“And with him on the back of a steed, all humans on Earth are forever changed.” – Old Sean
The Khan Finale
After a single night back in Ulaanbaatar, I made another concentrated effort to head out an explore the Mongolian countryside.
My last desired visit was enormously touristy and a location specifically required by my company. The reason I was in Mongolia was to do a trial-run for a travel-brochure. Provided this short job abroad went well, I would return to China breifly to get a full-time position as a travel-brochure writer.
I panned on visiting Tsonjin Boldog Plain where the enormous figure of Genghis Khan (Chinggis Khaan) sits overlooking the vast highlands.
I booked a shuttle and we began to drive, heading through the brown, rolling lands, past sheltered snow mounds and through hills, covered in gashes of mud from wheels and herd-hooves.
A feature when traveling Mongolia is the shift between the natural curves of the land which interlock and the sharp divide modern motions create out here.
There are tire-scars on the hills. And there are degrading roads and speeding cars and occasional, sharp-edged house. These seem slightly offensive in the unwavering highland light. It’s a reminder how far this race has come, how much we’ve shifted. Perhaps we’ve shifted too far, to the point that we don’t belong here in this part of the world. Not as we are.
Mongolia lets me feel that. I hope it’s just me. I’d rather not find anyone who agrees with the vague, fringing notion.
Visiting Tsonjin Boldog and the Complex
We finally arrived at the Chinggis Khan Statue Complex.
This enormous stainless steel structure is supposedly the second-largest equestrian statue in the world (after the Crazy Horse Memorial Statue found in the United States.
The steely visage depicts the most famous Mongolian of all time, the conquering Khan, who conquered an empire of such stunning proportions that the effects on history are a subject of endless speculation.
The location of the statue isn’t random. Allegedly, it was built upon the spot where the legendary Khan discovered a horse-whip on the vast fields of Mongolia. This discovery was an omen referenced in “The Secret Histories of the Mongols.”
The Secret History of the Mongols is the only genuine Mongolian account of Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan) and his family’s history. It seems forever odd that a man who killed enough people to re-forest vast tracts of Earth has almost no firsthand sources regarding his fateful life.
The statue is impressive enough on its own, but is actually built upon the structure of a round museum beneath the Khan. Visitors can walk in the front entrance and take an elevator up to the horse’s head.
Upon the Horse’s Mane
When a person is Visiting Tsonjin Boldog and the Khan statue, the symbolism can be a little heavy handed. For example, to stand atop the complex, a person takes an elevator up to stand on Khan’s horse’s mane.
Darkly and amusingly, to walk on this brisk and windy walkway, one must exit the Khan’s loins. Genghis Khan’s Mongolian invasions, rapes, pillages and campaigns resulted in his genes existing in almost 8% percent of the people in the region. That’s roughly 0.5% percent of the global population or 16 million descendants.
When atop the complex, Genghis Khan’s stern, steely features face to the distant East, the plains of his birth. In the distance, visitors can spot a statue of his waving mother, Hoelun, who is also referenced often in “The Secret History of the Mongols.”
Back on the grounds around the Complex, there are a few other interesting features. Many bronze statues of Mongolians ride the perimeter. They bear bows, hawks, ride horses and loosely grip long-spears.
Where Mountains are Carved
Afterwards, I had one last day to explore Mongolia before my flight returned to Beijing. I took a brief rest in Ulaanbaatar before taking a bus to the north-west. Here, I was introduced to some severe and beautiful mountains.
I was here to see the famed, modern monetary of Aglag Temple, a mountain retreat which was surrounded by some impressive modern Mongolian carvings. The temple is hidden, nestled in some of the first true forests I had experienced in the open country.
Getting to the temple was a challenging hike and I had to pay the shuttle-bus driver a bit extra to drop me off somewhere convenient.
I walked up a windy path following a steep ridge. At several points, I was funneled into several narrow, twisty caves. If I had been eating a bit more recently, I might have had trouble squeezing through.
But finally, I entered the carving valley.
Spirits on Mongols.
The carving valley is officially called Aglag Buteeliin Khiid. There are several beautiful, modern temples overlooking the lower sections of the mountain ranges. But the coolest parts are the mountain carvings where enormous figures emerge as pale beings, framed by darker, weather-beaten stone.
From the rocks, the heads of dragons emerge, large as a bus. A seated Buddha with ribs showing fades forth from a curve of stone. Holy symbols are imposed upon rock surfaces. Strange monster-heads the size of cars open fanged mouths to guard the high-passes. Scowling figures glare out from stone nooks, clutching ropes of prayer-flags tied around their palms. Marble goddesses are tucked behind pine trees, beatific expressions capturing the mountain sights. In the lower valley, vivid, frayed prayer flags tied by shamans are bound to strange, spiritually-charged surfaces.
Between the heights, the sheer scale of the sculptures, the glare of the watching sun and the crisp wind striking stone, the sight was awe-inspiring.
I seated myself on a mountain ledge and pulled out an apple. Awe makes me hungry.
The secret to awe-eating is in the sound of your munch. It must have reverence and juice.
Prayers in the Wind
Mongolia has a unique culture surrounding their Prayer Flags, which are thin presses of colorful clothes left in the elements. There are often words on them which have been bleached lighter by years under a highland sun.
Prayer flags are found throughout Asia, with many different countries using and respecting them differently.
A guide upon the mountain implied that the cloth banners in Mongolia have some shamanistic elements and locally potent symbolism. He stressed that they’re quite different than Tibetan flags.
For one thing, Mongolian’s fabrics aren’t necessarily left out on lines to flutter in the wind. They’re often tied in dense bundles around figures, waystations and spiritually potent areas. Though many of the beliefs are adopted, specifically in a similar fashion to Tibetan Buddhism, some of the symbolism is different, including color meanings and ritual expectation.
Back to China
After visiting Tsonjin Boldog and the mountains outside of Ulaanbaatar, my trip was essentially done.
On the return journey from the mountains, I spent time gazing at the half buried tires spread across the plain. These are property and trail markers, much better than fences, since these tires are basically considered trash, and therefore not likely to be looted.
I’m sure the occasional hawks and eagles using them as low perches disagree.
When I finally returned to Ulaanbaatar, I returned to my hostel and took another impossibly long shower. Then, fully clean and stuck with a backpack full of dusty, heavily-worn clothes, I collapsed on my bed in my last clean outfit.
I slept and kept doing that until my departure a few hours later, at which point I blearily typed this out while waiting in the airport
My sleepy writing tends to ramble, so I’ll stop this here. It’s always fun for me. But I apologize to you, my dear, mountingly-concerned reader.
Anyway, this will be my last trip for a while. When I head back to Beijing, I’ll be collecting one of my last Chinese paychecks. Afterwards, I’ll need to see if I’ve successfully landed my new travel-brochure job in Europe.
After this trip, I’ll have finally entered that wonderful combination of youth and financial destitution.
When I briefly escape this state of financial strife, I’ll be back on the road, hopefully with a paying job.
Until then,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written March 30th, 2018
Read more about Visiting Tsonjin Boldog and other parts of Mongolia by reading Leftfade Trails Destination Advice.
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