Erdene Soum - Nadaam
While passing through Erdene Soum, about an hour out of UB, we see that their local Nadaam festival is in full swing. We pull over and wander into the little stadium and catch the last of the wrestling matches. There are a few spots of rain. Keira insisted on wearing one of Alesia's skirts (I want a long skirt Mummy!) and keeps tripping over in the mud. I have not seen the big Nadaam festival in the city, but I have heard that small rural ones are better. We like them, as we get to wander among regular people, watching them have a good time while they watch us watching them. Everyone is in a good mood. Everyone is dressed in their best, either walking or riding around, greeting friends, cheering at the events. After the wrestling we go to watch the archery. Keira finds a friend and spends her time patting the head of a local baby.
Darling do you like the shirt I got for you? Of course sweetheart, I would have chosen it myself (but if you keep wearing short skirts like that I will wear anything you give me...)
Hey you two, keep a tight hold on my hands as I think my stiletto heels are going to get stuck in the mud, and I'm trying to keep the hem of this white thing clean...
Honey now that I splashed out and got us lollypops let's get the foreigner to take our photo!
You know, I think this matching del thing is working. We look years younger!
About half-way through an archery session the attention of the crowd shifts to the finish line for the horse race. Someone with sharp eyes has seen the front-runner coming up the valley. The excitement is palatable. Groups of guys on horses begin riding over to the finish line, riding and practically parking their horses flank to flank (perhaps this explains the close parking practice of cars in UB?). We push in for a front spot under the snorting noses of the horses (having a local guide on this trip is helpful for that). An old man kneels at the finish line and peers through a vintage spyglass. Crowds climb into the ramshackle stands and peer into the distance. Soon we can all see the winner and a cheer goes up. The horses are small, all only two years old. The jockeys have to be small and light, so children are chosen as riders. This horrifies many westerners, but apparently it is a great honor for kids who are practically born in the saddle. Hopefully this year there won't be any accidents. The horses are exhausted, flanks foaming, nostril's flared. The kids look like they are barely holding on (many ride bareback) but they get a shot of energy as the finish line approaches. They have been riding for about 40 kilometres.
After about an hour we leave the Nadaam festivities as we have a lot of miles to cover on the first day. We reach Baganuur, a small satellite city of Ulaanbaatar (not sure why, as it is two hours away). The driver gives us a tour of auto shops as he looks for a part for the car, but according to the guide everything is alright. We eventually stop for lunch at 2 pm (the girls are starving). While we eat the driver replaces the diff bearing. The car stops making the strange noise, so perhaps all is well. We turn off the tarmac at about 4pm and start bumping along dirt roads for the next three or so hours. We pass through pine forests and meadows full of wildflowers - idyllic if not for the heavy grey skies.
Baldan Baraivan Khiid Monastery
We arrive at about 6pm. This monastery was built in 1700. At its peak it was one of the three largest monasteries in Mongolia, and housed about 5000 lamas. It was destroyed by communist forces in the 1930s, and what was left was destroyed by fire in the 1970s. There is work going on to restore the main temple. We are given a tour of the ruins. The size of the timber slabs being used in the reconstruction work are huge - we question whether there are such trees in Mongolia, but are reassured that there are trees this big further north. Hopefully we will see some.
Toya is our guide and Baabaa (literal spelling) is our driver. While I write Toya is cooking dinner. We are staying in someones ger. Normally we would be camping in tents, but the caretaker of the monastery was worried about the girls getting cold and wet overnight so offered us a nearby ger. Apparently the normal occupants are away, probably doing Nadaam at the provincial centre. Toya is being helped by three old folks. Our girl's are a constant source of amusement. They think they look like mini Barbie dolls. We are probably considered even more strange because we are eating vegetarian food.
The caretaker requested a photo with the mini Barbie dolls. The first shot was serious and formal, but we soon got him smiling. We will send a copy of this photo back to him with a tour company when they next go that way.
