Viking Gems of China and Japan Day 29 – The waterfalls freeze here
To conclude yesterday's baggage story, the bags arrived last night around 10:00. They plan to collect the bags tomorrow night, so they will be back in Ulaanbaatar before we arrive the following morning. The things you do in remote places.
The hard bed didn't do my joints any favors, but the ger was warm and we got some sleep. We woke up a little before sunrise. There is a window in the top of the ger, and when I woke up overnight to switch positions, I could clearly see stars and constellations - Orion, specifically. That was kind of cool.
Arlona went to the top of the hill to watch the sunrise while I enjoyed exactly the same thing from the comfort of a chair in front of the lodge.
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| It is astonishing how a sunrise resembles a sunset, just in reverse |
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| A bunch of these Eurasian tree sparrows were enjoying it with me |
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| To be fair, Arlona got to see the sun above the horizon about a minute before I did |
After our buffet breakfast in the dining ger, everyone loaded into the SUVs for the hour drive to the Altai Mountain Range. We got a full-hour Mongolian massage as we bounced our way through the desert. We were stopped at one point by a herd of goats monopolizing the road.
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| They didn't look concerned at all |
As we drove, we passed what appeared to be other lodges as well as individual gers inhabited by nomads. Nomads live throughout the Gobi Desert, herding cows, horses, sheep, goats, and camels. Their homes are portable. More on that below.
The Altai Mountains run through Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan converge. Our destination was the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, near the entrance to the Yol Valley, specifically Mukhar Shivert. Our guides said that Mukhar Shivert, in old Mongolian, means where the juniper grows. There were juniper bushes here. In newer slang Mongolian, it means the person with the stinky feet.
Mukhar Shivert is a narrow, red sandstone gorge carved by seasonal streams. It is famous for a frozen waterfall that can be seen year-round, a result of the valley's microclimate.
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| It's snowy here |
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| A vulture circled, ominously |
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| It was an uphill drive to get here, plus a slight uphill walk from the parking area - we were at around 7,200 feet, and I could feel it |
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| This rock is said to look like a camel |
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| We could see it |
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| A Lammergeier, or bearded vulture |
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| The lammergeier is the only known vertebrate whose diet consists of 70–90% bone |
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| The landscape was striking |
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| The frozen waterfall |
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| Another smaller frozen waterfall nearby |
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| Part of the falls on the left side were nearly transparent - we could hear water running behind the ice |
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| Another bearded vulture watched as we walked out |
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| Arlona was contemplating who this temporary residence might be for |
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| Another look at the camel rock |
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| This one was said to resemble a perched eagle - we can see that |
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| This was said to resemble a snow leopard - it's a bit of a stretch |
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| There were a bunch of chukar partridge, or simply chukars, in the parking area |
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| They had a distinctive call that we heard before we saw them |
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| Starting a call |
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| They were super vocal |
Arlona attended a cooking class where they learned how to make dumplings.
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| Rolling out the dough made from flour, water, and salt |
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| Cutting individual dumplings |
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| Flattening the dough |
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| Filling and pinching them |
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| Ready to cook |
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| A quick pan sear in a little oil, then add water and cover to steam |
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| When the dough on the dumplings is no longer sticky, serve them |
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| Arlona's handwritten instructions |
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| I tried my hand at archery |
If you look at the photo above, you'll see a bunch of Viking guests all bundled up against the chill in the air and the brisk winds. Right in the middle was the instructor, Chimdee, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. They are a hardy people in Mongolia.
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| Load the arrow |
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| Point to the sky and draw |
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| Aim |
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| Release |
I only hit the target on a bounce shot. The bows were a little rickety, but it was all for fun.
A ger, like the one we're staying in, is typically used by nomadic Mongolian families as a living space. This design is preferred because it is well-insulated, sturdy, and portable. To demonstrate that, we were given a demonstration on how to build a ger.
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| They start with pre-formed lattice panels - four for a small ger, like this one, and five for a full-sized one |
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| They are positioned to form a circle, and they connect to the door |
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| The panels are lashed together |
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| Everything is organic - the "nails" in the lattice are camel leather |
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| The central crown is assembled and then linked to the lattice with support beams |
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| Each beam inserts into a notch in the crown |
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| They connect to the "V" in the lattice with a twisted rope |
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| Ropes are wrapped around the structure to firm everything up, and a weight is suspended in the middle to provide tension |
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| Natural felt panels are wrapped around the lattice |
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| They are connected together with ropes |
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| A felt panel is placed over the support beams |
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| Waterproof canvas is wrapped around the felt panels |
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| Another canvas panel covers the crown |
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| A look at the inside crown and beams |
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| The entire construction took 22 minutes, and they were taking their time |
Everything folds up, and the whole thing is easily carried by camel. This is why it is a perfect home for the Mongolian nomads.
We spent a little time in the lodge for drinks and conversation before another nice dinner in the dining ger. Tonight, in honor of the cooking class, we had dumplings.
At dinner, we went over plans for tomorrow. It will be another full day with one complication. The decision was made to pick up our luggage at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon, not tomorrow night as originally communicated. The problem is that we don't leave the Three Camel Lodge until 9:00 the following morning. We don't have enough room in our backpack or tote for another day's clothes, so what we wear tomorrow afternoon will also be what we wear the following day. This is being done so that when we return to the hotel in Ulaanbaatar, our bags should already be there. Still, it is a huge inconvenience to pull out our toothbrush, deodorant, razor, and so on, and carry all that in our small bags. It is what it is, but it is one more ding on the organization of this trip.
We have an even brighter moon tonight, and it will be overhead later today than yesterday, so the stargazing opportunity simply isn't there again tonight. Couple that with the fact that it is already chilly out and the wind is still blowing a gale out there, and we called it a night and returned to the ger.
Tomorrow will be another busy day with a dune visit and meeting nomadic camel herders, and a visit tomorrow night to the Flaming Cliffs.
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