Intimate shots of Mongolia

Orgil Luvsandanzan, riding steadily on his horse.

MONGOLIA is the 18th largest country in the world, about five times bigger than the total size of Malaysia. But it has a population of only three million, with 40 per cent centred in the capital, Ulaanbaatar.

During our visit to Mongolia, my friends and I spent most of our time away from the city. We travelled for endless hours on the road to get to these places.

Most of the time, we stayed with nomadic families in their round-shaped homes, known as Ger, which made it an even more fascinating experience. The language barrier made it harder to communicate with our host families but luckily, we had Alma, our guide who acted as translator as well.

The locals are very friendly and hospitable. Alma says they even accept strangers who turn up at their doorstep, asking for permission to stay the night before continuing on their journey. She says it’s quite normal in Mongolia but, we can’t do this in Malaysia for sure.

A chance to stay with the locals counts among one of our best experiences in Mongolia. Besides learning their culture, we also got the opportunity to depict their life. For me, that is priceless.

Grandma Dorjsuren attending to her horse.

The head of family, Janat Khan.

Grandpa Bor.