Searching For the Ancient Heart of the Modern Mongolia
An Eagle Hunter with his eagle. A hunter and his eagle form a special unique bond. Image: ©Larry Blau
Photographer and contributor, Larry Blau met his friend in Africa. Image: Andy Williams
By Larry Blau
Realizing My Dream of Mongolia
Ever since I was a young boy, I had a dream of visiting Mongolia. I remember watching John Wayne star in the film "Genghis Khan," so years later when the opportunity presented itself - I seized it!
Finally, decades after that first inspiration, I arrived at Chinggis Khan Airport.
My first impression was a correction of something I thought I knew. The name "Genghis Khan" is a westernization of the Mongolian, Chinggis Khan.
We were a group of eight photographers, including two group leaders. We all met in Ulaanbaatar, the capital, spending two nights there. Our plans included flying on to Western Mongolia to live with eagle hunters, then back to Ulaanbaatar and on to the Gobi Desert.
There are few if any direct flights from the west; Beijing, China is the most usual start point into Ulaanbaatar. Map thanks to the Nations Online Project
✔︎ Trip Tips
Where: Mongolia
When: Mid-June to late August
How: From Beijing China, presently there are no direct flights to from the West to Ulaanbaatar
Why Now: Vanishing landscape and culture. Contact Us
First Stop, Gandantegchinlen Monastary
Our hotel in Ulaanbaatar's center had all the modern-day accommodations we have come to expect, including the internet.
The following morning we woke up early, had a western-style breakfast, then it was off to the Gandantegchinlen (Gandan) monastery. I had previously traveled extensively in Southeast Asia and so have visited many other Buddhist monasteries there. What struck me most here was how the Mongols practiced Buddhism and the differences between their Buddhism and the Buddhism I had previously observed (a story for another time.)
❖Culture Note: Gandantegchinlen means, Great Place of Complete Joy in the Tibetan language.
In the capital city of Ulaannbaatar, I visited Gandantegchinlen (Gandan) monastary. Two young buddhist monks were kind enough to sit for a pose. Image: ©Larry Blau
During the Communist rule, it was forbidden to practice any religion. All Buddhist monasteries were closed. Still, the Mongolian people practiced their faith in hiding. They kept up their traditions and beliefs even in the face of dire personal consequences.
Discovering Ulaanbaatar
After lunch, I broke off from the group and took a walking tour of Ulaanbaatar. I try to do this in every large city I visit. It's a great way to get to know the people and how they live.
Ulaanbaatar is a traffic nightmare. Traffic lights exist, but it seemed like they are treated only as a suggestion. Ulaanbaatar is modern-day Mongolia: Nice boutiques, fancy restaurants, and internet cafes. I knew this was not the Mongolia I wanted to experience. My guide took me to the Government Store. It was an enormous ten-story building leftover from the Communist days when it sold everything and anything available to the people. Today their inventory is modern and caters to the people living in this contemporary city.
Aerial view of Ulaanbaatar, the largest city in Mongolia, population 1.5 million in 20200 is a traffic and environmental nightmare. Image: Mikhail Kolhanchikov for Dreamstime.com
The following morning, we again woke early, packed our bags, and headed to the airport for a three-hour flight to Olgii in Western Mongolia. Our guide told us that most tourists stay in Ulaanbaatar, venturing only within a fifty-mile radius of the city. Yurts complete with running water and indoor showers are set-up for tourists there – but those tourist-yurts are not the Mongolia I had waited so long to experience.
Welcome to Mongolia
We boarded our Air Mongolia prop plane for the three-hour flight. It seemed strange that there was no first-class and the aircraft held only about fifty passengers, all non-tourists except for our group. But that was not the only unusual aspect of this flight.
The baggage retrieval system when we landed in Olgii went as follows: we passengers had to search the plane's cargo section for our luggage and then carry it to the terminal ourselves. It was a little unusual, but maybe now I can get into real Mongolia.
This lady’s dress and wonderful face caught my eye as I explored Olgii, she agreed to pose for a portrait. Image: ©Larry Blau
Olgii is the capital of the Bayan-Olgii Aimag of Mongolia. "Aimag" is the term for "province" in the Mongolian language. The province is located in the extreme west of the country and is Mongolia's only aimag whose majority population is Muslim and Kazak. You can easily travel to the Russian border from here. There were no paved roads, and the city looked like it was still in the 1930s. Our guides took us to a local outdoor market. The market was full of locals buying and selling all food products ranging from meats to produce, everything.
Yes! I had finally arrived in Mongolia.
Life in the Alai Mountains
Modern meets traditional in this small village we passed later, in the Gobi Desert. The round “gers” are made of a collapsable wood mesh frame covered by fabric, straight poles connected to a circular “crown” form the roof. Brightly colored fabrics, felt, fur, or carpets cover the inside walls and floor. Gers are warm, secure in wind, easily transportable, and perfect for traditional nomadic life. The word “ger” means household in Mongolian. Image: ©Larry Blau
After spending time soaking up the local flavor, we boarded two vans for our ride into the Altai Mountains and home for the next five days. After a long drive towards the Russian border, we arrived at a Kazah family's home site. They had set up two "gers" for us. Gers are temporary circular dwellings covered with sheep's wool felt. Homemade rugs covered the ger's floor; a stove, using dried animal dung for fuel, stood in the middle of the structure with four beds set up around it.
After getting settled, our hosts showed us the Mongolian restroom. It was a hole that the family had dug in the ground, set a toilet over it, and then put up a small tent around it.
We all had dinner together in another ger, and after enjoying the local homemade Vodka, it was time for bed back at our ger. That night, a family member re-filled our stove with dried dung every two to three hours. The heat got intense.
Mongolia’s Famous Eagle Hunters Arrive
The following day five eagle hunters showed up. Hunting with eagles dates back at least 4,000 years. While once found across the Eurasian Steppe, this traditional form of falconry is now practiced only in a few remote areas of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and the Bayan-Olgii region of western Mongolia.
These eagle hunters do not consider this an art but a critical component of traditional nomadic life. They form a special bond with their eagles who become a member of their family. The hunters travel high up in the mountains to search for young female eagles. When they find a suitable one, they then take the young chicks from their nest and spend the next few years training them to hunt and respond to their commands.
The special relationship between hunter and eagle lasts six to seven years, after which the hunters release their eagles back into the wild to reproduce and ensure their species' continuation.
Eagle hunter Rys Nurgaiv and myself, Larry Blau, with the Altai Mountains in the background. Image: ©Larry Blau
Red and corsac foxes are the primary prey, but the eagles can also catch rabbits and even young wolves. Hunting takes place mostly in winter when the golden-colored foxes are easiest to spot against the snow. Nothing is wasted here; the people make their beautiful warm clothes from the fox's fur.
Mongols are also known for their great prowess with horses. A special relationship grows between the eagle hunter, horse, and eagle.
We were invited to a local eagle festival to witness traditional skill contests between the eagle hunters during our stay. There were no other foreigners. The contestants were graded and scored by a team of judges. Once a year, a large festival is held. The eagle hunters compete for various awards and recognition. One exciting contest was the Buzkaski, also called Mongolian Tug of War or Goatskin Wrestling. Two Mongols on horseback pull a goat carcass until one can throw the other contestant off his horse.
Another experience was visiting Aisholpan and her family. She was the star of the documentary "The Eagle Huntress." Women eagle hunters are rare, and many men shun them from this historical male tradition. Aisholpan's father, a well-known and decorated eagle hunter, trained her. He was initially reluctant to train her knowing that she would face male prejudice. The documentary tells their story beginning from taking a young eagle from its nest to the crowning of Aisholpan as the champion of all eagle hunters. Aisholpan is currently studying at Stanford Medical School and will practice medicine in Mongolia.
The Gobi Desert, Camels, and A Local Delicacy Best Tasted Once
Catching the sun setting on the dunes as the camel herders trekked across wearing their traditional clothing. Image: ©Larry Blau
After leaving our Mongolian family, we spent one night in Olgii to freshen up and sleep in a "real" bed. Our morning flight took us back to Ulaanbaatar, and then the following morning, we boarded all-wheel drive vehicles for our ten-hour drive into the Gobi Desert.
The family patriarch galloping across the dunes as the sun was going down. Image: ©Larry Blau
As we drove south, the landscape that began as semi-barren and treeless with a little grass, turned to dunes and desert, and the nomadic lifestyle reappeared. Locals were selling camel milk on the roadside, so we stopped to taste this traditional drink. I would not recommend camel milk as a staple.
Camels were everywhere in the Gobi, but these particular camels were different from ones I had seen in other parts of the world. These were two hump or Bactrian camels found in the steppes of Central Asia.
▶︎Wildlife Fact: The population of wild Bactrian (two-hump) camels, found only in Asia, is estimated at 400 individuals. They are IUNC listed: Critically Endangered.
The nomadic people traditionally keep camels for their wool, meat, milk, and ability to transport goods through inhospitable environments. There are estimated to be about two million Bactrian camels alive today; most are domesticated.
These camels can carry loads up to 350 pounds / 159 kg over shifting dunes and at altitudes of more than 17,000 feet / 5182m.
I Found the Mongolia I Was Searching For In A Family
The parents of a camel herder family I spent five days and nights with posing on their camels. Image: ©Larry Blau
We finally arrived at our Gobi destination. A local family of camel herders had set up two gers for our five-day stay. The family-owned a large herd of camels and set-up their gers close to their animals. After unpacking, we drove to the edge of a massive dune for a photo opportunity with some family members on their camels. The enormity of the dunes and the camel herders dressed in local clothing created a spectacular experience.
We stayed at the dunes until sundown, arriving back at camp for dinner. All of us sat around the same stove in one ger with the local family who passed around traditional dishes. It is considered bad taste if you do not eat what your host serves.
During the Eagle Hunters festival. A man and his eagle relax inside a ger. Image: ©Larry Blau
We started first with hot sheep heart soup. The taste was terrific, and the hot soup was a perfect way to warm us up. It gets very cold in the desert at night. Next came the main course, sheep head.
In the past, only nobles and highly respected people were treated to this Mongolian delicacy. Utensils did not exist for this course; we used our hands to tear off the pieces.
When we'd finished the sheep's head, our hosts brought out homemade cheese and Russian vodka. The vodka, drunk straight, was hard for me to swallow. One of the family members spoke English, and we talked until the late hours.
The family wanted to hear about our lives and families. We took turns telling them the size of our families and how many children we had. My search had ended: I found my Mongolia.
I could write on and on about the experience of finding the people of Mongolia. I got to know the people and how important Chinggis Khan is to them. He is not just their founding father but has become a sort of a religion, too.
When you visit a country, I believe it's all about the people. I got to know and experience these amazing and beautiful people. The memories I captured there will last a lifetime.
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