Two years ago Judith Moore noticed that Mongolia came up strongly in my soul. Obviously it had to do with my connection with the indigenous peoples and power places in that country; only I didn’t feel it myself at that moment. I had not even thought about it; I hardly knew this part of existence. I still do not know whether it was because Judith mentioned Mongolia or whether it came directly from my soul but I suddenly got the urge to visit Mongolia. It does not really matter; you always get a signal whether it comes from yourself or whether someone points it out to you. So I was on the move to Mongolia.
A friend from the full moon circle wanted to go as well but she added: 'I'll go, but I want a horse ride through the Steppes."
Gosh, I'm afraid of horses. I have twice "accidentally" made a trip on a very tame horse this year in Cuba and in the Cathar country. This was a great achievement for me. We tried to organise a trip so that my friend could travel by horse and I could go by foot. The guy at the travel agency said to us: ‘Why don’t you both a go by horse, the costs will not be that much higher, and you will have the choice whether you want to ride or not. "Okay," we said, "we will do that." In addition, the website of the agency tells you that you do not need be an experienced horse rider.
To be sure I took five riding lessons, to get some experience.
We flew from Moscow to Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia. When I looked at my atlas to see where exactly Mongolia is, I was impressed to see such a big country and that in 22 days we’d just see a small piece of it. Genghis Khan, who is revered in every corner of Mongolia, united the Mongol tribes and founded the largest empire in the world in terms of area. It stretched from China to the River Danube. The large statue of Kahn Sükhbaatar on the square was also the first thing we encountered.
The next day we flew to Ulan Gong where our guide was waiting for us and we had to do some shopping for the trip. We had selected the most pristine piece of nature in Mongolia; namely the North West where you mostly encounter the steppes. You can only visit this area during the summer. In September it starts snowing and the snow is so deep and it is so cold (-40 gegrees) that the Mongols and the animals cannot stay there. During the journey there was not a lot of communication with our guides. It is so normal that you simply let it wash all over you.
There is no planning. Just the destination at the end of the day is important. Our guide who took care of the animals rode two days on a camel carrying our luggage and bringing three horses before he found us. The first day of the trip I rode on the most accessible white horse that was meant for me. The horse and I were fastened to a rope; but after half an hour I wanted to ride independently. The horses have no names; the nomads say that animals are not our property.”
My friend admired how fearlessly I rode uphill and downhill and how I tried to guide my horse through the rivers. At our first destination along the river I found a very large feather. At first I thought it was the feather of an eagle (my power animal), because Mongolia is the Land of the "Eagles", but when I asked the Eagle hunter apparently it was a feather of a buzzard.
We visit some Gers that we encountered on our way. It is customary that you just step inside and sit down. You will be immediately welcomed by the person working in the Ger by tea with goat's milk and salt. The homemade cheese scones are put on the table. I realised that there are only cattle and Mongols in the countryside who do not eat fruits and vegetables.
We saw many herds passing by. Camels, yaks, goats, horses, cows etc. Goats just walk in and out of the Gers. The nomads live with the animals and they, like most Indigenous peoples, are one with the animals.
My friend admired how fearlessly I rode uphill and downhill and how I tried to guide my horse through the rivers. At our first destination along the river I found a very large feather. At first I thought it was the feather of an eagle (my power animal), because Mongolia is the Land of the "Eagles", but when I asked the Eagle hunter apparently it was a feather of a buzzard.
We visit some Gers that we encountered on our way. It is customary that you just step inside and sit down. You will be immediately welcomed by the person working in the Ger by tea with goat's milk and salt. The homemade cheese scones are put on the table. I realised that there are only cattle and Mongols in the countryside who do not eat fruits and vegetables.
We saw many herds passing by. Camels, yaks, goats, horses, cows etc. Goats just walk in and out of the Gers. The nomads live with the animals and they, like most Indigenous peoples, are one with the animals.
My friend and I felt like fishes in the water and we held regular ceremonies to show our gratitude. When we held the ceremonies we noticed that not only big birds were circling around us but that there was more presence like we saw later on the picture, three green balls on my lap.
We were hoping for a meeting with a real Shaman. There are many who say they are a Shaman but they are not. During the trip we realised that this meeting with a Shaman does not actually take place because we are our own Shaman.
The Mongolians are very hospitable and, like all Indigenous peoples, use few words to express what’s necessary. The homemade vodka and beer are regularly presented on the table. The intention is that you say something and then drink the vodka at once. The cup is always filled, it should not be empty. The average age of the Mongols is no more than 65 years old. Does this have something to do with the vodka?
We finished our horse trip after nine days. Then we could finally take a shower in Ugli. We went shopping at the local market and we prepared ourselves for a five-day trip by jeep. We were driving to stay with the Kazakhs from Kazakstan who live in Mongolia. When we arrived at the Kazakhs place we noticed an immediate difference. These people have nicer Gers and clearly established commercial business. For example, we were tempted to have our pictures taken with an eagle on our arms. We left the Kazakhs the next day and looked for Mongolian Gers. We wanted to find the pure Mongolia and get used to its people. We noticed that most children go to school and learn English.
After 5 days in the jeep our trip was almost over, but we still had two days left for the National Park. What a let down it was to finish our journey this way. This is a very commercial event. There was garbage all around us. Something we had not previously encountered. We decide to make an early return to Ulaan Baatar and keep alive the memory of our journey on horseback. I realise that the children will create the future; which will be different from their parents. The life of the nomads will vanish like that of all the Indigenous people; but they will keep their language, traditions and knowledge alive. So we'll remember Mongolia.
Photo album
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