Darkhan – “A place you wouldn’t rush to see”

That is what one of our guidebooks had to say about Darkhan. Saturday morning we left for our visit. Principal Ali told us to be ready by 8:30 a.m., and they would pick us up at home, and they didn’t show up until 10:15. So began our adventure. We should have seen the forshadowing happening there…

It was a full bus and noone talked too much. But that was ok. I used an old calling card to scrape frost off the window and enjoyed the scenery. Once we were outside the city (which took about 20 minutes) there was nothing. Just mountains and hills and valleys, lots of dried grass and rocks and dirt, not too many trees. We saw cows with horns, goats, sheep, and herdsmen. We saw people walking in the distance alone or in pairs sometimes, up or down a hill, or across a field, from nowhere and to nowhere, it seemed. We made a pit stop halfway there, and the first thing I noticed as we stood there in the cold was that the air was fresh. It was so nice to take big deep breaths of cool fresh air! We haven’t done that since we got here! Back in the van, and we were on the road again. The trip took about 3 and a half hours.

We got to Darkhan, which is the third largest city in Mongolia but smaller than Jamestown New York! Lots of square, Russian buildings. Clayt and I marvel at the lack of suburbs here. Usually if you live in an inner city highrise you do not have a view of a beautiful landscape. Here, they all do. Its apartments and then country. No Burbs, not yet. We went to Darkhan as the guests of our school Director and Principal, both Turkish. We were visiting a Turkish-Mongolian high school, as our school principal worked in Darkhan at this school for 8 years. We were given rooms in the dormitory, which is split – one side for girls, one side for boys. They let clayt and I room together though (which I think was an exception, as all the Turkish couples slept separately) on the girls side.

We went into a Ger (the traditional Mongolian house) for dinner that was on the school property. I suppose it was used for guests and special events. It was interesting inside, and warm and cozy. We fit 25 people inside! We had a traditional dish from Uzbekistan. It was rice and whole bulbs of garlic, whole lemons, and beef, and some other spices. It was really really delicious! what was interesting was that of 25 people in that little Ger, Vergie and I were the only women! After dinner, we returned to the dorm building, and I saw our school director’s wife, Fatima. She said the women were going to eat, and then when they returned there would be a program for us. The Turkish guys had invited clayton to go play sports in the gym building, so I was left alone in my room until the women returned from having their dinner.

The after dinner entertainment was unforgettable. I haven’t laughed so much in a long time. Fatima introduced Vergie and I to all the Turkish women and girls and their children, and told me they were all very interested to meet me, as some have seen me at our school and said I look very nice, because I am always smiling. So we talked, and I showed them my photo album from home. then came the program. It was run by a little Mongolian girl student, maybe in 10th grade. She first sang an english song for us, Avril Lavigne "Complicated" and then she asked for volunteers to play a game. It was musical chairs. I came in third place. Those ladies are hardcore about musical chairs! Then another girl performed a song in Turkish. Then it was time for another game. This time they tied 2 baloons to each of our feet (so we all had 4 baloons) and told us to try to pop each other's baloons. Last person with baloons left was the winner. Then they blared the music (shakira) and we got vicious. I came in second place, but in my defense one of my baloons fell off my foot. :) There was some more danicng and horsing around, including a game which included wrapping scarves around your head as fast as possible to avoid a punishment. Oh and then they fed us a huge plate of dessert foods and tea. Clayt came back from his sports activities and sat in exile in our room, listening to our shrieks of laughter.

The next morning I went to breakfast with the women, and clayt went with the men. I ate at one of the women's home, and clayt ate in the cafeteria. After breakfast we went on a city tour. That was the most fun. First we went to visit a great big statue of Buddah. We found this to be really funny, and a great story for the future. What did you do for chirstmas? Our christmas eve was spent visiting a Buddah statue with a group of Muslim men! Talk about an interfaith dailogue! We both took turns spinning this giant prayer wheel, which apparently symbolizes the whole world. You take one of the handles and walk around it, spinning the wheel as you walk, and make a wish. We made our wishes, and they both came true! Maybe we should aim higher next time. World peace, end hunger, etc.

After seeing buddah we went to a city museum. It was pretty cool, and fully of googly-eyed stuffed animals. It had some artwork, musical instruments, some buddhist stuff, a few weapons, and a lifesize Ger, cut in half. It took about only half an hour to get through everything.

Our last stop was at the top of a small mountain (hill?). We were in a minibus, and it got stuck a little more than halfway up the hill. So, we got out and walked the rest. Clayt and I are out of shape! We were really winded by the time we got up there. But the view was awesome. You could see the whole city if you looked one way, and nothing but mountains and more mountains if you looked another way. At the top of the hill we were on was a shaman rock pile, which was cool to see. Lots of rocks, and lots of sticks sticking out of the top with blue ribbons tied all over them. It was freezing cold up there, but as you can see from the photo below, I was doing ok. At least my top half was. I need a pair of pants made of the same stuff my coat is made of! You can also see clayt in front of our Darkhan city view.


After the city tour there was rest time and then dinner and a quiz game show. This was a contest between the teachers of their school and ours. Clayt was one of the players for our school, and our team won! But, we think they let us, to be hospitable. Then clayt got to also participate in a game of musical chairs, in which he also came in third place.

After the game, Ali asked us to talk to the school kids about studying English. First it was the girls group, then the boys. There were some great questions for us such as "What do you think about life?" "What is funny to you?" "what are your bad habits?" as well as predictions for our future offspring: 2 girls, 2 boys. Absolutely.

The next morning it was back to home after breakfast. As of yesterday we've been here one month, and coming back from Darkhan, our apartment felt more like home than before. We had missed our bed, our bathtub, our tiny oven. It was a good first trip outside of the city, short enough and comfortable enough to not overwhelm us with vastness and barrenness that is so much of mongolia.