We are heading back to Beijing tomorrow and it'll be a nice break from the chaos that can be Mongolia. I absolutely love Mongolia, hell I proposed to the country but the UB can be a little dangerous at times. The motorists have a tendency to speed up when you're crossing the road, everyone is pretty much obliterated on vodka by 5pm and petty theft is rampant. BUT other than those few examples things are really wonderful.
I think I rather talk about Mongolia as a whole rather than the specific adventures I've had. The country has always held a strong interest for me. Most of Mongolia has no signs of modern society. They live in tiny gers during some of the harshest winter months in the world. Since they are generally nomadic they have had to form a tight family unit (also because they share such small accommodations). They are herders by trade and they have to live off of what they kill, make and grow. They are absolutely dependent on their horses yet take them to the slaughter houses to make sausages. Which may sound weird because they have such an attachment to their animals but there are 13 horses for every one person.
The families are extremely hospitable and friendly and I think this is in part due to their nomadic heritage. You have to be able to rely on the kindness of strangers for a warm place to stay when you are moving your family across a land that is completely uninhabited. I feel very lucky to have been extended this hearty hospitality. I was able to share meals with families, ask questions, play drinking games, ride their horses, sleep on their floors etc.
In Mongolia I realized that I really enjoy getting completely away from all signs of life. I like the vast and the desolate. I like not being able to have access to a computer and not knowing what is going on in the outside world. I love exploring something that is totally unique to my own personal experience. It's usually never comfortable but I enjoy that in a weird way, it makes my home comforts seem like heaven.
