There could be no bigger contrast between the city and the countryside. The beautiful grasslands are dotted with gers, the homes of nomads (60% of the population) who still travel by horse, foot or sometimes yak and once in a while you can spot a galopping horse.
Despite the trail of blood and destruction that he left, Chinggis (or Genghis) Khaan is regarded a national hero in Mongolia. It's face appears on stamps, beer, vodka, hotels, bands and....an enormous statue has been erected in its honour in the middle of nowhere. Quite a surprising sight! When the bus makes a stop at a local supermarket to stock up on supplies, there is a debate as to whether we should buy wine, beer or vodka. When someone posed the question: "What would Ghengis do?", we ended up with lots of beer....and milky ways (to be eaten without removing the wrapper)....
Obviously, one must explore Mongolia by horse! Slightly wobbly and a bit discouraged by the horror stories (tourists that broke bodyparts ranging from toes to an arm to two legs), the group mounts their horses. The Mongolian guides look at us mockingly like Dutch people look at tourists on a bike...It is a lot of fun though. After some practice, we head for the steeper hills and start to actually enjoy the pretty scenery.
After a delicious meal, we wash away the fermented yakmilk (for the Dutch: it tastes like karnemelk) with vodka and sleep like babies in the very cosy gers. Manage to get up at 6 am to hike up to a meditation retreat and read a book far up in the hills...good start of the day. Life is good in this part of Mongolia!
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Location:Steppe in middle of nowhere (or actually Terelj), Mongolia
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