For this traveler, two important sites are on my itinerary. One is forever linked with Winston Churchill and the other to Brad Pitt. Both are sites of great historic significance.
I visited Istanbul in 1981, the population was 2.7 million, about half of whom were carpet salesmen. Tanks and armed military, machine guns with bayonets fixed, occupied the streets. Being ignorant of their politics, I thought perhaps the military was there to keep the street urchins at bay. They were failing – the military not the urchins.
In 2010, I celebrated my birthday in Constantinople. A lot had changed. The military was absent. The street urchins became Gen Xers. I was a bit older and a more knowledgeable and experienced traveler. Istanbul, historically known as Constantinople was the world’s 5th largest city with 12.8 million people in 2010. It now ranks 7th with over 15 million. There still are thousands of carpet salesmen, but distributed among them is a vibrant collection of perhaps the nicest, most helpful people I have ever met. Also, here are the nicest bunch of cats in the world.
Mongolia is known for its large, untouched landscapes, including the expansive Gobi Desert, Altai Mountains, and stunning grassy steppes. Jokes about getting lost in its vastness or trying to find a needle in a haystack (or a wild ass in the desert) can be relatable as one treks around this immense country. These treks also produce some interesting experiences both wild and wacky, welcoming and weird, wondrous and wonderful and a few that are godawful.
They are a mix of modern and out-dated. Entrance is reasonable but taking photos requires substantial fees sometimes as high as 30-50,000 Tugrik. Choices for a few hours include:
My travels in Mongolia have enabled me to sample a variety of gers and accommodations. For my final experiences, I travel to Gobi Desert. Once again this involves a flight out of UB, necessitated by distances and atrocious roads. Nomads have a good reason to travel by horse and camel across steppes and forests as it is surely more comfortable.
I visit during July when Mongolia hosts the biggest celebration of the year – Naadam or “three manly games.” Likened to Mongolia’s version of the Olympics, the festival takes place every summer all over Mongolia. Most important sporting events include archery, horse riding and wrestling but rousing games of Ankle Bone Shooting also are played. It is a time of oral traditions and songs (some throat singing), performing arts, national cuisine, craftsmanship, bright colors and traditional clothing honoring the nomadic way of life.
It’s a cacophony of noise and people, like a huge state fair on steroids. UNESCO has recognized Naadam on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This idea is expressed in the Mongolian national symbol of the Soyombo. It is attributed to Zanabazar, the 17th century leader of Mongolian Lamaism, a great statesman, and the father of Mongolian art and script. There are various interpretations of the Soyombo and the symbol is prominently displayed on the Mongolian national flag.
