Mongolia: Keep the Cream, Leave the Rest

Located at the intersection between the modern and tradition worlds, Mongolia is the vivid example of the beauty of simplicity within its vast lands. It is engraved in its culture, its landscapes, its people, and even in the air. Beautiful sunsets paint the skies with blue and purple as the sun can be hardly seen anymore. This flabbergasting vista marks the ending of one more day at the land where life happens at its own pace. It is an innocent land with a long past but with a future that might include you!

Have you ever had the sensation of feeling so small and so big at the same time? You stand before something so stunning and yet unfamiliar that makes you wish you could take a mental picture because photographs will not do justice to the panorama. You feel a tingly sensation in your stomach, like butterflies, something that makes you smile in gratitude for being so majestic. It’s almost like a gift, you feel like it’s yours, yours to experience, to smell, to breathe, to touch. It’s yours to feel free and magnificent in. It wraps you up and all of a sudden you’re the king or queen of that moment and place. I guess that’s what Rose from the Titanic might have felt when looking at the horizon. Well, in this case, with or without a Jack and with mini horses instead of dolphins, you will find yourself immersed in the magnificent Mongolian steeps.

Sometimes it’s hard to understand some things. Therefore, it is hard to appreciate something that you don’t understand -something that it is unusual to us because we are accustomed to different things. But, I must tell you, some things are better embraced than understood. Embrace its uniqueness and simplicity. Let yourself connect to Mongolia’s people, its culture, and past, be part of its future.

If you think about Mongolia, you might think about the ancient Mongol empire or maybe just some piece of god forsaken forgotten land. If you wonder where Mongolia is geographically located, well, let’s say it’s the cream to the China-Russia Oreo. It’s as vast, extended, rich and delightful.

Actually, there is so much people can tell you about a place. But the people you’ll meet, the experiences you’ll have, those moments are as unique as fingerprints.

Whether you decide to go on a motorcycle trip encountering nomads on the way and enjoying the vista, or visit populous cities, you’ll make it a trip worth to remember. Those moments will only be yours, your arts and crafts.

So, if you’re looking to break away from your city routine, head to the spontaneous and tender lands of Mongolia. Be more than a sight-seeing tourist, interact with the locals. Be open-minded, and you’ll be merry. Let the land allure you and flirt with you. Be a kid again and let yourself be enchanted as you experience new things with your senses. Be in awe, give it a chance! After all, if you hadn’t ever tried your first oreo as a kid, you know, opened it, licked the cream and made a mess you’d probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much. That’s what we call an experience.

Story by Lissa Cordova-Leon

Photographs and Video by: Wissa