Perhaps the best part of the trip was riding a motorcycle over the plains and valleys where Chingis' scouts and soldiers once rode. This is supposedly the site of his very first battle, as described in their only recorded history "The Secret History of the Mongols," where he fought the Mergeds (30,000 or so!) to take back his wife. The only thing there now is a big rock (brought there to commemorate the plain) and a small bubbling spring.
Another site, this one back in the hills and forests, is where Chingis supposedly fought his best friend Jamukh for leadership over all Mongol peoples. Chingis did not want to kill him, but Jamukh insisted. Standing here is our faithful leader and documentarian - Javhai.
After all that traveling it is nice to sit down and have a snack... again supposedly in the very place where Chingis once hitched his horse 800 years ago! It is just too bad that you have to travel so many long and dusty hours just to get to another neat-looking rock in the middle of nowhere!
.JPG)
Another favorite visit was to this traditional bow-maker. Krista got me one of these bows almost 2 years ago but I never saw how it was done - cutting strips of ram's horn, glueing it to a strip of birch(with homemade glue from livestock...don't ask!), and coating on layers of cow tendons. This backwards-bending bow is surprisingly strong - as powerful as an English longbow and half the size!
Perhaps the best part of the trip was riding a motorcycle over the plains and valleys where Chingis' scouts and soldiers once rode. This is supposedly the site of his very first battle, as described in their only recorded history "The Secret History of the Mongols," where he fought the Mergeds (30,000 or so!) to take back his wife. The only thing there now is a big rock (brought there to commemorate the plain) and a small bubbling spring.
Another site, this one back in the hills and forests, is where Chingis supposedly fought his best friend Jamukh for leadership over all Mongol peoples. Chingis did not want to kill him, but Jamukh insisted. Standing here is our faithful leader and documentarian - Javhai.
After all that traveling it is nice to sit down and have a snack... again supposedly in the very place where Chingis once hitched his horse 800 years ago! It is just too bad that you have to travel so many long and dusty hours just to get to another neat-looking rock in the middle of nowhere!.JPG)
Another favorite visit was to this traditional bow-maker. Krista got me one of these bows almost 2 years ago but I never saw how it was done - cutting strips of ram's horn, glueing it to a strip of birch(with homemade glue from livestock...don't ask!), and coating on layers of cow tendons. This backwards-bending bow is surprisingly strong - as powerful as an English longbow and half the size!
No comments:
Post a Comment