Wandering Mongolia, staying in a Yurt tent, drinking reindeer milk, admiring the sacred Jargant River that never freezes below -50 degrees Celsius, immersing herself in the adventurous world of the last remaining nomadic tribe on earth. That was the spectacular trip of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue, a 60-year-old woman.
60 year old legs
Sharing with Travellive about her travels, Ms. Hue said that her passport has been to more than 20 countries. 20 years ago, she started her journey to Europe after reading travel stories in books and newspapers or admiring beautiful films of countries outside the borders. And when she reached the age of 60, she craved to travel even more, craved the spontaneous, off-the-beaten-paths of experiential travel. As if by a call of destiny, Ms. Hue was attracted by the thousand-year-old cultural heritage and natural sediments of the mysterious country called Mongolia.
Mrs. Hue is fascinated by the thousand-year-old cultural heritage and natural sediments of the mysterious country called Mongolia.
"People often say that no one goes to Mongolia in winter, just hearing about the cold of -40 degrees Celsius makes me think a lot. Because of my age, I have old people's diseases, herniated discs, and bones and joints." But before those hesitations, when only 2 weeks before departure, Ms. Hue and her daughter - Ms. Diep Anh decided to take this adventurous journey. Before going, Ms. Hue had to prepare her health for one of the most severe journeys with the cold of -40 degrees Celsius. She started to supplement all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Besides, a comprehensive health check is an indispensable step.
Before leaving, Ms. Hue had to prepare her health for one of the most severe journeys with the cold of -40 degrees Celsius.
Mongolia -40 degrees Celsius
The plane landed in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, Ms. Hue had to get used to the cold of -15 degrees Celsius to start her journey along the north of the country, through the snow-covered steppes. Under the vast blue sky, she visited the statue of King Genghis Khan. There, people still say that he was given a golden whip by the gods to urge his horse to do miracles for the steppes and for the whole world.
Thinking back on the trip, Mrs. Hue still holds an excitement that is difficult to express: "I always love travelogues and history. Hearing the story of Genghis Khan becoming the first Emperor of the Mongol Empire, I understood why he was worshiped the most by the Mongols. Every day, every taboo, even the festival about the string tied to his umbilical cord made people carry it from generation to generation."
Under the vast blue sky, she visited the statue of Genghis Khan.
The further north they went, the more the group had to leave behind the cities and towns with amenities, and the temperature gradually dropped. The sky was still the same, but each stop for Mrs. Hue was a completely different encounter with the land, sky and nature. Outside the car window, the vast desert, sand dunes and the bone-chilling winds still did not make her tired in the slightest.
The initial cold of -15 degrees Celsius gradually decreased as the car went towards the Taiga forest near the Russian border. And the journey also reached its most dangerous point when the whole group had to face days with temperatures below -40 degrees Celsius. When arriving at Tsagaan Nuur village (reindeer village), the first difficulty that Ms. Hue and the whole group had to face was the lack of water to bathe.
The people here get water for daily use by digging a hole in the frozen river and carrying it back to the village, which is why the water source is extremely scarce. But that does not stop the 60-year-old woman from being moved by this country. Silently looking into the distance, the white snow-capped mountain peaks stand out against the horizon. Inside the pine forest, she was happy when, for the first time, she saw a herd of reindeer standing still in the thin layer of mist, floating and slowly crawling through the white pine branches.
Memories of the journey to the reindeer tribe still make Mrs. Hue's heart flutter every time she mentions it.
Each stretch of road seemed to appear before her eyes, she told clearly with an undisguised joy and excitement in her voice: "Because it is winter, the reindeer tribe is near the edge of the forest, so it only takes 2 hours by car to get there. However, to get here, the group had to travel through tireless roads that stretched for 2 days, there were days when they traveled for half a day without seeing a single person. There was absolutely no human hand here, both the car and the people just jolted and jolted into an extremely primitive place."
The heart is just twenty
Although she had been to many countries before, for Mrs. Hue, coming to Mongolia in winter was a dreamy journey. A dreamy and clear journey, yet filled with the rugged wanderlust of the vast land. The snow was as white as cotton on the trails leading past the traditional tents of the Tsaatan tribe. The cold was so cold that it could not cover up the happiness that permeated every cell of the body of a tropical woman like Mrs. Hue.
"All the children said they admired me so much, which made me very happy. Even though I was the only old person in the group, I never felt any distance. And fortunately, I was not a burden to the group. The more I walked, the healthier I felt. The more magnificent scenery I saw, the more energetic I became."
Throughout the journey, the optimism of a 60-year-old woman made everyone in the group admire her.
Mrs. Hue said that she had never been on a trip where she met only young people like that. It was the beautiful and sincere sources of youth that made her realize that her heart was always young. What young people can do, she can do too. Because as she gets older, she will worry more about becoming a burden, but the loving words from her young companions have strengthened her belief. Not only is she a woman who transcends her age, she is also a motivation, a representative of tireless steps.
The loving words from her young companions strengthened her faith.
Throughout the journey, the 60-year-old woman's optimistic spirit made everyone in the group admire her. Sharing with Travellive, Ms. Hue said that in the future, she hopes to experience the journeys with young people: "I told my friends that I must travel with my grandchildren at least once. Thanks to the cheerful energy of these young tourists, I believe that I will be happier and healthier to experience and enjoy life."
In response to the concerns of many people when they see their parents and grandparents still wanting to travel even though they are old, Mrs. Hue is a testament to the ageless free hearts.
