19/06/2023
Anyone interested????
Stewart tells us about his friend Jilly, who runs tours with her friend Serik from Altai- Nomads - a tour operator who raises funds for local children's schools. What a perfect way to enjoy a country while supporting the people who live in it.
Stewart says:
"This year I will be making my third trip to Mongolia. What’s the attraction? I hear you ask.
Well, apart from being one of the oldest horse cultures in the world and one of the most breath-taking locations for scenery with everything from endless steppe grasslands to incredible mountains and deserts, it is the culture that attracts me. The people and their way of life are an inspiration to me in this modern world where people have to have the latest gadget or fashion item. I guess you could say, a trip to Mongolia is like going back in time. Back to basics, where people still make most of the things they own. Everything from the traditional dwelling (the Ger), to the clothing, the food, and the equipment they use. A reconnection with a more natural way of being in the world. Living with it, rather than fighting to control it. Mongolian nomads know that you cannot control nature, so you must work with her.
My contact in Mongolia is a lady called Jilly. She reminds me of a sort of frontier woman who has all the right skills to get by in a wild and wonderfully remote country. She has worked in Mongolia for a number of years, initially helping to set up schools and an orphanage for Mongolian children in need. She has just informed me that the fourth school - which she has been instrumental in building - has just opened. Jilly runs adventure and cultural trips through the summer in Mongolia and part of the funds raised from these, go to helping her charitable activities for the children.
To say that Jilly is slightly unconventional is possibly an understatement but she is exactly the sort of person you need to arrange things 'in country'. She has taken guests on horse riding and fishing trips, multi day horseback camping trips, Gobi desert trips, and trips horse riding and hunting with the famous Kazakh eagle hunters.
The riding I've done was in the Altai mountains in western Mongolia. We arrived at the eagle hunter’s home and then, after selecting horses, we headed off into the mountains - following the hunter as he led the way riding his horse and carrying his golden eagle. We climbed higher and higher on these little Mongolian horses, although the terrain could make you think you were riding a mountain goat! Just to be able to ride in this wonderful place where you got the feeling that you could ride anywhere and for a long time without seeing another soul was a great experience. We rode all day then returned to the Ger for a well earned rest and meal.
If, like me, you love to travel to some of the world’s more “off the beaten track” places, then get in touch with Jilly to start arranging a very special trip. Just tell her that mad Scotsman Stewart sent you!"
