Simplicity at its best

No word can sum up my experience in the Mongolian steppes. Wide empty spaces. It is everything that I have read or seen on YouTube and it is everything to be there. In the heart of it all. A combination of the physical presence and everything soulish and spiritual in between.

The endless green and the amazing blue sky. Literally where the earth touches the sky. Seamless. It is as if it has been left untouched since God created it.

Tourism has come a long way. Flush toilets, green vegetables and an assortment of Western and Eastern (Japanese, Korean and Chinese) cuisines are available besides the traditional Mongolian fare.

I have always appreciated artwork in traditional costumes and architecture. Putting up in 4 different ger camps and riding in a Mitsubishi Delica, yaks, camels and motorbikes across very rough terrain gives me an amazing massage on the insides. Something that I truly enjoy.

Nomadic hospitality is everything that I have envisaged.
Children with rosy cheeks sleep quietly amidst the din. The mother shows me how knuckle stones are used in games and divination while the father plays the horse fiddle and does throat singing.

And what about the elusive wild horses in the Gobi desert?

Wild horses, specifically Przewalski's horses ( also known as takhi)  are the last truly wild horse species. Power,resilience, freedom, independence and a raw untamed spirit. 

As I enjoy the stunning beauty of the Mongolian steppe, I can't help thinking that living is so beautiful if we choose to live with a big heart. 

Why be petty and mean and have an inferiority complex? 

Why hold grudges and nurse unforgiveness?

Why attack others because your small mind thinks they are attacking you? 

Instead treasure every meaningful friendship, every kind act, every comforting word. 

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than the things you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, discover." 

                    - Minecraft. 

Perfect

 

17 days into the New Year and shall I make any resolutions?

We had snow and we had storms and we had rain. So this morning's weather was pretty good in comparison. The best thing to do when the weather is fine according to my trusty brain is to get out and see green.

Green as in fields that are so green they never disappoint. The best view of course is from the passenger seat, with the faithful gentleman love-of-my-life on the wheel, and my favourite songs in the background. Miles and Miles of green. Feeling very safe and loved.

My thoughts drifted.

Dreaming of dragons and kings just like Neil Diamond did in Brooklyn Road, every time I passed an abandoned castle, I wondered….

Did they dance in the grand hall with a blazing fire and dined on pheasants brought in from the wild by the gamekeeper? How did the ladies in their long dresses negotiate the very narrow winding staircase? The pomp and the gains. Perhaps they thought that would be eternal, but now is only in ruins.

I looked into popular cafes. Where people entered to be seen rather than to eat. I can’t help agreeing with Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:14. ‘ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun and behold all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind.’ And yet we do that over and over again. Every generation. Any age group. Many wants. They are all too tempting.

Looking at the road signs and shop names in English – my brain went into auto mode and was busy translating them into the little Irish that I have learnt. Once a student, always a student. My kind of fun.

We were on the way to an open market that only happens once a week only to find that we had got the day wrong and there wasn't a stall to be seen. What next? Like the ITV Lingo host Adil Ray who always says 'Never mind’ we paused and told ourselves, never mind. No disappointment, only opportunity. So we went to search for a megalithic wedge tomb instead. It helps to have a wide spectrum of interests. Archaeology being one.

I hear that the alligator can live to 100 years.

I think I could live for a 100 years and more.

Just like the alligator. Sometimes snappy. Most times happy.

Enjoying the people I am with. Loving my surroundings. Loving me.

17 days into the New Year and shall I make any resolutions?

No I won't.

Pure content.

Perfect.