On our way back to Ulaanbaatar from Terelj we stopped by the Genghis Khan statue which is a huge statue of Genghis Khan on his horse atop of a dome with pillars. It is the biggest equestrian statue in the world!
The statue is actually placed where Genghis Khan found his very first whip, it is a golden whip which can be seen on the statue. It also faces the direction where Genghis Khan was born and raised. The statue rests on 36 columns that represent the Khan’s or representatives of each state. The Genghis Khan and his horse are made from sheets of stainless steel.
The statue is very impressive and makes you feel almost intimidated but protected at the same time.
Inside the building they have the biggest leather Mongolian boot in the world
and a giant replica of Genghis Khan’s whip.
In the bottom floor there is a museum.
At the very top we could walk on the head of the horse. It has an amazing view from the top and you can see the vast green land.
We had lunch at the restaurant inside the museum before leaving for Ulaanbaatar.
In Ulaanbaatar, we are planning our entire trek to Khovsgul lake. This includes accomodation, transport and food. We also had to buy the food and come up with specific meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The next two days, my friend Finn and I are the leaders of the expedition, so we both spent some of the day creating a timetable with what we can do at what time. It will be a lot of fun to lead but it will definitely be a challenge and a huge responsibility.
The Naadam festival which is an annual Mongolian festival is starting next week. As part of it, there are many festivals and activities celebrating it. We saw a closing ceremony of a festival where they were playing traditional Mongolian instruments. It was quite funny because they had extension cords everywhere but it was raining so the electricity kept cutting in and out. So their music was on and off. OK maybe funny is not the right word….
They have the largest woolen mural in the world and it is extremely long and looks really cool. It had different illustrations of everyday life for nomads.
As we were walking to dinner we came across a car with what seemed to be swastikas on the wheels. In fact, in Mongolia it means happiness and well being (It is a Hindu symbol).
This symbol can be found on many temples across Mongolia.
Tomorrow we go to the black market of Ulaanbaatar and the next day we are off to trek up north! I am really excited.
