The Mongolian journey was well and truly underway as I drove with my local tour guide deep into rural Mongolia. The country is very sparsely populated, and I ventured deep into a very sandy area of the country called Mohtok. This is an area full of sand dunes, and it is believed that the locals here eat the sand. They say that the sand dunes here have sand with medicinal qualities that can cure arthritis and help build strong bones. I shot a video of myself eating the sand.

After that, we moved into a ger, which is a tent-like structure. It is the house of most nomadic Mongolian families. The ger is a traditional dwelling that is very common in Mongolia. It is the most popular form of dwelling in rural Mongolia. It is a round tent made of white, durable, and waterproof material, and it is portable so it can be moved around by yaks. The Mongolian ger has two key components: the wooden framework and the felt cover. The wooden framework is called khana, the central support column is known as uni, and the smoke hole is called toono. It has eight separate wooden poles, each ensuring around 1.5 meters are used as ger frames, with just the central column supporting the entire structure. Without its felt and canvas covering, the naked frame looks something like an umbrella. Once the framework has been erected, it is covered with felt and mounted onto wooden floors. The door is always on the southern side, facing the sun, providing more light inside the windowless home.

Eating Sand in Mongolia

I spent an entire afternoon with a nomadic family in a ger. They served me flat noodles with vegetables and camel meat and gave me Mongolian milk tea to drink, which was salted. I sat on a wooden bed and chatted with them.

The ger is generally divided into three sections: male and female. There is a third section at the back called khoimor. The khoimor is where valuable objects are stored along with a statue of Buddha or a Buddha shrine. Guests are often invited to sit in the khoimor section. The ger districts usually occupy poor-quality land on the outskirts of town. These people raise cattle, breed horses and camels. They shear the camels for their wool, which they sell; they basically live off the land.

I was also served dried curd, which was sweet in flavor. I enjoyed that with some relish. So enjoy the photographs of how local Mongolians live in gers and their day-to-day lives.

I got a real taste of Mongolian nomadic life when I ventured into the heart of the Gobi Desert. This was a ger camp in the thick of the desert. As I mentioned, gers are nomadic tents in which Mongolian nomads live, and I had the opportunity to stay in one of these ger camps.

The highlight of my day was riding a camel deep into the heart of the desert as I navigated the sand dunes. I then sat down with a few nomads who were shearing a camel. This was the first time I saw how wool is sheared from a live camel, and I eagerly jumped at the opportunity to shear the large beast myself.

Gobi Desert Khongor

The desert gets really cool at night as loud winds whistle past my ears. Until then, enjoy the pictures and videos of my desert safari in Mongolia.

The Mongolian leg of my journey started slow, but today I picked up the pace as the first place I drove to with my guide, Ogi, was the Chinggis Khan Statue Complex. It is a forty-meter-tall stainless steel statue of the legendary king and the first ruler of Mongolia. The complex is situated 54 km away from the main capital city of Ulaanbaatar. The statue points eastwards towards the birthplace of the great king. One can also climb to the top of the statue and get a panoramic view of the Tuul River. There is also a museum which dates back to the Bronze Age of Mongolia. There are ancient belts, buckets, knives, and pictures of how the nomadic people used animals as beasts of burden. There is also a depiction of the history of the great Khan rulers of Mongolia dating back to the 13th century.

Here, I got the opportunity to do some archery and shoot a bow and arrow. I also immensely enjoyed flying the giant Mongolian eagle. The eagles here are very large and have huge claws, so one has to be careful with them at times. There was a busload of children who had come to see the large statue and no doubt get some history lessons. I did some souvenir shopping and even bought a large painting of the great Khan ruler.

Ariyabal Meditation Centre and the Significance of Number 108

Our next stop was the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. It is connected by a paved road and is 37 km from the national capital. The park has springs and great rock formations. One such rock is the Turtle Rock, which is shaped like a giant turtle. One can do some rock climbing or sit beside the Tuul River that flows through the national park. One can also spot eagles perched on top of trees. It is a quiet and serene place for tourists to enjoy and relax. I also managed to have some lunch of noodles and potatoes. I must say that so far, I have not developed a taste for Mongolian food and find it very bland.

It was here in the park that I managed to do some horse riding. The Mongolian horses are short but very strong, and I took a horse ride right up to the mountains and back for just a few dollars. I found it relaxing being with nature and in tune with my inner bio clock.

Our last stop for the day was the Ariyabal Meditation Centre. This is a meditation centre near Turtle Rock. Ariyabal was a Buddhist god who eradicated human suffering. There are 108 steps that go right up to the temple where monks come to meditate. The temple is shaped like the head of an elephant, and the 108 steps go up and look like the winding and elongated tusk of an elephant. The temple belongs to the Kalachakra sect of Buddhism and was built in 1810 by Buddhist and Tibetan artisans. Each step going up to the temple has 144 sayings and Buddhist philosophical teachings written on wooden signboards, so as one climbs the steps, one can also read these philosophical teachings. There are 108 steps because the number 108 is very auspicious for Buddhist people. The Buddhists believe that the road to Nirvana is laden with 108 temptations, and one has to eradicate these to reach Nirvana. Also, the Zen monks have 108 beads in their meditation mala, thus the number 108 is very auspicious for them, and during meditation, they chant 108 times as well.

It was almost evening as it took us some time to climb up to the temple. We drove back to Ulaanbaatar, and it took us almost one hour to reach base, but I was satisfied with my learnings and explorations for the day.

Ramada Hotel in Ulaanbaatar, I decided to go on a city tour to get a firsthand look at the city. As is customary for me, I hired a tour and travel operator and negotiated a travel plan. My guide around the city was a young Mongolian named Ogi.

The Gandan Monastery was built in 1809 and has been the seat of Buddhist philosophy and culture in Mongolia. It was shut down from 1944 to 1989 due to persecution during this period. Many monks were killed, and there was an attempt to destroy the Buddhist faith.

Buddhism is the largest religion in Mongolia, practiced by 51.7% of the population. The Gandan Monastery has more than 100 resident monks and many Buddhist treasures, including a 25-meter statue of Avalokitesvara made of golden bronze and precious stones. After being closed down in 1939 during the persecution, it came under direct Soviet command and was used as an ammunition dump. The great statue of Avalokitesvara was taken by the Soviet army and shipped to Moscow, where it was melted down. In 1990, the monastery was renovated, and over two hundred monks began praying there. The Avalokitesvara statue was then rebuilt with a mix of government and private funds.

After seeing the magnificent monastery, I moved out to feed some pigeons. There are hundreds of them loitering around the monastery, and I decided to buy some grains and feed them for a while. Our next stop was Sukhbaatar Square, the central square of Ulaanbaatar and the seat of the main government building. The square was named after Damdin Sukhbaatar, a Mongolian revolutionary, after his death in 1923. The square also houses the national theatre.

In the afternoon, I sipped hot milk tea of Mongolia for the first time. The tea here is white and full of milk, but instead of sugar, they put salt in their tea. I did not enjoy the taste much and, after taking a few sips, decided not to have any more.

Zaisan Memorial Hill was built to honor the Soviet and Mongolian soldiers who lost their lives in World War Two. There is a huge flight of steps that one has to climb to reach the top of the memorial, and I was exhausted by the time I got there. However, one can get a great view of the city from the top of the memorial, and it is a great spot to take some exciting pictures as it offers a panoramic view of the city.

Our last stop of the day was the Choijin Lama Temple Museum. The temple complex is made up of six temples and was active until 1937, after which it was closed down during the religious repression. The temple houses some fantastic Buddhist statues and masks, which are used in traditional Buddhist Cham dancing. The temple has many attendants guarding the ancient artifacts and murals.

So finally, what I had been waiting for over three weeks happened. I got an email, and through iVisa, I managed to score a thirty-day visa for Mongolia. The only thing to be done was to find a ticket to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. I had to make sure that I did not need a transit visa as I had to catch a connecting flight from Istanbul, Turkey.

With my return ticket also booked, I did my hotel booking and booked a room at the Ramada Ulaanbaatar. The currency of Mongolia is the Mongolian Tugrik. The value of one rupee equals 41 Mongolian Tugrik. Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country in the world, with a population of only 3.4 million people. Mongolia is an untouched wonder of natural beauty, deserts, lakes, snow-peaked mountains, and sanctuaries. It is a traveler’s delight. The most famous Mongolian is, of course, Genghis Khan the Great. He was the first ruler of the Mongolian Empire, which ruled from 1202 to 1227. He is credited with forming a massive Mongolian empire, which fought with the Jin Dynasty in China and expanded its power to the Caspian Sea.

The country is a wonder of scenic beauty. Along with the Gobi Desert, the country has great frozen lakes like Lake Khuvgul, which is in Northern Mongolia. It is a very relaxing place, and one can live in a nomadic tent called the Ger and sleep in these tents at night. Amarbayasgalnat Khid is the largest monastery in Mongolia and is a must-see for all travelers. Chandaman Ondor is a tiny village in the region and is a great place for bird watching and hiking.

The Darshan Valley is a very remote and sparsely populated place in Mongolia and is home to the Tastaan tribe. It’s a place where one can meet many Shamans as well.

It is advisable to take the Turkish airline to get to Ulaanbaatar from New Delhi. The ticket is only sixty-three thousand one way. There is a one-stop at the Turkish airport, but if one is not getting out of the airport terminal and just changing flights with less than a day’s layover, one does not need a transit visa, not for Indian passport holders at least.

Mongolia is going to be cold with average weather between 15 degrees to 17 degrees, so it is advisable to carry a good jacket and something warm. As luck would have it, I will be boarding to Mongolia on my birthday itself, the 10th of May. It will be my fiftieth birthday, and that will be very special indeed.

So I am all set for another adventure, this time to Mongolia. Keep reading anujtikku.com and stay tuned for another month-long adventure.

“No doubt, the highlight of my Egypt travels was partying with the local horse carriage drivers and exploring the nightlife of Luxor City. It happened so spontaneously, and that’s why the night was so full of fun, frolic, and exploration.”

“I ventured out of my hotel to take a walk around the sea area. As luck would have it, I was almost kidnapped by two horse carriage drivers; one was a tall gentleman named Hassan, and the other was a short old guy named Ali. It seems that these guys operated together as a twosome. They would look for tourists to ferry them around in their horse carriage and then give them the entire view of the city at night. The two of them spotted me and offered to take me on their horse carriage all around the city. I relented and hopped on to the carriage; soon, we moved into the bylanes of Luxor city and into the poorer part of the town. The duo took me to their home and treated me to beer and some pot.”

“As if inspired by the fun and frolic, I broke into a song from the Amitabh Bachchan classic cult film “Mard” and started singing, ‘Mard Tangewala, main hoon mard tangewala.’ I showed them videos of my acting with Amitabh Bachchan in the movie “Rann,” in which I had acted with him. They were thrilled. I also got a chance to interact with the local street urchins of the city who started treating me like a mini celebrity from India.”

“Shortly after having some beers and pot, the duo decided to take me to an Egyptian belly dancing joint. It was like a local dance bar, with the only difference being that the rather fat and chubby lady on the dance floor was belly dancing. Again, I found this as an opportunity for me to do some filming, so I soon hopped onto the dance floor to join the belly dancer. I shared the spotlight for a while and finally left the floor after being thoroughly exhausted by the vigorous belly dancing. Most men were smoking shisha, which is very popular in this part of the world.”

“We spent most of the night on the horse carriage, moving from marketplaces to the high streets of the city of Luxor. My camera captured the sights and sounds of the city, all the while singing the hit song from the film ‘Mard’.”

“Enjoy the pictures and videos of this special Egypt escapade.”