On the Trail of Genghis Khan

Friday 18 June 1999 – Tuesday 22 June 1999                               

From Moron, we travelled south to our next stop, the Great White Lake.  This is part of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park and is situated in a once highly active volcanic region.  The lake itself was formed by lava flows from a volcanic eruption many millions of years ago and is now surrounded by extinct and craterous volcanoes, which provide a great hiking opportunity.  It is also a perfect place to camp; we spent two nights here, relaxing, exploring our surroundings and taking time to reflect on our journey so far.

On the morning we left, we woke up to a landscape white with snow.  It is so true that from one day to the next, you never know what the weather will be in Mongolia; frequently we would be in shorts and t-shirts one day, fleeces, hats and gloves the next.  The weather could change as dramatically and as quickly as the landscape.  For Miga and Damdensuuren, this was eminently normal and they were amused by our surprise and frequent calls for photo stops.  For us it was simply weird and yet one more reason why we enjoyed travelling through this country so much.

By the end of that day, we had reached Kharkhorin (or Karakorum), probably Mongolia’s most famous tourist attraction.  It was here that Chinggis (or  Genghis) Khan decided to place the capital of his vast Mongolian empire in 1220, and here it remained for 40 years until the Mongols conquered China and set up a new capital in Beijing.  Today, nothing remains of the old city of Karakorum; the modern city of Kharkhorin stands in its place and whatever ruins were left of the former capital were used to build the Erdene Zuu monastery back in the 16th century.  This is the largest and most important monastery in Mongolia, and is what attracts visitors to the area today.

Sadly, much of the monastery was destroyed during the Stalinist purges of the 1930's, but in 1990, the monastery became active again and it was here that we not only saw our first Buddhist ceremony but also got to taste our first (and last) bowl of the national drink, airag, or fermented mare’s milk.  There were huge vat-like containers dotted around the monastery brimming with this grey bubbling liquid and it was with great care that we were each ceremoniously offered a bowl.  While Eric downed his in one (!), Pippa took one sip and passed hers over to Miga who seemed more than happy to devour a second bowl.  There’s certainly no accounting for taste!

From Kharkhorin, we made our way further south towards Orkhon to visit a well-known waterfall.  We camped overnight at a place called Khujirt, which is noted for its hot mineral springs and is a spa resort popular with Mongolians from all over the country.  Sadly, Eric could not be persuaded to take a mud bath so we continued on the next morning directly to Orkhon.  Although we had had a considerable amount of rain, the road was still passable and we arrived by mid-morning to take in the amazing spectacle of this natural beauty spot.  Size-wise, Orkhon is relatively small but it is the setting and surrounding landscape that make it so spectacular.  We spent the day there, taking photos and admiring the scenery and it will always be, for both of us, one of the most memorable days of our lives.