A Weekend in the Countryside

Summertime in Mongolia is short but spectacular.   There are endless expanses of grasslands, low mountain ranges, granite cliffs, fertile valleys, lakes and rivers to enjoy.  It's also the home of 30 million goats, sheep, cows and camels, so there are a lot of encounters with livestock!  It's not at all difficult to understand why during summer there is a mass exodus to the countryside in keeping with nomadic tradition.   It's definitely a welcome relief from the city's congestion.  Last weekend we also joined the ranks  to soak up some fresh air and rural simplicity...  these photos are a good representation of what a weekend spent in the countryside looks like.

Double click on the photos if you want to see them full screen

This is the "highway" out of town-
narrow with tons of hazards like potholes, wandering animals and people who stop to relieve themselves! (not all that different from a city road!)

Our Ger camp exit

The following pictures were taken on our walk.   Ole told us he knew friends living "over the next hill" who we should pay a surprise visit to, but in fact it turned out to be 2 challenging hills!  The scenery made up for the unexpected "hike".  We arrived to find nobody home. A neighbour said they had gone to the "countryside" for the weekend. Had to chuckle, I really thought that's where we were!!

Looks as though this could be a farm scene in any country

Getting higher....

and higher...

...and higher still!  We came from the gers pictured on the right (in the valley).
(the soccer pitch will be seen from another view further on in the blog again)

Ole...waiting for the stragglers

Judy and Col

The view is different again from another perspective.

On our travels, we found a group of people preparing traditional Mongolian Khorkhog which is basically mutton cooked with hot stones. Meat is layered with vegetables and hot rocks in a container which is then closed and put on the stove to simmer.  Apparently they can tell when its ready by the aroma.  I was happy to see all the men doing the preparations!

That's burning dung in the centre of the picture.
 The guy in the foreground is peeling carrots, onions and potatoes

The meat, veges and hot stones will be layered into the milk jug on the right.

Some of the meat...looks quite lean in comparison to what's usually on offer!

Passing cow parade at dusk each night...they seemed to know where they were headed.

...enjoying a pre dinner drink after a long walk

There were some heavy rain showers on Sunday afternoon.
 This is the soccer pitch that was in an earlier picture.

The Flora and Fauna....up close.

A herder who was making good business offering horse and camel rides.

They say dog owners really do look like their pets.
  Could it be the same for camel owners??
I didn't want to be unkind but I couldnt help  comparing this man's face with his camels!

You often see calves with Coca Cola cans hanging off their noses 
(they are used as a weaning aid :(  )

We had to pass this guy as we rounded the fence.  
Although he was timid, he was large and intimidating up close!

The hills were covered in a large variety of wild flowers.

It was quite suprising to see how similar the flora was to our own Australian natives.

It's not difficult to see why Mongolians retreat to the countryside every chance they get. 
I think we'll do the same!

Please feel free to post comment in comment section below, I love hearing from you!  Thanks to everyone who does via email and Facebook,  it's very encourageing to see so much interest in Mongolia.  Susie

Disclaimer:  Although he was also in the countryside, there are no pictures of Dad as he was attending a workshop in a 5 star Hotel!! about 10 km away.