Uuhai!

Uuhai!  (or hooray!)  That's what the crowd shouts out when the archer hits their mark.  In Mongolia it's a bit different, it's not about hitting a bullseye.   In Mongolia the goal is to knock down 33 "surs" or smaller targets (a little bit like angry birds - but with arrows instead of birds).  Each team has four arrows to get to the 33.

While classified as a manly sport - women do compete in archery (as seen here).  Not pictured here, but we all tried our hands at this - trust me harder than in looks. 

Bökh or Mongolian Wrestling

First off, we really have to talk about the outfits.  Let's start with the Jodag - or the jacket.  The legend goes that it is open because once a great wrestler defeated all and then ripped open the jodag to reveal she was a woman.   From then on the jodag had to be open (this is a manly sport after all).   When wrestlers are defeated, their opponent unties the jodag to show that they are out. 

You also have the shuudag - I'd call them briefs.  They are small and tight to keep the opponent from getting a good grip and prevents tripping.

Then you've got the boots - or the gutal.  And last, but certainly not least - you've got the hat. It's a little hard to tell, but the hat is knotted at the top - it's supposed to symbolize power and frighten away enemies.   And, let's face it - it's super cute on these two little guys.

But let's talk about the actual matches.  While we watched a few rounds at the stadium, it was much easier to figure out on tv. 

Here are the basics.  There aren't any any weight classes or time limits

You are out if your knee, elbow or for that matter your entire upper body touches the ground.   It seems (we tried to figure this out on our own - so you might not want to quote me) that the longer the round goes the more places they are allowed to grab.  After so much time both wrestlers can grab onto the jodag - and if they still can't get each other out - there is some grabbing of the shuudag. 

Then there is the dance.  Generally they imitate falcons or a phoenix, and will circle the standards in celebration before taking on the next opponent.

It really is something to be seen.

Naadam Opening Ceremonies

The opening ceremonies for Naadam kicks off the three days of festivities.  We were told right from the beginning that there the pagentry alone was worth the effort.  I should say that this was one of the hottest tickets in town.  And honestly, it was a bit of a trick trying to get them.  The standards (pictured to the right) are made of horse hair and they are brought in to signal the official start of the games.

 As I mentioned, tickets were a bit tricky - but thanks to very good Mongolian friends we were able to secure tickets.  I'm not certain that my pictures here really capture it, but suffice it to say it was a great parade of many of the traditional Mongolian costumes and dances.

You'll also notice in the pictures that there performers all have outstretched arms - this is a very old, very traditional Mongolian greeting.  Essentially the entire party was welcoming the crowd before the games.

One of the biggest cheers went to the Mongolian Olympians - sports (especially the manly kind) are taken very seriously here.

Naadam - the three manly sports

So, I've been promising for some time to post a bit about Naadam.  It's quite the event in UB and throughout Mongolia.  Since it's based on the three manly sports of wrestling, archery and horseracing and I have a thousand pictures (won't bore you will all of them) - I thought I'd break it into a couple of different posts.  Let's start out with a bit of history....

Naadam is the most widely watched festival in the country, and has existed for centuries in one fashion or another. Originally it was a religious festival as an annual sacrificial ritual honouring various mountain gods and to celebrate a community endeavour. Now it formally commemorates the 1921 revolution when Mongolia declared itself a free country.

History aside - it was good fun and a little bit nuts a little like Mongolia. 

BRRRRR......

It's sort of like Mongolia wanted one last parting shot.  It seems that they've turned off the hot water again.  Not planned, no timeline for when it will be fixed.  So if I have 4 days until I head out of here, it begs the question of whether or not I'll have 4 days of cold showers. 

An interesting look at UB

So, I've been terribly remiss in posting lately.  Partly - it's because my time in Mongolia is almost up and I've been trying to finish a number of things - and partly because I can't seem to get the internet to work at my apartment.   Infrastructure can be incredibly frustrating here.  Sometimes a plug will work, sometimes it won't.  Sometimes the water runs a lovely rust colored orange, sometimes not.  It's just hard to tell.

I was sent a link to a video that talk a bit about some of these issues - and gives a fairly good look at the city.  It was interesting to watch - as I've been to most of the places shown - if you let me I'm sure I'll bore you with my own narrated version once I get back.

Before the link, the one thing that I should definitely say is that I have been very, very lucky living where I do and having access to services - as you'll see it's not always the case.

With that, here's the link: http://www.mad-mongolia.com/news/mongolia-news/ulaanbaatar-infrastructure-10975/ 

And - I'll spend sometime posting this weekend about Naadam and a few other bits.

Remember the care package?

You know - the one that was being held hostage by customs.  Well, I have to admit defeat.  I've been beaten by the customs agent.  Definitely disappointing.

A somewhat long story short:  because of the declared value, it has to go through several additional steps to actually get the package.  The attorneys at the company had been trying to get an appointment to start the process.  Because they had so little luck, I went out to customs with Burnee to try and get the package. 

What we learned there after standing in 5 lines over the course of 3 hours (I could see the package but wasn't allowed to touch it) was that because of the declared value on the package: UPS has the provide the manifest, each item has to be inspected and the cost evaluated, then the tax is assessed on the value around 15% - 25% of the total value.  Then the custom charges kick in which are based on the amount of shipping, the value that they assess it to be and the difference that might be with what was declared, etc. etc. 

Because it’s Naadam (big national holiday here) we can’t even begin the first of the 7 steps (I didn’t outline them all here – and I got confused not sure it’s actually 7 at this point) – until July 18^th or 19^th when the proper custom official returns from holiday.  It can take several weeks to go through all the steps at which time – I’ll likely be back in the US and because it has my name on it – no one else on the team could pick it up.  So…  I asked them to ship it back. Ok – not so short but I feel a bit better after the rant.   And - a complete bummer that we didn't get to enjoy it. 

Aryabal Monastery

We all had a burst of energy after a lazy afternoon by the river - and we decided to hike up to the Aryabal Monestery.  It's a decent way up the mountain, but there are a few things to stop and see along the way. 

It is really quite a lovely jaunt.

One of the things I liked least was that you had to cross a rope bridge over a fairly deep ravine.  It doesn't hold more than 2 or 3 people at a time - and the boards from the bridge pop up depending how you step.  Not terribly comforting as you are crossing.

 After the hike up the hill, and crossing the bridge - then you hit the stairs.  It looks like a bit more here, but there are exactly 109.  Our driver/guide said that the number was important - but didn't seem to know why.

 And the view you are rewarded with once you've made it.  I made the mistake of wearing very wrong shoes.  It started raining on the way down and trying to stay upright was definitely the most challenging part of the trip.

The altar inside the monastery.  For 3000 MNT (about $2.50) you can take pictures.  Even so, it seemed a bit weird to pull out the camera.  I did take a couple.

I believe I've confessed my lack of knowledge about Buddhism, but this is one of the spots where you can leave an offering.  

 Prayer wheel. 

Picnic

One of the things we've learned is that it helps if you get out of the city - even if it's just for the day.  Last Sunday a few of us hired a car (you might remember that we aren't allowed to drive) and drove out a bit to Terejl.  It's a national park that isn't too far away from the city, but what a difference 40 kilometers makes.

The water is freakishly chilly, but Nathalie braved it to keep the drinks cold.

This guy however seemed to be tempting fate.  The river was pretty high but he decided to cross it - on an air mattress no less.  With some careful balancing and a whole lot of determination, he made it across the river.

Just hanging out enjoying the day - Raj, Emma and Jared. 

My fellow Americans....

So this little adventure in Mongolia has led to a lot of firsts - like my first 4th of July outside of the US.  It was incredibly weird to go to work for example. In a lot of ways it was like any other work day with one exception....  lots of congratulations.  Let me explain.  First you probably need a bit of context - there aren't very many Americans here.  A few, but while there are lots of folks from the UK and Austrailia, not a ton from the US. So people tend to know if you are American.

The other thing is that independence is still fiercely celebrated in Mongolia (first their independence from China and then becoming a democracy).  I have never been congratulated more for doing nothing more than being lucky in where I was born.  That said, I even got the Brits to celebrate. (Although as you can see by Adam's expression - he's not thrilled)

 I mentioned in an earlier post that I had too many party supplies that I didn't want to go to waste - that plus sparklers and you have the 4th of July.  I had great intentions of trying to barbeque - but that was a degree of difficulty that I just couldn't seem to manage on a school night.

Even with some pizza and drinks - folks got into the spirit.  Baika went a little crazy with the sparklers!

 And we had a few treats - some standbys - apple pie (ordered - I didn't try to bake), a cake and the crazy and fabulous flag made out of strawberries.  Now that was a hit.

In addition, Joe did a great job with the music mix some tracks:
"Born in the USA"
"Achy Breaky Heart"
"Proud to be an American"
and a proud selection of bubble gum pop.  The crew here knows me well.

Here is Taylor proudly with her cake.  While the other folks were up for a party - it takes an American girl to get properly excited about a flag on a cake.

Now, please do enjoy a few pictures from the festivities.

Sparklers!  Who doesn't love them!  Plus a bonus - we didn't burn the building down.

 Seriously - probably a dumb thing to have fire in an apartment building.

 A better shot of the berry-cool flag (see what I did there?)

Too bad no one like it.  :)

It was great - and everyone was fantastic in helping me bring a little bit of home to UB.

Election Day - Mongolian-style.

Many of you might know about the tradition of going bowling on Election Day - really it's because there is not much you can do except wait for the results to come in.  While were weren't actually campaigning for anyone or any party - we have been paying attention to the election for a couple of reasons.  First, during the campaign there was a whole lot of talk about limiting foreign investment (working with a foreign company making investments - you tend to pay attention).  And second, after the last election there was a bit of unrest (read: riot) where and I'm not kidding about this - people on horseback were shooting arrows at the parliament building.  Unfortunately in 2008, things got a bit out of control and five people were killed. So, let's be honest - there was a fair amount of angst about that.

The good news is that things went reasonably well and while there is some grumbling about the election results (which happens in lots of places) - things have remained calm.

A stable transition of government power shouldn't be taken lightly and it's something that I'm increasingly grateful for. But back to bowling....

When I brought it up - people thought I was nuts.  But by the time election day came - we even had the CEO (seen to the right) out with us bowling a few frames. 










Here is Oggi after getting yet another strike....  I think he might have spent some time practicing beforehand.  He ended up winning (he beat me by 3 pins).  At the party afterward, I told a great tale about being a good consultant and not getting those last three pins in the spirit of client relations.  Unfortunately, we all know that I'm way too competative for that - I just choked.  Bummer - but the story sounds a lot better.

Houston, Joe, Uyanga, Adam and Cameron

 After bowling, folks gathered at my place to watch the results.  Unfortunately the results never came...  chalk it up to a new system.  We were told at 8 that we'd have results at 9, at 9 that we'd have an update by 10:30, at 11:00 it was announced that we'd have something by 12:30... and so it went until 1:45 am - where we all gave up and finally got the initial results at 3:30 pm the next day.  Good times....

One of the most interesting twists to election day in Mongolia is that it's dry.  We had varied reports, but it seems there was a five day ban on liquor sales.  One day before and four days after.

Amar, Houston, Liv, Joe, Uyanga, Adam and Mark's back

Luckily for the team - I'm a good planner.  Maybe too good, because now I need to have a 4th of July party to get rid of some of my stock.

Happy, Stable Election Day!

Oggi, Adam, Lkhamaa, Liv and Joe

Huddled around waiting for results.

Tersen edriin bayar hurgeye Lkhamaa!

Ok, in theory that says  - Happy Birthday, Lkhamaa!  But let's face it - I really have no idea. A couple of weeks ago (we've been busy and I haven't had a chance to post) the lovely Miss Lkhamaa invited me to her birthday celebration.  It was a lovely evening with some fabulous ladies (more on that below).

We went to the wine house for dinner, and I had the opportunity to meet Lkhamaa's lifelong friends.  One thing is universal - conversations are always lively with any group that has been together this long - the flowing vodka didn't hurt either.  Despite a lot of the chat being in Mongolian - these ladies are so animated that I didn't really need translation.

Zulaa and Aryunaa looking on as Lkhamaa opens her gifts.

The other Aryunaa and Enk - while we were still on wine.

Hanging in the Gobi Desert

Despite the car picking me up for the airport at 4:15 am to head out - Lkhamaa (Mongolian colleague) and I spent a great day in the Gobi.  We were taking an international interest group on a photo tour.  I have to say, not a bad way to spend a day.

So, after lunch we set off to see what there was to see.  We stopped to take some pictures of camels, peacocks - and just see the sites.

But then, our lovely driver Pagi thought it would be great to show us this natural spring. So we headed off road.  And...  well you can see.  (I'm actually really starting to worry if I'm a jinx - because being stranded is starting to be the norm.)  It was a bit over 90 degrees - so hot but not dire and we had water so we figured we were ok.  Oh - that and you could see the main road from where we got stuck and we were about an hour's walk to the town. 

Still, getting stranded in the desert is no laughing matter.  Except maybe for the bit where Lkhamaa and I actually thought we might be

able to push the car out of the sand. That was hilarious.

Instead of sitting in the heat, we decided instead to grab oodles of water and just hike to the spring. 

Only flaw in the plan was my sunscreen and hat were in my backpack at the camp.  Let's say this...  I did a great impression of a lobster - ouch.

So after a bit of a walk and many lizzard and bug pictures along the way - we finally made it to the rocks.  Oh did I mention that Pagi stayed with the car and Lkhamaa and I were leading these poor innocent people on this trek?  Neither of us had really any idea where we were going - but really - what could go wrong?

I could credit my sense of direction, but I would say it was more than a bit of blind luck, but we found the spring.  And it might have even seemed like we knew what we were doing.  We spent about a 1/2 hour here and then headed back.  By the time we got back the car was back on the road and ready to take us on to the next stop. 
This is the river bed near Khanbogd (pronounced hanbod).  See, the original plan was to hike this river bed - so we set out again.  While we were still without suncreen - I managed to steal a hat out of the car so while I remained the color of a Coke can it didn't get any worse. 

Definitely a memorable and fabulous day!



Black Market

This is the Black Market.  You don't really ask where things come from - it seems that the shipping containers just appear and the crates are unloaded. 

I went with my pal, Nathalie, because at least 27 people will tell you not to go there alone.  There are also the standard warning of watching your bags, keeping and eye of your stuff, etc., etc.  Actually - it's not really scary - just pickpockets.

We left relatively unscathed - and got some decent deals on a few things.

 You can get a ton of stuff here.  We went pretty early before it got too crowded. 

Traditional clothes, bolts of fabric - you name it.  I got a cheese grater which I was super excited about - until I used it and something (couldn't tell what) came off with the cheese.  I decided it was probably better to spend a little bit more money in the interest of food safety.

Come on...  we all knew that this would be here.  Chinggis on wool is like Elvis on velvet....

But my very best purchase of the day!  Chairs for the balcony.  I have to say - I felt like they were quite the bargain - 15,000 MNT (or about $10) for each.  They had solid colored chairs - but they were four times as much!  Besides - these had cup holders.  You can take the girl out of Idaho, but you can't take Idaho out of the girl...

Lucky for me - it's a beautiful day to sit outside and hang with Chinggis.*


*It's hard to see in this picture, but there is Chinggis' face done in white rocks in the mountain side.  Can't help it - I sort of love it.