I would never have thought to describe a camel in such a way. Living in New York City doesn’t give you many opportunities to study camel textures. In my travels through Egypt, Morocco and India, I have encountered many Dromedary Camels with one hump. The two-humped Bactrian camels, however, are a lot more cuddly. They’re pressed up against the neck of an especially shaggy specimen in southern Mongolia.
I’m at Ten Thousand Camel Festival. It is an annual celebration that honors the fluffy golden-haired Bactrian Camel, which can be found almost exclusively along the central Eurasian Steppe.
Mongolians in their best attire descended from all over the country Deels The traditional national dress) to watch and participate in camel racing, camel polo and singing competitions. The variety of products made from camels is vast, including miniature stuffed animals and Gers (the traditional home of Mongolian nomadic Herders) to wool blankets, and camel-milk products.
Bactrian camels make up only a small fraction of the world camel population—around 6 percent (or 2 million) as of today. In the early 1990s, both the population and the plight of the Bactrian camels were much worse.
Prior to 1990’s peaceful democratic revolution in Mongolia, the state owned and managed all livestock. Herders discovered that their camels’ meat was worth more during the transition from a closed market to an open one under the new democratic system. To survive, many were forced to butcher camels. The population in Mongolia plummeted to just 200,000. The Amazing Gobi Tourism Association started the Ten Thousand Camel Festival in 1997 to combat the rapidly decreasing population.
Bactrian camels are a huge success in Mongolia today, with their numbers more than doubling to 480,000. Even more remarkable is the fact that camels only give birth once every two years, despite their long gestation periods.
Tourism played an important role in the revival of this species. Many families have made a living selling camels to tourists and the soft underside wool is used for blankets, socks, hats and gloves.
Tumendelger Khumbaa is the founder and director for the festival. He told T+L that there was only one camel-tracking family in southern Gobi before the event. Now we have many. Some families can earn between 40 and 50 million tugriks (approximately $11,500 and $14,500 per year) for some families. Mining is both a blessing and a problem for Mongolia. The mining industry attracts young people to the cities and mines. They give up their nomadic heritage in order to achieve this. “The increased camel tourism allows families to live as they have done for centuries and preserve their nomad lifestyle.”
I was drawn to two marked fields on the perimeter of the grounds by a series of whooping sounds. Here are the first camel polo matches. Men wearing white helmets and numbered jerseys thunder across the field on camels that have decorative leg wraps. They hammer the ball, which is slightly bigger than a softball, up and down by leaning forward to swing wooden mallets. It was a fascinating spectacle, and I spent an hour watching the players shuffle around, sometimes burying the ball in the net of the opposing team.
A 10 person crowd cascading down a riser on the other side of polo fields watched riders racing a camel line across the final few hundred feet of an multi-kilometer race. Drones feed live footage of the race onto a large jumbotron at the centre of the grounds.
By midday, the crowd had grown to thousands. This is a Mongolian event, even though its goal is to promote international tourism. Only two dozen foreigners were visible in the sea multi-colored clothing. Deels. It’s refreshingly real; it gives you a glimpse into the Gobi people and their traditions.
In addition to the camel adventure, the festival also provides an opportunity for locals and tourists to come together and celebrate the winter traditions. Ice archery is one of the festival’s most popular events. Competitors draw arrows with blunted heads and fire them approximately 150 feet across a frozen pitch. The aim is to get the projectile past a snow bank that protects it and knock over 400-gram ball set over another bank. The match lasts several hours, with each competitor allowed to shoot 20 total shots. Champions are awarded a medal and recognized by their province.
Munkhjargal byambadorj is the vice president of Mongolian Ice Archery Association. Travel + Leisure. “We formed the association in 2008. But ice archery has been around for over 2000. We want to see this sport at the Olympic Games. “That is our dream.”
Near the archery field, there are around a dozen Ger Each province where camels herd is represented by a display. Women distribute Airag, a fermented camel milk, in copper bowls. Inside, men exchange bottles of Snuff by one-palmed exchange. A man dressed in a forest-green, fur-trimmed jacket ushered me inside. DeelThe sour, tart beverage is immediately offered to me. The crowd around me encouraged me to give it a try.
Around 100 people lined up on camels in the middle of the grounds to take part in the official ceremony of welcoming and the parade. Each province sends groups through the crowds of people waiting to see this spectacle, waving their phones. The camels are decorated with anklets, saddles, and bridles in every color. Their riders are even more stunning. In sheepskin Deel Each one is a fashionista’s dream. The feast is for the eyes as well as the camera.
A small crowd gathered at the back of the procession to stare and take selfies with the massive camel decorated with dozens medals. They laugh and wave their family members to join them in a picture, while admiring this majestic creature.
I’m not able to help but nod my head in agreement. It’s a beautiful, fluffy camel.
