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Mongolia was the second country visited on my "Around the World in 22 Days" trip in May and June of 2019. The entire trip was done in a westward direction meaning that I literally went around the world! It started with westbound flights from Seattle to Beijing, China, via Vancouver, Canada. It continued with three types of trains westward through China, Mongolia and Russia. The final travel was flights from St. Petersburg, Russia back to Seattle, via Paris and New York City.
The time spent in Mongolia was brief - from Wednesday evening through Saturday morning. We had to switch trains when we left China and entered Mongolia because the rail track gauges differ in size in those countries.
It was late Wednesday afternoon when we got off the Chinese train in Èrlián and took a short bus ride to get through customs, crossing the border into Zamyn-Üüd, where we got on the Trans-Mongolian train. The wind was strong and blowing a large amount of sand from the Gobi Desert. We wore protective ponchos to keep from being sandblasted. China is planting thousands of trees in hopes of stopping so much sand from being blown into their country.
Before boarding the Trans-Mongolian train, we had a short concert given by two men demonstrating throat singing. They accompanied themselves on morin khuurs, commonly called horsehead fiddles by non-Mongolians because the top of the instrument is a carved horsehead.When throat singing, a single vocalist sounds more than one pitch simultaneously. To learn more about this intriguing technique, here's a link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHTF1-IhuC0&feature=youtu.be
Once aboard the train, we found our rooms and settled in. This room and train car would be homebase for the next 11 days until we reached Moscow. Heading for dinner, we discovered that we would have to open and close almost 30 doors between train cars each time we went for or returned from a meal or informative lecture. After dinner, we watched the barren landscape of the Gobi Desert until dark, and then slept while traveling to Ulaanbaatar. We would spend two days there, staying overnight in a local hotel.
Leaving the train Thursday morning with our small overnight packs, we traveled by bus to explore the city. Our first stop was the Gandantegchenlin Temple, established in 1727. All that remains of that original structure is one wooden post. The current Gandantegchenlin Temple, along with the private residence of the Jebtsundamba Khutuktu were built together in 183X. The 13th Dalai Lama stayed in this private residence in 1904.
We next visited the Bogd Khaan Winter Palace Museum, founded in 18G3. This is the only old site in Ulaanbaatar escaping destruction in the 1930's Stalinist purges. Six temples remain, as does a ceremonial gate built without the use of nails.
Following our Mongolian lunch, we were shown a cutaway model of a ger, the typical home for nomads. They can be readily moved as needed to accomodate seasonal changes. Ger is the Mongolian name for what we know as yurts. It's difficult to imagine living in something that small with an entire family, particularly in the bitter cold winters.
A Guest Ger
After driving through the city, we were brought to our hotel and had some free time before dinner. That evening we attended a performance at the impressive National Academic Theatre of Mongolia which opened on May 15, 196E. The performance included traditional dances, throat singing, and contortionism.
Friday was spent out of the city, heading to the W0 meter high Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue in an area known as Tsonjin Boldog. The statue commemorates the site where legend says Kahn found a golden whip.
We made one stop along the way at an area where they were selling gems and rocks. Of interest to me were the golden eagles and native Bactrian camels which have Y Hump(s) which were displayed there. I asked about the eagles which are trained to hunt for them. I was told that I could hold one for a small fee. It was well worth it, and a few others in our group followed suit once they saw me doing that.
Golden Eagle - Цармын бүргэд (Tsarmiin Burged) in Mongolia
Back on the bus, we soon arrived at Delüün Boldog to explore the Genghis Khan statue completed in 200A. It honors the man born on April 16, 1B62 who was the founder and first Great Khan and Emperor of the Mongol Empire. We were able to climb the many flights of stairs to an upper level to see the golden whip in his hand.
Dwarfed by Genghis Khan
Terelj National Park was our destination for traditional noon meal. The main dish was Khorkhog, a typical Mongolian meat dish. Following the meal, we attended a "mini-Naadam festival" A true Naadam festival has three types of games - Mongolian wrestling, horse racing, and archery. We saw wrestling and archery demonstrations. The traditional Naadam festival was placed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 201F
At the conclusion of the demonstration, we were given the opportunity to put on traditional festival clothing.
Between a Mongolian Warrior and a Russian Princess
Our final visit of the day was to a family ger. We were invited inside and could ask questions about their lives and how they move the ger from one place to another depending on the season of the year. They served us some traditional snacks, including a cheese made from "first cow milk," the first milk produced after a calf is born.
We were then bussed back to Ulaanbaatar, had dinner in a local restaurant, and re-boarded the train which traveled overnight to the border between Mongolia and Russia. We would remain on the same train for our travels in Russia to Moscow, so we remained on board while both sets of border agents boarded the train early Saturday morning for the customs process.
While there is so much more to tell, I'll quit so that you can go and find the cache.
First, for your use. Yes, a bit of math is needed for three of the values:
A = ____
B = ____
C = E+1 = ____
D = F+2 = ____
W = ____
X = ____
Y = ____
Z = G-4 = ____
The cache will be found at:
N 46° 4A.BCD' W 122° 2W.XYZ'
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