I’m going to admit from the start that I have never read a travel blog before. In fact, I don’t read blogs in general. But this little adventure of mine was such a moving experience that I feel uncharacteristically obliged to commit it to writing… So if you find this tale wanting, know that I am no blogger. ^.^

Why Mongolia? An oasis of democracy landlocked between Russia and China on the other side of the world to me… Well, there is a group of talented musicians who are entirely responsible for this. They are called The Hu, and their music is amazing! They blend traditional Mongolian music – such as throat-singing and the Horse Head Fiddle – with western Rock/Metal, and if you haven’t heard this combination before – YOU NEED TO! In the years since I discovered them, I have seen them live three times and each performance was as epic as the last! Without trying to sound pretentious, there is something almost spiritual about being blasted in the face with heavy rock guitars and that guttural ooOoAaaHhh of the throat-singing at the same time. If they return to the UK, my presence is guaranteed. And, as a result of becoming a HU-ligan, coupled with a mega-dose of lockdown-induced boredom, I developed an interest in Mongolian culture and history. I decided that if I ever found the money for the flights, I would visit the country one day. The flights are incredibly expensive from the UK, and as a single-parent living on a very limited income, I believed I was unlikely to be able to do it in the near future. For the time being, the internet was my ‘fix.’ Which leads me to a very relevant part of this adventure…

I rarely join fan-groups on social media, and I also tend to avoid metal fan-groups in particular. Whilst most metal-heads in real life are some of the most amazing people I know, toxic masculinity and gate-keeping are rife on metal fan groups on social media; where anonymity offers a shield from consequences. The Hu Official International Fan Group, however, is one of the friendliest and fun fan groups I have ever come across. Founded by an American named Larry – and subsequently adopted as the official group for the band – it currently has over 60,000 members and is a pretty busy group! The nice atmosphere meant it quickly became one of my favourite places to hang out in on social media, particularly during the dreary lockdown months. I made some awesome online-friends, including Larry, and he invited me to join the Admin team running the group. At the time, I was unemployed thanks to COVID, so this little job helping my favourite band was a sanity-saver to say the least! I’ve become very fond of my colleagues – a fellow Brit named Joe, Perri from Canada, and ‘Shongi’ from Mongolia – and call them my Hu brothers. I’ve been friends with them all for about four years now, and because Shongi has taught me so many things about Mongolia in that time, I began affectionately calling him my ‘favourite Mongolian teacher.’

Things are a little different now than when I first began working for the group. I have a wonderful partner (Chris) who has been fully indoctrinated *cough* I mean…uh.. convinced….into sharing my love of The Hu and all-things Mongolian. He was my ‘roadie’ and chauffeur when I interviewed Jaya at their Cardiff concert in 2022. He buys me Hu merch to make me smile. He took me to see them in Bristol in 2023 and just generally indulges my fan-girling! I never imagined that he would indulge me so far as to suggest that we went to Mongolia together as a family – me, him and my son. But he did! We booked the flights in early 2023 and when I told Shongi what we had done, I pretty much squealed the news at him! Is it possible to fan-girl about a country too…….?

Of course, being the wonderful human that he is; Shongi insisted on helping us plan the trip. He very generously offered his apartment for us to stay in, and said he would take time off to show us around. Our plans nearly got completely hampered when his health took a turn for the worse, and he was in hospital for a long time. But to my sincere relief, he made a great recovery and so our plans got back on track. All I had to do was wait until July 1st…

It’s not possible to fly directly from the UK to Mongolia. However it was possible to get connecting flights if we flew there via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. If you’re a Turkish Airline employee hoping to read a good review, turn back now. Our flight to Istanbul left London very late, so we missed our connecting flight. There wasn’t another flight to Ulaanbaatar that day, or the next day, so we lost two days of our holiday being stranded in Istanbul. We were driven to a hotel that was over an hour’s drive from the airport. We were exhausted, hungry, and thoroughly p*ssed off. Our fellow hotel guests were pretty much all in the same position as us – stranded due to flight delays. So I quickly learned that Turkish Airlines seem to have a major problem with getting people to their destination on time. If I ever visit Mongolia again, I will never do it with Turkish Airlines again. Between this and the nasty way they treated me on the way home, they can can take a long walk off a short pier.

So instead of arriving in Ulaanbaatar on the 2nd as we were supposed to, we had a look around Istanbul instead. Whilst I was thoroughly displeased with being stranded there, it was nice to get to visit the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. I love Turkish food, so there was that too. Happily, the country is much nicer than the airline.

On the 3rd of July, we finally made our way to Mongolia. Turkish Airlines managed not to screw it up this time, and I was relieved to be able to tell Shongi that we were actually on our way! Due to the time difference and the eight-hour flight, we would arrive on the morning of the 4th July. (Quiet, colonials!)

I could have built the Hagia Sofia myself faster than it took the luggage carousel to deliver our bags after we landed. Though I admit my impatience was mostly due to how excited I was by then. Four years of online friendship, and I was finally getting to meet Shongi in real life for the first time! Chinggis Khan international airport isn’t overly big, so finding him in arrivals was pretty easy! – And thus, a hug four years in the making happened…

Suffice to say, my grumpiness at Turkish Airlines was eradicated and I was now in “Deep Joy” mode. Though I would once again like to apologise to Mongolia for bringing the British weather with me. It was an Eternal Grey Sky that day.

Shongi’s car was an amusing experience. Knowing that Mongolians drive on the right-hand side of the road, I went to the right-hand side of his car to get into the passenger door. Except…. The steering wheel was there. Shongi explained to me that most vehicles in Mongolia are Japanese imports – and they drive on the left in Japan. For those who know me and my uncanny ability to make a pun out of nowhere, it will come as no surprise that it took me less than fifteen minutes to inflict this ability on Shongi.

“So there’s no Mongolian cars?”

“Nope. Mostly Prius’s.”

“Mongolia needs it’s own vehicles. And they should call them Chinggis Cars….”

I’ll show myself out.

As we were all exhausted from the flight, this day was not to be a particularly adventurous one. It took us several hours to get to Shongi’s apartment because the traffic in Ulaanbaatar is ungodly. I will never complain about London traffic again. Ever. And the potholes should be renamed to ‘chasms.’

I aged in that traffic.

But we did visit the State Department Store, which contains a shop that any Hu fan is familiar with – the Hunnu fashion store! This was high up on my list of places to visit, so we had a good look around there. Shongi took us grocery shopping after a lunch of Buuz and Tsuivan (traditional Mongolian dishes for the uninitiated) and we had an early night to sleep off the travel exhaustion.

The next day was pretty busy, starting off with a visit from my friend, and favourite Mongolian YouTuber, Battur! (YT: @Hachapuri). I’ve been friends with him online for a couple of years so it was pretty cool to meet him in person too!

Next we went to visit Ganaa Bogts, who makes The Hu’s bespoke leather merchandise. We met him at his office and he showed us around, explaining all the UNESCO awards and cultural preservation work that he does. He showed us how to play the Jaw Harp, which I absolutely sucked at! But Chris did pretty well…

Ganaa Bogts Office with Shongi

Ganaa then showed us around the workshop where the merchandise is made. I have no idea how to make anything from leather so it was pretty interesting seeing all the various tools and machines they use! Ganaa also completely spoiled us with generosity by giving us several gifts, including a beautiful knuckle-bones game in a gorgeous leather case. And if that wasn’t generous enough, there was one gift in particular that was so amazing I was rendered pretty much speechless! The Hu’s producer, Sir Dashka, made a limited number of handwritten lyrics to Yuve Yuve Yu – Ganaa had the last remaining one and gifted it to me. I am rarely speechless, but that did it. Even though it is now framed and proudly displayed in my home, I still can’t quite believe it! If you are reading this, good Sir, I thank you so much once again!

Me and Ganaa

Our final outing for the day is best described as me having the ultimate fan-girl experience. We were able to visit Sir Dashka at The Hu’s studio – and to say I was excited is the understatement of the century! The band themselves were on tour in Europe at the time, so they were not present. But being in their studio and seeing for myself where the magic happens was just brilliant. Sir Dashka showed us around the studio and took pictures with us, and we were able to sit and chat with him for a little while. We also got a sneak peak at two new instruments for The Hu! They are just so beautifully crafted and I can’t wait until their images are released because they really are something special and the other Hu fans are gonna love them!! Of course, I have no pictures myself for obvious reasons. But here’s one of me and Shongi with the mastermind behind The Hu himself! I’m so honoured and humbled that he took he time to see us! As fan-girl experiences go, this one was magnificent!

***

We had a chilled morning the next day as we were still feeling the effects of long-haul flying. Shongi took us to a well-known Chinese restaurant called Yu Long for lunch, and we stopped off at Gandan Monastery afterwards.

The monastery itself is beautiful, and outside there are so many pigeons it would rival Trafalgar Square! There is even an elderly lady selling seeds! (Not for tuppence, though…) Chris was mobbed by so many hungry pigeons that we decided he must have been a Pigeon God in a previous life. Pigeon silliness aside, the most beautiful coincidence happened. Last year, at London Naadam, my son made friends with a boy called Orgil, who taught him to wrestle and convinced him to enter the kids wrestling competition – in which he came third! Whilst filming a pigeon perched delicately on Chris’s head, I heard a young voice call my son’s name, followed by my son shouting “MUMMY IT’S ORGIL!!!”

Eating khuushuur together

Orgil’s family, who normally live in London, were visiting family in Mongolia and one of their relatives runs a gift shop outside the monastery. Stopping here wasn’t actually on our itinerary and was a hastily-made decision as we were passing it! Myself and Orgil’s parents were blown away by the coincidence – and we’ve now swapped contact details because this friendship was clearly meant to be! It’s wonderful watching your child make core-memories..

Later on, we watched the Tumen Ekh Ensemble perform traditional Mongolian music, dance, and contortion. I’ve watched a fair amount of contortionists before, but seeing it live is something else! As a parent, it was funny as heck watching my son’s eyes bulge when the lady supported her entire bodyweight with her teeth!

Shongi took us to the Shangri La Mall afterwards where we had dinner at the ‘Mongolians Restaurant.’ And it was here that we discovered that my son is addicted to Tsuivan.

***

So that was enough of the city. One cannot possibly go on holiday to Mongolia and not experience the countryside. As much as I had thoroughly enjoyed the city adventures, I was itching to get out of the city and see the Steppe!

Shongi took us to a nomadic homestead about an hour’s drive from Ulaanbaatar. I knew I would enjoy the views, but I honestly did not expect them to take my breath away like it did. Oh, if my teenage self could see me… I can remember groaning and eye-rolling at the ‘boring’ views on family holidays… A very different story now! You could have just left me there..

The homestead itself was a wonderful experience. My son and I rode on a Yak, and he got to ride a camel too. We watched a migration demonstration which is a fascinating display of human ingenuity and animal patience. We watched how they cut the sheeps wool and how they make it into felt for the Gers. We also went inside Gers where we tried Aruul and Airag, and were treated to a performance of traditional Mongolian music by the local nomadic band. Hearing throat-singing through headphones or speakers is one thing, but hearing it live only a few feet away from you is so much more fun! I found that as with opera singers, you don’t appreciate how loudly they can sing until you’re right next to them doing it.

After a traditional Mongolian lunch (above), we went horse riding. This is another thing which cannot be missed out on a holiday to Mongolia. It wasn’t my first time on a horse, but I can still count the number of times I’ve done it on one hand. So I am by no means “experienced.” But it was a vastly different experience to anything I’d done before, and not least because I had never been to the Mongolian Steppe before…

I don’t think any words in my language could adequately describe the freedom of being on the Steppe either on foot or on horseback. “Not a care in the world” is close.. Well, my reveries were occasionally interrupted because ten-year-olds seeing a horse do a massive wee do giggle quite loudly. But that aside, this experience was pretty magical.

OK I laughed too.

On the way home, Shongi got me to do some of the driving. I wanted to drive in Mongolia at least once to say I’d done it, and as we were out of the city, it was a good opportunity. I’ve driven in Europe, America, and the Middle East before, so I’m no stranger to “foreign” driving. I also hold a bus and a truck licence, so it’s fair to say I’m a confident driver. I had no trouble driving us back towards the city for around forty five minutes or so, but I did, however, draw the line at driving in the city. Noooooooo thank you.

***

The next day, Shongi took us to Terelj National Park and we visited Turtle Rock and Aryabal Temple. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

As with the homestead, the views were just amazing. The temple, both inside and out, is a work of art. Before we left, I got to hold an eagle and my son held a buzzard. I presumed it would be reasonably heavy but my goodness! I couldn’t do it for overly long, and not least because my arms resemble twigs. But as cool social media photos go, I have to admit this one is pretty badass.

***

The next part requires a little explaining. A few years ago, I met Julie Veloo, the founder of The Veloo Foundation in Mongolia, through The Hu’s fan group when Jaya accompanied her on a charity horse ride. I love her work. The foundation provides daycare facilities for children living in extreme poverty in Mongolia, and my BattleBots team mates and I ran a fundraising campaign to send robotics kits out to her kids in 2021. Julie and I have often chatted online and we really wanted to meet while I was in Mongolia. To make this happen, Shongi took us to a local Naadam festival in Erdene Soum which Julie was attending.

Meeting Julie was awesome! And it was also nice to be able to experience a local Naadam celebration. Although I was very much looking forward to the grand celebrations in the city, local ones offer a more intimate experience.

But do not ask about the ‘toilet’…

On the way back from Erdene Soum, we checked off another one of my bucket-list items: the Chinggis Khan Monument. 40 metres of steel grandeur! I honestly can’t say whether the view of it, or the view from it was superior. Both were spectacles in their own right.

For the nerds: it is the world’s tallest equestrian statue.

***

The next day, we headed a little way outside of the city for the horse-racing. The site where it takes place has all kinds of food and entertainment tents, bouncy castles and amusements for kids, and horses everywhere! It was here that we tried khorhog (lamb cooked in a container with hot stones and water). Which leads me to a side story: When I saw The Hu play in Bristol in June, I got to talk with Temka for a little bit after the show. He knew I was going to Mongolia and told me that khorhog was a must-try! I asked for other recommendations too, particularly restaurants – to which he answered “Ah, but I love my Mum’s cooking the best!”

Owing to this conversation, I told Shongi that this was something I really wanted to try! So I was delighted when he found a place. I will thank Temka again for the recommendation because it was yummy!

I know very little about Mongolian horse-racing so I’ll leave that to people with better knowledge than me. But it’s pretty fun seeing the horses go thundering past!

I tried some archery and I sucked at that worse than the Jaw Harp. The words of my darling dearest should sufficiently sum up my performance:

“I think you hit a worm…”

The photos look cool though.

As I have now tried archery and horse-riding, I have done two of the three national sports of Mongolia. This leaves only wrestling to go.

…….which I did not attempt. My back is probably grateful.

***

The next day was the opening ceremony at the Naadam stadium in Ulaanbaatar. It’s quite something seeing horses and motorbikes parading around a stadium! The music was great, and not just because they played The Hu! There were some other singers which I recognised such as The Baatar. The whole thing was about two hours long and was great from start to finish. Although I’m sure all of the performers would have appreciated it if I hadn’t brought the British weather with me again..

Though it wasn’t originally on our schedule, I mentioned to Shongi earlier in the week that I’d love to visit Bandga’s Tattoo Parlour. Bandga does The Hu’s tattoos and is the most famous tattoo artist in the country. I didn’t expect that he would have the time, especially at short notice, but Bandga was happy to have me visit and get a tattoo! I can tell you it was a real honour getting a tattoo by this lovely, and incredibly talented man! And as if it wasn’t special enough already, Bandga gifted me the tattoo! In the words of Shongi: “Mongolian hospitality at it’s finest!”

Morin Khuur (horse-head fiddle)

We headed out to Aglag Temple after I got tattooed. There’s a hiking trail up to it which is adorned with rock sculptures of animals from Buddhist legends, and they’re fascinating. Like Aryabal Temple, this one was another work of art both inside and out – and the view from up there was just breathtaking. I will let the photos speak for themselves again…

***

The next day, we had a break. We never fully recovered from the jetlag, and doing activities every day took it’s toll. So a well-earned rest was in order! But our final activity day involved visiting the brand new Chinggis Khan museum and Sukhbaatar Square. (Parliament square)

I have limited photos from the museum because they had a confusing photo policy. Some displays allowed photography while others didn’t, and the enforcement of the policy was varied. So in the spirit of not getting told off, I didn’t get my camera out much. I did, however, get a photo of the door handles, which are swords!

And the giant cashmere painting of the man himself…

And a few photos from Sukhbaatar Square…

We also visited the post office and bought some Hu stamps to take home, along with some extras for other Hu fans to win as prizes in competitions on the fan group. You can’t buy them anywhere else, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help share some with other fans!

Alas, this was our final day and the adventure must come to a close. The less I say about the flights home, the better it is for Turkish Airlines. I will seriously never fly with them again.

Saying goodbye to Shongi was the hardest part. His generosity and hospitality towards us was outstanding. We could not have had this awesome adventure without him and I really cannot thank him enough for all he did for us. I am going to miss him terribly.

And yes, I have apologised for the Chinggis Cars pun.

Bite me.

Coming home to my own bed and a British cup of tea was very welcome, but it didn’t take long for the comedown to kick in. I miss the views, the music, the warm welcome everywhere we went, and of course, Shongi. I sincerely hope that I will see him again. I’ve been calling him my Hu brother for a while but it has so much more meaning now. One day, dear friend…

For now, I will remember Mongolia fondly and I will forever dream in colour.