Mongolia - Nomadic by Nature

Mongolia, land of the nomads, wide open, primal and mysterious. Mongolia is a realm where all one's senses merge, taste the freedom, feel the space, smell the cold, see the tranquility and hear the blue sky. But this too is Mongolia, the pulsating metropolis with a million citizens, Ulaanbaatar, cosmopolitan, dynamic, traditional but young. A modern powerhouse with skyscrapers, luxury hotels, temples and monasteries, shopping centers and historical sites. A globalized capital with its doors wide open to the world. Whoever travels through the steppe will repeatedly see caravans of nomads on their way to pastures Mongolia is a land of horses and they live wild all year round. In order to break them in, they first have to be caught. A hard start to a long friendship, for holidaymakers an unforgettable experience. Horse milk is made into cheese or turned into ayrak, the fermented national drink. In almost every family, the horsehead violin is played. In it rings the song of the steppe, where galloping horses drive off the evil spirits of winter. The New Year's festival Tsagaan Saar. Grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren live all together peacefully and hospitably in one room. They meet with love and respect and to experience it is something never to be forgotten. Mongolia's wild west are the Altai mountains, where Kazakhs hunt on horseback using eagles, a proud nomadic tradition. To witness such a fox hunt is an adventurous experience that only few tourists can relate. The Tsagaan live in the impassable mountain regions of northern Mongolia. They have to this day kept their way of life and traditions. They hunt and breed reindeer, they sleep on their skins, make clothing from them, cover their tipis with them, eat their meat and burn their dried dung. To spend a few days with these people in the taiga and to experience and enjoy their hospitality is like visiting the Garden of Eden. It fills the soul with the energy as of one living with nature. In winter, the Hufskul Lake, which is Mongolia's most important freshwater reservoir, freezes up to a depth of two meters, providing a welcome, faster and more comfortable means of travel to that of the sandy summer tracks. For visitors, it means ice skating in a winter wonderland. The biggest puzzle for visitors to Mongolia is the animistic view of the world that the nomads have. It lies over the land like a spell that not only contains people, spirit and soul, but also everything that is under the endless blue sky. Animals, trees, rivers, mountains, lakes, grass and stone. In order to keep the balance of nature, the shamans, who drift between the worlds, call on the help of the spirits. The tortoise used to be the emblem of the capital of the Mongolian Empire, Karakorum. The countryside on Orhon Valley is a UNESCO cultural heritage site. The first Buddhist temple, Erdön Su, was built on the ruins of Karakorum. Here, as in the Gandan Temple, with its 26-meter-high Buddha statue of the goddess Janreizig in the modern capital city, the Amabaisgalant Monastery is the jewel in the crown of Mongolia's artistic history. At the foot of the Burrenhang Mountain, in an isolated valley in North Mongolia, children and prospective monks are taught Tibetan Buddhism. This age-old tradition had at its height some 110,000 monks, about a third of the male population, many of them children. The longhorns are also a reminder of Tibetan origins. They are used to announce prayers, an ethnic and almost eerie spectacle. The three-day Naadam festival in Ulaanbaatar in July is the highlight of the year and a must for summer tourists. The games are the main event and there are three traditional sports, with which the nation celebrates its independence, its father Genghis Khan and their nomadic way of life, the origins of which go back to long before the great leader. In earlier times, the games were purely for men, as they mostly still are. Wrestling. More than 1,500 men want to know who's the strongest. Archery is for both sexes alike, well, almost. Men have more arrows and the target is further away. The game Shagain Harva is a sort of mini bowling game only for men. It requires an enormous amount of finger skill. To spare the horses, only children can take part in the 27-kilometer horse race across the steppe. Ulaanbaatar shows off its best during the festival. Semi-precious gems decorate the elaborate traditional costumes. These garments all have their own meaning and turn pretty young Mongolians into fairy princesses. During festival nights, Ulaanbaatar is in a party mood and everything is completely booked out. Every open-air event, every seat in the theater and opera house and the ballet. And in the concert hall, throat singing is accompanied by a state horsehead violin orchestra. Fascinating. A culinary Mongolian treat in the modern nomads is the Tsartan tent, made of wrapped fried sheep ribs. In the costume of modern food culture. And the cool nightlife in the land of the blue sky. The Gobi Desert in southern Mongolia, with its age-old landscape, is a boundless adventure area for active travelers. Whether riding a camel, a horse, a mountain bike, a motorbike, whether fishing, rowing, playing golf or motocrossing. The Mongolian nature is unique for people who appreciate sublime views and who with luck might also see rare wild animals. Or they might make a pilgrimage to the famous ancient rock paintings and yet another sensation, dinosaur fossils in the desert, an entry into the world book. Deep earthy undertones with light sounds of the heavens above and the constant forward driving rhythms of nature. Mongolia, a land like its music.