The boys are back in town!

"Guess who just got back today?
Them wild-eyed boys that had been away..."

Can't believe it's been a year since I was first introduced to the Kazakh eagle hunters.

 I've since had the privilege of visiting them on their own turf in Bayan-Ölgii and now this week they are back in town! They are such a rare breed- a refreshing spectacle in this fabricated, technological world.

Kazakh men looking dashing.
 Kazakh eagle hunters love to wear skins and furs of both wild and domestic animals. 
Their clothing is brightly coloured and richly embroidered and sometimes even the eagle gets to wear a matching cloak!

I wore my own Kazakh hat just for the occasion.

(It had previously been given the "Kazakh seal of approval" in Bayan-Ölgii when I visited last September :D)

There were some fabulous, scraggy faces amongst the hunters 
but with expressions that also showed a softness and kindheartedness.

One look at these powerful talons and you soon realise getting 

"up close and personal" is a risky business.

...although this guy is looking pretty relaxed despite his plumed accessory!!

Consider the strength it would require to have this powerful bird of prey (approx 4-8kg's) perched on your raised and outstretched arm while maintaining your balance on a galloping horse.

I've tried similar?! (with a camera on my horse riding expeditions)-even at a languorous pace it's a huge challenge!!

Whoaaa!... Hold on!

(it happens to the best of us)

"I always look better from the right"

The best part of the day was  when the competition was over and it was time to have a little fun amongst friends with a friendly game of Kokbar. The horses appeared to be as instinctive as their riders in this game.  It was very surprising to me that despite the energetic tugging, jerking and wrenching NO ONE fell off.

Hang on a minute! (pardon the pun) 

Who's holding the horse??

Looks like this horse doesn't want to lose!

It really did look like a lot of fun.

If anyone can figure out why this guy didn't hit the ground, I'm interested to hear!

...until next time the boys are back in town.

Let's talk about the weather...

Lowest temperature captured on my iphone Jan 27th

According to the locals, this winter has been exceptionally cold. No kidding!  As it is only the second winter I have endured in Mongolia, it is difficult to gauge if it was any colder than my first.  In fact it might be because I'm not sure when one ended and the other began!!  Anyway, as far as I can tell, once temperatures plunge below minus 20 it's stupendously cold and what you need to do to stay warm and survive is much the same as at minus 40.  Whatever the temperature, living in the coldest capital of the world hasn't been too much of a challenge...providing you have access to all the modern conveniences :)


Although winter's here are intense they are definitely not bleak.  The sun seems to be forever shining and the sky more often than not is a vivid blue -unfortunately UB is located in a basin surrounded by mountains which prevents smog from dissipating, so you may need to step out of the smog-filled capital to notice!  The air is extremely dry (a bonus for those of us that have to dry our clothes indoors without a dryer) but it also means it is very unforgiving on the body, it's very dehydrating, lips crack easily, and skin becomes dry and flaky with or without attention.  Dressing is also tricky. The questions being, do you rug up for the cold and suffer abominably in overheated restaurants and shops or do you brave a measure of cold to survive your indoor destination. After suffering more than a few distressing episodes of spontaneous combustion in my double layer of thermals, these days I'm happy to take the risk and wear none!


One of the many pitfalls of extreme cold temperatures is slippery roads and pavements. Although there is not a lot of snow, what does fall becomes icy and slick and becomes even more slippery once compacted by use.  According to data released by the National Trauma and Orthopaedic Research Centre between 180 and 200 people are injured each day! due to falls on icy streets with many people becoming seriously disabled because of their injuries.  Unfortunately, I've seen quite a few people with missing fingers due to frostbite (commonly caused by excessive alcohol consumption and then falling asleep outside).


Despite the extreme temperatures our discomfits are actually quite minor. You don't have to look too far to see how it is for others.  Some freezing cold mornings after a snowfall, I wake to see our ger-dwelling neighbours below making adjustments and sweeping snow from the roof of their ger. This is mainly a job for the women and children as they are much lighter and won't damage the struts as easily.

Roof sweeping. The rectangle structure in the foreground is a sea container connected to the ger in which a family with 5 children and 4 adults live (plus at least 1 dog and 4 puppies!)

Early morning adjustments

...for many of the population in the city there is limited sanitation, little electricity and water can only be accessed by carting it. Hard enough in the summer months but in winter....I can't begin to imagine.

It does surprise me though how quickly we learn to adapt to our surroundings. I look back on the photos of us in our first few months where I was rugged up against the elements with barely my eyes showing and I remember still  being cold and that wasn't even taken in the coldest months of December and January!
Now we would consider some of those warmer winter days almost balmy where hats and gloves are not an absolute necessity unless outdoors for extended periods and like I mentioned previously, the thermals stay in the cupboard!


So for those of you who are constantly expressing your amazement of the extreme weather conditions in which we live and wonder how on earth do we cope, I can honestly say, "very well, thanks!"


Lastly, checkout this video of one of the perks of winter transport in Mongolia-using the frozen rivers as highways and byways to make great progress against the horrendous traffic congestion within the city. We use the frozen river on a weekly basis to get quick access to the countryside. It does add a little excitement to the trip!

SEASON'S GREETINGS!

Technically, Christmas is not celebrated in Mongolia.  Two separate festivities have been compounded into one holiday -The New Year.  All the same, all over Ulaanbaatar, streets and shops are bedecked with all manner of Christmas decorations, lights and Christmas trees.  We are left in no doubt that the festive season is upon us!

Even in Sukhbaatar Square there is a giant Christmas tree which at night is adorned with a brightly lit red star ★  (looks  much like  a homage to Russia, or a remnant from a Pre-Independence box of Russian Christmas treasures!!!).

We've lived in Mongolia for almost a year now and all I can say is that it has been the most incredible experience... where every day is an adventure and where expecting the unexpected is a state of being.

So with that, I thank you all for following my blog and for all your  positive emails/comments over the past year.  I welcome your  input.

Wishing you all  the very best over the holiday Season and a Happy New Year!

I look forward to sharing more of my Mongolian adventures with you in 2012.