under a mongolian sky
Mongolia is one of those amazing places that can really get under your skin. Our new Mongolia Overland takes you deep into the heart of this intriguing nation and as Intrepid’s Boris ‘Bob’ Golodets reveals, it’s a country rich in real life experiences…
“Only a few hours by the car from Ulaanbaatar there is a national park – Terelj. Here we get to camp out and go horse riding, hiking and rafting if we wish, but the best thing about being in the national park is the nature itself. The alpine scenery is magnificent and it’s a precious opportunity stay in an area that’s yet to be developed or invaded by humans.
On a recent trip I saw some of my group members putting on warm clothes and taking their torches. I was curious and they said they are going to the mountains. This wasn’t the safest idea to head into unknown territory alone in the evening, so I joined them. It turned out that they didn’t want to go too far and found a grassy slope to sit and watch the night sky. Young Belinda was the ideological leader of this event and she started to sing Buddhist mantras. It seemed a natural celebration of our surrounds, so we all repeated.
The night was so tender that even F. Scott Fitzgerald would be happy. The fresh, gentle breeze slightly stroked our cheeks. The acoustics of the mountains could have rivalled Arena Di Verona – sound free flight away by the fields to the sky. Night and stars above that shine so bright, the magic of the fading light that shines upon our group.
Then the guys asked me to sing something. Belinda said pensively: “last trip our group leader sang to us.” Unable to refuse, I decided that the situation would probably suit the one a capella song that was written in modern Russia. It’s about the field, about the horse, about night. I sang them about love for the native land, for nature, about a love of life. I sang them the song about steed with an amazing sky above me and, I hope, moral imperative inside me, as written by Immanuel Kant. This was a Mongolian night to remember!”
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* photo by Amber Rouse – Intrepid Photography Competition
