Having a chirpy and talkative tour guide is essential when traveling in a new country. You have many questions, and a knowledgeable English-speaking tour guide with pleasant manners is a must for a great travel experience. I was lucky to have two guides: Animaa and Ogi.

Ogi was in his late twenties, a divorcee, and a single parent. His daughter lives with his mother. He and his wife had been separated for years. His marriage lasted less than five years, which gave us something in common since I, too, am divorced, though it was a long time ago. Ogi had been in the travel business for the last seven years but held a degree in psychology, which happens to be one of my favorite topics.

On Route Through Mongolia with Ogi

“You see, Buddha was the greatest psychologist and psychoanalyst. He was the real deal; he gave the world Buddhism and Zen meditation. He must have been really good,” I mused.

“Yes! He was indeed, but I just read a few books, that’s all,” Ogi replied, sounding somewhat bored.

We had brought cheese and bread with us on this trip to the mountain areas of Mongolia. The Ger we stayed in was warm, and Ogi would always be the one to light the oven and heat the Ger.

Ogi was my driver, helper, and tour guide, and he even helped me with all my laundry throughout the trip. I made a few videos of him playing with sheep in the shed. He was my constant companion as we went horseback riding deep into the snowy peaks and mountain ranges.

The eagle hunting tradition has been adopted by Kazakh families, who form the largest minority community in Mongolia. The region is very rocky, with huge rock formations ideal for eagles to nest and lay eggs. The high rocks provide a safe haven from predators like wild cats, foxes, deer, and jackals. Many eagles nest in this wild, nomadic country.

The Kazakhs are of Turkish descent, with their community extending to Kazakhstan. The art of eagle hunting has been practiced in this region for thousands of years, and Genghis Khan, the ruler of Mongolia, greatly encouraged this traditional practice. I managed to visit one such family deep in the wild outbacks near the Mongolian-Turkish border, trying to learn about these eagle hunting Kazakh people. My guide, Ogi, took me to see one such family. They lived in a modest brick house, with a television, a few fans, and even a solar panel heater. Some even had mobile phones. I was welcomed by a young teenage girl who served me hot tea and biscuits. There was soup, toffee, and white milk tea. It was cold, and I needed something warm. I had three glasses and then noticed the wall in front of me. I saw the fluffy, woolly skin of a snow fox and an exotic high mountain rabbit. There were three skulls on the wall along with a traditional harp-like musical instrument.

The Eagles

I was tempted by the fox skin; it was unique and exotic. I thought it would be a hit if I could sell it through my website, so I decided to buy two fox skins from the Kazakh eagle hunter family. I asked my guide, Ogi, to ask the head of the family if I could buy the exotic fox and rabbit skins. After some haggling, I bought two fox skins. Ogi had his reservations. “You might need documents to take these on a flight. Isn’t it banned in your country? I mean, this is animal skin, fox skin; it might not be legal to carry it,” Ogi advised honestly. Ignoring his advice, I bought the skins and shoved them in my suitcase.

I took some photographs of the area, and just next to the house, I could see scores of eagles flying in the sky. I managed to capture pictures of them; they looked majestic against the open blue sky.

One of the family members started to play a musical instrument that looked like a banjo, and the teenage girl brought me an animal skin hat, which I wore for fun. The family was hospitable, and I paid them for my purchases. They were simple, humble people with very few wants, living a nomadic life, herding sheep, raising chickens, and looking after cows and yaks. These people have been living like this for generations.

Mongolia has a cold and rocky terrain, and I was very close to the rugged mountain area of the country’s outback. This was the Tavanbodh National Park, where I stayed in a Ger for over four days. I lived on meager rations of bread, cheese, and boiled potatoes. I slept on a wooden cot bed inside two warm sleeping bags. Luckily, I had brought my thick warm brown jacket, which kept me warm. Here, temperatures would drop as low as minus three degrees Celsius. Ogi had to constantly burn cow dung to make a fire that kept us warm all night inside our tent. This was truly roughing it in the outback, right in the heart of nature. I would relieve myself outdoors and bathe in the freezing waterfalls of the park. Ogi and I ventured deep into the mountains on horseback, searching for rock paintings. I did a lot of horseback riding here.

On my way back to the city of Ulaanbaatar, I even spotted huge whirlwinds and tornadoes dancing past my car. I managed to capture them through my lens—dust flying high in the air like a dance of nature. These huge whirlwinds, like small storms, whizzed past me. There were three or four of them dancing in the fields on either side of the road.

The Ongi Monastery is a scenic wonderland situated next to the Ongi River in the Saikhan-Ovoo district of the Dundgobi province. It actually comprises two monasteries: the Barlim Monastery located on the north bank of the Ongi River, and the Khutagt Monastery on the south bank of the river.

Ongi Monastery was built in the 1660s. At its peak, it boasted four universities and over thirty temples, all managed by more than one thousand monks. However, the purges of 1939 by the Communist Party of Mongolia devastated this region. Over two thousand monks were killed, and others were taken captive, with some forced to serve in the army.

Ongi Monastery

The area where the two monasteries once stood was reduced to ruins. Thanks to the democratization of Mongolia, three monks who had once studied at Ongi Monastery decided to return and restore the ruins. Visitors can now see a museum and even visit a restored temple. The area is particularly beautiful at sunset, with breathtaking views of the Ongi River flowing past green meadows and mountainous terrain. This place is a photographer’s delight, and I managed to capture some great pictures of the monastery and the surrounding hills.

The Stalinist and Communist purge of 1939 left the place in ruins, with monks slaughtered and temples vandalized. The Ongi River provides the area with a tranquil and silent atmosphere, making it feel very peaceful to be here.

No visit to Mongolia is complete without a camel ride across the sand dunes and deserts of the Gobi. I was lucky to stay in a Ger tent right in the middle of the Khongor Sand Dunes. This is a vast, dusty brown ocean of sand that stretches for miles. The sand dunes shimmer in the afternoon sun, and it can get quite warm. The camels of Mongolia are large, stocky, and full of wool. They have thick wool coats to withstand the extreme cold in winters.

I climbed on top of one such camel for a ride through the sand dunes, and I just went with the flow. We climbed for hours through the desert, with soft winds blowing from the west as I slowly trudged on. There are hills and mountains of sand dunes; the entire place is dry, airy, and dusty brown in color.

Camel ride

I moved through the desert sands with the camel navigating the dunes with ease. We moved slowly but surely, the tall, thin limbs and large, broad, flat feet of the camel carrying me through my journey.

The Mongolian camels eat shrubs and other plants that grow wild in the desert. They are gentle creatures, obedient to their masters, and have been carrying goods and people across the deserts for thousands of years. Camel milk is also consumed in this part of the world, and they even make alcohol from it.

In the late evenings, I stayed at the Gobi Discovery Camp in a Ger along with my guide, Animaa. She was a chubby Mongolian girl, very sweet but plump. She accompanied me during the first leg of my Mongolian odyssey. I slept in a warm Ger at night, as the desert gets very cold at night.

“You know, I don’t like the way you pay money to people, especially in the bar and hotel. You can’t throw money at them; it is very rude. You will annoy people; it is disrespectful,” Animaa told me, irritated by my habit of throwing money at people. “No, no, it’s just that I am in my own world, thinking about the next story and blog post. I also get confused with the money and the denominations, that’s all,” I replied, almost apologizing for my rudeness.

There was a huge black dog who would run across the garden area and around the tents. I would take slow walks around the place, exploring it during the evening.

Ulgii City is where I spent most of the latter part of my travels in Mongolia. There is a small airport in Ulgii City, and one can take a small plane from Ulaanbaatar to Ulgii City. The flight takes a little over two hours, and from Ulgii City, you can take a jeep. In my case, I took the services of a Bukhanka UAZ-452, a very rugged Russian-made old van also called the “bread loaf” because it looks like a loaf of bread.

I spent most of my time eating chocolates and cheese with bread, as that was the only food I liked when we were in the mountains or moving through the mountains on horseback. As luck would have it, I also stopped to see some old Muslim burial places or graveyards deep inside the mountains, buried deep in the valleys of Ulgii City.

This is a predominantly Kazakh place, and two hundred thousand Kazakhs live in and around the mountainous city, which has very cold temperatures. The city is large yet simple. The houses are very basic, but there are supermarkets and shops all over the city, along with flourishing restaurants serving chicken and rice. I managed to have a large bowl of soup here, as that was the best thing to keep me warm.

Ulgii City

My Russian-made Bukhanka did a great job, and I had an old but very experienced driver taking us on this adventurous ride.

I walked over frozen riverbeds and even jumped into a waterfall. The place had a very mystical feel about it, especially the area around the mosque and the Muslim graveyard, where there were flags with the Islamic symbol of the crescent moon.

The people here don’t speak Mongolian; they speak a local Kazakh dialect. There are hotels, but not many, and they are more of the basic type. You will need a Kazakh-speaking tour guide here as no one speaks Mongolian. There are markets and bazaars, and one can get the local dried curd, which is full of vitamins.

This city is also famous for its Eagle Hunting Festival. People tame and train eagles here, then showcase their eagles’ skills in festivals and local competitions. I was also lucky to have tea with a local eagle hunter family on a later day.

The mountains, the grassy land, the many lakes and streams, along with dusty roads and bridges, give this city a very ancient feel as if it has been locked in time for centuries.

Ulgii is a city in western Mongolia and is the capital of the Bayan-Ulgii Aimag. It has a vibrant embroidery industry inspired by Kazakh art and music. One can find animal skin fur hats and exotic fur jackets as well in Ulgii.

Ulgii is situated on the banks of the Khovd River, which is vast. It is a must-see place for travel lovers.

Most Mongolians living in the wilderness away from towns and cities lead a life of sheep herding, herding yaks and cows, and also keeping camels. Most people live in white tents and gers. They have solar panels provided by the government to heat water and cook food. Cow dung and wood are used to make fire and heat water and cook food. There are no schools in the area, so children join the tradition of their fathers and herd sheep.

I would occasionally get out of my Jeep to walk among the sheep herders and give them water. Many places in the desert have small water channels where camels and sheep drink water from. I managed to wander close to such a place and gave the thirsty sheep some cool water.

It is a remote place, but I felt so close to nature. I could see ancient old bridges and rivers flowing through the dusty land. The sheep would wander around the road and the watering hole. Occasionally, a few of them would get involved in fights, locking horns and head-bashing. I guess that’s how sheep fight and release some heat.

I could see a red truck with the trademark of Coca-Cola. Even in a far-flung place like this, there was Coca-Cola. It was amazing to see the large red truck pass through the desert road, with dust and sand flying high up in the air as it cut through the flat, dusty desert land. The sun shines bright and sets late in this place. The area is full of stones and rocks and gets cold at night.

Wells, river water, and waterfalls are the sources of water in this nomadic, far-flung land. But I will never forget the sheep and the herders of Mongolia.

The outback of Mongolia and the Gobi Desert carry many mysteries, and this is a place where shamanistic practices are very prevalent. Shamans are people similar to priests, possessing spiritual healing powers, great insight, knowledge, intuition, and even telepathy. They can communicate through the mind and are viewed as witch doctors. They pray to nature; everything in nature is sacred and godly, like fire, earth, sky, trees, and even animals. Nature is their god, and they pray to it.

Shaman Temple

They are a primitive nomadic tribe, untouched by time and modernization. The shamans still practice in this area. I managed to get a look at a shaman temple, which was inside a perimeter fence. It was a hut made from brick, and inside were idols of ancient gods. Most of the idols were made of stone, and their heads were made of deer or sheep skulls with huge horns. I managed to jump over the fence to get a closer look inside the temple. I made a video of the area and was fascinated by the idols and the way they had been decorated with paint.

Mongolian Shamanism, also known as Tengerism, is the native religion of the country. It is a religion that practices animism and shamanism. It later mingled with traditional Buddhism and was heavily persecuted during the Stalinist Communist purge and repression.

They worship the father and the sky. Shamanism has been practiced in Mongolia for centuries. Some shamans also perform spiritual ceremonies and are seen as faith healers.

It was great to explore a temple like this, and I would cherish the experience. At first, I felt a little jittery, but once I was inside the temple, it was all about exploration.

The Gobi Desert is vast and has a green hue of grass, but it is also very bumpy. This temple was a real gem that I managed to find and discover.

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Ovoo, oboos are cairns used as border markers or shrines in Mongolian folk religious practice and in the religion of other Mongolic peoples. While some ovoos simply consist of a mound of stones, most have branches and khadag stuck into them. In the absence of stones, ovoos can be made entirely of branches, or even soil or sand. Ovoos are often found at the top of mountains and in high places like mountain passes. In modern times, some of them have developed into large and elaborate structures, becoming more like temples than simple altars. They serve mainly as sites for the worship of Heaven and lesser gods led by shamans and kins’ elders, but also for Buddhist ceremonies.