Wedding time

I have had the chance to go to a wedding party, thanks to my mongolian network eheh I know the right people. Just have to do the same in HK now. Well that is another story. Anyway, we had been invited there, wich is supposed to last few days, all day long. We arrived in the afternoon, I actually wasn't feeling very comfortable to go there, as I could not say anything -almost- and I didn't know those people. Besides, I was sure I was going to be the first "white people".

This takes place in the ger, where the couple has to stay in one end of the ger -the opposite side of the entrance- and all the guys just sit around.When you arrive, you have to offer some presents to the couple. The close family will offer rugs, and other useful and expensive presents. The others -like us- offer anything that can be a present: we offered biscuits and vodka. So you have to walk to them, and "kissed" them on each cheek, and give them the present. They will kiss you back. Usually, if you are younger, you put your arms under theirs. But I do not think that is a big deal when you are a foreigner. They do not expect you to know the very traditional customs, so do not worry and relax.

the newlyweds

As you can see, it was very crowded. A ger is quite small, and it is the unique living place. I will post about it later. And yes, I was the only white one. I had to dress up the mongolian way -wearing a deel-, and you may notice that blue is their favorite colour, the color of Tenger, the sky. Mongolian people are very proud, of themselves, of being mongolian, of their country and their culture. They like tradition, and respect it. Anyway, focus marie, focus.

You can see the couple, the husband is drinking airag -mare's milk. The guy in white, at the bottom left, is one of the two guys pouring glasses of airag, mongolian vodka and vodka. Yes there was a lot of alcohol, which consists of two different kind of vodkas. The mongolian vodka is very light, few %, and handmade.

how to make mongolian vodka

For those, like me, who don't drink alcohol, I can tell you, this was already too strong.

Then you have traditional vodka, airag, and milk tea -which is  must, otherwise you would be drunk within the first hour. There is a technique. There are two guys giving shots to everyone, and everyone has his turn, many, many times. Maybe because I was white, it was my time too many times eheh.

I asked the Mongolian guy who came with me -a friend of the family- to ask them to stop giving drinks to me, because it was too much, and I felt already dizzy. I tried many different techniques. The first is to finish the glass and give it away. But it comes back full, so forget about it. Then I tried to keep it for a while, but they push you to drink, and they will even give you another glass -if yours is vodka, they will give you mongolian vodka, and vice versa. Another technique is to give it back without drinking or just sip a bit, but they won't take it until you finish it. So basically you have no choice. However I had the chance to seat close to this guy, a good drinker, so he sometimes drank it for me, but it is usually forbidden. Good luck guys!

Vodka and Mongolian vodka

The worst part is if they give you at the same time Airag and  Mongolian vodka. Then you have to sing. So usually someone start singing, and then other people join him. It is always songs abut the nature: the sky, the grassland, also about the horses -usually Naadam's horses. But when it happened to me -eheh- I couldn't sing a Mongolian song -well I know one they used to sing for children, and another one, but I think it would have been inappropriate. And actually at that time, I coudn't think much: I was kind of drunk, and scared of singing in front of everyone. But they were all staring at me, and as everyone sang before, I had no choice but singing smth. The guide told me to sing a french song, that they both knew. So we sang all together. It was like bungee jumping. Do not think, just do it.

Mongolian vodka and Airag

I got the only camera at the wedding, so I took pictures of everyone, this is a good way for them to have some souvenirs, and also some family portraits. I printed it for them.

You may notice that there are various type of deels, but there are rules: women wear adjusted deel, with usually small patterns and a thin belt. It is just the opposite for men. The bigger they look, the best it is. Big patterns, thick belts are a must for every man. You must also, -men or women- wear the boots, and a hat (this is especially for men). Everything tends to enhance the power of the men. It is a men/women culture, you will see that through the blog.

We left the party at night, but didn't come back, as asked the following day, we were just too messy. I printed out the pictures, and we gave it to the families.

About the tradition

I should have started with that post, as this is the way you enter the Mongolian world. Actually to be true, you enter it via the transsiberian or via a flight, right. But when you escape Ulaanbaatar to reach the countryside, you will face the traditional way to welcome people. Ok, maybe I should explain the reason why.

In countryside, as you may have noticed, there is few ger (usually two to three families) every few km. Which means that when you travel, you have to stop to any place - no matter you do not know the people-, because your horse is tired, or maybe because you need to rest, drink, etc. You will enter any ger -no need to knock at the door-, and people will always, always, give you some tea and the tradiotional urum - a kind of cream, which is basically smth between butter and cream, 100% fat. Take a bit with your finger. You will also have some snacks -they present you a basket of mix cheese, sweets, candies- you just do not know what to take! But you have to take both the snack and some urum -even a tiny bit if you do not like it- or you would be rude to them.


 Here you have the traditional cheese, very useful if you want to loose a teeth: harder than concrete!! However, it is a good way to keep it for a long run. What we do is, we eat it -suck it would be more accurate actually, at least for me, I do not have such teeth- and then you put it back to one of your pocket, - if you wear a deel I will explain you after how to make a pocket- and so you can chew it for a while. Very smart indeed!! and full of protein.

urum and Aaruul (hard cheese)

During summer, airag, mare'smilk, is also a must drink. I do not have pics yet, but I will find it.

So you enter a ger, sit down and wait for the tea and food. Then if you are with a mongolian people, let him speak. You can admire their decoration: they will be happy if you take a look at their pictures and medals. They indeed did a lot of wrestling, and Naadam - horse racing.

I haven't seen a horse race there so I can't tell you much about it, except that  alsmot every kid has participated to a Naadam. This is very common, and in countryside between the 11th and 13th july, you can randomly see races. Otherwise, Mongolian are kind of connected, as they can have a television at home -thanks to a external battery- so they follow Naadam on TV, and radio.

Another commonly practice is to drink with people in coutnryside when you wander in the steps. We have been asked many times to stop for a drink (airag and vodka of course). Actually, you can see a bunch of guys sitting on the grassland in the middle of nowhere, and they will just yield at you to get off your horse and drink, drink, and drink again. My problem: I do not drink alcohol. They were very very persistent. You usually have to accept drinking, this is a custom: but watch out not to drink too much. The best is to drink the first shot, then you can give back the glass. They will force you to drink again, but keep saying no, and leave.

Of course, when it comes about a wedding, that is totally different. I will dedicate a post about it.

the special mongolian diet

As a french saying goes "chose promise, chose due". Here we go with the food you will eat in Mongolia. First of all you have to know that it is mostly dairy and meat products. So a basic meal will be fried rice/pasta with lamb and a tiny bit of vegetables: usually two carrots for six to eight people, just to add some colors in fact. Lots of onions too, and lot lot lot of oil. So if you are vegetarian -like I was at that time- you are going to be in trouble.

the art of making pasta

I told the cook, so she cooked separate dish for me, which consisted of white rice in an ocean of butter. So after two days of no eating, I decided that the normal food will do. I just usually put the meat away (but it is not easy task because they grind meat so it is a work of patience). And you must tolerate the taste of meat anyway. But their food looks more delicious than mine, and I was eating half hour after/before them so I just thought, let's do it the easy way.

and the art of grinding meat

Ok, this is baically the type of food you can find in countryside. It is usually home made pasta (made with flour and water, pretty easy but very long to make), boiled with lamb meat and few carrots/onions. You can also have the same combination with rice instead of pasta: here you are!!

When you do not have much at home, or when it is cold, they also use to cook a flour soup. It consists of hot water, in which they add wet flour, so that it makes flour lumps, it is actually quite tasty :)) especially after a long day horse riding, or just when you are hungry.
 
You rediscover the simplicity of food there, because they are just not farmers. Some associations try to teach Mongolian people how to grow things, but they usually just buy it at the xuncnii delguur = "the people shop".

They do not have deserts. So do not hope for a cake fruit or yoghurt. They do have their own yoghurt, the most delicious I ate so far (and I am a professional about that), but they just eat it whenever they feel like eating. Do not be afraid of gaining weight!!

Here you can find also a traditional meal. The steam bread is called mantyy, and it is made of flour and baking powder. This is my favourite among Mongolian food. This goes with cuutetsei = milk tea, tea, mil and salt, and you can enjoy buuz = steamed dumplings (with lamb of course, so be aware, it may be steamed, it is still very fatty, and to balance it, some carrot salad!!

 Here you have a different sort of mantyy. You can actually add spring onions (such as those ones), but also meat, etc.


Whatever you eat, be aware of oil and butter everywhere, added to the fat of the meat!! and everything tastes lamb. Good luck!!

About the drinks, they are fond of tea. This is their traditional everyday drink. Besides, we will see in the "traditions" part that this is a must do. As explained before, they usually prepare it with salt. It may seem easy, but it is not! I did it many times, and one time there is not enough salt, one time it is just impossible to drink because of too much salt. There is a way of doing it, that you will learn quite quickly if you do it everytime needed (which means three to four times a day).
Then you may add milk to obtain the traditional milk tea. Delicious and quite feeding.

Airag is the second common drink during summer, as horses are fat and give lot of milk. Yes this is horse's milk. It is fat free, and though it could taste weird, we get used to it very quickly. Besides it is very refreshing when you travel during a hotty summer day. The temperature can reach 30°C with no wind, and of course no shadow in the steps. That's why you usually stop at soe's ger to have a rest and drink a bit of airag. However, get ready to drink it with some flies as there are huge quantities of it dying in the milk.

As you can notice, I give it a try, but I can tell you the result was not that good! It is a pretty difficult thing to get the milk of a horse.

the first trip 3/07/09 - 21/07/09

I do not know where to start. At first, we were two groups,and we split two days after. I do remember not wanting to stay with them, but once we split, I missed them, for few minutes, few hours maybe.

the two groups just before we split

You have to imagine how the trip was like. We were on our horses, in the middle of nowhere -in the steps- it was just a big green land -called the grassland-, with an open big blue sky, not any single tiny cloud, nothing, I had just theis feeling of big open space, the feeling of being lost in the nature, I felt disorientated. I was afraid of the quietness, of our group, of being face to face with people we shared nothing with at that time.

this emptiness of the steps

The couple was simply great. They were funny, interesting, kind, respectful, opened to newness and discovery, and they were trained: they had done a previous 5 days trip with another formula, sleeping with family. As a human beign, we recreated our community, four european and five Mongolian (the driver, the cook and her child, the guide and the trainee). We didn't have anything to do but ride horse all day long, and enjoy the nature. At night, after having built our ger, we usually spoke, play cards or have some magic tricks (the man was a wanna be magician kind of). I usually helped the trainee to take care of horses, because you could think, ok at 6PM they are off, and they just do nothing, do they, the Mongolian people had quite a lot to do, and the trainee has to learn everything, so I just felt, well, I can benefit from his training and learn also a bit. That consisted on taking off the saddle, the snaffle bit so that the horses could eat, and attache their anteriors so that they won't run away during the night. Because they were no fence, again, everything there was -and still is- about freedom. Or maybe it's just because in our modern world, everything is about rules, and dos and donts.

building the ger

Anyway, that usually took a while, and we were just happy to lay down for diner, and go to bed.

ger built

ger built

No shower. that was a tough thing for me, who usually take between two to three showers a day (if I train). Well you had no choice so. Though actually I do remember having the alternative of washing in the river. Except that the guide soaked his cap in the river, and flies were around for couple of hours. OMG I prefered from far not washing. So basically, this trip helped us -OMG it's gonna sound so cliché- discovering another sense of life, what is important, what is useful, what is fun, what is culture. Yeah in France, as in any other developed country, we think museum is culture. Well I say people are culture.I have learnt so much over the last year, that I could speak about it for ever. I always explain to people what I have experienced, and I always come up with a different way of explaining things, because there is just too much, because this is about people, and they are so complex, so interesting, that there is always newness about them.

During this trip, we played baseball with dry cow's poo and wood stick, football, jump rope with a rope lead, races, also we used to steal our trainee's rubber band, and pass it to another, and it always finished into my hand because I had -though the tiniest- the fastest horse, so at the end I would just run away. He would eventyally follow me a bit, but just drop it (his horse was fastest than mine but he was here as a trainee, he coudln't just play with us like this, he had to watch out people, the safety of the clients is the most important thing for a guide).
So it actually helped to develop our imagination, because we just had nothing with us. Nothing that we use in France to be occupied: mobiles, games consoles, laptop, internet of course. It seems that now, computer + internet is just enough to make our day. This is just so sad. I have the feeling I have lived more within these few months than in France over a same period, because internet can be a treasure, but it can also be a huge waste of time.

As promised, here are some pics from the first trip: our games, but also the bond between us, that felt great. We used to play with every single thing we found: wood, feather, whatever...

 

our games: a plastic bottle and a wood stick

our team

The second part of our trip started with the shower. Yeah, that rocked :)) We were quietly wandering in the steps, when our guides said we had to hurry because of a storm coming. So we actually galloped for almost half of our day (43km) under the rain. We were just exhausted, and so the horses were. oh бурхан минь

 We arrived at a tourist camp, and slept there  because we couldn't just build a ger, it was too wet,still raining, and all our clothes were wet. So the guides offered to stay there overnight. OMG that was like a 5* hotel for us. A real ger where you can stand up, hot, real bed to sleep, and hot shower.
Yes we did a bit of laundry!!

On the next morning we felt fresh, but I was a bit reluctant to go, as I had to put wet shoes and pant. However with the ride, it dried quickly, and we were back to our adventure.

We stopped at Tovhon Monestary, a small retreat  hidden in the mountains,  founded by Zanabazar. They were quite a lot of tourists, if we may say so, but after few days without seeing anyone, hearing english all around felt weird. There were two ways of doing it:  one simple; and one more technical, as you had to climb and go all around the temple.But you know, Mongolian people are very traditional and it's just better to do it the way they do it.

However they are also very traditional in the women/men segregation thing. So there was this part, forbidden to women, were men went to bow and pray maybe. I do not know really. that will remain the secret of Mongolia.

some views from the monestary...

 

We had a great time, and it sounded almost like the end. I can't remember properly, but I guess two days more and the trip was over. We actually met a group of tourists (from the same company), who encountered some difficulties about their trip (I skip the details, this is not relevant), and guess what? I met the girl from Vietnam. That was incredible, I mean to meet again soe we met randomly in a country, she gave me the contacts of the company, and here we are, in the middle of the countryside, and she is there!! But I was in a bad mood at that time, because we were heading back to the camp, and that was our last night with our group. I felt they were intruiding, and we couldn't help but stand their presence there with us (yes because their guide had to ride over the countryside to find lost horses). I felt angry, as I didn't want to share my last night with them.It is such a european feeling again. Mongolian people just do not care about that. It sounds just normal, and they even do not bother themselves with that kind of feelings. There is no right or wrong, there is not happy or unhappy, there is not like or dislike, there is just "that's the way it is", and they always make their own way through.

 They left with another guide a bit after we left the camp, and we could appreciate our last day with our group. That was good, but it was almost the end. There were of course good things to come back, like shower and bed, no mosquitos anymore, a bit of intimacy and good food (yes because the food is tragically the same and 100% lamb made...I will dedicate a post just about the food do not worry about this)

I can't really recall the end of the trip, just tired and funny. We sat in the café (which is part of the company in the small village of Harhorin) for diner, already speaking about souvenirs, what we have done, sharing our laughs. I was not very sad, as I usually am after a trip because the couple was going to spend two days in the capital city and we three, so we had this perspective of being together again. That was like stages: first we leave the steps, then the countryside, then the couple, then we go back home. I cried anyway

nothing better than poo's smoke to keep mosquitos away

part of our team

our guides

The story, or smth like this

Once upon a time, was a french girl, exchange student at NCCU, alias National Chengchi University, Taiwan. After few months there, she was crazy about that place, but summer was coming and with it, the hottest weather she had ever experienced. That was me. I was there, making my own way, meeting great people and working on my exams, when my father suggested me to go on holiday with my sister. He is actually kind of "family person", which is good, definitely. So here we are, I was wandering in North Vietnam - yes because between my classes, I did this 10 days trip with friends from my school in Vietnam- and we met this swiss girl, who was travelling by herself, and she was going to a trip in Mongolia few months later. She gave me the contacts of the company running a small business about horseriding treks.
And here we are, back home -meaning to tw- I checked that out, and after few emails exchanges, we booked a trip there. I had -and still have- a Mongolian friend, IMBA student in NCCU, who told me everything I had to visit, every food I had to try, the most important words I had to know -meat (I was a vegetarian at that time), oil, fat, etc- I am a freak with food. Anyway, he did a great job, and I was more than ready to go there.

My trip was Taipei - Seoul / Seoul - Ulaanbaatar on the 3rd of july 2009. The second flight was delayed for four hours, and I remember lying down on the seats in the waiting space in front of the boarding gate, an amazing view on the planes. I can refeel the atmosphere of the place, very quiet, like waiting to step into another world, I can see the light, dark blue with some lighter spots from the planes' lights. I fell asleep. It was just part of my trip, so I enjoyed even this delayed trip. In the plane, only mongolian people, almost. I landed, and everything changed. The landscape, basically nothing, the sky -the same-, and the sound, just mongolian around me. Soe from the hostel picked me up. I was in the car, and I can remember the feeling it gave me, freedom, starting from scratch, I don't know how to explain, just a newness, I was absorbing everything.

I arrived at the hostel and met up my sister, that was great after all these months. We wandered in the city for the day, and the next one, the "manager" picked us up and in a minibus, we left towards the countryside, Harhorin. After 6 or maybe 9 hours on a single lonely bumpy track in the middle of nothing, we arrived at the place. Ger to sleep, hotty day, cold night. We met the coupl who was going to travel with us, 10 days horseriding trip in the steps, sleeping in a mini ger we were going to build -must say the driver and the guides did most of the job, though he helped all the time, but it is a pretty complicated thing to do- and eating what the cook would prepare us. Yes we had a driver, we had a cook, and we had two guides. Actually this was the "comfort formula", which means you do not sleep and eat with locals. But you had anyway to sleep on the floor, you had to eat whatever was prepared (and trust me this is not a place for a vegetarian, or soe who cares about her weight), and no water so no shower ahah. 10 days. Ok we got one at the hotsprings, right in the middle of our trek. That felt great, that was the best shower I had in my life I guess.

Ohhh stop. Too much info. It is just too dense. Ok so one of the guide, actually the trainee guide had been the reason why I came four times to Mongolia over a year. We are not together anymore due to lots of reasons, but I still love Mongolia, loved what I experienced there, and care to share my souvenirs, before it goes somewhere deep inside my memory. I know my bf will read these lines, so I am just telling you ma petite fraise enrobée de chocolat noir trempée dans la crème anglaise, do not worry. This blog is about Mongolia, though it is kind of connected to my ex bf. You know people need sometimes to write down what they feel, to make it clear, to feel better, to find an answer. There are so many different reasons why people do that. I did it. Now I am writing down about my souvenirs - place, people, landscapes, feelings associated to these souvenirs- not about my ex bf. I did the work I had to do to overcome this previous relationship, with success. I feel good, I feel quiet, I feel happy (except for the job part but again, that is not the point here).
ok you know what? this post is already too long. I will start another one about the first trip in Mongolia, and pictures will come with it.

On the way to Christmas

We are heading to christmas, and I am struggling to find and pay a flight. Oh my goodness, it is just so stressful. I thought I would stay here, but my parents insisted that I came back. I am fine with the idea, just not with the way it is going to be done. I am 25 and I need to support myself, I need a job oh pleeeeeeeeeeease help me.
Ok stop complaining, sorry about that, I am just french, that is probably in my genes you know.

One year ago, I had just came back to france, to take one class at RMS, my business school. I will not advert on it. This is a good school I had great classes, and a few excellent teachers. But my blog is not about it, nor about christmas, so I am going to try to focus. I actually like to sidetrack, I guess that is just part of every girl. Anyway.  I spent 7 weeks, from the 10th october to the 29th november 2009 in Mongolia with soe who was at taht time my bf. He was actually not really my bf, well he became it. He had a gf so now you see. Anyway. My story seems so messy but it is not. There is a chronology, a reason, an objective, an ideal maybe?

Ok I guess, for organizational reasons, I should create a post entitled "the story" or smth like this. I will do it. Promise. Right after this one.

where I am now

As I tried shyly to explain in my introduction, I want to make a blog about Mongolia, because I did spend a lot of time there last year, and I do not want to loose all the things I learnt there. I promise, next post will be about it. Let me start with a recommendation: watch the movie "Tuya's Wedding", directed by the Chinese director Wang Quan An, in Inner Mongolia. Here is the link for the french people. Here is the english link for internationals.