Our first stop was the Shankh monastery known for its donations from the Mongolian artist, Zanabazar. It was also used to keep Genghis Khan’s military black banner. The main temple was being restored and it was quite haunting to hear the chanting of the monks.
The Erdene Zuu Monastery was the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. It was built by Abtai Khan in 1586. The walls seemed to stretch forever against the steppe and it originally had 60-100 temples and 300 gers inside the walls and up to 1000 monks in residence. It was abandoned and vandalized by the Manchurians. But, the greatest damage came at the hands of the communists in the 1930’s when all but 3 of the temples were destroyed and the monks killed or sent to Siberia. It wasn’t re-opened until 1965 as a museum- not a place of worship. In 1990 with the collapse of communism, the monastery became active again.
The monastery was enclosed in a walled compound surrounded by 108 stupas (a lucky number for Buddhists). The three remaining temples were dedicated to the three stages of Buddha’s life- as a child, adolescent, and adult. We made a huge hit with our Polaroid cameras taking photos of the Mongolian families.
Outside the monastery was an active excavation site digging for remains of the city of Kharkhorin. Today, the only things that remain are the ‘turtle rocks’. There were originally 4 turtles marking the boundaries of the city.
We headed off to see the ruins of the Uighur state capital, Orkhon Khar Balgas. It was the capital of the Uighur State and stands on the east bank of the Orkhon river. It was founded as the capital in 751 AD and covered 25 square kilometers. The road was a set of tire tracks through the steppe and the ride was pretty unbearable. We stopped by a river to have lunch and watched a pack of horses in the river.
When we got back to the ger camp, Flora and Monhtsasg had actually arranged for our marmot hunting expedition. We got in the van following a Volga filled with about 6 guys and 2 rifles. We headed for what seemed like miles into the steppe while they scouted out the right place to hunt. It was amazing to see them actually doing a fox impression to try to attract the marmot. According to some hunters, the marmot is a very curious animal and when he sees a man doing this silly dance, he sits up from his burrow and laughs. Other hunters claim that the marmot is simply territorial and is angry with anyone intruding on his space. Martin did his best to get one riled up with his version of the dance.
As we watched the hunting process- a long and slow move closer and closer to the marmot, we saw two guys with rifles and full bags approaching on a motorcycle.
The first cut (like a turkey) has a lot of juices dripping out. They quickly grabbed teacups and filled them with the juices. We politely declined. Then they pulled out the meat and the hot rocks. As they pull out the rocks, they put one in your hand and you juggle it between your hands (supposedly stimulating the nerves in your fingers- that spreads to your body. Mostly it just left you with a hand that smelled like marmot). Then it was time for the feast. They piled our plated with marmot ribs and liver and watched our reaction. They ate like it was a delicacy. The camp manager quickly finished off his ribs and started carving hunks of the skin (like turkey skin with a thick layer of fat attached). Again, we declined the offer (except Christine, who decided to brave the taste test), but did continue to pick at our marmot. What an amazing experience!
Time to explore Kharkhorin. The city was built in 1220 by Genghis Khaan as the capital city of his empire. It only served as the capital for 40 years until Kublai Khaan moved the capital to what is now Beijing. Following the move to Beijing and the collapse of the Empire, it was abandoned and destroyed by the Manchurians. The remains of Kharkhorin were used to build the Erdene Zuu monastery in the 16th Century.
The Erdene Zuu Monastery was the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. It was built by Abtai Khan in 1586. The walls seemed to stretch forever against the steppe and it originally had 60-100 temples and 300 gers inside the walls and up to 1000 monks in residence. It was abandoned and vandalized by the Manchurians. But, the greatest damage came at the hands of the communists in the 1930’s when all but 3 of the temples were destroyed and the monks killed or sent to Siberia. It wasn’t re-opened until 1965 as a museum- not a place of worship. In 1990 with the collapse of communism, the monastery became active again.
The monastery was enclosed in a walled compound surrounded by 108 stupas (a lucky number for Buddhists). The three remaining temples were dedicated to the three stages of Buddha’s life- as a child, adolescent, and adult. We made a huge hit with our Polaroid cameras taking photos of the Mongolian families.
Outside the monastery was an active excavation site digging for remains of the city of Kharkhorin. Today, the only things that remain are the ‘turtle rocks’. There were originally 4 turtles marking the boundaries of the city.
We headed off to see the ruins of the Uighur state capital, Orkhon Khar Balgas. It was the capital of the Uighur State and stands on the east bank of the Orkhon river. It was founded as the capital in 751 AD and covered 25 square kilometers. The road was a set of tire tracks through the steppe and the ride was pretty unbearable. We stopped by a river to have lunch and watched a pack of horses in the river.
When we got back to the ger camp, Flora and Monhtsasg had actually arranged for our marmot hunting expedition. We got in the van following a Volga filled with about 6 guys and 2 rifles. We headed for what seemed like miles into the steppe while they scouted out the right place to hunt. It was amazing to see them actually doing a fox impression to try to attract the marmot. According to some hunters, the marmot is a very curious animal and when he sees a man doing this silly dance, he sits up from his burrow and laughs. Other hunters claim that the marmot is simply territorial and is angry with anyone intruding on his space. Martin did his best to get one riled up with his version of the dance.
As we watched the hunting process- a long and slow move closer and closer to the marmot, we saw two guys with rifles and full bags approaching on a motorcycle.
The guides flagged them down and we got to see the results of their successful hunt- 5 marmots. Since it was obvious that John and Martin weren’t going to get a chance to do any actual hunting, the guys let them try their Russian rifles- 22’s- by trying to hit a cigarette pack. John did an amazing job on his second try and hit the pack- which immediately got him into the “Mongolian men’s club”. The camp manager wouldn’t let go of John’s hand after his successful shot.
We headed back for dinner and hung around the ger restaurant after for a vodka toast- and then, the camp manager beckoned us into the dining room- for a marmot feast.
They bought one of the marmots and cooked it just for us. The cooking process is very simple- they cut the throat of the marmot and take out his innards. They then clean out the inside and fill it with a combination of hot rocks and various pieces and parts (ribs, liver, etc). They tie up the neck and the hot rocks cook the marmot from the inside, they scrape off the fur and it gets a very crispy coating.
The first cut (like a turkey) has a lot of juices dripping out. They quickly grabbed teacups and filled them with the juices. We politely declined. Then they pulled out the meat and the hot rocks. As they pull out the rocks, they put one in your hand and you juggle it between your hands (supposedly stimulating the nerves in your fingers- that spreads to your body. Mostly it just left you with a hand that smelled like marmot). Then it was time for the feast. They piled our plated with marmot ribs and liver and watched our reaction. They ate like it was a delicacy. The camp manager quickly finished off his ribs and started carving hunks of the skin (like turkey skin with a thick layer of fat attached). Again, we declined the offer (except Christine, who decided to brave the taste test), but did continue to pick at our marmot. What an amazing experience!
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