Gers at our camp and more beautiful clouds

View from our doorstep

Statue of Genghis Khan

Boot - almost 30 ft. high

         Throughout Asia, in particular, you see the swastika symbol. Contrary to its use by Hitler and Nazi Germany, it is a symbol with many positive meanings.

Swastika decoration

Entry to the memorial

Genghis up close and personal from the viewing area atop his horse's head

Closeup of the golden whip

His left side

Entry with a herd of horses passing by

Perspective!

Morin Khuur or horse head fiddle - traditional Mongolian stringed instrument

       After lunch back at the camp we went to the home of a Nomad horse herding family. We sat in the ger of one of the two families that raise and train 50 to 60 racehorses for wealthy Mongolian businessmen.  The families also have about 100 yaks.
        We sat in a ger and our hostess offered us milk tea, cookies, and two things made from cows’ milk.  We learned that the left side of a ger is for the man and he hangs his bridles, saddle, and tools on the walls.  The right side is for the woman and includes the kitchen items.  The door is always on the south side and an altar is opposite the door.  The rope that hangs from the center of the ceiling above the stove is weighted when it is windy to keep the ger from blowing over.  It is looped creating a "belly" and stored in a zigzag like a snake to keep out evil spirits.  Our ger also has this rope above our stove.
        We went outside in the muck and dripping rain to witness the caching of the first year foals and the milking of their mares.  This is a ceremony that we just happened to be able to watch.  The herdsmen use long ropes to lasso the babies, put their first halter on, and tie them to a rope.  They don't like it at all.  A blue cloth is put on the bridle of the firstborn foal.  His mare is the first to be milked.  Four monks came and sat under an umbrella and chanted the rite.  One man walked around the string of foals, three times clockwise, throwing cow's milk over them and then walked three times around carrying incense.  The monks finished and there were more milk tea and snacks passed around.  Then the first foal was led to suckle its mother and then a woman milked the mare.  This will be repeated three to seven times today.  The mare's milk is then made into yogurt or fermented.  It was definitely a unique ceremony to watch.

Camp of the horse herders

Daughter

Cookies, dairy product, and ?

Capturing the colts

The blue sash means he was the year's firstborn foal

They are not happy to be tied up for the first time

Foal on the ground has a splint on its right hind leg

Putting the blue sash on the firstborn foal belonging to the second family - everyone is interested except the foal

Buddhist monks arriving for the ceremony

Monks chanting the blessing

Blessing by sprinkling mare's milk

Incense blessing

More milk tea, cookies, etc.

Milking the mare who is the mother of the firstborn foal

Yaks at the horse herder's farm

Baby yak

Wed., 6/26/13 - Gorkhi-Terelj National Park - Guru Eco Camp - Mongolia's Election Day
            Today we drove north in the park to Turtle Rock.  According to legend the wife of a tribal leader was buried in the rock with all of her jewelry.  The rock was then called "silver rock," until the purge when the government renamed it "turtle rock" to obliterate the old beliefs.  It does look like a huge turtle.  There was a ger where we parked called the Art Shop.  A local family was selling souvenirs.  We bought prayer beads for a friend and two miniature felt gers with beds, a stove, and a picture of GK inside - big spenders! 

Sunrise

Yaks grazing outside our camp

Turtle Rock

Scenery in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park

Interesting way to install electric poles - at least the pole won't rot

This is an ovoo - a pile of stones where you wish for good luck and good health

Bug on a flower