This journey to Mongolia provided an opportunity to experience the last significant nomadic culture on earth, set in a panorama of endless grasslands, steppes, mountains, lakes and domestic and wild animals. It is approachable because of the genuine hospitality of its people, admirable for their handsome features, hardy endurance of brutal winters and, recently, successful embrace of democracy after decades of oppression as a Soviet satellite state.
In the capital, Ulaanbaatar, we went to spectacular cultural shows and visited museums and Buddhist temples. Outside of the capital, it was mostly an elaborate mobile camping trip, with most nights spent in ger camps, ranging from simple to upscale. We visited a lake region near Siberia, hiked mountains, rode their heralded plains horses, learned how gers are assembled and enjoyed the beauty of cool mountains. We then flew to the Gobi desert where we rode Bactrian camels to magnificent sand dune formations, photographing them at dusk and dawn, visited a Shaman camp (where I was fully “Shamanized”), drove through magnificent plains and met the nomadic families tending their herds, attended an all-day “Nadam” or day of traditional Mongolian games of wrestling, archery and horse races. We visited the site of important discoveries of dinosaur fossils and ancient petroglyphs, visited a typical boarding school and met some wonderful children, and climbed through the “Flaming Cliffs” to the site of a memorable al fresco dinner.
It was such a special experience to intersect meaningfully with a culture that still lives much the same way it has for centuries, a culture that is strong, accomplished and welcoming to visitors. These are the descendants of Genghis Kahn, who united the warring Mongolian tribes in the 13th century and though military conquest and inspired governance, built the largest contiguous empire in the history of the world. Today’s Mongolians are proud and admirable representatives of the Kahn legacy.
