The Magic of Mongolia
A month into my return from Mongolia, I have at last finished sifting the 3,800 photographic images of a magical time. How easy it has been to be re-immersed in that far-away place. I can still close my eyes and still feel my feet on that amazing terrain, smell the clean air, hear the silence of the steppes. This abundant collection of photos and videos lets me dawdle, remembering each moment instead of turning to the task and fun of telling the story!
The fourteen day trip took me halfway around the world from my Michigan home. After several unseasonably hot days (85F+) in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar (where half of the 3.2 million Mongolians live), our group of eight Westerners flew west one thousand miles. Bayan Ulgii is Mongolia’s westernmost province, bordered by China to the south and Russia to the north. The area is mostly populated by ethnic Kazakh people, and people mostly speak Kazakh, not Mongolian (two distinct languages). English was nearly non-existent. It didn’t matter: smiles and a willingness to communicate without words worked well enough.
The group’s host, photographer Thomas Kelly, has been based in Asia for several decades when he’s not at home in Santa Fe, NM. He joined forces with Kazakh Tour owner Dosjan Khaval to to arrange a spectacular journey for us. We had abundant opportunities to visit nomad families and witness their way of life. We even got to ride across the vast terrain for two days on horseback! Pinch me.
For all of us, the highlight moments were several chances to interact with eagle hunters. We witnessed close-up the centuries-old custom of hunting on horseback using Golden eagles as hunting partners. The final two days were at the Altai Eagle Festival, where we cheered for Kenjebek, one of our Kazakh crew, who is also an eagle hunter.
In all, we traveled more than 300 miles in a wide circle across the vast, arid grasslands. It’s known as the Great Steppe (“steppe” being a word derived from Russian for “flat, grassy plain”). Imagine being in a place where open range country stretches to the horizon without any fences in sight. Life in Bayan Ulgii is much as it has been for centuries, with nomad families following their herds of goats, sheep, cows, yaks, horses, and sometimes camels, moving the household every four months or so.
Since childhood, the Asian steppes have captured my imagination, and to have had the chance to spend time there leaves me deeply and humbly grateful. Now that I’m home again (and recuperated from the 12-hour time zone change!), sorting the seemingly unending march of digital photos has been a big, but wonderful job. After finishing, I sat back in my chair, stunned. We did so many things! Now my brain is struggling to put words to it all. Bear with me while I try to make that special world come alive. It will require multiple blog posts!
Please go to www.kazakhtour.com (our tour operator Dosjan Khaval’s website) and www.wild-earth-journeys.com (our tour host Thomas Kelly’s website) for some wonderfully tempting opportunities to travel in Mongolia. I can heartily recommend both.
