As we drove we were treated to absolutely stunning scenery. There are grass covered mountains with conifers sprinkling the slopes and vast expanses of openness. We also got to see nomadic Mongolians riding horses and herding sheep, goats and something that looks like a cross between a cow and a yak (known as a dzo).
Everything is so foreign and amazing.
(This little girl was out on her own with her doll watching the family's herd.)
After arriving we ate a late lunch. Some of us took naps and some tagged along a course marking expedition. Once I awoke from my nap I hiked around camp for a little exploration and a photography session.
My only regret is that Chris was unable to make this trip with me. Steph and I had the conversation about how we want to do things, but feel guilty because our husband's jobs don't allow them the same luxury. We're both struggling to find a balance.
19 July 2010
Mongolia is one of the most visually appealing countries I've ever been to. Maybe it's because I've been living on the small island of Okinawa, but these huge expanses of land with the lake and mountains are almost hard to comprehend. The best reference I have is the American West, maybe Montana - Big Sky Country.
The lake that the camp is on, Lake Hovsgol, is actually as big as the island of Okinawa. It's over a 100km long and we can see the mountains of Siberia in the distance.
Yesterday we went for a 5 mile run to see how the altitude would treat us. While I sucked some wind on the inclines, my legs felt great.
(WOOT!)
Running through the forest was like running through a fairy tale. There were hundreds of types of wildflowers in red, orange, purple, yellow, white, blue, and more.
When we popped on to a fire road we came across a herd of reindeer. One had a bell so they weren't wild, but it was still awesome seeing reindeer wandering around freely in the countryside.
About a hundred yards after the reindeer the road was blocked with a herd of cows, yaks, and dzos.
I don't know how I'll make it through the marathon because I'm going to want to stop and take pictures of everything.
Later in the afternoon Kathleen, Avery, Corinne, Andrea, and I went horseback riding.
(Sorry for the lack of pictures; I was busy holding on for dear life. I might be able to steal some pictures from Kathleen later)
I've already had a bad experience while on a horseback safari in South Africa where my horse kept trying to bite me and would just take off. So, going into this one I was a little leery. Within the first 5 minutes I was regretting my decision. The beginning was a very rocky area and my horse was not just falling in line with the other horses. After a while he got with the program and by the end I was thinking to myself "I am horseback riding through a forest in Mongolia - unreal". Now, don't get me wrong, I won't be going horseback riding again, but I'm glad I had this experience.
The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and playing games with an American family that lives in Singapore - Lincoln, Gail, and Amber. All of the race participants are very friendly. There are racers from Australia, Switzerland, France, Hong Kong, South Africa, and New Zealand. While a lot of nationalities are covered, most are like us and living abroad somewhere in Asia. There are about 70 race participants and some locals will join us on race day.
The best part of the evening came after dinner when we were treated to traditional Mongolian performances.
There were so many cool instruments including a 2-stringed, horse-head violin and a harp-like instrument that laid flat and had over 400 strings that were struck with these light wooden mallets. There was also some amazing singing. One singer would hit incredibly low note, but I swear that he was somehow making chords. It was like he was harmonizing with himself. The traditional guttural singing is known as khoomij.
There was also a lady that did traditional dance holding cups, including on her head. Later the same lady did a cool contortionist act. I'm pretty sure all the boys are in love.
While here in Mongolia we are living in traditional gers.
They are round structures about 15 feet across made of thick felt and wood. The doors are short, but the ceiling gets higher once you step in. The roof is like a squat, upside down cone. There's a 4 foot circle at the top of the ceiling where half is covered in felt and the other half is glass. Our ger has 4 beds, a couple basic shelves, and a wood burner.
There are no windows which is a real shame since Lake Hovsgol is gorgeous and right outside.
Today is Monday and I'm starting to get a little nervous about the race. I know I'm not really racing it, but I still want to do well. I would love to push myself past the 42 K mark and do my first, unofficial ultra. The next aid station after the 42 mark is at 55K. We'll see...
The weather here is amazing and couldn't be any more different than Okinawa. It's cool and dry. I think it's getting into the 40s at night and maybe low 80s in the sun during the day. Our camp is at 5400 feet and we'll be going up over 7400 on race day. Scary.
So, that's all I actually wrote while in Mongolia. I'm going to add in a couple more shots and a little more narrative.
During our down time we hiked around a lot. The weather and the scenery were just too beautiful to not enjoy.
Lake Hovsgol was stunning. The water had many layers of blue, a lot like the waters surrounding Okinawa. However, the lake freezes over in the winter, still has ice on it in June, and while we were there was about 40 degrees F.
Monday afternoon we hiked and found an ovo (a shelter where the good spirits come to rest). The folklore is that you will have good luck if you circle the ovo 3 times clockwise and leave a piece of your hair.
Well, I did that and about 5 hours later was smacked down with food poisoning (more on that in the next post). Apparently Mongolian spirits don't like me. Or the kitchen staff needs to wash their hands when exiting the restroom.
Also on our hike we came across a little market where locals were selling scarves, hats, and jewelry. They also had the reindeer we had seen on our run. I got a quick shot.
Wild horses would visit the smaller, warmer lake opposite of Lake Hovsgol. They were incredible.
I don't think the race knew what hit them when the WOOT ladies showed up. Seven unaccompanied women coming to the middle of nowhere Mongolia to run a race. We were quite the spectacle.
And we wouldn't have it any other way.
Stay tuned for the race report!
4 comments:
Welcome home. I missed you and really enjoyed this post. Can't wait for race report posting. It looked a lovely country.
It looks spectacular. But what a journey just to get there. I am certain that somewhere between the planes and dirt roads, I would have suffered motion sickness. The area itself was beautiful though. Yah to you for overcoming your fears and riding a horse. When will you ever have the chance to do that again??
Glad it was a successful adventure.
PS
The anonymous post was me. I forgot to sign. XO Monica
it was very interesting to read. I want to quote your post in my blog. It can? And you et an account on Twitter?.
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