In May of 2002, I ventured to a place that I would bet few know the location of: Mongolia. I had just finished backpacking through the toughest part of my trip, at the time, in China. Noticing that I was so close to an untouched country, I decided to see a country that few people had experienced. I made my way from Beijing to Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia on a beautiful, scenic 36-hour train ride. At the bus station I met a crazy Yank from Colorado named Tim. This fantastic story is with him and some local horseman, one of which was named Unc. Unc wound up being our guide through the Mongolian wilderness for about a week.
Tim and I decided to take advantage of our adventurous spirits and bought horses to ride on for a couple weeks. Along with the $95 horses we bought, we also purchased a stove, saddles, boots, cowboy hats, maps, tent, food, and anything else you could think of. Our journey took us to many stunning places, but one particular night will forever remain in my mind.
The typical Mongolian life style is very nomadic. The locals flock to better weather and better land to accompany their animals. The people understand the balance between nature and themselves and show it the utmost respect. On one particular day we set up camp right next to a nomadic family. They were surprised to see us and visa-versa. Some kids were all smiles while other gawked at us.
Tim and I attempted to communicate with our little Mongolian/English book. Unc informed them of our mission across some of the country, and we interacted with them in many ways. They invited us into the ger or yurt, their type of shelter, which is basically a big, round tent, and drank fermented goat’s milk and ate yogurt with sugar. It was challenging being welcomed into their ger because there are so many “rules” that need to be respected while inside. Tim and I had read up on the do’s and don’ts.
For example, you can only walk around the ger in a certain direction and you are expected to bring gifts in exchange for the hospitality. After some chitchat and a whole lot of hand communicating, we went outside to participate in Mongolian style wrestling. It’s a very famous sport in Mongolia, and I had never seen wrestling done this particular way. You could say it’s a mix between Sumo and American wrestling. The goal is basically to try and throw the other person down. Tim and I watched a couple of guys first and then were invited to try. It was an absolute blast and we were all becoming friends very quickly. Neither Tim or I won a game, but the locals got just as big of a kick as we did.
Night began to fall and the rest of the group became very tired. Tim and I had purchased a bottle of cheap vodka before setting off on this incredible journey and that night we put it to use. With Unc, we polished off a bottle of vodka within ten minutes while toasting in the traditional Mongolian ways. He told us to dip our left ring finger into the vodka and toss it once to the Gods, once the winds and once to the earth. By the time we finished the bottle, it was about midnight and we headed off to the streams. Tim and I had no idea where were going, but we followed Unc and his two friends. Unc was carrying a plastic bag full of something and one of his friends had a large pole. No questions were asked; we just continued walking under a blanket of dazzling stars.
Finally, after a 20-minute walk in the dark they stopped and started constructing something out of pieces of wire. Tim and I looked at each other wondering what the hell was going on. By this time both of us were feeling warm and tingly inside. Soon after the guys had constructed a little basket attached to a long wooden pole about 15 feet in length. Unc dragged chunks of old tire out of the plastic bag and placed them into the basket. Now Tim and I were really confused.
“Dude, what is going on?”
“Khaled, I have no idea. Maybe it’s a trap or something.” All of a sudden they lit the tires on fire because they apparently stay lit for a long time. So, once the tires were blazing, one guy put the pole onto his shoulders and he stretched it over the stream and the other had the spear.
“Aaahhh, I see what’s going on!” I said. The fire was to attract the fish close enough to the spear. Sweet, we were Mongolian style spear fishing! And it was amazing! We cruised up and down beautiful crystal clear streams for hours attracting fish and attempting to spear them. We caught two huge catfish and it was the most exhilarating sensation doing it like it’s been done for thousands of years.
Tim and I were given a chance to impress the locals but failed miserably. Tim tried a couple of times but lost some decent shots. I, on the other hand, made an ass out of myself. I probably had one of the best shots all night, but in my drunken state I plunged the spear and instead of letting it go through my hand, I toppled into the river with it. I was soaked from the waist down and laughing hysterically. We continued to fish until four a.m. We had some long riding the next day. Tim and I walked back to camp and cooked up some yummy oatmeal to warm us up. We laughed about the night and how lucky of an experience it really was.
The entire evening was so surreal. I felt like I was living in the 10th century for one night. Mongolia is a special country, where people live just as they have for centuries. They rely on horses and the earth for survival. I stayed in the country for nearly a month, and it changed me like no other country I had been to. The people, the land, the nature were all so unique and genuine. Never in my life did I imagine seeing wild horses by the dozens roaming the vast and magnificent landscapes of Mongolia. It certainly was one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever accomplished. I pushed myself to my limits and learned a lot. If anybody is interested in going back into time and wanting some soul searching, head to Mongolia and you will definitely be changed forever. Watch for more stories from the land of no fences.
Khaled Habash can be contacted at [email protected]