Mongolia
Spirits of the Reindeer Herders and the 'Blue Pearl' of Mongolia.(History written Leo Murray)Mongolia's appeal only seems to increase.
My first visit to Mongolia in 1999 was timed to be able to attend the
Naadam Festival, the biggest event of the Mongolian year when
there is intense competition in the three 'manly sports' of wrestling
(starting with 512 wrestlers), archery and horse racing (each being 20
miles/35 km long). I did my first - ever horse trek at this time, too.
I returned to Mongolia in 2000 to camel trek in the Gobi desert and
horseback ride to glaciers in Mongolia' far west.........close to the
Russian and Chinese borders.
Three friends joined me in 2002 to horseback ride in Western Mongolia in
the vicinity of the Mongol Altai Nuruu, Mongolia's highest mountain
range. This is an area where in some parts Kazakh, not Mongolian, is the
dominant language and it where we did, indeed, come across some of the
region's legendary eagle - hunters.
This year three other pals joined me to horseback ride in the far north
of Mongolia near Siberia. This area is renowned for its high mountains
covered in
thick taiga forest, crystal clear lakes and rivers teeming with taimen
(salmon) and lennock (trout) and lush, green open valleys. In the Valley
of the Great Lakes we rode to meet with the Tsaatan reindeer herders.
There are only 30 - 40 herding families still living this traditional
lifestyle, which they have done for centuries.They use the reindeer for
transporting supplies, riding and milking.............and live in
teepees.
Next we rode through the Khoridal Saridag Mountains to Lake Khovsgol,
Mongolia's 'Blue Pearl'. This 100 mile/140 km x 20 mile/35 km alpine
lake lies
at 5000'/1650m and is sacred to the people of Mongolia. Referred to as
'ocean' in Mongolian, Lake Khovsgol is said by some to be the purest
freshwater lake left on earth.
