From the Flag - Mongolia

I am always interested in the significance of a country’s flag – it says a lot about how people view themselves. The focal point of the Mongolian flag is the Soyombo and here is what Wikipedia has to say – (some of this is quite poetic):

“The Soyombo symbol is a special character out of the Mongolian Soyombo script. It serves as a national symbol of Mongolia, to be found on the Flag of Mongolia, the Coat of arms of Mongolia, and on many other official documents.

The elements in the symbol are given the following significance (from top):

• Fire is a general symbol of eternal growth, wealth, and success. The three tongues of the flame represent the past, present, and future.
• Sun and moon symbolise that the Mongolian nation will exist for eternity as the eternal blue sky.
• The two triangles allude to the point of an arrow or spear. They point downward to announce the defeat of interior and exterior enemies.
• The two horizontal rectangles give stability to the round shape. The rectangular shape represents the honesty and justice of the people of Mongolia, whether they stand at the top or at the bottom of society.
• The arga-bilig (Yin-yang) symbol illustrates the mutual complement of man and woman. In socialist times, it was alternatively interpreted as two fish symbolizing vigilance, because fish never close their eyes.
• The two vertical rectangles can be interpreted as the walls of a fort. They represent unity and strength, relating to a Mongolian proverb: "The friendship of two is stronger than stone walls."

Two Months 'til Trip

I got a trip package from Bojum Expeditions today - they are the company that Lisa and I are traveling Mongolia with. Got me thinking it is time to do some planning and setting up a new web blog. The trip will take place during the Nadaam festival which is a national celebration, including horse racing, archery, wrestling, and all things Mongolian. We will be camping and camping on horseback for about a week in the middle of our two week stay. I was surprised that Lisa signed on to this concept (I am sure that she is surprised that I signed on).

Fishing off the Dock

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Part of the daily routine involves at least one swim session in the lake to cool off from the day's heat. There is pier and dive platform and the water is cool and refreshing below a warm surface layer. After a couple days of swimming, our guide Daniel asks if we would like to go piranha fishing off the pier. This is not a complete surprise because our orientation did explain that there were piranhas in the lake, but that the local species was "mostly" vegetarians. So several of us try our hand but are a little surprised when the bait turns out to be raw meat! 

All of the piranhas that we catch are about the size of my hand - too small to eat, and are released back to the lake. I did swim one more time later in the day, but it was a very quick dip.

Above the Canopy

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Much of what we do here has to be either by canoe or by hiking on trails through the forest. The only access is by a mile long trail from the river and then by canoe across the lake. One feature here however is unique and that is the series of steel towers and suspended walkways high above the forest canopy. I'm talking 150 feet above the ground, giving unobstructed views into the activity in the treetops. In the late afternoon, as the temperature cools a little, birds become more active, although a group of howler monkeys are still napping at the top of a tree over 10 stories in the air. Between three towers are walkways with rope handrails and mesh sides, in my mind only slightly more stable than an Indiana Jones bridge.

In fact, my reaction to the height is a little stronger than I had anticipated - more precisely, I am petrified.

Something about having air on five sides of you, so I look down at the walkway and concentrate on breathing. On the towers where we spend time viewing, I am much less freaked out and can enjoy the sunset. Down from the towers, we hike about a mile back to the lodge in growing darkness and the forest is alive with the sound of cicadas - really loud cicadas. Along the way we see flying click beetles that glow like fireflies.