When people think of Mongolia, aside from the name Ghengis Kahn, few have any real idea what the place is like. The last century has seen it as an isolated nation where few westerners ever went, especially during the Russian occupation. Mongolian tours can open an exotic, fascinating window in the past one will always remember.
The location of Mongolia, a land locked nation nestled between Russia and China, resulted in a history of conflict and many occupations by both neighbors. Mongolia as a nation began with the rule of Genghis Kahn and represented a period when Mongolians ruled. One key to his power and success was getting the many separate clans united for the first time, not always peacefully.
A completely landlocked nation, it is far from any moderating sea and so experiences a brutal continental climate, where the temperature variation can be over 90 degrees in one day. The humidity is almost always very low, in the single digits, except on the rare occasion when it rains. It enjoys sunshine with over 76 percent of cloudless days each year, yet the lengthy cold and high altitude leave little arable land so vegetable are rare.
While some 38 percent of the population has migrated to the capital city, there is still nearly half the population which live as nomads, just as their ancestors did. For the foreign tourists, the big city provides all the things any city does, good and bad. Prices outside the airport confines can be ridiculously low.
Historically the people who practiced religion were free to choose from many, including Islam and Christianity, but by the 12th century Tibetan Buddhist had become predominant, with ornate monasteries scattered throughout the land. During the Russian occupation religion was actively and brutally suppressed. Tens of thousands lost their lives in the purges and most of the beautiful golden artifacts were looted and taken back to Russia.
There are a number of festivals celebrated through the year, none bigger than the Nadaam (Games) festival of summer. The key events are horse racing, archery and wrestling each with accompanying pageantry full of color and excitement. Mounted archery is still demonstrated at the festival, and watching the wrestling one can see it as the ancient beginning to Japanese Sumo.
The Mongolian diet is dominated by meat and milk, as the nomadic lifestyle and extreme continental climate make growing vegetables extremely problematic. It is a mystery to most foreign visitors how they can survive almost literally without vegetables throughout their lives. The mystery deepens with the knowledge this third world nation has a life expectancy near 70 years, and that is with a high infant mortality rate.
If one is to make a trip, one could hardly do better than taking Mongolian tours and witnessing one of the remaining unadulterated cultures. The colorful costumes exciting festivals, and fascinating Gers, make for a lot to see. Once one has gone beyond the borders of the capital, out into the country and looked back the only question is why did they build that city?
The location of Mongolia, a land locked nation nestled between Russia and China, resulted in a history of conflict and many occupations by both neighbors. Mongolia as a nation began with the rule of Genghis Kahn and represented a period when Mongolians ruled. One key to his power and success was getting the many separate clans united for the first time, not always peacefully.
A completely landlocked nation, it is far from any moderating sea and so experiences a brutal continental climate, where the temperature variation can be over 90 degrees in one day. The humidity is almost always very low, in the single digits, except on the rare occasion when it rains. It enjoys sunshine with over 76 percent of cloudless days each year, yet the lengthy cold and high altitude leave little arable land so vegetable are rare.
While some 38 percent of the population has migrated to the capital city, there is still nearly half the population which live as nomads, just as their ancestors did. For the foreign tourists, the big city provides all the things any city does, good and bad. Prices outside the airport confines can be ridiculously low.
Historically the people who practiced religion were free to choose from many, including Islam and Christianity, but by the 12th century Tibetan Buddhist had become predominant, with ornate monasteries scattered throughout the land. During the Russian occupation religion was actively and brutally suppressed. Tens of thousands lost their lives in the purges and most of the beautiful golden artifacts were looted and taken back to Russia.
There are a number of festivals celebrated through the year, none bigger than the Nadaam (Games) festival of summer. The key events are horse racing, archery and wrestling each with accompanying pageantry full of color and excitement. Mounted archery is still demonstrated at the festival, and watching the wrestling one can see it as the ancient beginning to Japanese Sumo.
The Mongolian diet is dominated by meat and milk, as the nomadic lifestyle and extreme continental climate make growing vegetables extremely problematic. It is a mystery to most foreign visitors how they can survive almost literally without vegetables throughout their lives. The mystery deepens with the knowledge this third world nation has a life expectancy near 70 years, and that is with a high infant mortality rate.
If one is to make a trip, one could hardly do better than taking Mongolian tours and witnessing one of the remaining unadulterated cultures. The colorful costumes exciting festivals, and fascinating Gers, make for a lot to see. Once one has gone beyond the borders of the capital, out into the country and looked back the only question is why did they build that city?
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