Taki Mating Season

If you've never had the chance to see wild, Preznowski horses (aka Taki) mate, then you must not have visited Hustai National Park in June. With 10 day old foals at their sides, the female Taki ruefully submitted to the will of their corresponding stallion. Now the 11 month gestation can begin again...

The Taki are the only ancestral horses left in the wild. Although they died out in Mongolia in the early 1900s, a Dutch zoo, intent on keeping the species alive, reintroduced them here in the 1990s. The massive park houses around 200 horses, their numbers variable due to drought and wolves in the area. Also home to gazelle and the rare red deer, Hustai impressed me with its resolve to protect this bit of untamed wilderness.

Aside from a few nomadic herders and domesticated horses, however, there isn't much to protect the park from. At about 100km west of UB, the park centers itself in the middle of vast, well, nothingness. And I don't mean that in a bad way. The landscape, so barren of trees, barely covered in grass, and without many people, is awe inspiring. A hike to the top of one of the tallest points in the park revealed an amazing landscape of rounded mountains and valleys.

Before heading back to UB this morning, Annie, Sarah, Brian and I got up at 4:30am to see the sunrise. Unfortunately, rain stymied our efforts, but the hike to another tall hill was astounding nonetheless.

Now comes the ride home. Mongolia is a huge country with very low population density. Thus, roads are basically non-existant. For our journey, construction workers toiled on the main road out of UB (preparing it for the rush to the countryside that will happen in July for the Nadaam festival), forcing us to forge our own path. Our skilled driver (btw, we paid him about $30 for a day and a half of services) and his tough SUV managed just fine-- only 3 hours for the 100km journey! As someone who doesn't get carsick easily, I even felt nauseous after that drive.

Now back in UB, I'm beginning to understand the city better. The "downtown" area is quite nice. Ritzy shops are springing up alongside wide sidewalks and fasionable people. But this area is populated by a wealthy minority. The further one gets from this central business district, the more gritty the city becomes. Our hotel is surrounded by tired, Soviet style apartments with peeling paint. Passing the city limits on the drive to Hustai, we saw what can only be described as slums.

Despite the broad spectrum, I like the city and its people. Our friendly UB resident and co-worker, Armanaa, gives us great insight into Monoglia and its culture. Getting into the countryside should be quite interesting. Hopefully I can blog one more time before heading out to Hovsgol.