Naadam, Day 2

July 12, 2009September 19, 2017 | foxstudio

The day was cloudy and cool, really rather nice. It could have been 90F in the shade. We left for the horse race site and spent two hours in traffic that was almost indescribable. A cross between Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, bumper cars without anyone actually making contact and a free-for-all race to get to the valley. Over here we would describe it as “a solid line of cars”, but the word “line” doesn’t remotely apply. The road had been blocked so that both lanes ran in one direction, but people were on the shoulder and off on parallel dirt tracks, all weaving in and out to gain advantage. It was kind of like….a wacked-out horse race.

Our guide, Osoo, estimated that around one third of the population (2.7 million) of the country was present at the race. There were literally thousands of cars on a two lane road all trying to get to the same place.

We arrived and some of us took up station on the top of the hill. Others braved the packed flat area adjacent to the track. With the long lens, I got some pretty good pictures. It was a festive day and the vibe was great. It was like a convival country fair with about 900,000 fairgoers spread out over a large valley.

This was the second to the last race. It was for five year stallions, 25 km. The jockeys ranged in age from 5-12. The horses had already trotted or cantered the 25km to the starting line before the race and then they galloped the whole 25km back to the finish line. There were a lot of support vehicles, including an ambulance. There were also vets ready if needed.

Without further ado:

The dust cloud shows the horses almost to the valley

Orange passes red near the finish line — Orange passes white and red near the finish line

We never found out who won, but it was an exciting finish and the crowd was roaring. The fastest horses finished in 30-40 minutes, the slowest took about an hour.

Horse race crowd with racers gers in background

Ovoo; on highest point; a old animistic custom

Time to go back. Traffic not quite as frantic, but still pretty wild. Lots of herders with their animals along side the road.

We had picnic lunch in the van and then went back to the stadium. Unfortunately, the archery and ankebone competitions were over. But a couple of the archers were still at the archery field, including the winner.

Another archer was giving a demonstration and, for 1000 tugrik, about 80 cents, you could shoot an arrow. Couldn’t resist the chance to try that, of course.

I got to shoot the bow and arrow; about 40lb. pull

Then it was back to the wrestling in the national stadium. It was packed and then it started to rain. Hard. For over an hour. So there were rain delays and still eight wrestlers competing when we had to go.

On our way out, we passed someone who was allowing people to pose on his horse for pictures.

They really do start them young in Mongolia

It was back to the hotel to rest for an hour or so, then dinner at …..BD’s Mongolian BBQ, which suited me just fine. Then off to the Naadam concert, performed by the Mongolian State Grand National Orchestra. And grand it was. They are definitely ready for their first world tour. There are 65 members, playing mostly Mongolian instruments like the morin khur, or horse-headed fiddle, but also some western instruments like trumpets. Almost all the music was by Mongolian composers, but they also did an enthusiastic version of “The Barber of Seville” and, for the encore…..”We Are The Champions” by Queen!

Off to Gun Galuut. Need to pack and get breakfast. Next post will be the 21st or 22nd. Bayartai!

Visit the AFC site here

Naadam, Day 1

July 12, 2009September 19, 2017 | foxstudio

Breakfast at 7:30am. Everyone met in the lobby at 8:30 and then it was off to Sukhbaatar Square for the beginning of the day’s Naadam activities.

Costumed horsemen escorted the horse tail banners around the Parliament building and then on to the National Stadium, as did we.

Got there early enough to pick and choose our seats.

Opening ceremonies got underway at 11am. The whole stadium was a riot of color, both because of the costumes of the participants and also the umbrellas of the spectators since it decided to rain for a short while.

The horsemen came in with the horse tail banners and placed them in a stand. The President of Mongolia gave a short address. Then there were displays of horsemanship, children doing a ribbon dance and wonderful music by the orchestra.

When it was over we piled back into our bright yellow Nomadic Journeys van and drove about 90 minutes east to experience a local Naadam. It was raining pretty good when we got there, but stopped just as the horses came into view. We had gotten there in time to see the end of the horse race. Had some airag and watched the wrestling finals. Took many photos of horses and their riders. The jockeys are boys and girls under ten. The horses in this race were two year olds. Prizes go the the first five to finish and the last.

We went to a ger in the village and were treated to airag, vodka, aruul, cheese and khuusuur, fried mutton turnovers.

Stopped at the new giant statue of Chinggis Khan on the way back.

Got back to the hotel at ten till eight. A long, but interesting and worthwhile day.

And here are pictures of it all:

Note- due to time limitations, these are as I took them, no cropping or adjustments except for a couple which were on the dark side.

First, the national Naadam-

Horse tail standards being brought out of Parliament building

Yak tail standards proceeding around Suhkbaatar Square — Horse tail standards proceeding around Suhkbaatar Square

Two ladies wearing del at Suhkbaatar Square

National Stadium before the crowds arrive

Yak standards entering stadium — Horse tail standards entering stadium

President of Mongolia addresses crowd; had to take photo through a support

Procession of Mongol national flags — Procession of Mongolian national flags

Display of Mongol flags — Display of Mongolian flags

Balloons for sale outside National Stadium

Mongol man kneeling outside of National Stadium

Then it was on to the 90 minute drive to the local Naadam-

Racers coming in; rain stopped shortly after I took this picture

Heading for the finish, but then it was time for wrestling....

Group of riders; took a lot of horse and rider pics while waiting for race results

Waiting for the horse race results; then the winners started to appear

Mongol snacks: mutton with fat; aruul stacked on bread

We stopped at this incredible statue on the way back to Ulaanbaatar-

Giant Chinggis Khan statue facing towards his birthplace to the east

Visit the AFC site here

A Quiet Day

July 10, 2009September 19, 2017 | foxstudio

I woke up at 3:30 am and couldn’t get back to sleep. Last effect of the minimal jet lag, I guess. Had breakfast, packed, surfed internet, iChatted with David. Jan finally called. Driver and guide picked me up around 12:30 and dropped me off at Bishrelt Plaza Hotel, where we stayed last year.

Needed lunch and dining room was closed because they were catering a large wedding. Went out and found an internet cafe with outdoor seating and menu in Mongolian only. I saw one item I recognized for sure, buuz. 300 tugrigs, about 25 cents each. Managed to order two and a beer in Mongolian. Was quite pleased with myself and the waitress got a kick out of it. The buuz and the beer hit the spot. Another place to add to the list. When she brought my check, the waitress, who was not Mongolian, spoke English and did very well. A successful cross-cultural exchange.

Back to room and resting. Hoping to get an internet connection. So close, yet so far. AirPort sees the hotel network, but says I need a password. Time to go to dinner now.

Update: met the rest of the Naadam tour group in the lobby at 6:45. Three Brits, three Swedes and one American besides me. All seem nice. Sat with the Brits at dinner, which was carrot salad, soup and very good mutton. Washed down with Chinggis beer.

Asked desk clerk about internet while getting my room key and Sean, the American says “I believe I can help you with that.” And he did. Told me which of the two networks worked best and, for some reason that I’m sure the universe finds extremely amusing, this time if fired right up, so I’m on until I leave for Gun Galuut on Monday.

Sean also is using Skype on his iPhone, so he doesn’t need a sim card. Went to download it myself, though, and got a AT&T message about how much it will cost per minute for data ($19.97!). Obviously needed to do it before I left home.

So here I am in Mongolia futzing with technology so I can email and blog. It really is a global village.

Visit the AFC website here

Catching Up Before the Naadam Weekend; Odds and Ends

July 9, 2009September 19, 2017 | foxstudio

Kind of a quiet day today before the next phase of the trip starts. Spent the morning getting the last post with all the images up and then bringing The Journal up to date.

Spent part of the afternoon getting rained on while I hunted down an art gallery I wanted to visit.

Ulaanbaatar doesn’t use western style street numbers and addresses, so finding a place can be challenging. For instance, the directions in the What’s Up guide for the Xanadu Art Gallery are “on Juulchin Street, north of the State Department Store, beside the TEDY center.”

I knew the first two parts and had a vague recollection of the third part, but still wandered around some. In the end, I spotted the gallery’s sign around the corner off Juulchin Street proper. Not a lot of work on the walls, but most of it quite good. The space doubles as a coffee lounge with free wireless, which is worth remembering. They used to be in the same building as Millie’s, but that space has been taken over by the Valiant Art Gallery, owned by the wife of the president of Khan Bank, I believe. She buys the work outright from the artists and then re-sells it. I checked it out yesterday after lunch. Lots of good to excellent work. No wildlife art at either place, though.

Of course it had pretty much stopped raining by the time I got back to the hotel. I kicked back with a book until it was time to go to dinner, which was back to BD’s Mongolian BBQ. Went to a grocery store and finally scored a bag of Coffee King, which are three in one coffee packets. Peet’s it’s not, but I’ve acquired a taste for it, at least when I’m in Mongolia because it was all that was available for coffee when I was on the Earthwatch project in spring of 2005.

Most of the stores only have what is clearly the big, dominant brand, which is called MaxCoffee, which might be as good as or better, but I’ve developed a perverse loyalty to Coffee King, partly because it seems so much harder to find.

Visit the AFC website here

Out and About in UB- A Visit to the Mongolian Modern Art Gallery (Illustrated)

July 9, 2009September 19, 2017 | foxstudio

Went to BD’s Mongolian BBQ for dinner night before last. It’s quite popular with the Mongols even though there’s nothing authentically Mongolian about it. Apparently it’s a Chinese invention. BD’s does the same kind of stir fry on a big hot surface that you see in the USA. Mongols don’t do stir fry.

Real Mongolian BBQ involves killing a goat, slitting the body cavity open, cleaning it out, stuffing it full of hot rocks, putting the whole thing in a metal container and setting that on hot coals to cook. When it’s done, the meat is pulled out, along with the rocks, which are then passed around, hand to hand, for good health. And yes, I’ve had it, hot rocks and all, and it was good.

I don’t envision a real Mongolian BBQ place coming to your neighborhood anytime soon.

I’ll probably go back there again since for 6900 tugrigs I can get a heaping bowl of veggies, noodles and meat with Mongolian ginger sauce. A small Chinggis Khan beer is 2100 tugrigs. 9000 tugrigs at the moment is less than $8.

Plus the cooks show off by doing things like lining up four or five pieces of broccoli on the long sword-like turner and then flipping them all up into the air and catching them all on the plate. So it’s dinner and a show.

———-

This morning I had breakfast in the hotel, which is included in the price of the room. They’ve gone from a menu to a breakfast buffet with an egg cook, like you see at many hotels now in the states. It’s really sped up getting breakfast and one can skip the slices of mystery meat that I think they put out for the Germans.

The weather was nice and cool when I left the hotel around 9 am. I walked about twenty minutes to the Mongolian Modern Art Gallery, which is actually a museum since nothing there is for sale. There was a show that I had read about on one of the Mongolian news sites and today was the last day.

With all the Prop. 8 stuff in California and the civil rights issues concerning LGBT citizens that remain to be addressed, I wanted very much to see “Beyond the Blue Sky”, a “multi-media art exhibit for, and in collaboration with, Mongolia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community.

The people in the photographs have their faces covered by khadags, blue scarves, which are given as gifts, but are also used to cover the faces of the dead. It symbolizes the position LGBT people find themselves in in Mongolia since currently they cannot live their lives fully, but must conceal their gender identity or otherwise be vulnerable to prejudice, discrimination and violence.

It was a very powerful show.

Here’s the image that really struck me the most:

Image of man in del. face covered by khadak, "Beyond the Blue Sky" — Image of man in del, face covered by khadag, “Beyond the Blue Sky”

I then went upstairs to see the main galleries, which house original Mongolian paintings, sculpture and fine craft dating from the early/mid-20th century. As a socialist state with close ties to the Soviet Union, aspiring Mongol artists often studied art in Moscow. This gave them a grounding in classical realism that allowed them to create paintings of great quality. And they’ve built on it ever since, adding their own unique interpretations of the world they live in.

Here are some examples:

Portrait, Orkhon, N. 2006 oil — Portrait- Orkhon, N. 2006 oil

The Red Portrait, Nasantsengal Bayanjargal 2001 oil — The Red Portrait- Nasantsengal Bayanjargal 2001 oil

The Own Portrait- Ulziikhutag, Yondon 1991 oil

Lord of Great Land- Ichinnorov, Choij 1981 oil

The Bullet of the Sky- Tumurbaatar, Badarch 2004 oil

The Guardian Spirits- Advabazar, Nyam 2001 oil

The Light of the Steppe- Sanchir, N. 2002 oil

There was also this wonderful ceremonial drum with deer painted on it..

"Deer Drum" leather on wood frame — “Deer Drum” leather on wood frame

"Deer Drum", detail — “Deer Drum”, detail

Finally, here are some views of the gallery spaces:

I had lunch at Millie’s, which serves good solid American food like burgers and sandwiches and is popular with the expat community of consultants and aid workers, along with visitors like me.

The next stop was the Hi Fi store, to see if I could get some of the music CDs for groups I’ve found on YouTube and Imeem. And I had some success. By the time I left, it was getting seriously hot, so I hiked it back, about 30 minutes, to the hotel to hide out until it cools down.

———

An addendum to my comments about all the livestock I saw when I was coming into town. Looks like it’s not as charming and picturesque to the authorities as it was to me. This is from a Mongol news website, http://www.en.news.mn:

“Herders asked to move livestock away from Ulaanbaatar
Tue, 7 Jul 2009 17:07:49

The Metropolitan Professional Monitoring Agency has reminded herders that there is a ban on livestock entering Ulaanbaatar green areas, and another on trading of any form in certain areas. With demand for sheep rising in Ulaanbaatar just before and during Naadam, some herders come to the city with their livestock at this time and the reminders are aimed at stopping the move.

Some 200 herder families have brought 30,000 animals into prohibited areas. The law calls for confiscation of all income earned from trading in such restricted areas. Further violation of the law can lead to imprisonment.”

Ouch.

Visit the AFC website here

How To Run a Hotel, Cont. – And I’m in Ulaanbaatar

July 7, 2009September 19, 2017 | foxstudio

I came downstairs to check out after the previous post. I walk up to the counter. The nice woman says that she is to call the manager, who wishes to speak with me. In the meantime, I finish settling my bill. He comes out and asks if breakfast was ok. I say fine and then tell him that everyone makes mistakes, but it’s how they respond that counts and that he and the hotel had out-done themselves and I was very pleased. He smiled and made a little bow. I then asked where to go to wait for the shuttle bus. And he says……we have a special shuttle for you, a car. And darned if there wasn’t a spiffy black sedan waiting at the curb for me. Can you believe that?

I walk out to the car and get in while they load my luggage. Just before we pull away, I look to my right and there is the manager and one other man, in attendance is the only way to put it. I smiled and waved and they smiled and bowed. And then the fairy princess was wisked away to her MIAT flight to Ulaanbaatar, where she is now ensconced in a tenth floor room with a view of Peace Ave. at the Narantuul Hotel and happily connected to the internet, a great relief.

——-

On the way in from the airport, besides the gers and gas stations, buildings and billboards, there were sheep. And goats. And cattle. Lots of them. And Mongol guys riding around on horseback. I must have seen 20 small to largish herds of animals. Their owners were hanging out in whatever shade they could find. The billboards seemed particularly handy. One family group had set up a low table with a white cloth on it and appeared to be about to have tea.

I’ve never seen this between the airport and town before, but then I realized – Nadaam. The herders have come in from all over and they can’t leave their animals, so everybody is here. I also think I saw some townspeople “shopping” for that perfect main course for their holiday dinner. On the hoof at the moment.

I had no idea and the cameras were buried in the suitcase, so no photos at the moment. But it was a great sight. And is exactly the kind of thing I love about Mongolia.

———

If Chinggis Khan had had a car it probably would have been a huge black Hummer trimmed out in lots of chrome, like the one I saw coming into town. Over here those stupid things almost make sense.

Visit the AFC site here

How to Run a Hotel and a Cautionary Tale from Last Year’s Trip

July 7, 2009September 19, 2017 | foxstudio

Just back from breakfast. I had asked for an 8am wake-up call when I checked in last night, just in case I had a rough time getting to sleep. I didn’t.

This morning, 8am came and went and no call. Inexcusable in a high-end business hotel adjacent to a major international airport. Especially for what they charge for a room, which was still cheaper than the expense and hassle of going through Beijing.

So I stopped by the check-in counter and told the woman what had happened because I thought they needed to know that the young lady who checked me in last night was apparently more focused on running through her spiel about how, for only $40 more, I could have a room on the Concierge Level with a beautiful view and complementary wine and beer. I passed since the last thing I cared about at that point was a convivial drink and a view.

The staff woman apologized, I went to breakfast and figured that was the end of it. But no…..

I was walking back to my table with my guava juice when two, not one, but two managers came up to me. They apologized a couple more times, explained that the call request had not been written down wherever it was supposed to have been noted and informed me that the hotel was comping my breakfast, a rather lavish buffet with items from at least three or four countries. Eggs any style, including custom omelets, all the usual side dishes, Korean dumplings, German bircher muesli, five kinds of juice, a huge spread of breads, four kinds of yogurt…….

————

If you’re interested, here’s the Hyatt Regency Incheon’s website. We ended up staying here last year when our flight through to UB was re-scheduled to late the following afternoon due to weather. Wind was what we were told. Why I’m flying with MIAT this time instead of AirChina. Hope it works.

At that point we had, or I had, an “adventure”. We looked over the hotel options and picked the Hyatt because we’ve stayed at them before and liked them and we could get points for future stays. There was also the advantage of the presumably familiar which is comforting when things are a little stressed.

The incredibly helpful Korean United Airlines staff (who the UA people in Chicago could learn a few things from), extracted our luggage out of the hold area, so we could have clean clothes, in about 20 minutes. Off we went to the shuttle, which is a big bus. At this point, we had just come off an 11 hour flight from San Francisco and were not tracking too well.

Our luggage joined a huge pile on the sidewalk. The driver gestured to us to get into the bus while he loaded as much luggage as there was room for. So we did and I sat there in air-conditioned comfort as he then drove away, leaving my roll-on with $3000 worth of camera equipment sitting on the curb with no one watching over it or any of the other bags. The driver spoke no English, so had no idea why this crazy American woman insisted on riding back to the airport with him. Longest four minutes of my life, I’ll tell you.

We get there and I spot the bag and make sure it gets loaded. Then I start to breath again.

We arrive back to the hotel and as my bag is unloaded. I make eye contact with the driver and gesture like I’m taking a picture. I see the light come on and he grins in understanding. We shake hands. All’s well that end’s well.

So yesterday it’s same song, second verse. Same bag with same camera stuff, same bus, same driver, same gesture to get on, but this time I watch the bag go onto the bus. Whew.

Visit the AFC site here

And the Itinerary Is…..

July 6, 2009September 19, 2017 | foxstudio

Having used the “Jet Lag Program” to re-set myself to destination time, it’s about 6 am and I’m feeling pretty good. Got a decent night’s sleep, which makes things ever so much more enjoyable.

Getting ready for the trip got a little crazy because I got sick a couple of weeks before and lost that time. I had to put my effort into prep and packing and didn’t get to write about it as much as I had intended. Fortunately I have a well-tuned packing list.

I don’t have to be back to the airport until 11 am, so I can catch up in this lovely, quiet room that isn’t moving 560 mph at 38,000 feet. Plus……coffee.

Here is my current itinerary for the trip, subject to the vagaries of traveling in Mongolia. I’ve provided links for each location.

Arrive and stay at Narantuul Hotel tonight and following two nights. I’ll try to post photos of the interior, which can probably best be described as Mongol Contemporary.

Then I will move to a different hotel to join the small group for Nomadic Journeys’ Nadaam tour. It will be kind of relaxing to just show up when and where told to for a few days and take in one of the major cultural events in the country, which is also the biggest national holiday. There will be competitions in the “Three Manly Sports” – wrestling, archery and horse racing.

On the 13th, I’ll be picked up by my car and driver and travel a couple of hours over paved road to the Gun Galuut Nature Reserve. It looks to have a classic Mongol holiday ger camp, complete with lodge (where I should be able to re-charge what needs re-charging. Otherwise, I have a converter that fits in a car cigarette lighter.). Besides argali, about 90 or so, there are wetlands known for their birds, especially cranes. I’ll be there three full days.

On the 17th, we’ll proceed to Arburd Sands, where I’ll stay one night. Some of you who followed the blog of last year’s trip will remember the memorable afternoon my husband and I had at the foal branding. That post is here.

Then it will be on to Baga Gazriin Chuluu and the ger camp there. While in the area, I’ll get to view petroglyphs and an old monastery tucked up into a mountain.

Back to UB on the 21st. As per previous post, meet up with Gana Wingard and get prepared for our meetings with the herder women at Ikh Nart.
Drive to Ikh Nart on the 23rd. Out looking for argali in the morning and evening, meetings during the heat of the day.

Back to UB on the morning of the 29th. Afternoon and next day free for loose ends, then fly home on the 30th.

Visit the AFC site here

The 9th AFC Flag Expedition Begins!

July 6, 2009September 19, 2017 | foxstudio

I departed on the 9th Flag Expedition at about 10:15am, July 5, from my home near McKinleyville, California. We live less than ten minutes from the airport, which is handy.

Flew to San Francisco, got checked in to the next flight, which was to Korea. My flight schedule required at overnight stay, so I’m writing this at the Hyatt Regency Incheon, which is about four minutes from the airport. It’s now 7:30pm, the evening of July 6.

The flight went fine. Read and listened to music.

The food service was close to UA Business Class quality. Two real meals. I had, are you sitting down, beefsteak, potatoes, broccoli and carrots, with two salads. a lettuce one with feta cheese and a pasta one with shrimp and about a 1×2″ slice of smoked salmon. Chocolate mousse for dessert. Not big portions, but nicely presented and Free. They even brought wine around once. Real wine in the bottle. The second, smaller meal was a choice between fish and Korean rice. I went for the latter. It wasn’t quite to my taste but the Koreans around me seemed to like it just fine. The flight attendants were constantly coming through with water and juice.

The only downside was that they had everyone pull the shades down for almost all of the flight, so no real light for around eight hours.

When I came out of the plane there was a row of tables with people wearing surgical masks standing behind them. We had been given a “health certificate” to fill out on the plane. So we all had to walk up to the table, hand them the piece of paper and stand while they held a thermometer up to our necks, which only took a moment. I was amused to notice that the guy who did me didn’t even look at it. Such is travel.

I go back to the airport tomorrow morning for my flight to Ulaanbaatar. I like the hotel I’ll be staying in, but the internet connection was difficult when we were there last year. If it’s a problem, my fallback will be to post from one of the cafes that have wireless internet.

Final notes for now:

I use an “anti-jet lag” program from a book I found many years ago called “Overcoming Jet Lag”. The idea is to use a combination of things to push the body clock to the new time zone. It works pretty well as far as minimizing the effects of, in this case, a nine time zone shift. I’m very (very) tired, but more or less functional. Typing is being a bit of a challenge, but it’s helping me stay, sort of, awake so that I can get on the new schedule.

Equipment reports:

Timbuk2 Messenger Bag- Epic Win. Laptop comes out and goes back quickly when going through security. Very stable when slipped over the handle of my roll-on. Easy to get to stuff. Definitely reduces airport transit wear and tear over carrying a day pack.

First Class Sleeper- Epic Win. I didn’t get a change to mention this product before, but it’s essentially an air mattress for back support when flying in cattle car economy class. Google the name and take a look. All I can say is, it works. And it was all of $29.95. Almost 11 hours from San Francisco to Seoul, Korea and I don’t feel like a candidate for traction. Definitely a happy back compared to what it could have been with no lumbar support.

Susan Fox, American Artist

Art, Adventures in Mongolia, Art, Life in Redwood Country, Art…

AFC Flag Expedition, 2009

Naadam, Day 2

Naadam, Day 1

A Quiet Day

Catching Up Before the Naadam Weekend; Odds and Ends

Out and About in UB- A Visit to the Mongolian Modern Art Gallery (Illustrated)

How To Run a Hotel, Cont. – And I’m in Ulaanbaatar

How to Run a Hotel and a Cautionary Tale from Last Year’s Trip

And the Itinerary Is…..

The 9th AFC Flag Expedition Begins!

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: