Mongolia Pilgrimage with Glenn Mullin
Postponed to 2012
Please note that our itinerary as written below begins in Mongolia on July 24th. Participants can book their own flights to and from Mongolia, and probably should leave on July 22nd to arrive on the 24th. Please remember that you will lose a day crossing the dateline when you travel from America to Europe, and will gain it back on the return flight.
Although you can fly to Mongolia via both Atlantic and Pacific routes, most people from North America prefer to follow the Pacific route, because three entry points are available: Korea, Beijing or Japan. Most US cities have good connections to all three of these countries. Coming from Europe means connecting through Moscow; and although many carriers fly to Moscow, only Aeroflot or MIAT (Mongolian Air) flies from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar.
We recommend Korean Air all the way as a first choice, because of their excellent record in reliability and service. However, there are more daily connections to Mongolia from Beijing, and many US carriers fly the Beijing route. Travelers these days often chose the route in dependence upon their air mile accounts, and Beijing if often easier in this regard. One probably has to spend an overnight in Beijing coming and going from Mongolia, so be sure to get a China visa.
Please note that American passport holders do not require a visa for Mongolia. They are given 90 days at the airport. All other passport holders will require visas, and for this will need a letter of invitation from us.
When not in Ulanbataar we will generally stay in gher (yurt) or urrta (teepee) resorts. These traditional Mongolian dwellings are much cleaner and more comfortable than hotels or guest houses; only Ulaanbaatar has good hotels. Each gher or urrta dwelling has clean and comfortable beds with fresh bedding. Gher and urrta resorts also have clean dining halls and toilet/shower facilities.
Our itinerary is tentative. We might change the order of the events, based on travel circumstances at the time. We hope to complete all parts of the itinerary, but their order might be alternated for any of a number of reasons.
Day 1, Sunday – July 24: To Mongolia
Arrive in Mongolia, and transfer to our hotel in the city. Settle in, and then have dinner on the town. If time permits, we will take a walk through the downtown area.
Day 2, Monday – July 25: In Ulanbaatar
Visit Ganden Monastery in the morning. This was the only monastery not closed or destroyed during the Communist era. Traditionally it was the “Royal Monastery,” and the head monk of Ganden is the traditional head of all monks in Mongolia. The Dalai Lama usually gives his main teaching at the central courtyard of this monastery when he visits Mongolia. Here we will meet with one of the monastery’s top lamas. After lunch and a rest, we will take a walk through the downtown section of Ulaan baatar, beginning with Sukhbaatar Square and continuing through the antique section
Day 3, Tuesday – July 26: In Ulanbaatar
In the morning we will visit Buddha Park on the south side of town. This small but beautiful park has an enormous standing Buddha as its centerpiece. The walk up the nearby hill offers a great view of the city. After the visit to Buddha Park we will meditate on the hill above Shaman Point, a small power place created by local shamans. We will have lunch on the south side of town (near Buddha Park), and after lunch will visit the Bogd Khaan Monastic Museum, residence of the Eighth Jetsun Dampa, the last lama king of Mongolia, who passed away in 1924. This “lama residence converted into a museum” has some of the most wonderful Buddhist art in the country, and is especially rich in Buddhist bronzes created by Zanabazar, the Jetsun Dampa, Mongolia’s greatest artist and also first“Lama King” (17th century). We will ask permission to meditate in one of the chapels there. In the evening we will attend a performance of traditional Mongolian throat singing (huumie) and other performing arts.
Day 4, Wednesday – July 27: Near Amarbayasgalant
After breakfast we will leave Ulaanbaatar and drive north to Amarbayasgalant, the monastery that was built for the internment of Zanabazar’s holy body after he passed away in 1724. We will stay overnight in the luxury gher camp near the monastery, which is operated by Enkee, one of the greatest chefs in the country. He also has the most popular cooking show in Mongolia, as well as two of the best restaurants in Ulaanbaatar. People remember him because he graciously consented to accompany two Mongolian artists during their residency in the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art in 2006, when Glenn worked with Prof. Lloyd Nick, OUMA’s illustrious director, to curate a Mongolia exhibition in honor of the 800th anniversary of Mongolian statehood.
Day 5, Thursday – July 28: Near Amarbayasgalant
After breakfast we will visit and meditate in the Amarbayasgalant Monastery. It was one of the seven monasteries not destroyed in the Communist era, although it was badly damages and the Stupa containing Zanabazar body was destroyed. It opened as an active monastery in the early 1990s, and today has a strong quorum of monks. There is some controversy surrounding it these days, but nonetheless is regarded as one of the most sacred places in Mongolia. In the afternoon we will drive or hike a few miles to the row of Stupas. Alternatively, horses might be available for rent, for those so wishing
Day 6, Friday – July 29: Near Ulantaatar
Drive to Darhan for lunch. Visit the local tree nursery, and bring some tree saplings to plant at the Roerich House in Ulanbaatar. However, we will not actually stop in Ulantaatar because of the traffic congestion on the east-west road through the city. Instead we will continue to the Gher camp an hour west of Ulanbaatar, and spend an overnight there, with dinner and breakfast in the Gher camp. Overnight near the monastery.
Day 7, Saturday – July 30: In Oguun Hrid
Continue west to Oguun Hrid, or “Old Man Monastery,” where we will stay in a wonderful yuurtz (teepee) camp. Traditionally the forest tribes of Northern Mongolia live in these teepee-like homes. Like the gher resorts, the yuurtz have comfortable beds and mattresses. The resort has attached shower rooms and toilets.
Day 8, Sunday – July 31: In Oguun Hrid
After breakfast (weather permitting) we will walk over the mountain to and meditate beside the ruins of the old monastery. By legend it was built in the 8th century by the Tibetan assassin monk Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje, and thus was one of Central Mongolia’s first monasteries. Although destroyed by the civil wars of the late seventeenth century, the valley with the ruins remains as one of the great sacred sites in Mongolia. Again weather permitting, in the afternoon we will host a private performance of Naadam, the “three manly sports”: wrestling, archery and horse racing. These three are a staple of Mongolian summer life. Traditionally the wrestlers are icons in the country, and since the fall of Communism have played a major role in the regeneration of traditional culture
Day 9, Monday – August 1: Near Karakorum
After breakfast we will drive an hour west toward Karakorum, the old capital created by Chinggis Khaan in the thirteenth century. Although the city was destroyed two centuries later, it became the site of Erdene Zuu Monastery, that was built in honor of the Third Dalai Lama’s visit to Mongolia in 1578-1586. This monastery was closed during the Communist period and converted into a museum. A section of the complex was allowed to re-open as an active monastery after the fall of Communism in 1990. The head lama, Hambo Baasan, is one of the most creative young monks in the country, and if he is in town during our visit we will meet with him for tea and a discussion. We might be able to arrange a sunset visit with friends at a local polo camp that was established by a German friend and his Mongolian wife a decade ago. The camp is approximately an hour from the town.
Day 10, Tuesday – August 2: To Bayangol Gher Resort
Morning at leisure. After lunch we will drive an hour and a half to the Bayangol Gher Resort beside the famous “White Sands Gobi.” This resort overlooks Ikh Mongol, one of the most sacred mountains in Mongolia. Horses and camels are available for rent here, and there is also great hiking. We’ll spend an overnight, and go riding or hiking the next morning.
Day 11, Wednesday – August 3: To Ulanbaatar
A day of fun! There will be a Morning camel riding (optional – you will have to pay for your own camel. It’s $5 for a one hour ride, or $27 for the day). Or just hiking, if you are shy of camels. We will have lunch in this camp, and after lunch will drive back to Ulaanbaatar. Overnight in our hotel
Day 12, Thursday – August 4: To Teralj Valley
Morning visit to and meditation in the Nicholas Roerich Museum and Art Institute. Lunch at the nearby vegetarian restaurant “The Loving Hut.” After lunch we will drive to Teralj, one of the most beautiful valleys in Central Mongolia. Overnight in a luxury Gher camp here
Day 13, Friday – August 5: In the Teralj Valley
Morning drive and/or walk to Teralj Meditation Temple. This wonderful little temple was created a decade ago by Byantsagan Lama, a friend of ours, and is still a work in progress. It is a wonderful example of the Mongol effort to rebuild from the Communist destructions
Day 14, Saturday – August 6: To Ulanbaatar
Drive back to Ulanbaatar. Afternoon is free for people to do the little things that were missed, such as shopping for souvenirs, and preparing for the departure for home.
Day 15, Sunday – August 7: Tour Ends
Transfer to the airport for your flight home
The all inclusive cost of the fourteen days in Mongolia is $2,100, based on double occupancy. Single supplement is an additional $500. This covers all meals with the group, all accommodations and travel as outlined in the itinerary, and entrance fees to the museums and temples that we visit.
It does not cover alcoholic beverages, specialty teas, coffees or juices, or anything ordered as room service etc. (These specialty items are very expensive in Mongolia, and if included in the cost would require a considerable increase of cost to everyone. Hence it is best if people simply pay for what they want with them.)
Note: SHAMBHALA IN THE GOBI EXTENSION
FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN A FOUR DAY EXTENSION, we will leave for “SHAMBHALA IN THE GOBI” on Aug 9th. (See my You Tube video below.) For this extension we will take the night train southeast, and then have two nights at the gher resort attached to the monastery and cave complex.
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