Taylors Travels continue……………

Since we got back almost 3 weeks ago its been work, work, work and hardly any play.  One of our few outings was to the State Circus, our North Korean Engineers invited us to watch a fantastic performance by the visiting acrobatic troupe.  I have uploaded some of the video to YouTube.

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This young lady had at least 6 hoops spinning at one time.

and the troupe taking a bow

This morning I did a double take as I pulled in to the parking lot of our local supermarket, and saw this splendid car - a 1931 model A Ford - that I had seen and photographed in Mongolia last year during the Peking to Paris Rally.  The car finished 39th overall, from a field of 134 starters, and looked none the worse for wear after the grueling rally. 

I just got these pictures from home, they are so cute. 

Here he is, getting dressed up as a big fierce tiger, whiskers and all.

Grant decorated the golf cart and they drove around the neighborhood trick or treating.  Looks like they were all having lots of fun.

Yesterday our North Korean engineers invited us to join them supporting their national soccer team playing Mongolia in their first round qualifier match.

The Koreans had lots of support from migrant workers here in Mongolia and we sat with them in the bleachers.  Before the game their cheer leader (lady in pink cap at bottom right of picture) had them singing and waving red flags.

Security was tight with men in riot gear standing along the sidelines, closely watching the crowd and glaring at the Koreans whenever they cheered their side, which was often as they dominated the game. 

By half-time the score was 3-0 in favour of North Korea.  Although the Mongolians did manage to score one goal in the second half they were no match for the visitors, and the final score was 4.1. 

The game ended without incident but this old fire truck was standing by, presumably this was the water cannon for riot control.

Last Saturday we had our first snowfall, but Sunday was a beautiful sunny day and we headed out into the countryside again.  We stopped for a picnic lunch near this huge Ovoo.

This is Wikipedia’s explanation of an ovoo……………

An ovoo (Mongolian: овоо, heap) is a type of shamanistic rock cairn found in Mongolia. Ovoos are often found at the top of mountains and high places and at borders and cross-roads. They serve as both navigational aids in a country with few roads and fewer signs, and religious sites, used in worship of the mountains and the sky as well as in Buddhist ceremonies.

Travelers in Mongolia should not pass by an ovoo without stopping. They are expected to stop and circle the ovoo three times in a clockwise direction. They should pick up a rock from the ground and add it to the pile before leaving. Also, travelers may leave offerings in the form of money, milk, or vodka.

Ovoos are also used in mountain- and sky-worshipping ceremonies that typically take place at the end of summer. Worshippers place a tree branch or stick in the ovoo and tie a blue khadag, a ceremonial silk scarf symbolic of the open sky, to the branch.^[1] (Khadags should not be removed.)^[2] They then light a fire and make food offerings, followed by a ceremonial dance and prayers (worshippers sitting at the northwest side of the ovoo), and a feast with the food left over from the offering.

During Mongolia’s Communist period, ovoo worship was officially prohibited along with other forms of religion, but people still worshipped clandestinely.

After lunch we continued on to have a look at another derelict hotel complex from the Russian era - could this be our next project?

Yesterday we went off to the countryside again with Chinbat and Naran, this time to watch the filming of a new movie about Gengis Khan.  It was a beautiful (although long) drive and the weather was perfect, a sunny 18C day which is very unusual for the end of September. 

the 13th century settlement, about to be attacked…..

Take two…….

what the actors do when not on the set,

and watching some of the takes in the editing room.

We just got back from a trip with our boss Chinbat to his farm at Tsagaanuur which is in the very north of Mongolia, running along the Mongolian/Russian (Siberia) border.  The scenery was spectacular with the fall colours making the landscape look like an oil painting. 

We drove right up to the Russian border and managed to take a couple of shots before the guards spotted us with our cameras and shooed us away. Not wanting to experience their hospitality, we complied. 

The following morning we went on a tour of the farm to check the wheat and potato crops, unexpected late rains were hampering the harvest. This image was taken from a hill on the farm and cannot do the view justice, we could see for miles in all directions with the distant mountains and Selenge River snaking its way through his land. Mongolia - land of blue sky - is a beautiful country.

We went for a walk into the local village of Terelj at lunchtime, it was a busy day at the Grocery Store, with customers “parking” their horses outside.

Most of the outside lighting has been installed and we tested it a couple of nights ago.  I think its pretty spectacular.

We spent the last few days at Terelj and I took a batch of progress photos, then dug through my archives and found some taken back in 2004 when the project was just getting started. 

Looking through the new front pedestrian gate

It’s been a lot of hard work to get to this stage but these ‘before and after’ shots tell the story.

Front entrance August 2004

and August 2007

Main staircase, August 2004

and now……

Today Sean had his best ever day on Alamy, with 3 sales totalling over $1000. Well done Sean.

I also sold another of my Mongolian horse pictures, this one for a Japanese tourism brochure.

You can see Sean’s (and my few) stock photos at Alamy.com

The photo below of the hotel under construction was not last month as stated in the article, but two years ago when we started work on the project.  

Voted Number One of all the luxury hotel brands in the world!  

Sam Sallam, (V.P. Operations and General Manager) and Ray Taylor (Project Manager) for Terelj Hotel and Spa, Mongolia’s first and only seven star hospitality experience, are holding the membership plaque for SLH (Small luxury hotels of the world). They were voted number one of all the luxury hotel brands in the world. SLH operates 400 hotels and resorts in 65 countries. Please visit www.slh.com and tereljhotel.com, coming soon.  

One of the Pioneer Class cars, a 1903 Mercedes starting the next leg of the rally in Ulaanbaatar. This image begged to be given some special effects, so I sepia toned it in Photoshop.

Click here to link to more pictures, some taken on the Rest Day, which was really a repair day, and lots from the start yesterday.

Yesterday the competitors in the 100 year re-enactment of the Peking to Paris Rally arrived in UB, after encountering many hardships crossing the Gobi Desert.  Ray saw these 2 cars refuelling and stopped to have a look.  The red car is a 1924 Itala 51B, the burgundy one is a 1928 Chevrolet AB Roadster.  Today is a rest day for the rally and we will be going to have a look at the cars, and tomorrow morning we hope to watch the start of the next leg. For further information on the rally check out the web site at: http://www.pekingparis.com/index.html

After a long dreary brown winter, the countryside is finally turning green, wild flowers are shooting up and many of the mares have given birth to their foals.  This shot was taken near Turtle Rock in Terelj National Park, on our way to the hotel.

Work has been keeping us so busy the last few weeks that I haven’t had time to update the blog.  

Last Sunday evening the hotel owners and top level operational staff were treated to a “Degustation” Dinner put on by the hotel chefs who recently arrived here.  They produced a delicious five course meal, accompanied by some fine wines and it was without doubt the finest meal we have had here in Mongolia.  Pictured below is the main course - Lamb Naran and Australian beef tenderloin served on Dauphinoise potatoes - yummy.   We’re looking forward to testing some more of their culinary creations.

The Trans Mongolian/Siberian Railway line runs right through Ulaanbaatar and we look out on it from our office windows.  Every day we see 3 or 4 trains like this one, loaded with lumber coming from Russia and heading to China to feed the rapidly growing economy. The trains are so long that it takes 4 locomotives to pull them.  We can only hope that who ever is cutting such huge forests is doing so in a sustainable manner.

We arrived back in Mongolia late last night after a week long business trip to Beijing, 37 hours late - for a 2 hour flight.  This is not the first time we have been delayed by Air China, but it by far the worst.  We were waiting at the departure gate on Friday morning when they posted a sign saying flight delayed due to bad weather, and were all taken to a low grade hotel where we were fed meals that looked and tasted like dog food, not told what was going on and not allowed to leave the hotel.  This treatment by Air China is inexcusable, especially when we know that MIAT (the other airline which flies from Beiijing to Mongolia) was operating as normal.  We will never fly with this airline again unless it is a dire emergency and will be writing a strong letter of complaint.

This weekend the 5th Annual Camel Polo Tournemant took place in UB, with twenty 6 man teams from Inner and Outer Mongolia competing for a prize of Tg 4 Million (about $3500) plus a motorcycle for each member of the winning team.  The event had the feel of a winter fair and the mild weather brought people out in droves to watch. 

Yesterday I braved the cold long enough to take a few photos before my fingers froze.

This is the State Protocol Palace built to commemorate the 800th Anniversary of the founding of Chinggis Khan’s empire and now nearing completion.  In the centre there is a HUGE statue of the great warrior, there are two statues of mounted warriors on either side of the steps and two more large statues of the Khans under the glass domes at the sides.

Did I say winter was almost over - that was wishful thinking.  Over the last few days we have had more snow and the mercury plummetted to -33 Celsius last night with the forecast for continued cold all week.  Today was a beautiful sunny day so we bundled up and went for a short walk.   

The street we live on is called Mahatma Gandhi Avenue and this statue of the great man was erected last summer.  We have no idea if there is any meaningful connection between Gandhi and Mongolia - does anyone know?  One thing is for sure, if he was ever here during the winter he would not have been walking around in that flimsy outfit.

I arrived back in Mongolia last Saturday and was pleasantly surprised to see the mercury nudging its way to 0 Celsius - a temperature we haven’t seen here since early November. 

This fantastic ice carving of Chinggis Khan and his warriors was done before Christmas but is now starting to melt.  Pretty soon only the big bronze statue next to it will be left.

Even in the depth of winter these camels are “saddled up” and waiting by the roadside in Terelj National park most days, the owners hoping some crazy tourists will come along and pay a few hundred Tugrugs for a ride or photo op.

Back on this side of the Pacific the snow finally stopped and the sun came out so we donned snow boots and toques and ventured into the yard, here’s David getting to know Freya, our ”ney”bours horse.

Here is another example of why I always carry a camera.  Seems like an innovative way to work under your car!

The day after Rays birthday a small group of crazy (plus tired and hungover) people arranged a visit to the Mongolian Military Tourist Camp.  This is actually run by the military and we wondered if the revenue supplements the defense budget.

The day didn’t start out well due to the extreme cold, it was -25 C that morning and our car wouldn’t start.  Then the arranged Russian van didn’t turn up, again due to mechanical problems and when a replacement was arranged and we finally did get out to the base, the military guys could not get the tank to start.

Somewhat disappointed, we headed for the shooting range, where they had an assortment of weapons - an AK 47, some sniper rifles and a Markov pistol which we could shoot.

Feeling a bit delicate Ray opted for the pistol and displayed his good marksmanship by scoring several hits on the watermelon which he had taken out to use as a target.

Anyone for a cool game of pool?

This morning we visited the Gandan Monastery, largest functional monastery in Mongolia.  Although it was a crisp cold day, the sun was shining as usual and we bundled up against the cold.

The Monastery was built between 1841 and 1912 but most of it was destroyed during the period of religious persecution by the Soviets, and many of its treasures were lost.  It has been rebuilt in recent years and new temples added.  The main temple Mejid Janraiseg (above left) is built in a mixed Chinese and Tibetan style and houses a 25.6 metre tall buddha.  The original statue was disassembled and taken in pieces to the USSR during the 1930s but a new statue was built in the 1990s with donations from Japan and Nepal. 

One of the many stupas. 

 Toya - little Mongolian girl feeding the pidgeons

Young “bandi” - student of Buddhism

Prayer bells and Khadags (prayer flags)

While editing some of my pictures today I noticed something different about this horse - it has blue eyes.  

Here’s another shot from the Festival of Eurasia cavalry show,  which I processed in Photoshop with a posterized special effect.  It was an incredible display of horsemanship, while riding at full speed the horseman leaned right over, picked up the spear from the ground, regained his seat and raced away.

I’m putting the finishing touches to my gallery from that fantastic day and will have it online very soon.

The cold snap last weekend brought the first good snowfall of the season.  With daytime highs barely going above freezing and night temperatures much lower, this snow is here to stay.  

Hairy yaks, with coats like that they won’t be feeling the cold.

We got back here yesterday to a chilly -2 Celsius temperature, a sure sign that winter has already arrived, with snow forecast for tomorrow.

Here’s a recent shot of the front entrance of the hotel.  For anyone interested in what the finished hotel will be like you can check out the website at : http://www.tereljhotel.com/

Tonight’s episode of the Amazing Race was filmed in Mongolia, and for any of you who watched it, you will have seen Ray giving directions to the “Beauty Queens” team of Dustin and Candice.

This was not his only TV appearance tonight, earlier this evening CTV aired a film about Mongolia and once again Ray was there, talking about the development of luxury hotels in Mongolia.

I was thrilled to learn that I have won a 2nd Prize in an International Photo Contest with this picture, taken last summer in Central mongolia.  It was an awesome sight to see this huge herd galloping freely across the steppe. 

Check out the other entries at: Norton International Photo Contest

I have been busy getting ready for my upcoming trip to Hong Kong so haven’t finished the gallery yet, but here is another photo taken at the “Festival of Eurasia” event.

Mongolian contorsionists - women without bones - are world famous and the Mongolian Circus has performed in many parts of the world.  They are truly amazing to watch.

I didn’t realize how many blog fans I had, welcome back.

This picture is from the incredible show we went to last Sunday - The Return of Chinggis Khan after 800 years.

I hope to have a gallery of more images online later today.

I had passed by this beautiful mosaic many times before I noticed it, on one of the busiest corners in the city. I have no idea who built it or when, but will do some research on it. The golden Soyombo on the right is the Mongolian National emblem. It dates back to the 17 th century and is attributed to the statesman Zanabazar who was the leader of Mongolian Lamaism and the father of Mongolian art and script.

The most common interpretation of the symbol is:

• the flame at the top represents the blossoming and continuation of the family
• the three prongs signify prosperity for the Mongolian people in the past, present and future
• the sun and crescent symbolize the origin of the Mongolian people
• the triangles express the people’s determination to defend the country’s freedom and independence. The top one represents the triumph over internal enemies and the bottom one victory over external enemies
• the rectangles stand for honesty, justice and meritocracy
• the yin-yang symbol means that men and women are unifiedthe two vertical rectangles on the sides signify fortress walls, a symbol of the Mongolian saying, Two humans in friendship are stronger than walls of stone.

The Soyombo is featured on the Mongolian flag. One of the oldest examples can be seen carved in stone in the ruins of the ancient city of Kharakorum. It is also painted in rocks on a hill overlooking the city.

Another example of the fabulous traditional dress, this lady was a participant in the Archery Contest.

To visit a Gallery of some of my Naadam images CLICK HERE

After a few days off to enjoy the big celebration we’re back at work. Here are a couple of really cute kids I photographed while wandering around the Naadam stadium. It was great to see so many people proudly wearing their colourful national dress. The little boy was (un)dressed up in Mongolian wrestling gear posing for his portrait and obviously enjoying it.

Its hard to describe the scene out at the horse racing venue, this is definitely not the Kentucky Derby or Royal Ascot.

Here are a few of the child jockeys heading to the start of the race. Note the lack of safety gear - some of the smaller children, barely out of diapers, have their feet tied to the stirrups so they won’t fall off.

The opening ceremony of Naadam was a fabulous event.� Of the 100+�images I shot today, this is�the only one I have processed so far.� The Nine White (yak-tail) Banners were paraded into the stadium with much pomp and ceremony and cheering from�the huge crowd.� They will remain in the Stadium, protected by four guards, until the closing ceremony.

The Honor Guard in their fabulous uniforms - shot late this afternoon in Sukhbaatar Square . Tomorrrow these horsemen will carry the nine State White Banners to the Central Stadium where they will stay for the duration of Naadam.

The dress rehearsal for the grand Naadam parade was held in the Central Stadium yesterday, it was an incredibly colourful event with people wearing their beautiful national costumes, practicing their dances to the accompaniment of several hundred musicians playing stirring Mongolian music on traditional instruments.

Some of the sports competitions start today and I will be out there once again with my camera, watch this spot for more.

We are only 4 days away from Naadam, the big festival held every year. This year marks the 800th Anniversary of the founding of Chinggis (Gengis) Khan’s Empire in 1206.  The city is being spruced up and preparations are underway at the National Stadium for the celebration, which promises to be quite spectacular.

This portrayal of the nation’s most famous warrior was recently built on one of the hills south of the city.

After our walk on Sunday we went into the city for lunch and were sitting at one of the sidewalk cafes enjoying a cold beer and lunch of Shashlik (yummy meat kebabs cooked over an open fire) when a cavalcade of motor cycles carrying banners advertising one of the local beers came roaring up the main street - Hells Mongols!!! There were all kinds of bikes, from look alike Harleys, a little red ‘wannabe a real bike’ and a massive silver bike carrying what looked like the whole family - Dad who was the only one wearing a safety helmet, Mum on her cell phone and 2 kids tucked in between them.  It appears that helmets are not compulsory here, but quite a few of the riders did wear them, the flashiest being a shiny chrome helmet and studded goggles.

Our last stop of the day was at the Archery Stadium where once again the archers were out competing. Ray got talking to some of the men who explained how the bows and arrows are made and tried one out.

Yesterday was one of those perfect weather days - blue skies, puffy clouds, a gentle breeze and temperature around 28C with no humidity. We went for a walk in the hills on Bogd Uul, the mountain just south of the city.  The hillside was covered in wildflowers and lush greenery but eventually the bugs forced us to turn back.

We then visited the nearby Zaisan Memorial - built to honour the Russian and Mongolian soldiers who died in the struggle against Nazi Germany. The monument is perched atop a hill and features a large circular mosaic depicting scenes from the struggle, and offers a great view over the sprawling city of Ulaanbaatar.

June 1st was National Children’s Day, a public holiday. It seemed like every child in Mongolia was out having fun that day. They were all dressed up, many of them like this little girl in traditional costume.  The main square and Children’s Park resembled a huge carnival with rides for the kids and vendors selling toys and sweets.

We were watching the festivities when these two guys came racing down the main street on their horses, right through the crowd.

These immaculately turned out soldiers in the red and blue uniforms of the special battalion of the Mongolian Honour Guard were on parade at an Army Graduation Ceremony in Sukhbaatar Square.