More Time With the Eagle Hunters

Sleeping seemed to go better for us this time since we knew we needed to dress warmly for bed.  Showers were also setup for us using gravity fed bags filled with hot water hung in a small, square tent.  It felt good to wash a layer of dust away from our journey even if it was a little challenging getting it all to work correctly.

This morning after breakfast our entire group gathered in an open field to photograph the hunters mounted on their horses with their eagles on their arms.  The horses galloped towards us as we perfected our shots of moving subjects.  It was great practice with exceptional subjects.

During the heat of the day, the eagles rested by a ger, most with leather hoods on to keep them calm.  We used the hottest part of the day to hold our third critique session.  Ira is really ramping up his comments trying to improve our skills during the trip.

Later in the afternoon we photographed the drivers with their freshly washed cars (the river served as their car wash), the family that owned our rented ger and the Eagle Hunters.  An impromptu session  of everyone taking a turn holding the eagles took up most of our time.  We now appreciated how heavy they are and the strength needed to hunt with these majestic golden eagles.

We gathered in the ger for a question and answer session with the hunters.  The eagles they use are obtained one of two ways: either taking a baby from its nest or trapping an adult under the age of three using nets.  The eagles are easily trained with the adolescents taking a few days and the older ones a little longer.  They only use female eagles because of their size and hunting abilities.  The hunters will keep their birds until around the age of 12 when they are returned to the wild and allowed to reproduce.  A great deal of trust must be established between the hunter and the eagle as the eagle has the opportunity to fly off when hunting.  The birds can hunt rabbit, lynx, fox and wolves, with them sometimes even going after small sheep.  They can capture prey many times their weight with their powerful talons.   Once they capture their prey it is the hunter’s responsibility to separate the eagle from the animal.  They gift the fur to families hosting them during their hunts but use the meat to feed the birds.

We adjourned to the open field again for a demonstration of the skills they must perform during the eagle festivals.  The first skill demonstrated entailed the hunter kneeling on the ground calling their eagle while the eagle rested on the arm of another person mounted on a horse.  Not all of the eagles cooperated but we did have two that were up for the task.  The second skill involved dragging a skin attached to a rope that the eagles then captured.  A piece of meat was attached to the skin to make the game a little more enticing.  The eagles really didn’t want to let loose of their captured bounty but the hunters managed to place them back on their gloved arm to play the game again.

In a competition, an eagle is released from a mountain top to fly to their owner both seated on the ground and astride their horse.  This is a timed trial.  They also compete in the fur capture like what we got to watch.  With the heat, the eagles were quickly ready to rest after the demonstration.  The hunters packed up their gear and headed off with the eagles for their long ride home.

Tomorrow: Back to UB

Eagle Hunters

Our pace slowed this morning which allowed us to sleep in, although camping made that a little more difficult.  The temperature dropped into the low 40’s and proper preparation at bedtime meant the difference between sleeping and lying awake cold.  Fortunately my Boy Scout husband had some tricks up his sleeve so we wore long underwear and socks to bed while also putting our clothes for the next morning in the sleeping bag with us.  We slept on cots with thin air mattresses on top finished by our warm sleeping bags.  While not the most restful night of sleep I’ve ever had, I did get sufficient rest to carry on.

Our Three Camel Lodge chef that accompanied us on the trip kept us well fed on this leg of the adventure.  Much needed coffee greeted us as we gathered in the dining tent.  A light buffet breakfast rejuvenated us and we also had the option of fresh cooked eggs.  After breakfast we returned to our tents to pack up for our next destination.

The drive this morning took us through more mountain lined fields inhabited mostly by livestock.  We entered a lush valley with a river running through it that was full of sheep, horses, goats and yak.  Whoever lived here must be considered rich with all the resources available to them.  We took frequent stops on our drive to stretch our legs which allowed us more picture opportunities. 

Our camp for the next two nights was near a small town with gers spotted along the river running through the valley.  Off in the distance we could see the four Eagle Hunters that would be spending the next day and a half with us riding into our camp.  Part of our crew had arrived ahead of us to set up the dining area in another rented ger and had lunch waiting for our arrival.  Our drivers setup our tents, port-a-potties and tent showers while we ate. 

We were on our own to wonder or nap during the hot afternoon.  Later, we were split into groups to photograph the Eagle Hunters.  One of them has won the Eagle championship the last two years, so he’s very well know.  We setup a makeshift portrait studio with lighting in the ger, two areas outside where we got to experiment with reflectors and a fourth area where one of the hunters road his horse in passes by us, both with and without his eagle.  This was an opportunity of a lifetime being with these hunters who had traveled by horse for 6 hours to spend time with us and share their eagles.

Tomorrow: More time with the Eagle Hunters

Way Out West

We were supposed to have a leisurely morning with an early afternoon flight to the west.  However, things are always a little fluid here and our flight was moved up several hours, which meant no sleeping in.  I guess the wind conditions have an effect on the flights so it’s important to check early or you might be left behind.  If you think you can just catch the next flight, think again.  There are two flights a week out west so you can definitely throw a wrench into your adventure if you miss your flight.

We arrived in Uugli midday.  Our drivers were waiting for us at the one gate airport (small, very small).  This trip our transportation was Soviet UAZ vans, six cylinder 4x4's that reminds you of a Volkswagen bus from the 60’s.  They are perfect for the rugged terrain waiting for us.

We stopped for lunch at a Turkish restaurant which would turn out to be our last chance at the internet for the next 3 days.  We then went to a grocery store/liquor store to stock up on wine for our next three nights.  While this region is predominantly Muslim, they practice a gentler version than what we hear about on the news.  Lucky for us, wine was available and very reasonable.

Off we set for our next adventure.  We started out on a paved road but that quickly changed to a dirt road filled with rocks and challenging terrain.  The landscape was amazing with vast expanses of prairie and mountains rising up around us.  Again, sheep, goats and yak were grazing on the sparse grassland, allowed to roam by their owners who kept an eye on their flocks.

Our evening’s accommodations was a tent camp that had been erected for us before our arrival.  We also rented a nomadic family’s ger that served as our dining hall.  Perched on the edge of a lake, our surroundings were both remote and spectacular.  In the late afternoon, the yaks proceeded to the lake for their afternoon bath.  What a great setup for pictures with the lake and mountains as a background for this woolly, wet creatures.

We also witnessed the nomadic family milking the yak.  Dairy is the major source of food for them, so the yak milk will be made into cheese and yogurt.  This family consisted of the parents, three children and a grandmother that could have been straight out of Central Casting.  Bent over from years of hard work, grandma was full of character and also wasn’t too shy about posing for the camera. 

After dinner, we setup for our second night of Milky Way photography.  With the lake in front of us and mountains as a backdrop, this night session went much smoother than the first one in the Gobi.  Everyone was much more prepared, already knowing what settings were needed on our cameras.  The lake served to reflect the glow from the stars.  This was another night of amazing shooting.

Tomorrow: Eagle Hunters Await

Back to UB

Another early morning, we drove back to town to catch our flight to UB.  Upon arrival, we transferred to the Best Western.  We had a couple of hours of free time so we headed to lunch at Millie’s Café.  We had been told it was the best place for burritos (yes, I did try Mexican in Mongolia) and many other American friendly foods.  Millie also makes homemade desserts that were the highlight of the meal.  The place was bustling and with good reason.

We returned to our hotel for our 2^nd critique session.  After the critique most of our group opted to attend a Mongolian cultural performance showcasing the traditional arts found across the country.  The performers wore traditional clothing like what we saw at the history museum.  There were dances, singing (including the throat singing they are known for) and the Mongolian symphony played.  The instruments used were Mongolian such has the horse headed fiddle.  It was really quite lovely.

 (An example of the instruments they were playing)

After the performance most of the group dined at Silk Road.  The mixture of Italian and American seemed to please everyone.  Since we had an early flight the next morning, we limited our alcohol intake and headed back before 10.  This was our last night before heading out west for the camping portion of our trip. 

Tomorrow: Out to the West

Back to School

September seems to be a universal start time in for school, and Mongolia is no exception.  We had the opportunity to drive to the nearby town to watch the festivities.  The kids were all gathering in their fresh uniforms with their parents in tow.  Siblings too young for school also put on their finest anticipating the day they too would get to wear a uniform.

The students, families and teachers gathered in the courtyard for opening performances and speeches.  Several students sang a variety of songs they had been working on during their time off.  Some seemed like they might have belonged in some kind pageant.  Opening speeches finished out the opening festivities and the students were released to their classrooms.

It had been arranged for our group to photograph the students from 1^st grade before the President of Mongolia gave a speech on the radio to start the school year at 10.  Ira brought a printer on the trip that he used to print off photos of the students to give them.  Some of the kids really liked having their photos taken.  One in particular kept coming back with props for me to photograph.  They were all very cute.

We had our first critique of the trip after lunch.  Ira gets pickier as the trip goes on to help us develop our skills.  Everyone seems to be keeping up with what he’s taught us so far: watch the edges and background, pay attention to how the light is hitting your subject and compose your pictures.

This evening we headed out to the Flaming Cliffs.  These red sandstone rock formations are the site where dinosaur eggs were discovered.  You can walk down through the valley on a trail that would never be allowed in the US.  At the end of the hike, Three Camel Lodge set up tents for our al fresco dinner.  The food was great and the view even better.  It was a great ending for our time in the Gobi.

Tomorrow: Back to UB

Three Camel Lodge

After breakfast we hopped back into the Landcruisers for our drive back to Three Camel Lodge.  For those looking for the Four Seasons of The Gobi, this is as close as it gets.  The luxury gers have an attached bathroom with large showers. I think everyone was excited at the possibility of not trekking across camp with clothes in tow.

We stopped to visit a nomadic family to see exactly how they live.  This family has two gers, one for cooking and one for sleeping/living.  We were offered the grandfather's snuff bottle as a form of welcome.  We were also offered cheese they had made from yak milk. After greeting us, he resumed his work on his main mode of transportation, a motorcycle.  It was a very interesting peek into their lives.

We had a little time after lunch to gather our pictures before the afternoon event.  Several local competitors were brought in to demonstrate the events held during the annual Naadam festival.  There are three different contests these athletes compete in during the July festivities : horsemanship, archery and wrestling.

First up were the wrestlers.  As you can see in the picture, the wrestlers wear blue briefs and a small open jacket when competing.  The jacket is the result of a female sneaking into the competition and winning several years ago.  Now, there is no doubt about the sex of the competitor.  The Mongolians are quite proud of their wrestling heritage and are very competitive in international competitions like the Olympics.  The wrestlers with us today hold jobs such as airport security, plumbers and hotel workers to support their wrestling .  Before each competition they all do the Eagle Dance, paying homage to the great hunter.  

We moved on to the Archery competition .  We had two people demonstrating their skills.  The woman is a champion and was fun to watch.  She took several steps to prepare for her shot, the last of which was pointing the arrow into the sky.

Finally we watched the horsemen first capture then ride horses from their herd.  Mongolians have a horse centered culture with children learning to ride not long after they walk.  A family's wealth is measured in the horses they own.  They never actually tell you the number of their herd but tell you the number of stallions they own.  

Motorcycles are now used to help herd the horses.  Once the herd was gathered near us, they chose horses to lasso as part of the demo.  Next, the riders passed by us and scrapped up the long pole they used to capture the horses.  The next challenge was to  grab a whip left on the ground. In their final and most difficult challenge the riders scooped up small sheep bones from the ground.  The number of bones they are able to grab indicated their skill level.  These riders are amazing.

After dinner, we gathered outside one of the gers to take shots of the stars and the Milky Way.  The sky is so dark that it was easy to spot the Milky Way and get great photos.  Since this was our first night shoot, there was a learning curve we had to get past.  However, I think everyone eventually got great shots.

Tomorrow: First day of School.

To the Gobi We Go

An early morning flight on Hunna Air(think really small commuter airline with planes we retired years ago) we found ourselves in the Gobi Desert.  This desolated area makes up about 1/3 of Mongolia and is the 4th largest desert in the world.  Most of it is made up of grasslands with only a small sliver of it containing actual sand dunes, which was our destination for the evening.

We split our small group into 6 Toyota Landcruisers for our drive.  We soon appreciated the beefed up suspension and four-wheel drive capabilities since the dirt roads in this part of the country are rough with frequent dips when you least expected them.  Our drivers didn’t speak English but seemed to know the roads well, zigzagging across the flat, barren landscape.  Often there were several lanes crisscrossing which helped us avoid the dust from the car in front of us.  Occasionally they would leave the road entirely to avoid a particularly big dip.

We stopped for a late breakfast at Three Camel Lodge which we would return to after our night by the dunes.  We had a couple of hour drive to the dunes basically seeing nothing but nomadic herders and their herds of cattle, goats, sheep and their prized horses.  I'm sure this dirt road system is written down somewhere, but if you flew in from the USA and were expecting road signs you are out of luck.

At the camp, we were assigned our gers and had a little time to settle in before getting back in our cars for the short drive to our next mode of transportation: camels.  Mongolia has the two humped variety better known as Bactrian.  They appear to be a little shorter and stouter than the Dromedary and also furrier.  Once they knelt down we were assigned our camel, mounted up and started out for the sand dunes in the distance.  Groups of 4 or 5 camels were lead by a guide that walked in front of us. The trek took about an hour and I think we were all ready to leave our slightly uncomfortable transport behind.

The Singing Dunes are named because of the noise they make when winds pass over their ridges.  We were just as happy we didn't get an opportunity to attend a performance since blowing sand would not have been kind on our equipment.  One of the camel drivers took several of the camels up and down over the ridges so we could take pictures.  After several passes he also poised for a portrait.  He put on his traditional clothing to make it look more authentic although the others were wearing western style clothing.  It was a fun and very different experience.

Our drivers picked us back up and took us to our camp.  Our ger was equipped with a bed that was covered with a very thin mattress and two very small pillows.  The facilities were located up by the dining hall and reminded me of college dormitory bathrooms with communal showers.  Beggars can't be choosers, so we all slipped on our shower shoes and walked up the hill.  It was fortunate that we were all very tired because even sleeping on boards couldn't keep us awake.

Tomorrow: Back to Three Camel Lodge