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| Mongolia |
| The motherland of great conquerors whose well-preserved distinctive culture and milklenia-old history are comparable to none. In the center of Asia, but on the outskirts of civilization. Where the fossils and petrified eggs can be picked up almost by the roadside. A vast expanse of land that, regardless of willpower, casts a spell over the visitor, drawing him into a state of meditation. The territory that the Asians call “the hub of the Earth” The world's most sparsely populated country prides itself on nature at its most untouched, the biggest number of horses per capita, the highest sand dunes, the most meat based diet, the largest vocabulary of swear words, which can be, by the way, written down only in Cyrillic. And there are many more records that the Mongolians, nomads at heart, break. Nomadic tribes need neither towns nor villages. When the time has come, they disassemble their ingenious felt homes, the yurt, strap them onto camels and horses, and proceed to the next grazing ground where fresh herbs await their prized posessions, the herds they tend for a living. The herds provide food and warmth. Mongolia is the country with the ultimate continental climate on planet Earth. Meaning that during the summer it is, + 40C, but in wintertime minus just as much. Try to heat the light iron stove of the nomads with firewood: you will get a half-hourly sauna, and then eternal frost. But the dried dung of domestic animals will smolder all night long, yielding warmth gradually.  Tourism is not entirely new to Mongolia but is becoming better developed and services are more diversified. In the capital Ulan Bator you will find hotels, in other parts of the country Mongolians stay true to their culture and you will be accommodated in yurts. Especially in spring, when the wildflowers are in bloom, staying in a Mongolian Yurt Camp is a wonderful exotic and fleeting experience. In autumn these same camps are dismanteled till the following year they make their re-appearance. A yurt is an ecologically clean and ergonomic homestead; an environment in harmony with the human being. So much so that many western tourists buy yurts and have them shipped back home, where in their backyard or the loft they prolong the spell that Mongolia casts.  The landscapes of Mongolia are manyfold; lakes, rivers abounding with fish, forests, mountains. The southern border is drawn by the Gobi desert, itself a melange of stony plains, mountains, sand dunes of more than 200 meters in height, and dozens of other types of landscape. The expanse of the southern steppes stretches seemingly endlessly to the horizon, under a deep blue sky that give Mongolia the surname "country of the big sky". And the steppes and deserts are very much alive, it is possible to catch a glimpse of wild goats and sheep on the rocky slopes, herds of antelopes and goitered gazelles, as well as different birds of prey. One of the world’s largest snow leopard population is registered in the Red Book (the list of endangered species). Active tourists in Mongolia enjoy hiking and mountain climbing, horse- and camelriding. Fishing, hunting, and bow hunting are other popular sports. The traditional way of life is still preserved, despite what we call globalization. The common means of transportation is still the horse, a medium size animal usually, very beautiful, very fast. The horse per capita ratio is 3:1, life in the yurt is like that of the Mongolian forefathers. The staple food is meat and milk drunk from silver cups and strangers are welcome as  though they were long lost relatives. From dawn to dusk, the hardworking, suntanned Mongolian tend to their animals, horses, camels, cows, yaks, sheep, and goat. And come evening, they return to their yurts in the boundless steppe, huddle around the cauldron with meat, pour some green tea with milk or fat and… turn on the TV where Mongolian song and dance shows and broadcasts of riding games and other national celebrations cheer young and old.On the territory of northwest Mongolia prevails to this day an unchanged "biospheric lifestyle" based on pasturing and cattle-breeding. Flocks of sheep, and herds of horses are still roaming the steppe; yurts appear white against the foots of mountain ranges; riders are galloping by just like 1000 years ago at the time of the legendary Genghis Khan. Photos Evgeniy Gorbik |
