Jul 13, 2015

Mongolia (Part 4): Tumen Ekh National Song and Dance Ensemble

Overhead view of the Mongolia National Amusement Park
Part of Mongolia National Amusement Park. Seoul Restaurant on the left, and Tumen Ekh on the right.

On 20 June 2015, my partner & I caught the performance of the Tumen Ekh National Song and Dance Ensemble at the end of our Terelj National Park tour. This is one of the must-see performance while in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The Tumen Ekh ensemble was founded in 1989 and has gone on to win awards across the world. The ensemble’s goal is to present a rare selection of ancient Mongolian performing arts and culture to local and international audiences, particularly younger generations. 
Poster about the Tumen Ekh.The ensemble comprises artists who perform all types of Mongolian song, music and dance. They play traditional instruments including the morin khuur (horse head fiddle) and perform Mongolian long song, epic and eulogy songs, a ritualistic shaman ritual dance, an ancient palace dance and a Tsam mask dance. Their performances are highly professional but retain the authenticity and traditions of nomadic culture. 
The music of Mongolia expresses vastness, freedom and life in harmony with nature and the environment. The Tumen Ekh ensemble is one of the most successful folk art groups to share traditional Mongolian music with the world, having traveled to over 40 countries to introduce the unique, vibrant and astonishing art of Mongolia. They have successfully performed at the World Music Center in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and Buckingham Palace in the UK among others. But Tumen Ekh is more than just a group of performers on a stage. Members of the ensemble participate in cultural exchanges, conduct research and studies on folklore and engage in training and creative activities. 
The Tumen Ekh ensemble will take you on a brief tour to Mongolia’s world of folk art, where vast steppes of grassland, clear blue skies, and a nomadic way of life has been developed and preserved for thousands of years. (Source: Facebook)

The performance building (location here) is within the compound of the Mongolia National Amusement Park, near the Seoul Restaurant.

Tumen Ekh performance building
Entrance to Tumen Ekh performance building

The price of the ticket was very reasonable in my opinion;
  • MNT 20,000 per pax which is approximately USD 10 or RM 38.
  • Optional: If you wish to take photographs during the performance, it is an additional MNT 20,000 - you will be given an additional tag to hangover your neck to identify.
  • Optional: If you wish to take amateur videos during the performance, it is an additional MNT 100,000 (approximately USD50 or RM 192).

There are about 13 distinct songs/acts/performances and the whole show took approximately 70 minutes. They have two shows per-day, one starting at 4:00PM and another at 6:00PM.

The seats are large steps (one higher than the other) and form cushions are placed to denote each seat. The rows of seats are in a semi-cycle formation. There are no numbering on the seats and it is first-come-first served, hence it is suggested that you arrive early and enter the performance hall as it opens so that you can get the first or second row facing the center stage.

There are English narrations between each segment of the performance to explain briefly about the coming acts and performances.

Click on the photographs to enlarge the images.
Performance hall of the Tumen Ekh Ensemble.
Performance hall of the Tumen Ekh Ensemble - left side


Video playlist of the Tumen Ekh's performance


At the lobby of the performance hall, the portraits of the Tumen Ekh performance troop members are hung on the walls.

Portraits of the Tumen Ekh performance troop 1
Portraits of the Tumen Ekh performance troop 2
Portraits of the Tumen Ekh performance troop 3
Portraits of the Tumen Ekh performance troop 4
Portraits of the Tumen Ekh performance troop 5
Portraits of the Tumen Ekh performance troop 6
Portraits of the Tumen Ekh performance troop 7
Portraits of the Tumen Ekh performance troop 8


Just A Thought Ah
My partner and I truly enjoy this performance very much. I believe it was time and money well spent to witness this performing arts live and to keep a cultural piece of history alive.

Jul 9, 2015

Mongolia (Part 3): Chinggis Khaan Square

Chinggis Khaan Square (formally Sukhbaatar Square)
Chinggis Khaan Square (formally Sukhbaatar Square) - in the morning

Status of Sukhbaatar at Chinggis Khaan Square
Status of Sukhbaatar at Chinggis Khaan Square
Chinggis Khaan Square (formally known as Sükhbaatar Square) is the main square of Ulaanbaatar. During my time in Ulaanbaatar I was staying at the Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel, I walked across the square each time to visit locations towards the west and south of the city.

At the center of the square stands the statue of the hero of the Mongolian People's Revolution, Damdin Sükhbaatar.
Damdinii Sükhbaatar (Mongolian: Дамдины Сүхбаатар; February 2, 1893 – February 20, 1923) was a founding member of the Mongolian People's Party and leader of the Mongolian partisan army that liberated Khüree during the Outer Mongolian Revolution of 1921. Enshrined as the "Father of Mongolia's Revolution", he is remembered as one of the most important figures in Mongolia's struggle for independence. (Source: Wikipedia)

Click on the photographs to enlarge the image.
Status of Sukhbaatar at Chinggis Khaan Square - diagonal viewStatus of Sukhbaatar at Chinggis Khaan Square - side view

On the West side of the square are the UB City Government building and the Confederation of Mongolia Trade Union building.

On the East side of the square is the State Opera and Ballet Academic Theater.

On the North side is the Government Palace.

On the South side is Chinggis Khaan garden. The tall skyscraper is the The Blue Sky Hotel and Tower.

View of the West side Chinggis Khaan Square
View towards the West side of Chinggis Khaan Square
View of the East side Chinggis Khaan Square
View towards the East side of Chinggis Khaan Square
View towards the North side of Chinggis Khaan Square
View towards the North side of Chinggis Khaan Square
View of the South side Chinggis Khaan Square
View towards the South side of Chinggis Khaan Square


The Government Palace
North side of the square is the Government Palace is a status of a seated Chinggis Khaan protected by two statues of Mongolian warriors mounted on horses. The ancient Mongolian warriors on horse back was a force not to be reckoned with, they were able to cross harsh terrains at great speeds and distance. They were also deadly with bows and arrows.


The Government Palace at Chinggis Khaan Square
The Government Palace

Statue of Chinggis Khaan at the Government Palace
Statue of Chinggis Khaan
Mongolia Warrior Statue - Left Side.
Mongolia Warrior status on the left side.
Mongolia Warrior Statue - Right Side.
Mongolia Warrior statue on the right side.

Activities
In the afternoon of 17 June when I was at the square, a noticed a large group of ladies beautifully dressed and made up a the square and the government palace. It appeared to be some kind of graduation ceremony as they can be seen carrying some kind of folder which I assume held their certificates and some held bouquet of flowers. Smaller groups were posing to take photographs individually and in groups by the government palace and the Chinggis Khaan statue.

Chinggis Khaan Square - group of graduates
Chinggis Khaan Square - beautiful ladies 1
Chinggis Khaan Square - beautiful ladies 2
Chinggis Khaan Square - beautiful ladies 3

In the evening of 19 June, we can find people skating on roller blades and skateboards, and cycling about. The bicycles can be rented by vendors which set up their stalls in the evening time. Parents can also rent remote control toy vehicles for their young children to play with.

There were also street stalls selling food and drinks at a side of the square.

Chinggis Khaan Square in the evening.
Chinggis Khaan Square in the evening.
Chinggis Khaan Square in the evening. Toys for rent.
Remote control toy vehicles for rent.

During the International Yoga Day on 21 June 2015, a large stage was set up on within the square for yoga instructors and yoga practitioners were performing yoga activity and exercises there. You can read more about it from this article from UB Post.


Just A Thought Ah
This place reminded me of Tugu Negara (Malaysia's National Monument) and Dataran Merdeka (Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur) - both rolled into one.

At first glance, it looked like a simple tourist attraction where you will just spend about 10 - 15 minutes to take photographs of statues of previous leaders that made an impact to Mongolia's history.

However, if one was to take the time to observe the activities and events that take place during the morning, afternoon and evening, and the weekends - you'll notice that this place still serves as an active communal point for both locals and visitors. So if you have the opportunity to visit this place; find a shaded spot, chill and take in the scene of life that is unfolding at the Chinggis Khaan Square.

Jul 8, 2015

Mongolia (Part 2): Modern Nomads - Local delights & dishes

When I was at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, I found that there were no shortage of food choices, options, and selections. There were many different restaurants selling Chinese, French, Indian, Irish, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Uzbekistan, Western, and many more.

I recalled the saying,
"When in Rome, do what the Romans do"

Modern Nomads Western and Mongolian Menus
Modern Nomads Western & Mongolian Menus
National Museum of Mongolia History
National Museum of Mongolia History

Hence since I was in Mongolia, I tried to seek out Mongolian food, dishes and delicacies. I started searching the Internet and via TripAdvisor saw a bunch of reviews about this chain of restaurants called "Modern Nomads". It has its fair share of positive and negative reviews but I usually consider these reviews with a pinch of salt.

My first experience with it was after spending an afternoon at the afternoon at the National Museum of Mongolia History (I'll write about this attraction later). Base on TripAdvisor, there was a Modern Nomads (Branch #1: location here) 600 meters towards the north of the museum. However on the way towards the first branch, I stumble upon the third branch.


Modern Nomads (Branch #3: location here).

Modern Nomads - Restaurant #3
Modern Nomads - Restaurant #3
17 June 2015. The waiter & waitress there could understand simple English. The drinks and food menus were printed in both local and English language.

This chain serve both Western dishes and local Mongolia dishes. As I was looking to taste the local dishes, I placed the Western Menu aside and started previewing the Mongolia Menu (click on the photographs to enlarge the image).


Modern Nomads - Soups selection
Modern Nomads  - Soups selection
Modern Nomads - Mains dishes
Modern Nomads - Mains dishes

For a main dish, the 'Stir Fried Vitals' - stir fried lamb livers, kidneys, lungs, hearts and tripes flavoured with onions served with vegetables caught my eye due to the array of colours and the potential variety of taste texture I could experience. As it has been a chilly day outside, I decided to order a soup, 'Mongolian Noodle Soup with Lumb Vital Mixs' - it is traditionally favourite lamb five vital soup cooked with homemade noodles. I saw on a food television program that Mongolia was also famous for its milk from cattle, and goats. So I ordered a 'Hot Light Milk' - I did not ask whether it was from a cow or goat ;-)

A short moment of taking my order, I was served an appetiser and my hot light milk. The waitress returned shortly to inform me that the main dish that I ordered was not available so I had to change my order to 'Tsuivan With Pork' - it is Mongolian traditional noodle with stir fry pork and sweet peppers.

Appetiser, hot milk and wet towel
Appetiser, hot milk (Price: MNT 1,500) and wet towel. 
Appetiser - Fried dough
Appetiser - fried dough, cross section
Mongolian Noodle Soup with Lumb Vital Mixs
Mongolian Noodle Soup with Lumb Vital Mixs (Price: 7,500)
Mongolian Noodle Soup with Lumb Vital Mixs - content
Mongolian Noodle Soup with Lumb Vital Mixs - content
Tsuivan With Pork
Tsuivan With Pork (Price: MNT 11,900)
Unfinished portions of food.
The portions were quite large - leftovers

The Taste
The appetizer reminded me of the Chinese Yau Char Kway (Chinese Cruller), it was more dense then Chinese Crullers. At this point in time I was thinking if I had a cup of hot coffee to dunk it in; it would have been fabulous.

The Hot Light Milk had a mild salty taste to it, it was not as thick or rich as full cream milk (I guess hence the name 'light'). It was nice given the cool weather of between 12 - 18 decrees Celsius outside.

The Mongolian Noodle Soup with Lumb Vital Mixs was somewhat interesting. The noodle were is large strips form and the blackish substance felt like a blended mix lamb organs. The texture was soft and felt like I was eating mashed tofu. The soup was light as felt like some of the oil from skimmed off - unlike the mutton soup or 'sup kambing' we usually have at home in Malaysia.

The bill at Modern Nomad 3
The bill at Modern Nomad 3, came up to 
MNT 20,900 (approximately USD 11)
Finally the Tsuivan With Pork, this this was simple and was as described. I must have been hungry because I was eating it up quite quickly. It has a mild taste with a hint of pepper and mildly season with salt. This dish needed to be eaten while it was hot, as it was cooling down I felt the noodles were become hard and rubbery.

The underestimated the size of the portions here in Mongolia and in the end I was not able to finish up everything as shown above with the leftovers. The bill came up to be MNT 20,900 including 10% Value Added Tax (VAT) - this works out to be approximately United States Dollar (USD) 11 or Ringgit Malaysia (RM) 40.


Modern Nomads (Branch #2: location here)
18 June 2015, our second experience with Modern Nomads. Being a bit wiser with the size of the portions, my partner and I decided to just order two items; a soup and a main to share between us. The soup was called 'Drover Soup' - Traditional lamb soup with dumplings and grilled lamb and for a main dish, the 'Stir Fried Vitals' - stir fried lamb livers, kidneys, lungs, hearts and tripes flavoured with onions served with vegetables.

Modern Nomads 2 menu - Soup section
Modern Nomads menu - soup section
Modern Nomads 2 menu - main dish section
Modern Nomads menu - main dish section

The service here was a bit slower (than Modern Nomad 3). It took approximately 15 mins for the drinks and appetiser to be served and subsequently another 20 minutes for the soup and main.

Modern Nomads 2 - Appetizer
Modern Nomads - Appetizer 
Modern Nomads 2 - Drinks
Modern Nomads - Hot Milk with Honey (Price: MNT 2,500) and  Schweppes Soda Water (Price: MNT 3,500)
Modern Nomads 2 - Drover Soup
Modern Nomads - Drover Soup (Price: MNT 7,900)
Modern Nomads 2 - Stir Fried Vitals
Modern Nomads - Stir Fried Vitals (Price: MNT 9,900)


The Taste (again)
The bill at Modern Nomad #2
The bill at Modern Nomad #2,
came up to MNT 23,800
(approximately USD 12)
The 'Drover Soup' was clear served with six dumplings - the dumpling's filling was a simple mixture of minced beef and some vegetables. The grill (lamb) rib was tender and it added a some of flavour to the soup.

The main dish of  'Stir Fried Vitals' was what I had imagined, a variety of textures of various meats. It was served on a hot plate so the meats remained hot till we finished every bite.

The combined portion of this two dishes was sufficient to satisfied my partner's & my hungry bellies. The bill came up to MNT 23,800 (inclusive of 10% VAT), this works out to be approximately USD 12 or RM 46.


The Decoration
The interior decoration of both branches varied.

Modern Nomad 3 had a more traditional feel with the walls decorated with patterns printed on fabric as well as real paintings. 

Modern Nomad 2 used printed wall papers. The tables and chairs here were more modern and overall feel was more towards being a modern cafe.

Interior of Modern Nomad branch #3
Interior of Modern Nomad branch #3
Interior of Modern Nomad branch #2
Interior of Modern Nomad branch #2


Just A Thought Ah
As this was our first taste of Mongolian local delights and dishes, we felt the general taste was towards our liking - it had some similarities to Chinese dishes and cooking style. Price wise was a bit on the high side however at the time we did not have a means to compare as this was the only chain of restaurants we went to try Mongolia dishes.

It was later when we went for a day tour to Terelj National Park that our guide informed us that Modern Nomads were very commercialised, more to cater to tourist, and not the first choice for the locals. This was the second location where we had some local dishes.

Nevertheless, we truly enjoyed our eating experience.