Monday, February 28, 2011

Ghengis the Great! (and a day in the countryside)

Genghis Khan Statue

54km from Ulaanbaatar, in the spot where Genghis was purported to have found the golden whip,  stands a stainless steel statue of Genghis on horseback.  He cuts quite an imposing figure, perched atop a building in the Mongolian wilderness, measuring some 40 meters high! You can ride an elevator up through the back of the horse to access the horse's mane.  From there you can enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.



In the horse's mane

Dad and Ash
View from the top

Within the complex there is a small museum, recreation area, restaurant, souvenir shop and conference hall.  And if you want, you can play "dress-ups"! 
They look so totally harmless?!


The Royal Family


In the Terelj district there are some great places to stay the night or just to relax during the day.  This restaurant/accommodation house had a great hill for sledding.   Ashley and I "double-dinked" which wasn't a great success.  The sled immediately did a 180 degree turn and we were hurtling down the hill backwards bellowing with laughter. It was a lot of fun.

Ash going full speed ahead

Sledders


Turtle Rock was one of the many sights in the area

Dad and Ash

Ash's friends-our first visitors to Mongolia
Crossing a frozen river

A character filled bridge.  It's seen its fair share of contractions and expansions!

Surrounding scenery

Eagles by the roadside





Majestic bird!

2 comments:

David Lewis said...

Can one buy that glove the eagle sits on?

Unknown said...

David, I've seen one for sale at the Black Market in Ulaanbaatar.