From my journal (Mongolia)

This was transcribed from my journal when I was in Ulaanbator from 8 to 12 June, 2010:

It's already June and the weather is still cold and wet. Global warming has taken its toll on the domestic animals this winter. It is one of the coldest winters and about 8.5 million goats, cows and horses have died from starvation and the freezine temperature. Huska attributed it to the lackadaisical attitude of the farmers for not preparing well for winter. Now meat prices have doubled and the price of cashmere has blown out of proportion (to my dismay...not that I need any more cashmeres!).

Yes, the weather indeed is very unpredictable now for Mongolia. I was here in late March, supposedly Spring. I woke up one morning, looked out of my hotel window and saw bright sunshine! Three hours later, after my business meeting, I came out and it was snowing! So my advice...always bring a warm jacket when visiting Mongolia. 

Food: since the Mongolians come from an ancestry of nomads, needless to say, they are carnivore. Plenty of beef, lamb, pork, chicken and even horse meat are available. Vegetables and fruits are mainly imported from China. 

One of the favourite Mongolian traditional dish is Khorkhog (the 'k' is silent, so it sounds like hor-hog). Stones are heated in an open fire until red hot, then placed together with pieces of lamb into a pot, with a bit of water and seasoning, and allowed to simmer over a slow fire for 4 hours. The hot stones when taken out are used as an effective 'heat' treatment for aches and pains of the body.

I feel the Mongolians still retain the nomadic genes of their great ancestor, Chinggis Khan. Every opportunity they have, they will leave Ulaanbator (UB), the city to go into the "country-side". I suppose it is the call of the mountains, so in Summer, when schools are closed for 2-3 months, whole and extended families would gather together and stay in gers; to cook and eat, talk and sing under the vast sky of bright twinkling stars; to bond yet again, as a family unit and to enjoy the fresh air and green mountains surrounding them. 

Indeed they should enjoy this brief period of sunny and warm weather, because nine months out of a year, it will be cold, damp, windy and freezing. Yes, winter can be unforgiving with a temperature of minus 50 degrees! It is no wonder this is called a Vodka nation, like Russia. How else to keep warm and pass the freezing nights but to drown oneself in liquor? Many pubs, restaurants and karaoke lounges have sprung up in UB. They provide a warm, indoor social haven for friends and business associates to gather during the long winter months.

Today 12 June, the sun is out, so at Sukhbaatar Square, under the watchful eyes of Chinggis Khan's big statue, families gather and their children are free to roller-skate or ride their small bicycles in the big space of the square, squealing with delight, free for once from the confines of their gers.   

                 As a frequent traveller, I have seen more than I remember
                 and remembered more than I have seen.

                                                 - Benjamin Disraeli-