1. The Tsaatan People are a Shamanistic group of nomadic reindeer herders living in the Dukhad Valley of Northern Mongolia. As the reindeer population shrinks, only around 40 families can continue the tradition, most surviving annually on the equivalent to one-hundred USD per year.
2. Fourteen days on horseback trekking through Northern Mongolia requires a strong sunscreen and a warm camel-wool cap. You might find yourself discussing frostbite and heat rash in the same day.
3. Gird your loins if you ever need to visit the Chinese Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Better yet, wear a thick jacket. A stranger bit one of my friends on the arm as he made his way through the crowd outside. Another tried to pull a girl on my squad back from the door by the collar of her shirt.
4. When someone offers you “warm clothing” in Mongolia, you might end up with large traditional robes they’ll expect you to wear, rain or shine, for the next two weeks.
5. Mongolian horses are “half wild.” They’re free to roam all winter, only to be brought in from the hills to work the spring and summer months. We met our horses in their first weeks back on the job, and they weren’t always happy about it.
6. That said, pack horses are jerks. Something about carrying the tents and a two-weeks supply of oatmeal instead of a half-terrified American tourist really brings out the worst in an animal.
7. In Mongolia, gifts are given and received with the right hand with both the giver’s wrists and head covered.
8. If you’re praying for a translator, you might find one in a “happenstance” conversation on the side of the road outside the Mongolian immigration office.
9. Mongolian superstition forbids whistling if the wind is already blowing. If it’s not windy, whistle away. When you make tea, you must throw some in all four cardinal directions before drinking, and don’t roll up your sleeves unless you’re looking for a fist fight.
10. In the Mongolian wilderness, you might find yourself using the bathroom next to a wayward horse skull, a sheep skull, the rotting corpse of an adult yak, or better yet, with an audience of live horses (all especially intent on figuring out what exactly you’re doing behind that tree).
11. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” – Matthew 24:35
If you like to see any of the photos from our two week trek to visit the Tsaatan people, my friend Emily is an excellent photographer. Click here to go to her personal blog and enjoy!
She also wrote a great blog that expands a little bit on our preparation for the trip and how everything came together. You can find that here.
