NS in Mongolia

Welcome!

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Welcome to our trip blog which will take you along with us on our recent trip to Mongolia. Thirteen Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) students took part in the trip, accompanied by three instructors, and one member of the NS Board of Directors. It took place between April 27th and May 13th, 2008. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience, and we hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to add your comments at the end of any of the postings!

(you can click on any photo to enlarge it).

Getting Ready

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Our dream trip to Mongolia began months before, when students in the NS program did their own research and Powerpoint presentations to persuade their classmates on where we ought to go this year. The presentations were made in November, 2007.

After one of the most intense and lengthy debates ever held at NS, Mongolia won on the very last ballot (over Iceland), much to the delight of Emily Karpik (right) who was the main advocate for it. Here she is with Victoria Kakuktinniq pointing to our destination on the map!

Months of fundraising then followed. Students received donations from a wide variety of sources, including hamlets, Inuit organizations, businesses and non-profit groups throughout Nunavut. They also raised funds by performing in Ottawa at various events such as Winterlude and the Northern Lights Trade Show. The two largest donations came from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, and Nunasi Corporation.

Eventually, the money was raised, the itinerary was in place (special kudos to NS instructor Jackie Price for her masterful job), the snappy new jackets and hoodies arrived with our names and logos on them, and we were ... READY TO GO!
(Seated) Instructors David Serkoak, Jackie Price
(Middle row L-R) Kelly Karpik (Kimmirut), Emily Karpik (Pangnirtung), Megan Porter (Gjoa Haven), Jacky Nutarakittuq (Igloolik), Susie Kununak (Gjoa Haven), Kamele Isnor (Cambridge Bay), Victoria Kakuktinniq (Rankin Inlet), Alexandra Anaviapik (Pond Inlet), Kiah Hachey (Baker Lake);
(Third Row L-R) Murray Angus (instructor) David Topilak (Kugluktuk), Robbie Nuyalia (Iqaluit), Ken Kilabuk (Pangnirtung), Lori Tagoona (Rankin Inlet).

Getting There

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Our flight out of Ottawa on Sunday, April 27th was very early in the morning - so early, in fact, that the students felt that the safest way to ensure that they didn't miss the plane was to stay awake together all night at the school. Despite this (or because of this!), everyone showed up extra early, rarin' to go.We first flew to Vancouver, a 5-hour flight. We stayed there for two hours, which gave us a chance to stretch before boarding the long 12-hour flight to Beijing. We left Vancouver in early afternoon, on Sunday and arrived in Beijing in mid-afternoon on Monday, thanks to the fact that we crossed the International Date Line on the way. It was a long flight (even longer for the smokers in the group!), but it went smoothly and we were so excited to finally be in China The first thing that amazed us was the airport itself - it had just opened in preparation for the Olympics, and was as close to beautiful as an airport can be.

First Impressions

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One of the first things we noticed was the incredible air pollution.
Beijing's population is almost 30 million people, virtually the same as all of Canada's! There's a thick haze blocking the sun even on the nicest of days. It's easy to see why Olympic athletes are coming here ahead of time to get used to it.
This is what a sunny day in Beijing can look like!Traffic in the city is crazy. We were told that there are about 5 million cars in the city - at every intersection, buses, cars, bicyclists and pedestrians are all heading in front of each at each other, but somehow people seem to make it work.
The next thing we noticed as we took our bus into the city was all the construction going on everywhere - roads, bridges, and buildings. This city is going crazy with construction projects, again, in preparation for this summer's Olympics.

The Trans-Mongolian Express!

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We had ticket's pre-arranged, and were excited to be finally boarding the famous Trans-Mongolian Express which would take us across China to Ulaam Bater, the capital of Mongolia. Early Tuesday morning, we gathered at our hotel and then made our way to the train station across the street.Each compartment on the train had four bunks, so it developed a "lived in" look very quickly.Publish Post3032824436978" /> We got a lovely surprise when we went for our breakfast the next morning. The Chinese dining car had been replaced overnight with a Mongolian one, and it was the most ornate train car we'd ever seen. And the food was good too!
David was a contented man once he found some coffee.

The Landscape

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It took us over an hour on the train before we got out of the Beijing.
At first, the train went through an area of small, but steep mountains where the train seemed to spend as much time inside tunnels as it did outside. Every little flat piece of land was used for farming, but there wasn't much to use.

Gradually, however, the landscape flattened out and we passed many villages that were surrounded by flat farmland.

By the end of the first day, we were getting into the vast area known as the Steppes. These are dry grassland areas, where there is in fact very little grass - it's very short and sparse. This is the land of the Mongolians (who live on the Chinese side of the border as well).

We stood in amazement at the endless expanse we saw go by us - hour after hour. Occasionally, we could spot a few animals - either cattle, sheep, or even camels, and sometimes wildlife such as antelopes. Sometimes, we would see more dead carcasses along the way than we'd see live animals. At times, the sparse grassland gave way to sandy dessert. Every so often, we'd see a ger (or yert) - the round tent of the nomadic peoples who live on this land.

NS Board member Steven Lonsdale checks out the scenery. Emily Karpik celebrates our arrival to Mongolia - she was one of the students who advocated it as a destination.

Ulaanbaatar

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We arrived in Mongolia's capital city of Ulaanbaatar by mid-day. It's the largest city by far in the country, with almost half of its 2.6 million people living there. As we entered the city, we noticed that the image of Ghengis Khan, the founder of the historic Mongolian empire in the 12th century, was marked on the hillside beside the town. We were met by our tour guide, Ariuna, at the station and taken immediately to our B&B. One of our first impressions was of the traffic - it seemed like there were four lanes of cars trying to drive down two lanes of street - everybody was cutting everyone else off, and pedestrians were walking right in front of cars. It was CRAZY!!! After dropping our bags at the B&B, we were taken to the National History Museum, where we learned about the long history of the Mongolian peoples. After that, we drove to the top of a nearby mountain where we could see the city from above. It was the site of a huge monument to the Russian soldiers who had defended Mongolia against Japanese aggression in the 1930s. While we were there, we encountered a Mongolian man from the far western part of the country, where they still train eagles to hunt. A couple of group members, including Susie Kununak of Gjoa Haven, accepted the challenge of holding the giant predator. The next day, we went to the university and met with a small group of students there. First, we were given a lecture on Mongolian culture by a retired professor.Then we had our first chance to hear, and see, a Mongolian throat singer, who performed songs while playing the traditional horsehead fiddle. We all found it fascinating to hear him throat sing!
We then did some performing of our own for them.After the performances were done, we had fun answering their questions and letting some of the Mongolian students try on our amautis.In the afternoon, we visited the National Museum of Fine Art and then did some all-important SHOPPING! before flying to the city of Moron, a two-hour flight northward.

Hitting the "road"

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We only stayed in Moron overnight, and in the morning we began our seven days of trekking around northern Mongolia. We travelled in three Russian-built vans which proved to us over the course of the trip that they were capable of going anywhere! There were no real roads over most of the vast grassland and desert areas we travelled across - only well-travelled trails, like the ones 4-wheelers use back home in Nunavut. The vans (and their drivers) were amazing - they could go over, or through, anything! The ride was very rough, but we eventually got used to it, and spent days enjoying beautiful panoramas of mountains, valleys, herds of animals (cattle, sheep, yaks, horses, and occasionally camels). Horses have been at the centre of Mongolian culture for centuries, and they are still used a lot by the nomadic peoples who live on the Steppe, or grasslands. One unusual thing we saw several times were "twisters", i.e. funnels of sand twirling up from the land like little tornados. They never posed any danger as we drove past them.

Meeting the Reindeer People

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One of the highlights of the trip was the chance to visit and stay with the Tsaatan, the "reindeer people" who live in the northern, forested areas of Mongolia near the border with Siberia. There are about 200 or so Tsaatan in what's called the West Taiga area, and to reach them we had to drive up, then hike over one small mountain, down the other side, and then across a valley - altogether about 5 km off the "road". When we got to their campsite, everyone was amazed to see so many tuktu just standing and lying around. Many were tied up to trees, while others just stood around the camp. It was amazing to get so close to them! It was also fascinating to see how they had adapted some very modern technologies to their very traditional lifestyle.

Sharing our Culture

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We spent time in our first afternoon with the Tsaatan people showing them various aspects of our culture.

Kelly Karpik showed them how Inuit carry their babies in their amautisEmily and Kelly Karpik and others demonstrated Inuit throat singing.The whole group performed various songs. To see the group perform their last song, click on the video link below We also gave them gifts from Nunavut, including books with lots of pictures of the Canadian arctic and of Inuit society back home. These helped overcome the language barrier and gave them a better idea of where we came from.
Here, Kamele Isnor from Cambridge Bay presents a gift bag to our hosts.

Waking up to Winter

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When we had arrived at the Tsaasan's campsite in the forest, it was spring time, but when we awoke from our teepees the next morning, it was a winter wonderland! Before packing up, we made sure we took lots of pictures with the reindeer. The Tsaasan have felt neglected by their government since the fall of communism in 1990, and don't have a lot of income to live on now. Before we left, we pooled our money together and presented our hosts with a gift to help them.We had a 5 km hike back to our vans, but our hosts did us a BIG favour by offering to use their reindeer to pack most of our bags - this was very appreciated!
This let us enjoy a beautiful hike across the valley and up over the mountain in the background, on a crisp and sunny morning. Instructor Jackie Price leads the group, as we leave behind the forested area where the Tsaasan live.

Sleeping in gers

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Gers (or yerts) remain the traditional home of about 40% of the Mongolian people who still live nomadic lives, herding their flocks of cattle, yaks, horses and sheep in the vast, open Steppe areas. These gers are covered in heavy felt material, and are very warm and cozy on the inside. They move four times a year with the changing seasons. We were lucky to stay in gers on more than one occasion during the trip.Some gers are beautifully outfitted inside."Goalie" Topilak and Ken Kilabuk inside their ger
Again, one day it's spring, the next day it's winter again - such is the Mongolian climate in May!

Karakorum

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Our last stop on our journey around northern Mongolia was at Karakorum, which had been the capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. Our main focus there was the Erdene Zuu monastery, a huge complex with a variety of Buddhist temples inside its walls. Some parts of it were built over 900 years ago. It was one of the few monasteries in Mongolia that wasn't destroyed by the communists during their reign in the early part of the 20th century.Part of it is now a museum, while part is still an active monastery, where Buddhist monks do their daily prayers and devotions, and teach students their beliefs and practices.

Beijing Again

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Our last 48 hours were spent in Beijing, and we did pretty much all "touristy" stuff. We had a guide and a bus to take us places, and we saw such key sights as the Great Wall of China, which was totally amazing. It was steep and not an easy walk, but most of us made it to the highest point.We drove past the site for this summer's Olympics, and saw the stadiumand the Olympic village, where the main building (in background) is designed to look like the Olympic torch.An Olympic "count-down" clock was present at various sites around the city. One of the main sites to visit in Beijing is Tienanmin Square. Here, David, Steven and Vic stroll across the huge square. The Great hall of the People is where government business is conducted.This building is the entrance to the Forbidden City, where Chinese emperors once lived.In addition to some heavy-duty shopping, we took in an amazing acrobatic show before we left for home.

People Pix

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(L-R) Jackie, Kamele, Kiah, Kelly, Jacky, Susie David "Goalie" Topilak After several days on the road, Kiah decided that washing one's hair had to be done somehow! Our wonderful team of drivers and guides: (l-r) MUUGII, BYAMBA, DIMEE, (Jacky), ARIUNA and TIMKA They took us EVERYWHERE, and did so much to make our travel easier, and to help us understand this wonderful country and its culture. NS instructors (l-r) David Serkoak, Jackie Price, Murray Angus NS Board representative Steven Lonsdale