Erdene Zuu Monastery

Last weekend, we visited the countryside of Mongolia.  We stayed in a ger camp (See Big Black Hole Post and Other Ger Camp posts) and toured the Erdene Zuu Monastery the next day.  Erdene Zuu, founded in 1586, is the oldest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia.  Hatnaa and Einkhtaivan are practicing Buddhists so this trip held special meaning for them.  I learned so much here.

I'm going to let the pictures do the talking.  Erdene Zuu is a beautiful place.  If you want to learn more, just Google it.  A lot of information is available online.

 

One of three ancient temples

 

 

 

Hatnaa and Einkhtaivan at the 2nd temple

 

Roof ornamentation

 

 

 

 

 

 

The present-day working monastery.  We were allowed inside and listened as monks were teaching their students

 

 

 

The present-day temple and prayer wheels

 

 

 

Back in Ulaanbaatar

Took an incredible 3 day journey to the countryside this weekend and just returned to UB.  I'm pretty wiped out so this will be short.  I wanted to post a few photos to tantalize you...HAHA!  I took more than 800 photos.  You know how this works...I'm going through them all and picking out the best.  I'll post a few on the blog and create a link to a photo upload service so that you can see them at your leisure.

Enjoy!

We stayed in a Ger camp last night.  These were my digs! (Night before last, we stayed in a privately-owned Ger.  That one gets its own special post because it was an exprerience unlike any other!)

 

Hatnaa and me at the Erdene Zuu Monastery - Mongolia's first Buddhist monastery founded in 1586.

 

 

Bactrian Camels (double-hump) on the steppe plains of Central Mongolia.