Mongolia X Journal 17 // There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. – The Buddha // Nomads, Gers and Happiness

The Buddha – “There is no way to happiness  Happiness is the way.”

After visiting the Nomads at Eden, I left with experiences from the edges of the Earth. Family life is centered in their Ger tent, the steel pot stove is their hearth, warmth and life is a shared experience here, not broken, not compartmentalized like it is in cities, houses, apartments and the concrete blocks where most people now live. We turned back the clock, summer time in Mongolia is set on the Sun’s two revolutions of two months I traveled and the world continued to spin memories and experiences webbed into the grains of my mind. I have seen a family each passing day, along grassy plains where the Earth’s strata is worn thin in a series of months when goats, sheep, yak and horses tramp and feed while the green warmth of summer snaps a glimpse back at the world.

I visit a family, the children run wild and happy and carefree barefoot, the mother takes her youngest to her breast to feed, the children have a red ball we kick around outside for friendly soccer, the husband returns leaving his grazing flock of goats and sheep to pasture, lights a cigarette and relaxes at the back of the Ger on carpet mats, behind him are ornately carved and brightly colored wooden chests containing the family possessions, a picture frame holds important family memories, friends and a few distant locations locked in time. I sit to the left, leaving my shoes over the linoleum mat at the entrance of the Ger,. Sitting and taking swills of  “chai woo”, a salted goats milk with herbs boiled in a large kettle pot above the steel stove, the pipe penetrates skyward and leaves a stream of white smoke signals that the family is home for the evening. The father leaves, takes his horse into the night. The children gather round the fire, it’s stoked by their mother, long black hair and chiseled features, arms of daily work carved and suntanned, they prepare noodles, rolling and cutting dough in strips, she adds a potato and onion that are hashed and added to the boil, we sip goats milk and they add to mine when it runs low. The sky darkens outside, winds wisp the pot stove chimney, and plastic tarps crack against the felt roof covering of the Ger. Night arrives and I go outside, to see stars, watching out for the dogs, a yelp in the night.  I retire for the rest of the night under headlamp to read and scribble notes into pages and mark the day on my map. The cycle and cycle of daily life traveling in Mongolia is good.

I am headed northwest, clicking the chain along cassettes and cogs with 175mm crank arms supporting revolutions, it’s steady as I bump along, these Ortlieb Classic panniers clunk against the aluminum flat racks. I’ve tied the rope that Mining entrepreneur Egee Enkhbat had given me after leaving his camp near Tuul River. I severed the rope in equal lengths and tied the panniers to the racks to stop the slap and constant collision with the carriers I’ve built using simple aluminum attached with steel U-bolts, and dozens of industrial PVC zip ties. After 4000km of Asia, my equipment is enduring well.  Names like Ortlieb, Mavic, Schwalbe, North Face, Sony, Topeak, and Arteryx among others provide the water-proofing, the reliable wheel turns, tires impenetrable to burrs and broken glass piles around the Ovoo, a reliable tent, cameras that recharge while I ride, a handy Alien tool, and the Goretex exterior that originated with Rob Hill on the 7 summits series around the world, it now provides what little protection I have from wind, rain and biting flies, I use it as a survival jacket for all conditions. Stretches of grass toward the horizons rise or fall, with 40,000 meters of mountain altitude change ahead, I track towards Siberian borders where a fresh water lake awaits. Maps and GPS guiding lights during 8 hour days of movement, tracking and trekking over mountain peaks on foot, it’s too steep to cross over on 18 or 20% grades when I am reaching the peaks.  While far removed as this location is in Mongolia from the meandering bends and smooth pavement that is familiar inside the Himalayas, this course is brutal. I enjoy mountain bike travel and seeing these scenes, meeting Nomads in their environment, so I soak up the majestic vistas over plateaus while delaying pains of traveling the harsh dirt course. I dream of McDonald’s coming around the the next bend, it isn’t happening. No western oasis, just a herd of goats crossing my path northward, a lone rider on his horse who raises an arm like a toothpick pointing to the blue skies, swirling white pillow clouds wisp away and I turn facing the sun, the mighty glow of power too distance to show the end of this brief journey. I have time for two sun revolutions to reach the far west of Mongolia, and energy stored up in 15kg of extra body weight I gained since last winter, I have protein and vitamins, hydration powder as well, a few chunks of “arroz” cheese and feel no hunger here, no matter how long I ride. When the sun sets, the dirt tracks grow wild, shadows and holes, I come to the end of a page and turn out the lights somewhere beyond the tracks, to stealth camp, where stars light up the scenes of rolling terrain, takhi horses appear and disappear where they came, rare to see,  while domestic horses run together thoroughbreds with glistening hair and spring in every step. Another day has passed me, a day before with Mongolian Nomads, a day later camped remote with moonlight and rocks around my perch between mountain peaks. I light up the orange dome of my North face Tadpole 2 wearing against the weather, nightly rain patters outside and winds whip the rain cover until I go outside and tighten the stakes. I read a few pages from the Lonely Planet guide identifying places that I missed, or places I will discover ahead. I look forward to the next province, the next destination, more calculated risk, the unexpected happiness and the hard graft of getting from here to there – begins again tomorrow.

Up ahead is another civilization, a place with connections to the outside world. I will update my family, reconnect with mobile signals and find some ice cream and beer. Between the start a week ago, what I have witnessed is the way human civilization hasn’t changed mostly in centuries. This sustainable nomadic life is tough, beautiful and better connected to the life pulse of Earth without destroying it. Here scattered in empty grasslands, doors are unlocked, families are out and about with their daily work. Here I have my own job to do as I navigate alone, sometimes I feel lonely witnessing the tremendous connections in these families, but I have family of my own elsewhere in Asia, and here I am welcomed too.

Happiness is the way, I think Buddha was definitely right. Thank you for visiting the X Journals from Mongolia!   I wrote these journals while traveling overland in Outer Mongolia by mountain bike.
More adventure is coming soon!!!! (:

Mongolia X Journal 10 // Landed in Eden // Campfire Song and a Nomadic Herder // Mountain biking in the lands of Genghis Khan

Undoubtedly one of the best sections of the course across Mongolia, was reaching “Eden” – a vast green Steppe grassland area with trimmed forest mountain tops, white Ger tents, their Nomads and flocks of goats, sheep and horses. My ankles are pulsing with pain right now, the swelling after days of punishing climbs too rocky to ride up. It’s the reality in a dream destination like this, to encounter some unforgiving days of physical torture that leaves the lungs stronger and ankles a bit worse for the wear.

“I think I’ve found “Eden.” This place is beautiful, completely awe-inspiring beauty in land and people.”

This spectacular location scenery is lush and full carpeted grassland. Sitting back in front of my Northface tadpole tent, I am spotting herds of sheep and goats, represented by white and black dots across the gentle slope of smoothed out mountains. I am camped between these panoramic sloping hills beneath sliced forests a kilometer away from Ger clans. Distant sheep and goat are tracking in formation as they munch their  way across Steppe. Slow movement is urged by distant honking and rumble of a Herder on a small single-bore motorcycle. Some have remained true to their roots in pastorialism, and keep their beautiful horses fit while herding flocks of up to 300 sheep and goats in a healthy stock. All seems perfect and serene for these Nomads living on the land without ownership. Nomads have learned these sustainable practices which are now foreign to the rest of us in the developed world of the West. However, there is one serious threat to this perfection in life forces at work here. Nature’s mighty weather and climate changes, can in a single season wipe this serenity off the face of these pristine inhabited plains.

Today, I am very fortunate to come across a Youth group and their Elders from Erdenet. They have a large camp  being setup while I am silently cycling past on these dirt tracks. Every hand in their group was pitching together to prepare a night of evening festivities. I am the lone wolf out here now.

Although I am tempted to make more distance today, I just put my head down and cycled further for a few minutes. I do not know what is waiting around the next bend or mountain climb to pass ahead. I just know there will be many. I’m tired and my ankles are swollen now, I need a serious rest. What’s ahead, could be anything from what I have encountered the first 7 days, another arid desert-Steppe plateau or will it be rocky and steep, anyone knows.  As I’m climbing toward this steep pitch of the dirt tracks, I turned to look back just before crossing over the horizon. What I can see is a flame flickers out of their wood, a campfire is getting started with light twists of smoke rising into the blue.

I turned and kept pedaling up the mountain for 2 minutes of exertion  I’m ready to collapse and wouldn’t let that “fire” leave my mind, I had not seen one anywhere, and I knew I wouldn’t see another “open fire” again for days. Mongolian Nomads cook on stoves with wood or animal dung, they wouldn’t waste it burning fuel without heating their homes and cooking at the same time. I turned back, pedaled hard for a few minutes and rode over to greet them.

At first, one university student didn’t like my presence at all, looking disagreeable about my visit, “You can’t stay here, goodbye.” I waited and tried to speak to others standing nearby. And when others came around, I explained what I was doing -quite simple, “I’m mountain biking across Mongolia for the summer and needed a safe place to camp for the night.” The rest of their group were agreeable, and I went over and found a spot to pitch my tent away from their circles. It turned out to be a fabulous night after all. A night of two campfires, meeting their Elders and all the Youth together, we sipped shot glasses of vodka, listened to music, the group sang traditional Mongolian song, again I was reminded, this is Eden. It was awesome and a welcomed huge relief.

Their Elders asked that I sit directly in front of them during the ceremony and accept the gifts of candy, sweets and drinks of salted goat milk that they offered me. I graciously accepted their offerings, reflecting, it was a stunning situation. I even drank “airag” or horse milk that was partially fermented and enjoyed it too.We stayed up late, we had the warm campfires, some student went off with my Cygolite 350 lumen to light up the camp and help others with cleaning up, the rest of us drank vodka in surprising shots from nowhere, as they slipped behind me as I filmed our fire. It was heavenly, and I went back and retired for a goodnight’s rest.

The next morning, the group packed earlier than I had even remotely planned to. Given the severity of of my anklescondition,I would give it another day here that wouldn’t hurt my summer schedule at all. I pushed extremely hard starting out and made good progress for the first 7 days without stopping except an overnight camp each night. I took the surroundings in, the safety and comfort of the green pasture land replacing the vacant deserted Steppe deserts I had just climbed out of days earlier – time for a break. I’m glad I did, except for the sunburn on my right leg, when I collapsed into a comatose in the late afternoon, my thigh cooked like a roasted wiener on a spit.  The weather was serene, although I do wonder in way worry about the conditions that all Mongolian Herders will inevitably face each year in the dead of winters.

Terrible situations can come from Mother Nature. These Nomads reflect introspection, gentleness of their people on their lands. Mongolians take care of their people, hosting other Nomad travelers.

They take care of their animals and are gentle on their land. Weather, however, can have adverse affects to their enduring and enchanted way of life on the Steppe. There are different severe winter conditions classified in Mongolia, depending on freeze/thaw droughts, heavy snowfall, or other factors – known as Dzud.  The 2009/2010 winter was one roughest on record for Mongolians, where an enormous amount of snowfall (200-600mm) covered the Steppe grassland, burying the grassland which is feed for millions of grazing livestock animals. As a result of this Dzud, it had devastating effect on Nomadic herders and their families losing a combined 2.1 million animals (sheep, goat, horse, cattle and camels) devastating their sustainable way of life which has endured into the modern times. Alternatively, many Herders who lost more than 1/2 of their flock resorted to urbanization as the solution, moving their Ger tents closer to the peripheral Ger districts of Ulaanbaatar, a city already teeming with development issues. The National Geographic Magazine wrote on this subject in their October 2011 issue located here.

Despite the recent climatic changes which devastated Mongolia Nomadic herding and affected families, these people are survivors and despite economic and climatic challenges being faced each year, they remain some of the warmest people in one of the coldest and remote places on Earth.

Today, I am recovering from 7 hard days mountain biking across the Steppe, a landscape as ever changing as the weather here – I’ve seen rain and sunshine, high wind and scorching sun. This variable topography is like nothing I have seen moving with mountain biking. Mountains and valley transform into plateaus and these crossings (Davaa, Mongolian) are the Great Divide of Central Asia. Regional borders have been drawn on maps, divided into 21 provinces (aimags, a Mongolian word used that means “tribe”). Most start traveling from the capital Ulaanbatar which is in the central province inside Tov Province. The harsh and breathtaking scenes witnessed while overland traveling through Mongolia are the countries main attractions, as are the Herder Nomads and their flocks of sheep, goat, yak, horse and camel – and a guard dog at every Ger village. I have grown accustomed to these animals and notice that goats are bold creatures, they will come right up to my tent, try to sniff or chew on a cable or pull the ropes staked in the hard ground supporting my tent’s rain cover. I can also hide up in the hills, isolated from view of others, and keep myself stocked up on water supply – the most essential piece of equipment.

A Nomad with a horse appears along the horizon, we greet one another in Mongolian, and seem to make a great connection today. I can’t walk so well, or don’t want to – my ankles are swollen and they need some rest. He joins me for figs and raisins, we sit in the sun and through Mongolian and body language – he demonstrates his skill for directing a herd of 200 goats and sheep through a pasture about 600 meters away. He whistles and he chants “Ack! Ack!” and these herds wandering over the stream in the valley between us and the larger mountains (Ikh Uul – large mountains), we watch them cross back over in order. These flocks are obedient and flow across the lush green pastures, a truly beautiful smooth movement of animals through an undulating landscape that someone painted green in portrait. He whistled and pointed to his two top teeth, they were replacement artificials, as he explained in body language and Mongolian that he had fallen off a horse on a hard dirt track and lost them. He couldn’t whistle without them and had them made. He also explained to me that he called the flocks back from their pasture across a river in the valley because he said the word “Chono, or pronounced “Chun” in the video I made while we sat together. He imitated an animal stalking it’s prey that I couldn’t figure out at first, thinking he meant another herder would steal his sheep, or I suggested it was a vulture. After some reflection on my journal and internet research, I know it was the wolf.

Thanks for reading my private journals written while mountain biking across Mongolia. More adventures are coming soon!

Outer Mongolia by Time Lapse Photography

For anyone who has experienced travel in outer Mongolia. 

Once you visit and travel outer Mongolia, you will know that some experiences can change you in ways that others destinations on holidays cannot. The Earth in it’s organic form, mixed with domesticated horses, sheep, goats, yaks and camels and the people, Nomadic and living in tents on the surface of the arid grassland Steppe – is all an incredible and raw world of experience -is Mongolia.

From a mountain bike [photos below] I gained valuable insights into life far outside my comfort zone. While Nomad Mongolians have existed for centuries on these pasture lands located between Russia, China and outer Mongolia’s western Kazakh populations living just hundreds of kilometers from Kazakhstan [photo 1] their land is deeply connected to their daily life survival.

Through a collection of videos, I hope to share more of the experiences others shared while in this geographical and culturally rich landscape. I hope to return one day, but for now – I have lasting memories that have already began to change the way I see contrasts throughout the world around me.

End of the journey. A felt a huge sigh of relief completing the solo expedition in Mongolia this summer. After visiting with Mongol Rally drivers, motorcyclists, and other overland travellers like Dimitri the Russian American from New York putting down a cup of Ghenghis Gold Vodka (half way), I refilled my spirits in Olgii with more travellers after a few days recovering just before completing the expedition in Bayan-Olgii Province. 

I made it. With a mountain bike, a few bags of equipment, a tent, a sleeping bag, a sleeping mat, water bottles with 9L capacity (taking on two 1.5L bottles on the front panniers) and at the end, I had run out of nearly everything I was carrying, at times it was water, antibiotics, powered protein for two months, multivitamin mega-packs, dried Mongolian “arroz” cheese shared by Nomad families and returned to a family with 6 children much without their own provisions, and the Nutella I scraped clean with my bare fingers, even my knife which I gave to a Dörvöd Mongolian on the final stretch to Altai Mountains wedged between Russia’s Siberia and China’s western frontiers. I had been ill from some contaminated streams that all the local children were using between sits with boiled (and healthier) chai-woo, their salted milk tea made from local stream water, goat or yaks milk and herbs. The days 8-12 hours grew longer with the bike, either ridden or trekked while pushing the cycle alongside me.

At times, it felt like an increasingly difficult journey alone with a mountain bike. 

Not that it ever felt impossible because I was always too close to the land, near to the Mongolian people and their flocks of animals. The organic lands, the distant dirt tracks that end at Altai Taven-Bogd National Park 2499km distant from my start in the capital of Ulaanbaatar was overwhelming and inviting at the same time. 

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The MongoliaX2012 expedition completed was 4 times as long as the Mongolian Bike Challenge, MBC 2012

2499km of expedition mountain bike touring is probably XXX times more difficult carrying all my own supplies (50 kilogram mountain bike, camping and repair/spare equipment, powder supplements, medicine, clothing, electronics) without support vehicles or riding partners to share the experience and difficulties with. It was an “up at dawn, get your pants on and ride, walk or trek today’ kind of expedition, time not critical but distances on off road terrain and jeep track conditions completely variable in different weather and topographic conditions. I am a believer in adventure touring, and adventure racing too,both styles are incredible adventures.More about adventure MTB endurance events, Mt. Nandadevi Expedition Race is set to launch in November of 2012, and the registration is currently open – more info here.

Indian Himalayan 2012 Mt. Nandadevi Expedition Race is coming up November 24-December 1, 2012, details at the links provided and a great event to get started – it’s fresh and new, cheaper by the dozens of global adventure races available today (I will share a list soon). Mt. Nandavevi Mountain Bike Expedition is a multi-staged endurance race crossing 635 Kilometers located along the Himalayas of northern India. Since the first annual Mt. Nandadevi race event is set to launch in November of this year, it’s also one of the least expensive of global endurance MTB events and is set to launch with over $25,000 in prize money and new sponsors coming forward (including Ambrosio wheels, Oakley eyewear, and others joining the race movements). Looks exciting and inviting too!

We name the event 1st Mt. NANDADEVI INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKING EXPEDITION and dedicated to India’s Second highest mountain NANDADEVI. This will be a bi annual expedition starting this November.

Mt. NANDADEVI INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKING EXPEDITION is all set unveil on coming 23rd November 2012 in Uttrakhand (www.uk.gov.in). This event will start from Dehradun the capital of Uttrakhand and will end at Auli.

Starting on 23rd Nov 2012 to till 1st of December this stage race of 9 great days will criss cross Gharwal area of Uttrkhand State. 12365 feet is the highest point you will touch en-route where you can take a close view of great Nandadevi Mountain. Each night of the event will showcases different Gharwali Cultural performances by local village and a dance performance by a noted Odissi dancer on the day of closing ceremony.

Mt. Nandadevi International Mountain Biking Expedition (MNIMBE) is an endurance mountain bike race during which each athlete will be able to put their abilities to the maximum test. The race is designed for teams of two or individual in which each team or participant must pass through each checkpoint (CP) together and in a certain amount of time to be determined. If team members fail to stay together or reach the CP in the designated cut-off time, they will be removed from the official ranking but will be permitted to continue in the race.

Get a taste of adventure racing in the Mongolia Bike Challenge (MBC 2012) Promo video here, it looks awesome too. Other events worldwide are taking the MTB race endurance participants to more amazing destinations as the sport’s attention continues to grow.

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Mountain biking expedition touring across Mongolia, what’s it like on the ground?

Everything from muddy ruts in rain (I’ve never fallen so much in my life), corrugated dirt that bone shakes the body and stone-laiden tracks that are difficult to pick a line and ride smoothly. The off road conditions are either a paradise – or a the greatest challenge when riding through on a hardtail mountain bike carrying all the equipment you need to ride, camp and continue through internals and it took much of the entire summer to be completed. 38 of 45 days spent traveling across a country without connections setup ahead, no couch surfing.com or warm showers.org hosts waiting ahead, only night to punctuate the long summer days, probably the best time to travel across Mongolia, not necessarily the easiest though. 

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In most areas – the Mongolians were always on the horizon, somewhere dotting the landscapes, but in the northwest where tracks turned to sinking sand and fields of dust surrounding the abandoned wheat fields (post-Russian occupation), there wasn’t an animal, a person, a ger tent, or a river to be seen anywhere. Although, a few jeeps flew past along the deserted sections, where farm houses were boarded and bolted shut, they didn’t stop when I waved, instead they waved in return, or slowed and hesitated to open up and then drove off while I flailed my arms and pointed at my empty bottles where water should have been stored, I should have had enough (7 liters capacity, 3 additional liters in extra bottles, and 2 bottles were taken from the bike while camping at night-they are sought after in Mongolia, where the herders on horses didn’t carry bottles at all for their own hydration). It definitely got tough and tougher with injuries. The road is hard, stony, rock laiden or steep straight up and over every mountain range. There are no paved roads outside of the 100km stretch leaving Ulaanbaatar to the west until Bayarkhangai, except 100km paved around Bulgan to Unit, and then nothing until the tarmac airplane-runway landing into Moron. 

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The steppe grasslands are immense and the tracks lead everywhere, some places where people used to live, where the spot is left on the grassless steppe, a few stakes remain in the ground but nobody was there, no animals and no water. I had to recheck the GPS and find the tracks, return to them before I was too far off course to return. And so the summer went past, 45 days weaving in and out of the deserts, the steppe grasslands, the Nomad ger tents, the flocks of sheep and bands of horses dancing alongside the dirt where I roamed. I couldn’t capture so much of these experiences in film or video like I wanted, I was too beat up by the terrain to bother. I captured a great deal, the rest will arrive in text being sewn together now as I look back – the experiences are close, the toughest, the ones that either break you, or recharge your imagination clarifying what an adventure could be like.

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Over 45 days of the journey, I had time alone, time with nature (winning and losing) with Nomadic Mongolians who always shared their chai tea, bread and butter – and lovely “arroz” cheese with me.

When you are out alone into the wild world on a bicycle, you don’t have to image what an adventure would be like if you ‘just had enough time to experience it’, you actually will spend your days -riding and trekking 10-12 hours a day to survive, to get water, to meet locals somewhere -on a route decided but outcomes unplanned and unanticipated – for exploring, this is as close as I have ever come to life.

I rode a Lynskey M240S titanium frame (1.2kg) which saved on weight, pushing the 45 kg dry weight of the bicycle, camping accessories, and powder (without 7-9 liters of water capacity). The rest of this update is built from a collection of photography and video created using time lapse techniques (I want to learn this myself). Amazing is different, enjoy them all. Namaste.

Time Lapse Photography, a collection of shorts to enjoy on exploring Mongolia, and getting to Mongolia from Denmark. Pretty amazing world is opened, explored, with challenges to overcome.

Mongolia – Frame by Frame from Robin Skytte on Vimeo.

HIIMORI, wind horses – “FEED” from Massimo Storari on Vimeo.

Time Lapse: Ulaanbaatar (Take 4) from Lauren Knapp on Vimeo.

Denmark to Mongolia – Road movie, summer 2010 from Robin Skytte on Vimeo.
Road trips to and through Mongolia

A Cashmere Story from Pearly Jacob on Vimeo.