Today we woke up after another wonderful sleep. We enjoyed both nights in the gers, much to our surprise. Ger sleeping seems to combine the best of camping (fresh air) with home comforts (a bed, shelter).
We ate breakfast of eggs, sausage, fruit, bread and jam and then set out on a hike towards the Aryabal meditation temple or monastery. We took a path up a hill and over a ridge and past some cows before descending into a valley, where the gate to the monastery complex is. The monastery is set halfway up a mountain, and is a retreat for Buddhist monks from UB. There was no one but the gatekeeper there when we arrived.
The complex includes several buildings, but a long pathway leads up towards the main mediation hall. Countless posters line the path, outlining Buddhist principles.
There are also several shrines along the route.
It took us probably at least fifteen minutes to reach the top, what with stopping to read the signs and looking at the shrines.
Unfortunately the mediation hall was locked when we reached it, so we couldn't actually go inside.
But we did look around, and went further up the hill to visit a shrine in a cave.
A handful of other tourists were arriving as we descended, so we felt lucky to have had it to ourselves.
Back at camp I went climbing up the mountain, climbing so high that Andrea could no longer see me to summon me for lunch. Luckily for me our guide has an excellent whistle and upon hearing it I assumed I was being called back down.
Lunch was soup again, but this time with noodles. During lunch our guide asked us if we would mind taking some other people back to UB in the van with us. Of course we said no, so after lunch we were joined by four girls about our age who had come out to Terelj to spend the night and visit friends.
Now full, the van headed out of the park, stopping briefly at the 12 (100) (1000) Monks Cave (the number of monks referred to in the name differs, I guess). The name comes from a story: in 1937, during the Stalin religious purges, monks were being slaughtered, and so 12 (100) (1000) hid in the cave for thirty days without food or water and yet all survived. Our guide was convinced 1000 was impossible, and I'm inclined to agree; even 100 seems unlikely to me, although the cave is quite large. Nonetheless it was a neat spot to visit, and using my cell phone as a flashlight, I made my way right to the back where, not surprisingly, there was another little shrine.
We ate breakfast of eggs, sausage, fruit, bread and jam and then set out on a hike towards the Aryabal meditation temple or monastery. We took a path up a hill and over a ridge and past some cows before descending into a valley, where the gate to the monastery complex is. The monastery is set halfway up a mountain, and is a retreat for Buddhist monks from UB. There was no one but the gatekeeper there when we arrived.
It took us probably at least fifteen minutes to reach the top, what with stopping to read the signs and looking at the shrines.
Unfortunately the mediation hall was locked when we reached it, so we couldn't actually go inside.
But we did look around, and went further up the hill to visit a shrine in a cave.
Back at camp I went climbing up the mountain, climbing so high that Andrea could no longer see me to summon me for lunch. Luckily for me our guide has an excellent whistle and upon hearing it I assumed I was being called back down.
Lunch was soup again, but this time with noodles. During lunch our guide asked us if we would mind taking some other people back to UB in the van with us. Of course we said no, so after lunch we were joined by four girls about our age who had come out to Terelj to spend the night and visit friends.
Now full, the van headed out of the park, stopping briefly at the 12 (100) (1000) Monks Cave (the number of monks referred to in the name differs, I guess). The name comes from a story: in 1937, during the Stalin religious purges, monks were being slaughtered, and so 12 (100) (1000) hid in the cave for thirty days without food or water and yet all survived. Our guide was convinced 1000 was impossible, and I'm inclined to agree; even 100 seems unlikely to me, although the cave is quite large. Nonetheless it was a neat spot to visit, and using my cell phone as a flashlight, I made my way right to the back where, not surprisingly, there was another little shrine.
From the cave we drove out of the park and then further east along the highway to the Chinggis Khan Statue Complex.
This massive statue of Chinggis Khan on horseback was built for over $4.1 million to commemorate some anniversary of the Mongolian state. Frankly this place is a bit of a white elephant, but I suppose no tour of Mongolia is complete without a visit. Perhaps somewhat like Alexander the Great in Greece, Chinggis Khan's importance to Mongolian culture is remarkable given how long ago he lived. My sense is that he (as well as shamanism) represent aspects of Mongolian history and culture and identity that communism attempted to stamp out.
The statue includes an lookout platform above the horses head, allowing for a view of the surrounding landscape, and a close up of Chinggis Khan.
From the statue complex we drove west toward UB, making a single stop to allow me to hold a Kazakh's golden hunting eagle.
The bird weighs about thirty pounds, but thankfully the spread wings took a lot of the weight off my arm.
Actually, our guide said this particular eagle does not hunt, just sits on the arms of tourists. But Kazakhs are known for hunting from horseback with eagles. Most Mongolian Kazakhs live in the far western part of Mongolia, but just east of UB there is a Kazakh community that has mined coal there for generations.
From this stop we were about another half hour or so from UB, where our tour ended where it began, at the Idre Guesthouse.
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