The Big Black Hole on the Road to Kharkorum!

 

Leaving Kharkhorum, the ancient capital city of Khan's Mongolian Empire

 

 

Dark was settling over the vast Mongolian landscape as we rode, bounced, and bobbed our way around potholes and other obstacles on the road to Kharkhorum.  Einkhtaivan is a helluva driver.  (He's pictured on the right in the photo above.)  Worth his weight in gold.

 

We got a late start out of Ulaanbaatar on our way to a ger camp near Kharkhorum. I've already mentioned how I feel about traffic in UB.  It is absolutely nuts.  Traveling around a roundabout, like the one near Shillito Park only bigger (5 lanes of traffic going around a circle), we had a little "scrape" as Hatnaa described it.  A SUV decided to come into our lane while we were trying to get in his lane and we scraped.  Let's just say that Einkhtaivan wasn't very happy, but he and the driver settled the deal and we went on our way.  Einkhtaivan said "Little scrape at the start of a trip means good luck ahead."  Never have any words been so prophetic. 

 

The drive to Kharkhorum takes about 6 or 7 hours depending on how long it takes to get out of city of Ulaanbaatar.  Traffic was horrendous until we hit the freeway at the edge of town.  Then, we were driving through the open plains of the countryside.  Gosh, I love being in the countryside.  It felt familiar to me given my rural heritage. Hatnaa and Einkhtaivan were singing away to the traditional Mongolian music on the mp3 player that blared from the back speakers.

 

As darkness fell, I came to realize that we had traveled almost 300 km and still had 77 km to go.

 

 

Dusk on the road to Kharkhorum

 

As we crossed the welcoming arch to the ancient city, I soon discovered what others were talking about on www.tripadvisor.com.  The roads disappeared.  I mean we were diverted off the road into a field with dusty paths.  Then, magically (and if we made the right choice of paths to follow) we'd pop back up on the blacktopped road again.  This happend about a dozen times.  We drove for miles without ever seeing a light, a house, a car, headlights...nothing but pitch black and the light from our headlamps.

 

Suddenly, we were confronted with 4 car paths.  Einkhtaivan was a pretty good judge of which path to take.  This time however he took the road less traveled by in words of Robert Frost.  Shortly afterwards, he slammed on the brakes and shrieked words that I could only guess as to their meaning.  Out came the flashlights.  Yes, I had mine, too.  We got out of the vehicle.  I kid you not, about a foot in front of us was a big black hole.  A big FREAKING black hole.  We were all just kind of in a daze thinking about what would have happened if Einkhtaivan hadn't had such good eyes.

 

We backed up, turned around and hauled ass out of there!  We met a hippy van and flagged it down to give them a warning as to what was ahead.  The guy shouted back "I know where I'm going.  Just follow me."  Famous last words.  Without missing a beat, he headed straight to the black hole.  We blew our horn and flashed our lights.  Thankfully, he, too, came to a screeching halt, and I heard those same words come flying out of the windows of the van.  They certainly didn't need any translation.  I understood exactly what was being said.  You might say we were speaking in tongues on this night!

 

We all turned around and finally found the right path.  After a long, weary and exciting drive, we arrived safe and sound at the Ger camp in Kharkhorum.  That is a trip that I will never, ever forget.  On the way back to UB the next day, we saw the spot of our "almost" demise, and I got out to take pictures. And now I truly understand what it means to be standing on the edge of the abyss. As my colleague, Mark Filburn at KLC, would say "We're all going to die!"   Here's the hole.

 

 





 

We stopped at the edge where the horses on the left are standing!

 



Traditional Mongolian Cuisine

What about the food?  What about the food?  Inquiring minds want to know.  Have you eaten anything interesting?  Anything gross?  Anything?

Well, of course I've eaten every day.  Nothing too adventurous for me.  For example, NO, I'm not trying horse meat or goat innards.  However, I have had some really, really good traditional Mongolian dishes.

Traditional Mongolian Khuurga (Mutton)

The first dish is a very traditional mutton dish that looks and tastes like a stir-fry. We had this meal at the first Ger camp we visited in Kharkhorum.  It's called Khuurga and it is delicious!  I had this dish more than once during my stay in Mongolia.  Have a look at the photo I took.

 

 

Traditional Mongolian Mutton Khuurga

 

I have to say that this was a very tasty meal.  The mutton was fresh and the carrots, peppers and onions really added a rich flavor.  Served with rice and hot tea.  We had been on the road for almost 7 hours, and I was hungry.  This dish is so rich and filling that I could only eat about 2/3 of it.  Don't you love the hot serving plate in the shape of a sheep?

 

Lapsha (Mutton Noodle Soup)

 

For breakfast, we had traditional Mongolian Lapsha, a mutton and noodle dish with some onions served in a broth.  Soup for breakfast is a little foreign to me, but this may change my mind.  The soup was served steaming hot and is the ultimate comfort dish.  My taste buds danced a happy song, and I was full and satisfied, ready for another day on the road.  This photo is not my own, however, it is exactly what my breakfast looked like.  (I'd gladly give credit, however, it is in the public domain and I don't know the original photographer's name.)

 

 

Traditional Mongolian Lapsha (Mutton soup with noodles and onions)

 

 

Khuushuur (Meat pies)

 

Oh my, khuushuur is a tasty treat.  Chopped mutton and onions fried like a fritter in mutton grease.  These little pies were so delicious.  They were Paula Dean fattening delicious!  The traditional Mongolian dishes are meant to fill and satisfy.  The nomads have a very balanced diet.  The primary reason that so many of their dishes are meat-based or dairy-based is the climate.  The steppe plains are high (almost 1 mile above sea level), dry, windy and very, very cold during the winter.  We're talking -40C at times.  They work hard and burn lots of calories.  The fatty protein diet provides tons of vitamins and energy so they can survive the harsh climate.  This photo of Khuurshuur was borrowed. (Again, I'd gladly give credit, but no info available and in the public domain.)

 

 

 

Traditional Mongolian Khuushuur (Mutton Pies)

 

A lot of the food that I've eaten is what I would call "modern."  While Mongolians put their spin on everything, the dishes are not foreign to my taste buds.  I've had ham, sausage, chicken and beef prepared in a dozen different ways.  Nothing I've eaten has given me gastronomical nightmares.  I've also been very careful about choosing my food.

 

Water

 

The water is unsafe to drink.  The water is unsafe to drink.  Get it?  Even the hotel has signs that say "Do NOT DRINK water from the faucet or unbottled. It will make you ill."  That's clear enough for me!

 

Milk Tea and Koumiss (mare's milk) and Airag (fermented Mare's Milk)

 

So far, I've not been privileged to partake in any of these traditional Mongolian drinks.  But, I still have a few days.  Maybe I'll give it a try when I go back to the countryside on Thursday!  We did stop at a couple of places to see if they had Koumiss, but were out of luck (or in luck depending on your point of view).  I don't think I'll be allowed to leave the country until I've given one of these, er, tasty drinks a go.  I'll let you know about that later.

 

So there you have it.  The food has really been good and the hospitality large.  Mongolians, especially those in the countryside, enjoy entertaining visitors.  They're very open and friendly.  I've tried a little of everything and avoided the dreaded upset traveler's tummy so far.  I really do love the people here.  Traveling in the countryside reminds me of my boyhood days on the family farm in Lancaster, Kentucky.  These people are just good folks!