Today we had a relaxing morning, and then enjoyed a lecture from a political science professor about Mongolian relations with their neighbors. He had an effective and concise PowerPoint presentation that walked us through each relationship and how it affects Mongolian life. Being sandwiched right between China and Russia, they are vulnerable, so it was interesting to hear his perspective. He reiterated a number of things that MG had told us, and elaborated on the geopolitical context, which was very helpful to understanding the various factors that impact Mongolia's position decision in the world.
Lunch was a delicious Mongolian hot pot lunch in a very nice Korean lace. It is evidently a speciality here, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
After lunch MG took us on a special bonus expedition in our free time to watch Day 2 of the National Knucklebone Shooting Championship. This sport, along with horse racing, archery and wrestling are key pillars of Mongolian sports. The game is considered a UNESCO intangible treasure. It was developed to help men keep their thumbs strong for archery during the long winter months, and it can be played inside a ger. We found a couple of people to explain the rules (one a two time national champion). It was really fun to learn about the game and they seemed happy to share their knowledge to some interested American women.
Afterwards we went behind the arena and saw a bunch of people at archery practice. One of the women archers showed us how they string their bows and other equipment they use. That was cool too.
Another highlight was a late afternoon traditional musical show at the Mongolian National Theater, called Land of the Sky. We saw folk dancing, Buddhist Tsam dancing, shaman dancing, and heard Tuvan throat singing, other traditional singing, and a whole orchestra of horse head fiddles of various sizes along with other instruments - all against a backdrop of lovely Mongolian scenery. It was really impressive, and so wonderful to see and hear so many cultural activities that we had been learning about for the past 10 days.
We stopped to get some dinner on the way home, visited a craft fair on the main square, perused the Gobi Cashmere shop near our hotel, stocked up on cash for our Gobi trip, and the went home to bed.
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