Itsuki-gumi Ginko Travel to Mongolia!!
On a certain day in July, we went on an Itsuki-gumi Ginko (haiku-writing excursion) trip to Mongolia, so I will report on how it went.
Organized and arranged by Mongolia expert Molto Ichinohata, the six of us went: Molto, his wife Hibiki, Hiraku Kanata, Kinoko Kitano, Uzura Tsuyukusa, and Hekiseiri.
DAY 1 Narita -> Ulaanbaatar
As the plane entered the airspace over the continent, a landscape completely different from Japan came into view: reddish-brown earth and a series of gentle hills.
Hiraku was lecturing the Mongolian man sitting next to him on the plane about 'what haiku is.' A true Itsuki-gumi member, sowing the seeds of haiku immediately.
In Ulaanbaatar, our local guides for this trip, Hisako and Tulga, welcomed us with smiles. Our driver was Damian.
DAY 2 Ulaanbaatar -> Undurshiret
We traveled about 200 km from Ulaanbaatar, aiming for Undurshiret, a small village in the grasslands.
Once we left the city, it was just grasslands, and more grasslands, all the way to the horizon. Even though you could see gentle hills in the distance, the sky and the earth were just so vast!!
During the trip, Uzura, a serious birder, found birds one after another, and we were able to observe three large cinereous vultures and a Mongolian lark.
Also, on the way, we discovered a ranch said to be managed by Harumafuji! The sumo banner of 'Harumafuji' standing in the Mongolian grasslands really stood out. We enjoyed delicious ice cream here.
In Undurshiret village, we stayed in gers for tourists.
The gers are cool during the day and warm at night, making them very comfortable!
By the way, it seems that real gers all have their entrances facing south. It is said to be the wisdom of nomads to know the direction immediately.
On this day, we went canoeing on the Tuul River, a large river flowing nearby.
And Uzura showed her birder spirit again (lol). Ignoring the oars, she took photos of the birds gathering at the water's edge. It seems she was able to observe whiskered terns and ruddy shelducks. Only Hiraku behind her was diligently rowing.
And then, around 11:00 PM when it finally got dark (at this time of year, sunset in Mongolia is around 9:00 PM). A sky full of stars welcomed us.
We spread a sheet on the grass and lay down, looking up at the stars in the celestial sphere spreading 360 degrees. The Milky Way crossed over, stars occasionally shot across the sky, and the Summer Triangle shone beautifully... It was an experience that nothing could replace.
If stars were to fall to the earth, this would be the place
DAY 3 Undurshiret Village
Rubbing our sleepy eyes, we woke up at 5:00 AM to watch the sunrise over the Mongolian land.
The rising sun, the grasslands and river dyed orange, and Naran (meaning 'sun' in Mongolian), the white cat who is the poster girl of the campsite.
Another refreshing day begins.
Even so, the humidity is really low and it's comfortable, and it's even cold in the mornings and evenings. As expected of a continental climate.
A cat with the name of the sun and a partial shadow
On this day, we all tried horseback riding. Except for the veterans Molto and Hibiki, most of us were beginners. However, the nomads led each of us by the reins the whole time, so we were able to enjoy it safely.
Molto and Hibiki didn't need lead ropes; their light handling of the reins was impressive. So cool.
We started at a walk. We got used to it relatively quickly and tried a trot little by little. Ugh, my internal organs were being jolted by the saddle. My knees hurt.
Under the vast sky, the exhilaration of riding a horse through the endless grasslands, on paths that were not paths, is something words cannot express. The sense of liberation as we became the Mongolian wind, raced through the grass, and looked up at the sky.
A whistle blows softly, the wind scents the air on horseback
However, in the evening after the unaccustomed horseback riding... someone let out a sigh: 'A new Mongolian seasonal word for the landscape has been born... "Knee-laughing".'
From there, derivative seasonal words (?) were born one after another (lol).
- Knee-dying - Knee-to-heaven - Knee-returning - Lingering-knee (All describing how summer tourists get their knees wrecked by unaccustomed horseback riding and crouch down, or how they are healing.)
There were others like - Mongolian eye-gnat - Groin-dying - Earth-rising/Earth-birthing (as a play on 'haze'). We were haiku poets who could say whatever we wanted, creating seasonal words on our own.
In the evening, we wore the traditional Mongolian costume 'deel' and played with a bow and arrow.
Some looked like the Xuantong Emperor Puyi had descended (!), and others exuded the aura of a big shot in Mongolian politics and business; everyone looked great.
DAY 4 Undurshiret Village
We had another day of horseback riding. We crossed hills and grasslands different from yesterday and visited the ger of a nomad.
It is also a good memory that we did an open-air toilet (relieving ourselves in a hole dug in the grass) while being rained on here.
And suddenly, Hiraku had an epiphany about horseback riding!! Even though it was his first time, he went beyond a trot and was galloping on his own, showing such improvement.
Has the Xuantong Emperor Puyi really descended??
In the evening, the locals said they would make Khorkhog (a traditional meat dish passed down among Mongolian nomads; bone-in lamb and vegetables are put into a large metal pot with stones heated over an open fire, sealed, and steamed).
To prepare for that, we observed the whole process of slaughtering and butchering a sheep.
The sight of the cute sheep being laid on its back, its aorta cut, and its life slowly fading away. We are literally receiving life.
And it was impressive that they first skinned the whole body and laid it on the grass so as not to stain the earth with blood.
The butchering process was very educational, with detailed explanations from Kinoko (a veterinarian) at every step ('That is the first stomach,' 'That is the trachea,' etc.).
Beautiful summer clouds on the day of the Mongolian slaughter
And until the Khorkhog was ready, the bag-passing and haiku-matching finally began. We are haiku poets, so of course (lol).
Many excellent haiku rich in real experience were born, but the winner was, surprisingly, the haiku by our local guide Hisako (her first attempt at haiku!), who arranged this trip.
After all, haiku based on real experience from living in Mongolia are strong!!
And the finished Khorkhog was simple and bold! Since it was super fresh (after all, it was alive two hours ago...), there was no gamey smell, and they cooked everything including the internal organs, so it was delicious!!
While enjoying it with a large amount of Mongolian beer, the night deepened...
DAY 5 Undurshiret Village -> Ulaanbaatar
We left the campsite with heavy hearts.
By the way, during this period, Naadam (the biggest national event and ethnic festival held once a year in Mongolia) was being held all over the country, and on our way back, we were able to observe the horse racing, which is part of the Naadam in Undurshiret village.
Children mainly aged 4 to 5 ride horses to compete over a distance of more than 20 km.
It was very impressive that the child jockey who was overtaken just before the goal was crying in frustration.
The Naadam boy sobbing in summer
(This is plagiarism, no, absolutely not)
('Moreover, since Naadam is a summer seasonal word in Mongolia, it's a double seasonal word' ←)
Perhaps because I had been living an active and wild life at the campsite, my desire to shop exploded once I returned to Ulaanbaatar!
I ended up splurging on souvenirs at a cashmere specialty store and the Nomin (formerly state-run) Department Store...
It's okay, I have a bonus (broken English).
DAY 6 Ulaanbaatar → Narita
Returned home safely!!
Sorry for the long post. Did I manage to convey even a little bit of the fun?
Anyway, haiku poets are bundles of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, and the conversation just never ended.
And everyone had their own areas of expertise (Mr. Malt with Mongolia and horses, Hiraku-san with general trivia, Kinoko-san with livestock like cows and sheep, and Uzura-san with birds), and they fully demonstrated their skills and personalities during the trip.
Hmm, I wish I had studied Mongolian plants or something before coming. A little bit of regret there.
Anyway, it was a very fun Mongolian Ginko trip! The End!!!
