Terelj

Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country in the world, and the main reason people visit is to experience one of the few remaining unspoiled landscapes in Asia. Historically, Mongolians are nomads, and 50 percent are still nomads today. That means there's not a lot of infrastructure or cities and a whole lot of beautiful scenery. Most tourists rent 4x4s and travel around the countryside, but we were short on time and money, so we did a short stay at Terelj National Park, about 80 km outside of Ulaan Baatar. Everything was arranged by our guesthouse in UB, so we didn't have to worry about a thing.

Terelj National Park.

Mongolia is famous for its horses, of course, and we had the chance to ride them during our stay. They're short, almost like ponies (although you're not supposed to call them that because Mongolians will get offended), which was an advantage for Ghengis Khan and his hordes--they could easily swing on and off the horses. The horses can endure the harsh Mongolian winters and provide transportation and milk. It was especially fun watching the Mongolian kids riding all over the park. They're amazing riders--and what an amazing place to grow up in!

My little pony horse.

Horses in the park.

We also hiked to this small temple. Buddhism has been around for ages, but most temples and monasteries were destroyed by the Communists. I'm not sure if this is an old temple or a new one, because it wasn't in the guidebook, but it made for a nice destination.

Monastery/temple/something like that.

We were expecting vast grasslands when we signed up for the trip, but the terrain is quite diverse in Mongolia--there are also mountains and lakes, as well as the Gobi in the south. Terelj is famous for its rock formations, and our camp had a nice view of Turtle Rock.

Turtle Rock.

What really made the trip was the fact that we got to stay in a ger camp with a Mongolian family and witness the nomadic lifestyle. The people we stayed with aren't true nomads--they pretty much stay in the same place--but they live in a ger and depend on their livestock (as well as tourists like us). Next time I'll write about what it's like to sleep in a ger. It's more comfortable than you might think!