The day we left UB, we were extremely surprised to find it snowing, and only on the 26th of September. It was extremely beautiful though, and we were treated to some beautifully dusted countryside as we made our way out to Terelj National Park. The trip was booked through Ger to Ger, (review below) which is a social profit enterprise, because independent travel is extremely difficult, and we really wanted to stay with nomads without abusing their hospitality.
On what was the most surreal of my birthdays, we travelled to another nomadic family, using the ancient but reliable ox cart as our means of transportation. It was not the smoothest ride, but a really nice pace to see the landscape go past, and so quiet.
We tried to help out with chores when we could, with Dani assisting in the making of aarul - curdled milk that is pressed and dehydrated in the air and sun. It basically has no expiry date and is important for winter as the cows stop producing milk.
Mongolians have an interesting mix of spirituality, religion and superstition. One common sight were these ovoo's, which are a mix of Buddhist and pagan nature-worship. It was a great place for quiet contemplation, and the surrounding landscape was truly epic in scale.
As part of our trip, we went on several horse rides, which was the best way to explore the area. It was really interesting to see the different personalities of the stocky little horses Mongolia is famous for, and see how our horsemanship improved, though we always told the nomads we couldn't ride at all for fear they would give us a half-wild horse that would gallop and prove uncontrollable. Autumn was already in its late stages, but there was still a lot of rich colours around.
Our expectations of Mongolian countryside were of stereotypical steppe, with large herds of horses running nearly wild and being chased by people on powerful steeds. Amazingly, this is exactly what we saw, and it felt like the wild west, with the thunder of hooves alerting us to their presence.
Even by the middle of the trip we felt really at home in gers, lighting the fire, relaxing and reading inside their cosy shelter.
Another aspect of nomadic life we quickly got used to were the outdoor squat toilets, which were almost always three-sided open-air constructions, often with amazing views and facing the morning sun.
Because there was not too much to keep us occupied, we often played with the smaller children, as most teenagers go to UB for school with relatives. We introduced many of them to frisbee, and just generally mucking around. The had very cute faces.
Dani was able to learn traditional techniques for Mongolian sewing and was very envious of the hand-machines almost every family owned.
There were always dairy products being made, as animals are milked twice a day and Mongolians rarely drink fresh milk. This is a batch of orom, which we ate almost daily while in Mongolia. Unfortunately, we were both violently sick from seperate dodgy batches. I think the problem was that the milk was left at a warm temperature for more than 24 hours before eating, and our stomachs lack the powerful bacteria necessary, which Mongolians have had many years, and generations, to produce.
Before catching the bus back to UB we helped herd our nomad's cows into the right area for the day, which basically entailed making a lot of noise and making sure no individuals tried to escape.
Review of Ger to Ger trip - Terelj Horseback riding to Princess Temple
The trip was certainly good value for money, as many companies charge much more per day. The proximity of Terelj to UB was also crucial in reducing the cost, as we did not have to hire a private jeep.
The itinerary supplied was a very vague outline, which may have been correct at some point but was not for us. We didn't mind not staying with family A on day 1 and were happy to be flexible, but as a result we did miss out on some of the activities described. We also had to press the nomads to take part in some of the activities, so less bold travellers may have missed out entirely.
Except for the activities it is unlikely the nomads will ask you to do anything. My advice would be to amuse yourself by playing with children, reading or playing games, or be very proactive by asking in Mongolian if you can help with chores.
The packing list was also a bit spurious. We nearly brought a tent from Scandinavia because we thought we would be staying in one most nights, but we were actually in gers. A very good sleeping bag is needed for all but the summer months, which Ger to Ger may or may not be able to provide. In the same vein, serious layers of clothing are needed because it is really cold. Bringing puzzles, games and other activities to do yourself or share is vital, because there are many hours to fill, even if you like taking photos and going for walks.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed it, but it could have been much better had we known some of these details beforehand.
The people we stayed with are true nomads and move several times every year depending on weather conditions. They are herders, and therefore keep only animals with a herding instinct - in this case, horses, yaks, cows, sheep, and goats.
Because we were guests, no-one would ever ask us to help out, but there was little to do besides relax and enjoy the stunning scenery, so I helped out with some poo shoveling. It is not glamorous, but needs to be done, and I was glad to help this old man because it was pretty tough work.
The National Park is absolutely stunning at night, with clear skies and no light pollution whatsoever. We were also lucky to have timed our stay with a full moon, so it was very bright.
This lack of cloud cover really made the temperature drop though, and Mongolia proved its reputation as being brutally cold. There were hard frosts every night bar one, and ice even settled on the dog.
We tried to help out with chores when we could, with Dani assisting in the making of aarul - curdled milk that is pressed and dehydrated in the air and sun. It basically has no expiry date and is important for winter as the cows stop producing milk.
Mongolians have an interesting mix of spirituality, religion and superstition. One common sight were these ovoo's, which are a mix of Buddhist and pagan nature-worship. It was a great place for quiet contemplation, and the surrounding landscape was truly epic in scale.
As part of our trip, we went on several horse rides, which was the best way to explore the area. It was really interesting to see the different personalities of the stocky little horses Mongolia is famous for, and see how our horsemanship improved, though we always told the nomads we couldn't ride at all for fear they would give us a half-wild horse that would gallop and prove uncontrollable. Autumn was already in its late stages, but there was still a lot of rich colours around.
Our expectations of Mongolian countryside were of stereotypical steppe, with large herds of horses running nearly wild and being chased by people on powerful steeds. Amazingly, this is exactly what we saw, and it felt like the wild west, with the thunder of hooves alerting us to their presence.
Even by the middle of the trip we felt really at home in gers, lighting the fire, relaxing and reading inside their cosy shelter.
Another aspect of nomadic life we quickly got used to were the outdoor squat toilets, which were almost always three-sided open-air constructions, often with amazing views and facing the morning sun.
Because there was not too much to keep us occupied, we often played with the smaller children, as most teenagers go to UB for school with relatives. We introduced many of them to frisbee, and just generally mucking around. The had very cute faces.
Dani was able to learn traditional techniques for Mongolian sewing and was very envious of the hand-machines almost every family owned.
There were always dairy products being made, as animals are milked twice a day and Mongolians rarely drink fresh milk. This is a batch of orom, which we ate almost daily while in Mongolia. Unfortunately, we were both violently sick from seperate dodgy batches. I think the problem was that the milk was left at a warm temperature for more than 24 hours before eating, and our stomachs lack the powerful bacteria necessary, which Mongolians have had many years, and generations, to produce.
One day we practiced archery, one of the three sports of Nadaam. It was quite difficult.
On one of our final mornings we woke to snow, which had melted by midday but was a sure sign that winter was coming.
We helped move a ger to a winter camp, as the weather was progressively getting colder. My job was to hold the centre again, while Dani had to keep the children distracted.
Review of Ger to Ger trip - Terelj Horseback riding to Princess Temple
The trip was certainly good value for money, as many companies charge much more per day. The proximity of Terelj to UB was also crucial in reducing the cost, as we did not have to hire a private jeep.
The itinerary supplied was a very vague outline, which may have been correct at some point but was not for us. We didn't mind not staying with family A on day 1 and were happy to be flexible, but as a result we did miss out on some of the activities described. We also had to press the nomads to take part in some of the activities, so less bold travellers may have missed out entirely.
Except for the activities it is unlikely the nomads will ask you to do anything. My advice would be to amuse yourself by playing with children, reading or playing games, or be very proactive by asking in Mongolian if you can help with chores.
The packing list was also a bit spurious. We nearly brought a tent from Scandinavia because we thought we would be staying in one most nights, but we were actually in gers. A very good sleeping bag is needed for all but the summer months, which Ger to Ger may or may not be able to provide. In the same vein, serious layers of clothing are needed because it is really cold. Bringing puzzles, games and other activities to do yourself or share is vital, because there are many hours to fill, even if you like taking photos and going for walks.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed it, but it could have been much better had we known some of these details beforehand.
