Naadam

by Yvonne
(Picton, Australia)

Naadam Celebration

Full, hot and sweaty day. We had to leave our nice heaven in the hills Ger camp and were driven back to UB. Went to see Zaison Memorial to WW2 on the top of a hill. There was a small shop that sold art, wool wares and post cards. They also had those Mongolian Slippers for $US8 a pair so many of the group bought some. Very comfortable to wear. Just at the bottom of the hill is a standing Buddha which we only had a photo stop for. Got whisked off to the main UB Naadam festival. The traffic was nightmarish and the bus driver eventually gave up and we walked to the archery. The Naadam in UB is far too busy and with no real traffic laws being enforced, impossible to control. We all agreed that yesterday’s one at the small town was much better.

After a browse in the markets (couldn’t get close enough to the events, Con paid a musician to play his traditional instrument whilst David negotiated a coffee for me.) we were taken to a Chinese restaurant of all things. All you can eat but I can eat that at home. Poor Maria accidentally had paprika and had an allergic reaction. The drinks were in $US so we had no idea what they were exchanging the money to and therefore had no idea how much a drink cost.

We were due to drive to the horse racing this afternoon, but the traffic was again totally out of control and it took hours to get anywhere. The police stopped people traveling into town and used both sides of the road to try to clear some of the mess. (See youtube when I get home) By the time we got to the finish line, the fastest horses had passed us. The dust was a phenomenon in itself. All I have of the big race is small horse shaped dots running on the horizon in a cloud of dust. ON the way back to the bus, some of us decided to buy some pictures from a local artist. The trouble is one sees you buying and they all come.

A horror ride over the fields of Mongolia with the whole population of UB. It was funny watching these little 4cylinder Japanese/Korean cars doing 4wding. They almost all got stuck. We had a 2.5hour ride in this Kia bus ahead of us to the Hustai National Park. Our traditional Ger was made of cement, where others got a more traditional felt/canvas one. This cement one felt like a little cell. The showers work only for 2 hours a session and during this session, there was no water pressure and no hot water. Lots of mossies and beetles. The food was inedible and everyone complained about it. I just left it and went to have a snooze.

We got hauled into the bus again to hunt for Takhi(spelling?), the re-introduced native horse type creature. Not a horse but it does look like one. They are always wild, the guide saying that like tigers or lions you can’t use them for house hold usage. On the way I saw 11 marmots, 2 mice, 4 birds, 1 beetle and 2 butterflies then the takhi. The paid spotter spotted nothing. We have no idea why he even came. ON the trip back, our bus had a huge bang, which we initially thought was a stone but later we realized it was the front suspension exploding. There was also a fall in oil pressure so the bus driver had to nurse it home.
Tomorrow off to a ‘host‘ family