Day Trip to Terelj

Friday was a fun day. A very Mongolian day! A group of nine friends riding in two SUVs set out just after the school bus left in the morning and ventured about 40 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar to explore Terelj. The first stop, the Turtle Rock (in Mongolian -- Melkhii Khad):

After a brief stop here, we continued on to a Buddhist Meditation center high up on the side of the mountain. It's called Aryapala Meditation and Initiation Center.

The front gate was locked, but that didn't stop this group of explorers. We climbed through the wooden fence, limbo style, and then hiked up the hill.

This is my friend, Jill, and me, just before we crossed a rickety, old, wooden footbridge.

The bridge! Not for the faint of heart or those with weak knees or scared of heights! I didn't stop to photograph them, but there were large holes and pieces missing from some of the old slats.



We reached the goal! The Meditation Center steps ... 108 steps all together. Our group: (minus the one who took this photo)

A view of the outside:

A Mongolian guide/caretaker then showed us the inside. We donned cloth shoe coverings so that we would not track in any dirt or impurities.

Here's what it looked like on the inside:

Very colorful! Pads covered the seats where the monks sit to meditate. Also there were silken banners hanging from the ceiling. Offerings of food and money were placed before Buddha.



My friend Buyana ... spinning the prayer wheels on the outside of the center. These continued the entire way around the building.



Later we decided to drive through this river ... to get to the other side, of course!

Then a Mongolian boy and his horse escorted several of us back across, on horseback.

Afterwards, we all went to the Terelj Hotel, a 5-star resort (the only one in Mongolia), for a delicious lunch. After a brief tour of the hotel to see the rooms, the pool and the spa facilities, we headed back home to Ulaanbaatar. And just for good measure, we stopped along the way to ride these camels and hold eagles!

A really fantastic outing!