The statue of Chinggis Khaan is so shiny and massive that it can be spotted from afar. It is less than an hour away by car from the national park.
The statue is made of stainless steel and is located in the place where, according to legend, he found a golden whip. It is a rather new monument as it was erected in 2008.
One of Chinggis’s bronze horsemen
We reached the park late on the same evening, where the host family welcomed us with a good dinner and warm beds.
That night, the sky was clear so the stars gave a breathtaking and chilling show as the winds howled through the peaks. In these little glimpses of heaven, the beauty of nature becomes so clear that one cannot help but get lost in some personal philosophical moment.
Snowy park
Countless times I have thought myself to be “in the middle of nowhere”, but when I actually found myself in a frozen desert in Mongolia, long away from a path resembling a road and with the only neighbors being the far peaks of the surrounding mountains, then I thought I must really be in the middle of nowhere.
It feels absolutely freeing being in an almost untouched land, very far from everything and yet not scared of getting lost.
Desert of the Gobi, Mongolia
The host and his camels
Just few minutes after having left the capital, Mongolia looks completely different from the chaotic and stressful Ulanbataar.
Where just not long ago there was a sea of cars and buildings, now there is nothing but an empty vastness and an almost serene quietness.
Mongolian Fur Trader
The bus from Ulan-Ude arrived late evening when the Mongolian autumn was at its full strength (or so I believed).
I always find it fascinating and exciting to reach a place completely new to me. A mix of thrill for the unknown things to come and the fact of being in this precise geographical location, certainly unimaginable just few years ago.
Walking from the bus station, I talked to a guy on his way back home from the factory where he works. In summer he works as a travel guide but now it’s too cold for tourists.
Chinggis Square and the Blue Sky Tower
(I’ve been told that, since the tower looks like an axe pointed at Chinggis Khan, some people don’t like it)
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