Hustai National Park

Sunday, July 14

Hustai National Park

 Our city time being over, this morning we had waiting for us five Lexus GX470 V8 SUVs.  A little research reveals that these were made between 1998 and 2007, so the youngest they can be is 17 years old.  They all have very big, knobby tires for the off-road we will be doing.

 

We drove out of the city, and soon were in the steppe with occasional small collections of gers (yurts), used by the nomadic families:

 

We passed some vast fields of canola, being grown for the oil which comes from the seed.  This part of the steppe receives enough rain that irrigation is unnecessary: 

Periodically we would pass rock cairns, decorated with multicolored strips of cloth.  From a Perplexity search, “Cairns in the Mongolian steppe and desert, known locally as "ovoo," serve primarily religious and cultural purposes. These stone heaps are integral to both Tengriist and Buddhist ceremonies in Mongolia. Traditionally, ovoos have been used as landmarks and meeting points in the nomadic culture of Mongolia. Rituals and ceremonies at ovoos are still practiced today, reflecting their ongoing cultural significance.” 

One walks three times clockwise on a path around the cairn.  Perplexity again, “In Mongolian tradition, walking clockwise around a cairn is an important ritual practice. Here are the key reasons for this custom:  1.  Religious significance: The clockwise movement, called "narny zuv" in Mongolian, is considered auspicious in both Buddhist and traditional Mongolian beliefs.  2.  Respect for spirits: Ovoos are sacred sites used to honor local spirits and deities. Walking clockwise shows respect to these spiritual entities.  3.  Offering prayers and wishes: As people circle the ovoo, they typically make offerings and express prayers or wishes, often for safe travels, good health, or good fortune.”  We circled this cairn three times: 

We arrived at our ger camp and had our gers assigned.  Somehow, everyone but me had basic cots; I got the equivalent of the luxury suite with a queen sized bed, and a bathroom in my ger:

It was the first and the last time we saw any ger so equipped!  After lunch at the camp, we attended a performance at an adjacent tiny stadium where locals performed for us.  It was fun to see ordinary people doing the riding and archery which we had seen done by the best of the best at the Naadam Festival, and we saw one skill which we had not seen before—archery from horseback at full gallop:

 

In the late afternoon we left for the Hustai National Park, where there has been a successful re-introduction of wild horses. The Przewalski’s Horse which was native to the grasslands, had nearly vanished from the wild, but was brought back with a successful captive breeding program.  On the way, the pavement ended and from now on, all “roads” will be dusty paths across the steppe.

 Tomorrow, on to Karakorum, the ancient capital of Mongolia.  More then.