Mongolia Adventure - The Arrival!

Our journey began in Hong Kong with just seven eager travellers bound for Beijing. Once there, our expedition group swelled as Polo players from around the world converged on the airport and we took our next flight to Ulan Bator, where a cavalcade of jeeps and vans were waiting to drive us seven hours into the wilderness for the Shanghai Tang Polo Cup.

Along the way, it has become abundantly clear that a Polo player will go to extreme lengths for the ultimate playing experience. A French player commented that he once had to sit in an airport on the off chance that the weather would clear so he could board a flight for a tournament in a remote corner of the earth.

Polo players are neither keen to sit idle for hours on end, nor are they likely to let someone else take the driver's seat. So, the seven-hour car ride, though stunningly beautiful, began to grate on some. When we stopped for a Mongolian barbecue lunch along a dirt road, a South African player asked, "Is the camp site really all that different from the land around the airport?" The implied meaning was, "Do we really need to travel all this way?"

He answered the question for himself when we arrived at the GKPRC in the golden light of the late setting sun at around 7:30pm. He turned to me and conceded, "Yes. Now I see."

Nestled in the Orkhon River Valley about 380km from Ulan Bator, the idyllic camp is remote and breathtakingly beautiful. We were welcomed by founder Christopher Giercke and his team, found our incredibly comfortable gers (yurts), and raced to the bar. Overlooking the river and the ranges beyond, it was the perfect vantage point from which to scope out where we would ride out the next day. The excitement was palpable. The well-travelled group is made up of people who have already sought out the world’s most exotic destinations, yet everyone was in awe of the raw beauty around us. It was particularly poignant to hear more than one person mention how privileged they felt to be here.

After drinks, we were led into a large, glowing, candlelit ger. Christopher gave a warm welcome speech and introduced award-winning Mongol pianist, Odgerel Sampilnorov, who gave a beautiful, fluid recital of a piece by Chopin before a delicious dinner was served.

Some chose to carry on well into the night under the boundless, big sky filled with stars that city dwellers rarely see. Others chose to retire early in preparation for tomorrow - a day that promises a thrilling itinerary of riding, traditional sports of the Summer Nadaam including a children's horse race, a prayer ceremony, and a Boodog barbeque dinner which sounds like an elaborate ceremony in itself.