Felt Making

Today we got to see the amazing process of felt making. Felt is essential for the winterizing of gers as it serves as insulation from the harsh cold. It takes wool from about 80 sheep to create enough felt to insulate a typical ger (good thing there as so many sheep in Mongolia). After the wool has been sheered, it is prepped by a fast, repeated whipping with what looks like a switch. The wool is then collected onto a canvas sheet and sprinkled with water after which it is tightly rolled. Once the wool is rolled, the roll is attached by rope to a horse who then drags the felt roll around. The roll acts as a sort of wheel and rolls as the horse drags it. The pressure applied by the rolling is the "magic" ingredient in the felt making process, compressing the fluffy wool into a much denser (and super warm) felt.

Weather

Got cold? Mongolia sure does. The average daily temperature in Mongolia is 0 celsius. While in the Gobi it was hot during the day and I am afraid I was lulled into believing it would be warm for the rest of our travels. August is one of the warmest months in Mongolia but even so, when we headed to central Mongolia the temperatures dropped and I started piling on the layers. While it didn't get to freezing, it was cold enough to put the wood stoves in our gers to good use. Central Mongolia also proved to be much wetter than the Gobi. With the afternoon rains came this stunning rainbow. I wish my camera could have captured the full arch, but this will have to do. 

Boze

Boze is the national dish of Mongolia. These steamed dumplings are typically filled with mutton, but my host family showed me how to prepare them vegetarian style. The boze were delicious and I look forward to trying them out in the US.

Horse Racing Mongolian Style

Horses are an important part of Mongolian life. Horses are native to Mongolia. In fact, the only species of wild horse still in existence is being reintroduced to the country from populations found in zoos after going extinct in the wild in the early part of the 20th century. Horses are work animals in Mongolia. They are used to aid in herding other animals like goats and cows. Horse milk is prized and used to make a frothy fermented drink called airag. Since people in the countryside grow up riding horses, it is not surprising that horse racing is a popular pastime; what is surprising is the age of the riders. Because children are so much lighter than adults, it is children who serve as the jockeys. We watched a a 12km race of 3 year old horses and while the horses were amazing, what truly struck me was the skill and grace of the young riders. Over 50 horses and riders entered the event and the oldest rider was probably 10 or 11. For the most part the riders rode bare back and sometimes even barefoot. At the end, the prize is awarded to the horse but bragging rights certainly go to the riders.

Herding Family

 

Herding animals is a way of life in rural Mongolia. Because of the dry conditions and the long, bitter winters, grazing grounds may be far apart. As a result, herding families often have to move with their animals to better pasture lands. This movement usually takes place in the summer. A family may move several times in the summer season. When the family moves, they literally break down their house and rebuild it in the new location. Sometimes this movement is only a few miles, other times it is much further. In the winter, the family will settle in one spot. The winter home is usually a more permanent ger closer to a town. We visited the summer home of a family that herds over 400 heads of camel, sheep, and goat. They welcomed us into their ger where they shared a fermented camels milk and dry cheese curds with us. Whenever you visit someone’s home in Mongolia, it is standard to be offered a drink, usually Mongolian milk tea, and food. Even if you are not hungry or do not like what is offered, a visitor is expected to accept the hospitality by at least tasting what is offered. I will write more about the ger and how it is set up next week after we have a chance to help put up and break down a ger. After tasting the fermented camel's milk and cheese and the passing around of our host's snuff bottle (more on this in another posting), we headed outside to meet the herd. We had a chance to get up close and very personal with the camels.  Some of the camels were friendly, but others where obviously bothered by our presence. The young camels (are they called calves?) were particularly friendly and would even hold onto our arms with their mouths. Camels are used for transportation, but also for food. In summer, camels are milked and the milk is either consumed fresh or fermented into a traditional Mongolian drink. While the father of the herding family was responsible for the herding of the animals, the mother took charge of the milking. Even at a young age, the children begin to take on responsibilities with the herd. While the mother of the family we visited was milking one side of a line of goats, her son was milking the other side. I think this is how it works in farming families in America too; everyone in the family has to pitch in to make the farm a success. After we milked the camels and then the goats, it was time to head back to the school we were staying for the night. Before we left though, we all piled back into the ger for a last chance to enjoy the family’s hospitality. This time we enjoyed boiled camels’ milk from the camels we milked only an hour before. The milk was sweet and rich. The warm welcome we received and the opportunity to get a glimpse of the herding life was very special. 

Contortionists

 

Mongolia is well known for its tradition of contortionism. Have you ever seen a contortionist? The way they twist their bodies is truly amazing. In Mongolia, some girls train from a very early age to be contortionists. They must start early so that their bodies can remain flexible as they grow older. We visited an orphanage today and saw a group of 6 year old girls perform. Wow! If you visit 

Horsehead Fiddle

I am in love with the horsehead fiddle. This uniquely Mongolian instrument has a rich sound that reminds me of the cello. We were lucky enough to have students from a local highschool play for us yesterday. Why do you think the instrument has a horsehead? 

Lost and Found Treasures

Mongolia is largely a Buddhist country, though Buddhism and shamanism have merged in many ways. In our travels through the Gobi, we came across the ruins of many Buddhist monasteries. In the 1930’s, Buddhism came under attack in Mongolia as part of the communist governments militant atheistic rule. During this time, many of the monasteries and temples were destroyed and thousands of Buddhist monks were killed. But all was not lost during these dark days. We learned about the efforts of one family to preserve the religious legacy of one of Mongolia’s most revered Lama’s (Buddhist leaders), Lama Dazanravjaa. Dazanravjaa was a prolific writer, artist, and musician. At his death in 1856, he left a wealth of material, including a play that took several weeks to perform and involved more than 120 actors. When Dazanravjaa died, a special caretaker took reasonability for preserving the artistic and religious riches of his life. This caretaker then passed his knowledge of Dazanravjaa and his work on to his son so that he could preserve his legacy. By the 1930’s, this task of caretaker had passed through 6 generations. Tudev, the caretaker when the government attempted to wipe out Buddhism in Mongolia, went to extreme measures to preserve Dazanravjaa’s legacy. He carefully packed all Dazanravjaa’s treasures in crates and for 64 nights, he carted one crate into the desert to be buried in a secret location. By the 65 night, the government troops arrived and destroyed the remaining crates as well as the monestary complex developed by Dazanravjaa. Tudev guarded the secret of the crates with his life, telling no one of their location and traveling in secret to check on the treasures and ensure that they were surviving in their desert hideout. Tudev then trained his grandson to carry on this tradition, giving him special instruction from the age of 6 as to where the crates were located and how to maintain the treasures. Once the communist government fell in 1990, Tudev’s grandson, Altangerel, slowly began to dig up the crates. With limited funds, he started a museum to share the treasures with the world. The process of unveiling the contents of the crates has been slow as Altangerel has only dug up the crates for which he has adequate resources to display. There are still over 20 crates buried. Altangerel continues to protect the location of the treasures, but instead of keeping them from the communists, he is keeping them safe from treasure hunters who would like to sell the treasures on the black market. We got a chance to visit the museum Altangerel set up to share the life work of Dazanravjaa with the world and even got to meet Altangerel and get a sneak peak at the contents of the latest crate to be unearthed. This sounds like a Hollywood movie in the making to me!

Traveling in the Gobi

 

We set out on Thursday for our first trip out of the city. We started our journey via train, which took us to a provincial capital on the edge of the Gobi desert. The train ride was ten hours long and we had to close all the windows a few hours into the trip to keep out the dust. This made for one hot ride as the cars were not air conditioned. We were lucky though because we had reserved seats in berths with beds and rather than 4 to a car, we traveled with just 2 to a car. Most people on the train were in general seating with much more crowded, and consequently hot, conditions. Despite the heat, the train ride was fantastic as we got to see much of the country in a short period of time and the ride was smooth. The next leg of the journey was more difficult. Fulbright hired 4 4wd vehicles to transport our group and all our bags and supplies deep into the Gobi. You need 4wd in the Gobi because there are no roads as such. People choose a path that looks relatively smooth and go for it. If enough people follow the same path, a new “road” is created. It was not unusual for there to be the equivalent of a 6 lane dirt highway running through the middle of the desert. The ride was consistent only in its bumpiness but again, we were fortunate, had we been traveling in true Mongolian fashion, we would have all piled in with the supplies and taken only 1 vehicle. Our desert caravan went along fine for about an hour but then trouble started. Our fuel pump went out and we limped along for the next 10 hours, stopping every 3-5 minutes to fiddle with the fuel line before we finally gave up, abandoning the vehicle and piling into the remaining vehicles. The rough driving circumstances can lead to all sorts of car troubles, so this was not entirely unexpected. In fact, I was quite pleased to be having what could be considered a quintessential Gobi experience. What was planned to be a 6 hour trip wound up being over 15 hours long. Ah, life in the Gobi. Once we arrived at our destination, we got to experience several other popular modes of Gobi transportation. When we visited a camel herding family, we had a chance to try our hand at riding a camel. This is a good way to get around as camels are well suited for the terrain and climate. Though camels are not as common a mode of transportation as in the past, they are still used in the countryside, especially when herding families move to find better pasture land for their animals. We also saw the son of the herder using a bicycle to round up the family goats for milking. Motorcycles are another popular means of getting around, at least in the summer, as they are inexpensive, fast, and easy to maneuver around ruts and rough patches in the roads. Horses are also very common because they provide flexibility over rough terrain and can be helpful for herding other animals. Horses are indigenous to Mongolia and we not only saw domesticated horses, but we got a chance to see wild asses racing across the desert. 

Throat Sung Welcome

Our first evening in Mongolia we were welcomed with a special performance of traditional Mongolian music. Perhaps the most famous and amazing musical form from Mongolia is throat singing. Throat singing involves manipulations of the vocal cords and throat to create unique sounds. This article in Scientific American explains the science behind throat singing. Our welcome reception also provided us with an opportunity to meet our homestay host families. After we get back from the Gobi desert, we will stay with our host family for 2 nights. I am looking forward to experiencing day to day life with a Mongolian family.

A Study in Contrasts

Today I flew from Beijing, the capital city of China to Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. China is one of the most populous countries in the world and Bejiing is one of its largest cities with over 16 million people. Many people get around Beijing by bike but increasingly people are driving which s causing major traffic issues and lots and lots of pollution. Mongolia, China's neighbor to the north, has a total population of less than 3 million people and has one of the lowest population densities (think # of people per square mile) in the world. Over 1 million Mongolians live in Ulaanbaatar and more are relocating from the countryside everyday. I took this photo from the plane as we descended for landing. It shows the vastness of the Mongolian landscape. If you look closely you will see a few gers dotting the landscape. Can you imagine living in such a large country with fewer people than live in the Washington DC metropolitan area?

South, Way South

Christchurch was our last stop in New Zealand before heading to Mongolia. Because of Christchurch's southern location, it is a jumping off point for expeditions to Antarctica. Both the US's McMurdo Station and New Zealand's Scott Base are accessed from air via Christchurch. As a result, there is a major training and supply center located at the airport. We had the chance to visit the International Antarctica Centre just as we were leaving. This center provides regular folks like me the chance to experience the harsh conditions of Antarctica and to learn more about the research that goes on on the southern most continent of the world. Did you know that body hair grows twice as fast in Antarctica? Why do you think that might be? If you spend time in Antarctica, especially in the winter, you are also likely to gain weight. Your body works to create an extra layer of fat around your organs to protect them from the cold. In the simulation room, we got to experience what being in a wind storm in Antarctica would be like. Brrrrrrrr. We also got a chance to take a ride in a Hagglund, the extreme terrain vehicles used to get around in the unique conditions in Antarctica. These vehicles can travel over large crevices in the ice, through deep water and on steep inclines. The ride was bumpy, but exciting and it was a great way to say goodbye to New Zealand!

Sperm Whales

Sperm Whales are one of the largest animals in the world, larger than a 747 aircraft! We went on a whale watching trip in Kaikura that not only allowed us a glimpse at these elusive creatures, but also provided fabulous views of the snow peaked mountains, rollicking dolphins, and albatross birds. Only the male sperm whale makes it as far south as New Zealand as the water is too cold for the female whales and their young. The sperm whale spends most of its time underwater, so we were lucky to catch a glimpse of them as they reoxygenated on the surface. Once a sperm whale dives, it will stay underwater for 30-45 minutes. The longest recorded sperm whale dive was over 2 hours long. Can you imagine holding your breath for 2 hours?