The Gonchig Has Landed

Well, they let me in.

It’s a brilliant morning in Ulaan Baatar. A lovely sharp breeze wafts in my open window, swirling the incense smoke and ushering in the sounds of a bustling city on a Monday morning. This is the view Bhaavgai and I enjoy of the little park and the low hills on the city’s southern border.

With me and Mongolia, I have to confess: it’s love at first sight.

On the way, I was indifferent to the Los Angelinos, interested in the Koreans but in a somewhat distant way, but when I got to the waiting area for the flight to UB, I just couldn’t stop drinking in the Mongolian faces and the strange music of their language.

I’ve had the same feeling encountering Mongolian language as I did when I first saw and heard Tibetan fifteen years ago – I know this. Why can’t I pronounce and understand it? What’s different here is that I am immersed in the land. The language should come quickly. Though I must say some of the sounds are very difficult to imitate and, to my embarrassment, people’s names are so alien that I forget them five seconds after I hear them. Nicknames help. “Ganna”, “Mogi”, “Tsomo”, those aren’t so hard.

Speaking of names, “Konchog” in Mongolia has become “Gonchig” over the centuries of their relationship with the Tibetans, so that’s what everyone’s calling me.

“Is it Gonchig?” That’s what Tsomo said as she and her family met me at the airport. I was hard to miss, being the only bald honky in monks’ robes. There were a handful of other Westerners, one being a woman on a U.S. gov’t contract to help the Mongolians develop a personal income tax. Boy is she going to be popular!

The first scene that greeted me was some kind of altercation in the airport parking lot that looked like it was about to blow up into a full-on brawl. I voiced my concern, but my welcoming party ignored it and it settled down. Maybe it was just their way of keeping warm. It was a bit nippy.

After a short drive, we arrived at my quarters. The original info I got was that it was a gallery and coffee house/café. Well, the operative verb is “was”. Now it’s a bar and disco that was in full Saturday night swing, 50 Cent blaring from the speakers, when I walked in. I chuckled to myself and thought, “Oh, how totally perfect.” There’s a perverse part of me that revels in those intersections of the sacred and profane.

I was ushered to a small upstairs room, with apologies offered because the new addition where I was meant to stay is still under construction (should be done by April 1). I dig it, though. I think it’s where Ganna stays when he’s here. This is the antique altar that dominates the room. It’s really a perfect monk’s cell. Mogi, the sister of Ganna’s wife, is the proprietress. She wasted no time bringing on the mutton, in steamed dumplings called buuz, nearly identical to the Tibetan momos. You could say that while people were getting buzzed downstairs, I was getting buuzed upstairs. I thought they were yummy. Good thing. I’ve been served fatty mutton about four different ways in the past 36 hours.

The best English speaker among my Mongolian family is Tsomo, a senior at the national university studying foreign language and culture (mostly Russian). She took me around town with a couple of friends yesterday afternoon. We first went to the largest temple/monastic complex in UB, Gandan Khiid. The most impressive sight is a temple that houses an 85-foot tall standing statue of Chenresig, the Buddha of Compassion. It’s a replica of the original, which was destroyed by the Soviets. Lining the walls from floor to ceiling are 10,000 statues of who I think is Amitayus, the Buddha of Immortality. The caretaker monk kindly allowed me into the inner sanctum to prostrate and make offerings. Here’s me outside the temple. Notice that I’m swaddled in love – the hat was knit by my mother, and the sweater by my sister. They were almost too warm!

I got a sense of the center of town (you’re never more than 50 yards from a pub, it seems) and we walked home. The one thing that stands out is the development boom. There were cranes and construction sites everywhere.

That night Tsomo was gone and to relieve the muddling along in broken English with the others, I brought out photos to break the ice. I showed them my family and Sedona, and then my lamas. Of course they understood the lamas in robes. But then I showed Jetsunma, and explained she was a female lam (their word for lama) in charge of her own sum (temple). “Ah,” they said, getting it right away, “khadroma!” That’s just a slight variation on the Tibetan khandroma, or dakini in Sanskrit, a female wisdom manifestation. A good sign.

I can already see that the women here are respected and not to be messed with. In fact, their penchant for tight pants, leather, and killer boots is bringing back fond memories of my New Jersey childhood. My kind of country.

Mongolian Birding

I haven’t broached the subject of birds yet, my secular passion, because it seemed silly until I got here. I’ve added a new list on the left. It’s called "Ze Birds" to be funny but also to keep it at the bottom since the lists are automatically alphabetized. It will document all the species I see In Mongolia, in the rough order I see them.

For my birding friends, if you laid bets that Common Raven would be the first bird I’d see in Mongolia, come collect your money. But what was the second exotic species I saw? Can you guess? Wait for it…that’s right…House Sparrow! The third species finally got me to 500 lifers: Red-billed Chough. And the fourth? That would be Rock Dove, or the common urban pigeon. I’ve been a bit shy about going into the park with binoculars, but through my window I’m hearing three or four distinct calls, probably some hardy winter finches or tits ( save it – every joke has already been made).

One cool thing, from both a birding and Buddhist perspective, is that this morning I saw that ravens are building a nest in a tree near my window. For Vajrayana Buddhists, ravens are associated with the main protector deity of the Buddhadharma, Mahakala.

Comments

[Aarlene]

I wasn't even going to get online today but I just HAD to see you arrived ok.
wow, Wow, WOW!
The pictures had me exclaiming, "There's Mongolian trees, and mountains, and temples, and people!!"
AWWWW for the bear; that's going to tickle some little folks!
It all looks so fascintating and FUN. I hope the language comes quickly. A word of the day type thing would be great! We could learn some too.

[Janine]

Well, I believe it now--the smile-producing photo of you in front of Gandan Khiid did it. Wonderful!

[Mary B]

Dear CT: So happy to see you have arrived! I am enjoying your travelog so much--thanks, thanks! If you need another wool hat, just say the word--the needles are cranking here in the PacNW. Greetings to Tsomo, Mogi and Ganna from me. Looks like they are taking good care of you! Mary B

[caroline]

YAY, Gonchig! The pictures are wonderful, please keep them coming...now you've got me inspired to go to Mongolia sooner rather than later. Pity it's so far from there to Bhutan but you never know. The architecture of the temple is almost identical to the dzongs in Bhutan, by the way. All the best to you...

[Palzang]

Сайн байну уу, Гончиг!

So happy you made it OK! Everything looks great. Very auspicious with the ravens and all. So what is Palzang in Mongolian?

[Robbyn]

Very glad to see that you made it safely. How wonderful that the people, language and location "resonate" for you.

I am very much looking forward to watching your bird list grow :)

[Dara]

How wonderful to see your happy smiling face! We had a lovely tsog last night - thought of you a lot yesterday and hoped all was going well - looks like the picture says it all. And hooray for the knitters too!

[Patti]

You're there!!! Did you throw up on the plane? The altar is wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing, this is very exciting! Baavgai looks warm enough . . .

Probably no hummingbirds hardy enough for the climate - looking forward to raven pictures.

[Devin]

Hooray for you Gonchig!! I love the Pic of you in front of the temple...it really just seems to fit.
glad you are enjoying your new digs.

[Nathania]

Holy cow! Cuzzin Tom is in Mongolia. It's a bit mindbending to imagine you over there on the other side of the world, but how wonderful that we get to read all about it and see pictures to boot! We're all still busy knitting away for the Dulaan Project. And scheduling another Knit In soon.

[Ryan]

So glad you made it safely, Cuzz. Love the picture of you in front of the temple. Devin read my mind--you just seem to fit there.

[Vicki]

Couldn't wait to get on the blog to see how you were doing and of course I started crying to see that you got in OK and were well, happy, warm, well fed and in good hands and had bird friends all ready. I look forward to reading all about your adventures. Keep eating that mutton.

[Konchog]

Thank you everyone! It's so cool to have a cyber-cheering section!

Every minute I spend here, the more I like it. An instant feeling of "home". SO much is happening, so stay tuned.

P'zang: Sain Bain U to you, too. I'm looking into the Mongolization for Palzang, haven't turned it up yet. Get ready to have your mind blown. This place is too much.

[Rachael]

Hooray! New home! So glad to see you really, truly made it!

[Ganna]

Dear Gonkhig,

It's very nice to hear some news about Mongolia from you. We are very glad, your first impression is positive.
It's nice to see my altar in America.

Best regards,
Ganna