In Mongolia, there are no roads, only directions.
May 24, 2010
Today marked the first day of our tour. Our first order of business was to register with the police since we are staying in Mongolia for longer than a month. It was simple enough; there was an office inside the police station on the square. We just filled forms, provided a photo, and paid a 1,000 tugrik and we were finished. After breakfast, the Russian van was loaded up and we headed west towards the border with China. I am shocked by the vastness of the landscape. Even each mountain range we see appears to be different in its coloring and formations. Normally I would look at a mountain and think of it as only being that. Here, people have a name for each peak and can navigate just by looking at the mountains. Nurbol told us that there are no roads in Mongolia, only directions. The drive today proved that point as you can take off any path and use the mountains to guide the way.
We are spending the night at the home of one of Nurbol’s relatives. When we arrived, the whole household was active packing things away. They will leave their winter home and move the family and herd to summer pastures. We originally were supposed to be here on Saturday but because our trip was delayed from the flight cancellation and police registration, we arrived on moving day. This is actually very fortunate for us because they have also invited us to come along to their summer camp.
I am amazed by how welcoming the people have been so far. I have read that the nomadic culture is always welcoming to travelers because they would hope for similar treatment when they one day need it. But still, I didn’t quite expect it to apply to foreigners. All of the people that we have come across today haven’t seemed to pay any mind to the fact that we are foreign. I’m sure that Mongolia will change as it develops but I am so grateful to be here at this moment where the people are so open and hospitable. I am really looking forward to witnessing this family’s migration tomorrow.
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