The
Kochi-based businessman Balram Menon talks about his experiences in
Mongolia. On an average, the country receives only five Indian
tourists in a year
Photos: Balram Menon going dog-sledding; the statue of Genghis Khan
By
Shevlin Sebastian
The
ten Siberian huskies began barking in unison as Balram Menon stepped
onto the sled. The time: 10.30 a.m. The place: Gorkhi-Terelj National
Park at Mongolia. They set off. On all sides, there was snow and bare
brown trees. The temperature was minus 20 degrees even though it was
the month of March. Soon, the dogs picked up speed.
The
Kochi-based businessman felt thrilled, as they raced through the
snowy expanse. “There is a handle which could be used to apply the
brakes and control the sledge,” says Balram.
A
kilometre ahead was a man inside a jeep. “His job was to keep
control of the dogs,” says Balram. “If they see some animals they
will get distracted and try to attack them. So, he blows the horn and
removes the animals from the path. The Huskies are ferocious dogs but
they have been trained to be friendly with human beings.”
Suddenly,
the sled hit a rock hidden under the snow and Balram went flying. He
had a soft landing on the snow. So he got up quickly and chased the
sled and managed to get on.
After
an hour came the lunch break. A barbeque was lit and meat fried. “I
was feeling so hungry the food was welcome,” says Balram. In the
end, he traversed 28 kms before the journey came to an end.
Balram
got interested in going to Mongolia when he saw a dog-sled video on
Facebook. The page belonged to a man called Bold Purvedelgar from
Mongolia. So Balram contacted Bold. “He is one of the few
Mongolians who can speak English,” says Balram. “He told me to
come to Mongolia and would arrange everything.”
Asked
about the temperature, Bold said that it varied from -20 to -40
degrees Centigrade. “He asked whether I could cope with that,”
says Balram. “I told him I was prepared for the challenge.”
In
the end, Balram had to wear five layers of thermal clothing.
As
for the route, since there is no direct flight from Kochi to
Mongolia, Balram flew to Colombo. From there, he went to Bangkok,
Beijing and then to Mongolia. “It took around 18 hours,” he
says.
Apart
from dog sledding, Balram tried paragliding. This was at Tsaonjin
Boldog Province, around 100km from the country's capital Ulaanbaatar.
“We had to walk up a mountain and then run on a flat ground and
leap into the air,” he says. “It was very exciting.”
Another
highlight was visiting the huge statue of Genghis Khan (1162-1227),
the founder of the Mongol Empire at Tsaonjin Boldog. “It is the
world's tallest equestrian statue,” says Balram. “The horse is
120 feet high. The statue is made of stainless steel.”
Genghis
is regarded as the father of the nation. “While the rest of the
world thinks he was a terror, for the Mongolians he is a hero,”
says Balram. “He had the largest army in the world and conquered
large areas of Asia and Europe.”
Genghis
was following a religion called Shamanism, through which you interact
with spirits. “Before embarking on a war, he would communicate with
the spirits, so that he would get an idea of whether he can win the
war or not,” says Balram. “But after the conquest of Mongolia by
Russia (1921-24), shamanism was completely destroyed.”
But
the traditional food and culture survive. Balram stayed in a tent,
called Ger, which is made of horse skin and hair. “It offers a good
protection against the cold,” says Balram. “They have small ovens
and use horse dung for fire. But there is no electricity, no digital
communications and no bathrooms. You have to go out into the forest
to do your ablutions.”
The
food is unique and different. The staple food is steam dumplings.
During winter, they have meat products, so that they can feel warm.
And in summer it is cheese. There is also a national drink called
airag, which is made from the fermented milk of a mare. “It is
highly alcoholic in content,” says Balram. “One sip is enough to
send you floating.”
As
for the attitude of the people towards Indians, Balram says, “They
are very friendly. They feel an affinity because the people of the
North-East of India look like them.”
(The
New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)
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