I returned to the hostel and Dashka and I headed south to visit his nomad parents. I had wanted to do some volunteering with a nomad family and he had the perfect opportunity for me. He was heading south to visit his parents for a few weeks and offered to let me come with him and he’d also be my translator. Replacing a flat tire in the desert with relentless desert winds and then again after getting it patched probably should have been somewhat expected. We weren’t anywhere near as efficient as a Nascar pit crew but, to our defense, the jack lever snapped so it took significantly longer than it should have.
I wish I could have stayed the full three weeks but I wasn’t able to get an extension on my 30 day stay. I also couldn’t find any info on how much the fines would be for overstaying my 30 day visa-free entry so it was best to avoid any repercussions and leave Mongolia.
Staying with Dashka’s family was an incredible experience and one I’ll never forget.
Morning routines began with making sure the young lambs and goats got enough milk from their mothers. At the start of the week there were three little ones. That quickly exploded to about 15 but, unfortunately, two didn’t survive the frigid nights. I quickly took a liking to the solitary young goat about 20 days old by that point. That little goat had so much energy and curiosity that it was entertaining to just watch it bounce and flail around, climb everything, chew on everything you’re wearing, and watching it head-butt the lambs.
After eating a scalding hot breakfast and tea that makes you sweat from the inside out, we stepped outside to hop on the temperamental Chinese motorcycle (That would make an amazing band name!) to the well to fill a trough with water before the sheep and goats arrive. I had seen plenty of Mongolians riding motorcycles through the desert without a helmet or glasses and rarely without even a scarf and I kept wondering how cold could it be. It’s very very cold but you get used to the numbness and watery eyes after a while. Also, the sun is so low on the horizon this time of year that it’s hard to focus on anything in the distance without being blinded by the sun.
Once we reached the nearby well, I had to constantly chase away some cows that were already there waiting for water while Dashka filled the trough. It seems like a lot of water but hundreds of goats and sheep quickly assembled around the trough, almost in two tiers at times, as they tried to ram their way into a sliver of a spot. They gulped down that full trough in just a couple minutes. After 20 or so minutes the goats and sheep were full and wandered away so I was able to allow the cows to approach. They drink even more rapidly so it becomes an issue as the well replenishes much more slowly.
After heading back for tea and lunch, there is usually some time in the afternoon spent watching over or herding the sheep. Since they were giving birth to so many lambs, we had to closely watch them to make sure mothers weren’t being separated from the herd when giving birth. Fortunately, the ones that were missed had healthy lambs with them when we noticed during rounds the next day. Herding on the steppe is not like in Canada. Nomads move around a lot and don’t really own the land they’re on. Dashka’s parents move their ger and livestock four times a year and they will be moving again in the spring. Sometimes just short distances away and sometimes very long distances, depending on available protection, water resources, and pastures. The animals mostly roam freely across the steppe so you have to go searching for them at times. Dashka’s parents also have about 52 cows but the cows live in the mountains and only really come out for water. The sheep and goats are more vulnerable to attacks by wolves so the sheep return to a shelter each night.
Opposite days are usually spent providing water to the cows but only half showed up, then the rest the next day when the sheep were to receive water. That leads to the well going low quickly so we wandered the mountains looking for the other half of the cows to reunite the herd. We could only find 11 and the next day was extremely windy and cold. My GPS shows temps of -13 but -26 with the wind chill. No cows showed up at all which may have been a good thing because there was a dense layer of slush on the surface of the well water that day.
Dashka and a neighbor took me through the mountains one afternoon. While not large mountains, there’s plenty of ibex, wild sheep, foxes, and vultures around but the mountains themselves were also pretty unique. Millions of years of desert sand storms creates some interesting rock formations. Most of the mountains look as if they were carefully assembled by gods using giant rounded stones. Dashka took me to a few of the nearby caves as well as an interesting rock formation that brings luck to the locals.
Though the landscapes and livestock were fascinating to me, it was Dashka and his nomad parents that made the experience truly special. All three of them were exceptionally hospitable and treated me like family, as best they could given the language barrier. From his mom’s delicious cooking (yes, I actually started enjoying Mongolian food by this point. Well maybe not-so-much for the fatty horse meat…) and never being satisfied unless I had to lay down after eating “Eat! Eat!” to his dad’s curiosity about me and Canada and offering me plenty of good Mongolian vodka. He was also very forgiving when I failed miserably at making Buuz, a type of steamed dumplings
Dashka, though, went well out of his way to make sure I enjoyed every bit of my time in Mongolia since I got to the Sunpath hostel. He struggled with me through failing to get an extended stay and gathering everything needed to apply for a Chinese visa. He shared many details of his life and culture with pride and it helped immensely to better immerse myself in Mongolian culture. There was something just so raw about huddling together with his family and ripping every last morsel of meat from a pot full of bones. My jaw was sore for days and using a knife wasn’t much more effective when you’re trying to scrape the bones clean.
I also really enjoyed this one Mongolian realty talent show where the general idea is several Mongolian contestants have to re-enact a music video of a famous song in the original language, regardless of gender and you often can’t tell the gender of the person until they speak to the judges afterwards. Watching a guy perform a lady gaga song or a girl pretend to be some famous Italian singer was hilarious. I was truly impressed with one man who was able to sing the parts of both the male and female opera singer from a music video, just by flipping to the other side of the microphone and revealing the other half of his face and attire.
What I appreciated the most during my stay in this country was nomad hospitality and the Mongolian culture. Many may see may nomads as backwards, primitive, or as refusing to be part of a more advanced society but believe it is more about honoring their heritage. It is impressive how dedicated they are to the preservation of their traditions and history. The Mongolian nomadic culture is a blended one that tightly grasps the foundations it was built upon and seemingly only utilizing aspects familiar with modern societies as more of a necessity than a desire.
Most of the Mongolian population lives in the capital city. But what is really interesting is this fast-expanding metropolis is both large and modern but also run-down and impoverished in areas. You have the new high-rise apartments and fancy office towers and malls but also these massive ger districts where families live off the grid and somewhat illegally, some doing so as a way to survive but many simply as a life choice.
It’s hard to believe these two opposite ends of the spectrum can coexist like this in the same space without struggle but somehow they do.
The parting gift
Before leaving Dashka’s parents’ home, they surprised me with a few parting gifts. One in particular I’m still trying to process. They gave me a sheep! Dashka said it’s a custom and I was and still am incredibly honored and grateful but I was also thinking to myself “WTF am I going to do with a sheep?!”
I can’t even imagine the forms I’d have to find and fill out trying to bring my sheep along with me through borders travelling with world with my sheep! I’ll have to think about that one for a while before being ready to accept such an incredible gift. Dashka and his family left a lasting mark and I’ll have to return during a summer to experience what a Mongolian summer has to offer. And, if I eventually make it back by motorcycle, I’ll have the freedom to explore the forests and lakes of western Mongolia as well. It will be interesting track to track down Dashka’s parents again as they relocate each season but that’s a challenge for another day.
Click the image below to open the full gallery of photos I took during my stay in Mongolia