plains, sunrise through the windows and wild horses roaming under the infinite blue sky. That is what I will remember.

I can’t believe how much mutton I consumed in the last three weeks, much less how much I grew to enjoy it. If you want to know what a sheep tastes like, this is the place. No spice, no sauce, just meat. Sheep head soup anyone?

The land of the Khans remains nearly as inaccessible today as it did back in the thirteenth century. I caught a glimpse and I will take it. For now.