News, Views and Reviews from Mongolia with Jess and Eternal Landscapes No Images? Click here In a rush? The Contents! The Eagle Huntress Aisholpan is better known as the eagle huntress but what of her future? Our Annual Community Rubbish Clean-Up Just that - a local community, a 15-ton truck and a whole heap of effort. Winter in Mongolia Bring thermals and enjoy low season in Mongolia. Including our 15% discount. Why Travel With Us We are not a travel agent or reseller. I research and design our trips and my own team run them. Meet Aisholpan Aisholpan is the famous female Kazakh eagle hunter. Not only is she young, but she is also the first female eagle hunter. She entered her first eagle hunting competition at the age of 13 - and won. As you probably know (!) the documentary (aptly named The Eagle Huntress) documents Aisholpan as she learns from her father to train her eagle - breaking a centuries-old tradition that says the skill is handed down from father to son (after Aisholpan's brother left to join the Army). Groups are queuing to meet her and photograph her. So. We do things a little differently. We invite her to lunch. She knows she can come, relax, be herself, remove herself from the pressure for a little while - and she even brings her dad Nurgaiv (Sagsai Festival) and her mum Almar (Ulgii Festival). Yes, Aisholpan is the first female eagle hunter (and now a film star) but she is also a young woman who enjoys going to school and meeting with her friends. She also loves spending time with her family who whom we is very close. All of my trip assistants are female and Mongolian. What I have enjoyed the most is seeing how they and Aisholpan have formed a firm friendship. One of their frequent discussions includes dreams and ambitions. Aisholpan will soon be moving to Harvard (yes, you read that correctly) - her ambition remains to be a surgeon. So, I have decided that we will support the other young Kazakh girls that Aisholpan inspired to take up eagle-hunting. This will form part of our winter research - going out and meeting these young women and their families so that our future guests can also meet them and learn about their future dreams and goals. Watch this space for the details of what trips we will include homestays with such families but if you're interested now, just let me know! The El Annual Rubbish Collection There is no way I can make this sound or look glamorous! OK. When most people think of Mongolia they don't think of a rubbish clean-up. It's not in the top ten highlights suggested by Lonely Planet or Wanderlust. Still, this is what we do - donning gloves, picking up sacks and getting on with it. Mongolia is frequently sold by tour companies as being a pristine untouched wilderness. It's not. But, with Mongolia's scenic beauty and wilderness experience being key points behind why people visit Mongolia, preservation of these values is a prerequisite for sustainable travel here in Mongolia. Much of Mongolia’s tourism sector in fact depends in the long term on the preservation of the country’s cultural and physical landscapes. Unfortunately in Mongolia (as with elsewhere in the world), there has been a noticable increase in the amount of rubbish that is discarded. A majority of our clients commented on it so I decided to do something about it.....and make it part of our philosophy and a feature of the EL calendar. For the past four years, Turuu and I have arranged for members of the Tariat community to spend two days clearing the north-shore (and surrounding area) of Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park. This year, we arranged it for late September 2017. For more see the link below but we'll be returning to Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur in 2018. We will also be extending our rubbish collection to Erdenedalai in the middle Gobi - the home region of most of the EL team and also the inspiration behind our Mongolian business name - Gobi Gua Undur. Winter In Mongolia For those travelling at this time of year, we reward you with a 15% discount. Pack the thermals and come and see why winter in Mongolia remains my favourite season. We don’t ‘close’ for the winter months - we still offer local experiences to the adventurous few who find themselves coming to Mongolia. True, winter in Mongolia has a bit of a reputation. It is cold, but the cold is an important part of what makes Mongolia and its landscapes extraordinary at this time of year. For all of our winter trips, we provide traditional felt boots, hand-made goat skin blankets and can provide winter deels as well. You’ll spend most nights in a ger - warming yourself by the stove. The night skies more than make up for the challenge of the temperatures. Winter in Mongolia is a remarkable experience - especially as the Mongolians you meet will be very proud to welcome foreign visitors in wintertime. Our winter trips are shared adventures in that you will stay alongside rural families. Enjoy being part of a minority who visit Mongolia in the winter - enjoy slowing-down and seeing and experiencing Mongolia like few other people get to do. Whether you choose to experience one of the community festivals, live alongside Kazakh eagle hunters or just experience the rural way of life at Gorkhi Terelj. Our winter trips can usually be adapted to fit with the arrival and departure of the Trans-Mongolian/Trans-Siberian. All can be tweaked, adapted, shortened or extended to suit you. Why Travel With Us It’s at this point I’m meant to list why you should choose us. Give you five or ten points why you should travel with us. Why we stand out from the crowd. Well. I can’t. I’m not that clever with words and I don’t have the budget to pay an advertising executive or a copywriter to do the job. All I have is a belief in what we do. We are not a travel agent or reseller. Also, we focus only on Mongolia and I personally research and design all of our trips and my own Mongolian team of driver and trip assistant run them. And that’s what these notes are about. Instead of trying to persuade you to travel with us, you can see the genuine thinking behind who we are and what we do. The philosophy that drives all things EL. This is our story - the soul behind Eternal Landscapes. And remember you can always sign up to the EL Mongolia Facebook Group page. Not the most of exciting of names but then again it's not run by a dedicated social media team! I'm (Jess) the admin and it's an informal space. Use it to ask questions, meet and to be inspired by all things Mongolian. I also post articles that I like, reading suggestions and advice from our previous guests. Come on over and sign up and let's make it an active site useful for all. That's it for this edition. As always, thanks for reading and do get in touch with your thoughts! You can always keep in touch with what we're up to through my EL Blog or my previous newsletters, Wherever the road continues to take you - Sain Yavaarai - Journey Well, Jess |