Khongor Sand Dune @ Mongolia

At my last day in Mongolia, after a 20 days travel here, it did seem that my entire trip here have been somewhat surreal. The vast land here is almost like a big untouched nature canvas with ever-changing art scene. Before I go into my usual rants about some of the wonders here, here is a snippet of my amazing experiences and random facts that I learnt in Mongolia.

• We drink milk from cow, goat, sheep, yak and camel. We likewise eat meat from the same animals and they are all tasty!
• Living in a ger is indeed a novelty itself that is truly worth it
• Peeing everywhere else in the wilderness instead of the toilet is the almost always the better choice
• There are vast lands of nothingness for a long time yet you will come across mountains, streams, lake, villages, and green lush valleys once in a while.
• Throwing 3 stones while circling clockwise around Ovoo (Mongolian heap of rocks use as worship) for safe journey
• Yol valley (Yolyn Am) is the valley of the wind, and you can actually ‘fly’ along with it.
• Water is indeed really precious, and a real hot shower is almost like miracle.
• Trekking over ice, which are kind of melting, was cold, scary yet really interesting.
• Watching baby eagle learn to fly over a valley of luscious rolling hills, with frozen river and waterfall
• Cooking instant noodle inside a Russian minivan needs to defy the usual safety alarms and to be concluded with eating together all huddle up inside.
• The weather here can be extremely changeable, where we have seen hot day to cloudy to sandstorm to rain to windstorm and even to snow!
• Watch a Mongolian lady milking the camel. Nomadic Mongolian women here worked really hard from waking up early in morning to milk the animals, cook, preserve the milk and meat products, to cleaning and taking care of the kids and the camps when the men are out in the pastures.
• Looking at, trekking over, ascending and then sliding down a vast sand dune is a ground shaking, literarily and not, experience.
• Watching the sun rise at the sand dune is well worth to see it turn into a horizon of golden hues.
• It is possibly only in Mongolia, Khongor Sand dune that you can see three terrains in one view – sand dune, greens with horse grazing river and misty rocky mountain.
• Camel riding across the planes is a patient process, and one have to sit back and just enjoy the ride. It helps to have a nice backdrop for you to keep staring at for a long time.
• One can try (or pretend) to search for dinosaur bones at the red rocky mountains known as the Flaming Cliffs (Bayanzag), where there were some discovery before but the place is still quite unexplored.
• Feeling the peace in the ancient Erdenezuu Monastery (Kharkorin) and the ruins of various monasteries. It is admirable on how the Mongolians have been strong and resistant towards the past oppressions on their temples and still manage to restore some to its active state.
• Throw snow balls at one of the peak hills near the white lake (Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur) which is more than half frozen and walk through its beach-like sands and stones. Who would have thought I will experience my first snow in Mongolia.
• Horse riding through the mountains area in a windy and chilly weather through lava-filled land towards the inactive volcano may not be an easy feat but after that you would feel that you can ride any horse now.
• The real Mongolian ‘barbecue’ – meat cook over hot stones in water, along with root vegetables and generous lashing of salt, then seal off with a cover and some cloths to stew over fire. The result would be almost like lamb chop with dry vegetable stew.
• Watch newborn kids in a Ger camp feeding off their mother let one see that it is no easy feat, especially in the confine of the small are of the ger with a hyper mother goat.
• Sit through an entire Shamanist procession and get to see how so far away this ancient Asian practice is not too much different from what we have in Malaysia.
• See marmot scrambling to their home in the hole and wild Prewaslki/Takhi horses close up at Hustai National Park.