Traditional Mongolian Wedding

In October Scott was invited to attend a traditional Mongolian wedding held 400 km west of Ulaanbaatar in the Arhangai aimag outside the small town of Tsetserleg. It took many hours by car to reach their destination and they arrived well after dark. The following morning Scott took this shot of the gers and the surrounding area. The wooden shed to the left of the ger was erected to keep wolves away from the family's supply of meat. 

There are no words in Mongolian that directly translate bride and groom. Here, in the gers of the "woman's side" they await the arrival from the "man's side".

And finally they arrive from over the mountains to the east.

The happy couple, as they wait for the wedding festivities to begin.

The traditional exchange of snuff bottles takes place. Many of the bottles are extremely valuable and are worth a great deal of money, sometimes in the thousands of dollars. 

Then there is the presentation of the aaruu, a collection of bread-like, firm oblong "cake"pieces that are arranged in a particular way, always in an odd number of layers representing happiness, sadness, alternatively but beginning and ending with happiness to invoke a good fortune.

As at all traditional Mongolian festive occasions there is much food and drink offered to guests. To the left at the back of the table the mutton carcass is visible. 

The wood stove in the centre of the ger is always stoked to heat the gallons of milk required for the Mongolian traditional milk tea made of a hint of tea, lots of milk and salt and sometimes with an essence of mutton.

Airag, fermented mare's milk, always in abundance

Symbolic shots of vodka are always given with

some money underneath to balance the energy;

alcohol is dark and money is light.

It wouldn't be a party without singing to the accompaniment of the morin khuur, a traditional horse head fiddle. 

Gifts are offered, accompanied by the

daavuu, the ceremonial

prayer scarf.

The bride receives good-bye kisses from her family ...

... then makes a circumnavigation of the ger, always in a clockwise direction, and officially becomes a member of the "man's side.

She lights her first fire, a tradition once the wedding is complete.

A photo of the immediate families from both sides. 

The only person not a family member is the man in the suit. He is the shaman who presided at the wedding.

The Hustai National Park

In May 2013 our friends, John and Daphne, came from Vancouver to visit us in Ulaanbaatar and to see  some other areas of Mongolia. One of our shared excursions was a day trip to Hustai National Park located about 100 km southwest of UB. This park is a conservation area dedicated to the preservation and protection of Mongolia's wild horse, the takhi. Along with the park rangers, these semi-wild cattle keep a close watch on the visitors. 

In Daphne's estimation this is one of the most beautiful cow faces on the planet. We had to agree.

We travelled to and around the park with a driver and guide. Just as well, as Hustai is vast, at 50,620 hectares and it's easy to become disoriented in the steppes. 

In addition to the takhi, Hustai is populated by deer, gazelles, boars, manuls (small wild cats), marmots, wolves, and lynx. We saw a number of small herds of deer, displaying all manner of prowess. Marmots were in evidence, as well. 

The park is rich in birdlife, many of them raptors including eagles, falcons, hawks, buzzards and vultures. 

The takhi, are also called Przewalski's horse, thus named after the Polish explorer who first "discovered" the horse in 1878. The takhi became extinct in Mongolia in the late 1960s but a few remained in European zoos and as a result of the dedicated work of some conservationists they were successfully reintroduced in 3 national parks in Mongolia in the years following Soviet withdrawal from the country. Hustai National Park is home to about 250 takhi. Visitors to the park are not guaranteed they will see these beautiful animals but the park rangers are helpful in directing drivers and guides. We were lucky in having sightings of several small groupings. It was foaling season and we had the good fortune to see a few very young horses. The takhi are the only truly wild horses on earth with a genetic make-up that is different from all other horses; they have 2 more chromosomes in their DNA. Visitors are watched closely and are not permitted to get too close to the takhi, for all the right reasons. 

Our sighting of the graceful - and watchful - demoiselle cranes.

However arid and barren the steppes appear from a distance up close there was an abundance of colour in the alpine flowers that were in bloom in May. 

Sunrise to Sunset: Khovsgol Nuur National Park

On August 2 we left Ulaanbaatar by air for a 90-minute flight to the Murun Airport in Northern Mongolia. Most of us on the flight were headed to Lake Khovsgol for the Sunrise to Sunset Marathon and Ultra-Marathon. We and all of our gear were picked up at the airport by camp staff for transportation by van to the Toilogt Ger Camp located approximately 100 kilometres from Murun.  

Toilogt Ger Camp is located on the western shore of Lake Khovsgol 17 kilometres from the southern tip of the lake. On arrival we were assigned to our gers or teepees (yes, there are teepees in Mongolia). The 2 wooden ger-shaped buildings in the photo are the restaurant and the performance venue where local folk music artists perform for guests. 

Assembled for a first briefing on marathon details this constitutes about half the number of participants. 

This glimpse of Lake Khovsgol only hints at its proportions. In surface area this is the second-largest lake in Mongolia but it is by far the deepest at up to 262 metres deep and it is the world's 14th-largest source of fresh water. 

This hazy view of the mountains behind this shallow arm of the lake gives some sense of the altitude. Toilogt Camp sits at 1600 metres. The highest altitude on the marathon route was 2300 metres. 

There were many lakeshore walks, each with its particular view. 

Toilogt Camp owns this boat and conducts excursions around and across the lake. Many come to this area to fish and one of the people on our flight from UB had come for a week of fly fishing. Mongolian fishing permits for foreigners are strictly for catch and release only. 

A view from inside our ger which we shared with another couple who are colleagues from Judith's school. We had good weather during our week in Khovsgol with only a little rain. The early mornings are chilly though so a fire helps to start the day. 

A few guests at the camp had come for an 11-day horse-trekking expedition. Preparation and packing was critical as they were heading into deep wilderness far from amenities of any kind. The camp employs experienced Mongolian horsemen to act as guides and to oversee all preparation and packing for the trips.

There is a significant amount of gear and supplies needed and its a study in precision to watch the horsemen organize and pack everything while evenly distributing the weight.

Yes, those are wooden saddles.

One pack horse ready, with a few more to load.

Canoes and kayaks were available for guests to use. The canoes were in better shape than the kayaks so we opted for a canoe to paddle along the lake shore.

Sunrise to Sunset is a bit of a misnomer as our day began significantly before sunrise. Our wake-up call was at 2 a.m. on August 7, breakfast was at 3 followed by backpack checks before our start time at 4 a.m.  The first 2.5 km was through the forest leading north from the camp and this section was completed with flashlights or headlamps. Several kilometres down the road we were lucky to catch this view of the sunrise as it made its appearance through the clouds.

Does fireweed grow everywhere? It, and many other wildflowers were in bloom. The green splash of paint on the tree is a route marker, not needed so much on this section but critical once we were well into the wilderness. We never had the intention to run any of the 42 km route but we made good time on the flat sections, knowing the ups and downs would be much slower. Our goal was to complete the route - and not be injured in the process!

Our first test came about 12 km from camp as we began our ascent to Chichee Pass in a vertical rise of 650m over 5 km. Amazing views in every direction were our reward. And yes, we were above the clouds.

The second vertical rise came at the 25 km point. It was harder, being on much more uneven ground and more steep. As we arrived at Khirvesteg Pass, however, we had this view. Just beyond the ridge of the mountains in the background is Russia.

While the uphill climbs were challenging the downhill portions were brutal. This may look like a lovely grassy meadow but underfoot it was rocky and unstable. These sections made us glad we had opted to take a walking pole with us. The dark figure ahead of Judith is a Mongolian horseman whose job that day was to ensure all the race participants were accounted for as they passed the 28 km point. Having chosen to walk the course we were the last so the horseman was our companion for the final sections of the race.

Just under 13 hours after our start we walked across the finish line. We were tired and we had sore muscles but we still upright and smiling. And it was well before sunset!

Most of the 100km participants had arrived by the time the sun set over the lake, with only 3 runners arriving after dark and during a thunderstorm.

The day following the race was one of rest and relaxation but there was a celebratory dinner held in honour of all race participants and to acknowledge the 15th anniversary of the Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset Marathon and Ultra-Marathon. 

Mongolian Wrestling

Here he is. The archetypal Mongolian wrestler in traditional costume. The circular medallion on his cap indicates five victories in the national Naadam festival.  Deceptively quick and powerful.   

All the wrestling is preceded by various cultural events. In this case it's dancing.

First the women.

Then the men & women.

And the military band played on ( too )

When the time comes for the actual wrestling event the contestants just stand up in the seating area and  put on their costumes.  No fancy dressing rooms or fan fair.  Just the business of getting ready.

Nearly 200 contestants this time and all their names are read off, they step forward and are acknowledged by their supporters in the stands.  The rectangular badges on the caps indicate provincial wins.

Once things actually get under way it's not unlike battle.  Perhaps twenty or thirty wrestlers can be on the floor at a time the winner moving on to the next round.

The traditional wrestling costume reveals the chest to prove the opponent is Not a woman.  Apparently, many centuries ago,  one of the great Khans' relatives turned out to be an undefeated woman.  The costume changes were to prevent future embarrassment.

As the bouts progress, more complex and ritualized grips on the costume are set to try and get a winner.

It really is a case of the "last man standing wins" as each wrestler works his way up the elimination ladder.

This particular event was a gruelling seven hour ordeal with the last pair pitting a forty year old against a twenty-four year old.

The youngster won but not without a very trying challenge.