MONGOLIA: Inside the world's most sparsely populated country
[Music] My journey in Mongolia continues as I set out for Arkhangai province, about 500 kilometers from the capital. Today I'm travelling with Taivanaa, my driver and Ray, a fellow traveller, for what will be a long drive over 8 hours that reveals the vast open grasslands of the Mongolian steppe. We begin this episode on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, where city life begins to fade and the roadside transforms, lined with local farmers selling sheep directly on the street waiting for customers.
Good morning, another day from Mongolia. I am actually going on a road trip for the next probably 8 hours and I have got my travel partner with me right here. This is Taivanaa and Ray, but I'm actually going to show you live action of sheep farmer, I think. You've got so many of them inside of this.
So what's fascinating is that the sheep farmer would station here, wait for potential customers that pass by and would buy these sheep live. How long has it been a sheep farmer for? Over 20 years now So is that a family business? Yes, the life of a herdsman is a family business Similarly to the sheep farmer, there's a cow farmer and then a herd of these cows that are currently being sort of displayed for potential customers. I'd say that Mongolia is a fascinating land because there are so many traditions that are still well kept. One of the many unique things about the animals here when they are being sold to customers.
There is a direct relations between these farmers and customer. So how long do they have to wait usually to sell them out? I think they will finish in a day. In a day, wow. Money is good. He (Ray) is going to move to Mongolia. (Taivanaa telling them he's going to move) No, no, no.
I was asking where they sell it from. Are they from nearby district or provinces? And Tafna said that they would have to travel all the way, let's say, from different provinces, 300 kilometers away to the nearest, probably close to the city. As we left the city, the landscape started to open up.
Taivanaa shared stories of Mongolia's slow transition from communism to democracy. He recalled how even after the transition, he queued for bread and supplies with tickets as a child. One of the things that I found fascinating about Mongolia is the fact that only recently they became a democratic country.
Exactly the year that I was born in 1992. And prior to that, Mongolia was a socialist country under heavily influence of Russia. And you grew up and were born during that communist era.
Yeah, I was born in 1985. I was five during the shift of 1990. And when the communists closed, democracy started. I remember that I used to line to get bread. When democracy started, we used to have this ticket. Democracy went very slow. Yes, because it's transitioning into...
It started to transition very slow. [Music] [Music] We saw some vultures, a group of vultures eating a dead cow I think. Wow, this is the first time I've seen one or a group of them. They're so massive. I'm not trying to scare them away. [Music] We came across a nearby ovoo, a sacred stone can used in Mongolian folk religion.
Taivanaa was able to teach us a bit about them. Often serving as border markers or shrines, there are places where travelers stop to honor the spirits of the land with offerings and prayers. [Music] So we are trying to walk clockwise three times because when in Mongolia we try to be like the Mongolian, try to respect the way they do things here. Some of these things that I wouldn't have known from learning from a guidebook because obviously Taivanaa has got some local knowledge that we wouldn't have known otherwise.
[Music] So we are currently stopping over at one of this pit stop. It's interesting because behind me there are lots of Mongolian horses. It looks a bit smaller perhaps they are just for sale. Welcome to the Mongolian roadside station as they would call it here. I was quite taken aback at how
modern the inside look is. I'll show you around a little bit. If you've got food selection over there you can definitely get lunch, dinner, breakfast, everything sorted out for you.
And modern coffee with some cheesecake. Would you believe it? In the countryside here? Fantastic! Look at this selection of bakery. You've got cheesecake, you've got chocolate donuts, it looks like even caramel cheesecake. A truly modern supermarket behind me. I am in disbelief.
[Music] Seeing the Mongolian steppe first hand was truly breathtaking. The vast endless landscape stretching to every horizon was humbling. As we approached what was known as the small Gobi desert we kept an eye out for local camel farmers.
[Music] These sand dunes are small chunks of the Gobi desert probably. Whereas the actual Gobi desert is located in the south of the country and we are actually slightly in the central part of the country. [Music] Hello! That's cool. We're going to ride a camel for 30
minutes. I mean Ray is used to riding a horse so he's basically a cowboy. A camel cowboy now. Look at this guy. A proper camel cowboy. Do you think you'll be okay? Sorry. Whoa! Okay. Yeah sure yes absolutely. First time riding
a camel in Mongolia. This was not part of the plan to be honest but when you see herds of camels and there's an opportunity why not? They are so massive such massive animals and this hump is incredibly impressive because you practically lean on them and hold on to them just so that you don't fall off. [Music] These camels are called Bactrian camels originating from the steppes of Central Asia.
With their slow steady pace and two humps that stall fat they are perfectly adapted to surviving harsh climates and long journeys. Taking a slow ride over the sand dunes on these camels felt like we were touching on centuries of nomadic tradition. It's incredible the silence of this landscape.
Oh this is fun actually Ah gorgeous, thank you so much Yeah Interview the camel And you ask him You're asking how old is he? Okay, come on Let's go Oh Just get a little snack on the way back He's stopping for a snack! Awww. Pull back on her head Our next stop for this journey is Kharkhorin city, which was the Mongolian Empire's capital city, the Chinggis Khaan era. And I think not only this serve as a cultural centre but also a trade between East and West. This fascinating temple actually has been here for over 500 years and only recently been renovated. It's fascinating to think that as a capital city, Ulaanbaatar used to be a movable monastery and as opposed to a Chinggis Khaan era, this was it. And I was told that there used to be three main religion, being Islam, Christian and Buddhism.
And I think each religion would have their own center like this, but those two were damaged after the Chinggis Khaan era ended. And only this one remains. Oh, look at this stunning.
So you actually have to pay to enter this very complex, but just looking at it from here is already stunning. Taivanaa said that there used to be architects that were brought all over from France, Japan, or China even, I think, to sort of build this city. It's absolutely a surreal experience to be able to walk along this ancient city, as you would call it. Hello. Yeah, and to be able to witness this old 500 years old sort of city that survived during Chinggis Khaan era and well preserved.
Wow, look at this golden stupa. Hello. Look at these cute kids. They were just climbing up this stupa.
Such a fun time. That town we just visited has been so pretty. And I think the afternoon light makes it very romantic. My heart is singing. This is a kind of Mongolia picture in my head where I was envisioning coming here. We hit the road again with one goal in mind before reaching our final destination.
To find a family living in a ger (yurt) and try their traditional fermented horse milk known as Airag. Along the way, we passed several gers but struggled to find one open to hosting us. Finally, we came across a beautiful pair of gers where a warm and welcoming family invited us in.
They have Airag! Oh my God, we've been on a mission to actually look for this drink because this is the traditional fermented horse milk drink that everyone drinks here in the country. It is stunning. Would you look at this ger? Oh my goodness. Hello.
Hi. Hello! That's so fizzy! Oh wow It's very original from this farm. It's like one of the best ones I've ever had. Really? Yeah, it's so good. Not that I'm a real expert these days. You sound like a real expert.
This is a typical ger where they set it up and it's so strong against the wind. They have got solar panels over there, quite small but enough for the family. And often if you go inside, you'll see this setting where the centrepiece is actually a stove and on top of that is actually where the sunlight will fill up the room.
It's just stunning. She's like my sister from Mongolia. He's been here for his whole life. Wow. This is his winter house So he's got a different house for winter. So this is more like summer, autumn. Bye bye.
Aww, this is my new siblings here. We said our goodbyes and headed off towards our final destination as the sun went down. Thank you so much for watching today's video. Don't forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed watching. Check out my Patreon too in the description box below if you wish to join my community over there. Join me on the next video as we head into deep rural Mongolia by motorbike on one of my toughest adventures to date.
See you there!
2024-11-24 21:37
