The road to our guesthouse – seen in the background…
… and the rickety pedestrian bridge to get to town.
The view from our guesthouse room.
A visit to the Choijin Lama temple…
… with lots of prayer wheels.
An enormous prayer wheel.
A very Soviet-era plaque.
A statue of Zorig who led a student uprising in 1990 which ultimately resulted in a democratic government.
The Zaisan Memorial, built by the Russians to commemorate ‘unknown soldiers and heroes’ from various wars.
View of one end of the Ulaanbataar valley.
Largest equestrian statue in the world – 46m high…
Made of stainless steel, it is truly immense and impressive…
… and dominates the landscape.
In the same building is this enormous Mongolian boot!
On a drive through the countryside, we saw these camels taking a rest…
… and this yak.
We had a car and driver one day and this was one of the sights he took us to.
The wild flowers were pretty.
Another buddhist temple out in the countryside.
… on the way, these huge symbols are painted on the cliff face.
… and more.
The Mongolians still use eagles to hunt prey…
… its wingspan was impressive.
During our stay, we got to attend the Opening Ceremony for the Naadam Games in Ulaanbataar, Mongolia.
The Opening Ceremony for the Naadam Games.
The warriors with their shields take to the field…
… the shields are then used to form a protective barrier.
The young girls in traditional costume.
Boys and girls representing the land force during the Communist era.
A celebration of the old trucks – once again, from the Soviet era.
The Opening Ceremony for the Naadam Games
The Opening Ceremony for the Naadam Games
The Opening Ceremony for the Naadam Games
Wrestling was very impressive – a huge knock-out competition with 500+ competitors…
No rings – just tussling on the grass, each bout lasting a few minutes…
Lots of sparring followed by furious activity, then the winner does a little victory dance – and advances to the next round.
Archery – uses traditional recurve bows…
…to knock down 100cm cylindrical baskets set at a 50-60 meter range. Note the umpires – unafraid of being hit!
The skill and accuracy was remarkable for both the male and female competitors.
The skill and accuracy was remarkable for both the male and female competitors.
The competitors wear their traditional costume…
The competition is held on grounds quite close to the city.
The horse racing involves a number of different events but mainly racing over a 30-40 km course set on the steppes 40 km out of town…
Most of the riders were children aged anything from 4-13 years old, many riding bareback.
A gentle canter to the start line – a long way…
… and they’re on their way!
A Mongolian family enjoying a day out.
There were also camel races – and the gers in the background offered snacks and refreshments.
The ger is a substantial arrangement…
Inside a ger, the women prepare “hursure” – our best attempt at interpreting this snack.
… a fried “tortilla” stuffed with mincemeat of various sorts.
Drink? Why, fermented mares milk, of course! Prepared in plastic barrels…
It tasted a bit like unsweetened drinking yoghurt with a large dash of vodka. Revolting!
The vendor thought our disgust was hilarious! It is obviously an acquired taste…
Knucklebone shooting – a skilful team sport where each shooter flicks a shaped bone at a target of bones.
The target. This shooter was down to two bones…
The player about to shoot – each shot was preceded by a type of melodious throat-singing as encouragement.
An exciting game being watched by both the teams – and a crowd of spectators.
Sükhbaatar Square is dominated by an enormous statue of Ghenghis Khan.
With ceremonial guards in their colourful uniforms.
There were cultural events held in the central city square…
Concerts were well attended, particularly by rural Mongolians enjoying a visit to their capital.
Folk dancing and national costume.
Folk dancing and national costume.
A parade of people representing their towns – and their traditional costumes…
A parade of people representing their towns – and their traditional costumes…
A parade of people representing their towns – and their traditional costumes…
A parade of people representing their towns – and their traditional costumes…
A parade of people representing their towns – and their traditional costumes…
A parade of people representing their towns – and their traditional costumes…
A parade of people representing their towns – and their traditional costumes…
A parade of people representing their towns – and their traditional costumes…
A parade of people representing their towns – and their traditional costumes…
A parade of people representing their towns – and their traditional costumes…
A parade of people representing their towns – and their traditional costumes…
We were pleased when they posed for photos.
It is very obvious that they are justly proud of the heritage.
In the city, this was a statue in a children’s playground.
The traffic lights were a delight – with a horseman…
… and an archer!
Traditional – and modern.
Inside a residential ger.
