One intrepid cultural researcher, photographer and former Royal Marine Commando embarks on an adventure across Mongolia, sharing his stories as he goes

Ulaanbaatar took me by surprise. I thought the Mongolian capital would be a small, rural kind of place, but it is actually quite modern and much bigger than I expected – more industrial, very built-up.

There are pockets of green spaces but it is mostly developed – lots of restaurants, bars and new high-rise buildings. The whole city stretched across this plateau, rising up to the mountains in the distance.

Traditions lodgings: a horse grazes besides two gers, yurt-like tents many locals still call home Credit: Ben McMahon

The grandeur and the vastness blew me away. I flew across the country, a three-hour flight from Ulaanbaatar to Ölgii. I could see down to the steppes and the mountains, and it was just so vast and so beautiful. You could see this community of gers (traditional Mongolian yurts), and then half an hour later you would see another one – hundreds and hundreds of miles apart, and nothing in between them. It was the furthest I have ever felt from home.

Mongolia still has a very traditional way of life. The people are open, warm and friendly, and eager to tell you about their culture, and for you to try the customs – the milk, the food. They are very welcoming, generous and proud of their country.

Continuing customs: a local woman pours Mongolian milk Credit: Ian Finch

For me, being able to share this sort of story about a remote region and its people means everything. To share it live, as it happens, is a wonderful thing and extremely special, even in today’s hyperconnected world. I found Vodafone’s superior 4G roaming gave me the reliability in the lesser known, more remote parts of Mongolia not only to share my story but the stories of those that call it home.

The customs are very different to those in Britain. It’s fascinating, you have to be respectful and open minded. Woman are at the centre of life in the Ger, they work dawn until dusk, preparing food for the whole family – milking cows, cooking and looking after the children. The men tend to be out with the cattle, working with the animals and riding – life here can be difficult, thats just the way it is.

Naadam Festival: archery is one of the 'three games of men' celebrated at this annual event Credit: Ben McMahon

The nation’s annual Naadam festival is known as “The Three Games of Men”, which are wrestling, horse racing and archery. It is held in a sports stadium in Ulaanbaatar, like a mini Olympic village, and inside there are lots of stalls selling traditional food – plates of meat, cheese and sour milk.

Everybody congregates in the outer ring, and when the event starts people enter the stadium to watch. The whole place is bustling. Some people are in costume, some arrive on horseback (a sign of prosperity) and meander through the large crowds.

The food is created the same; the gers are made as they always were; the communities live as they always have

There is so much history too. We came across 3,000-year-old standing stones, and 8,000-year-old petroglyphs that showed stories of hunters and animals, carved into flat varnished rock faces. These ancient markings were a testament to a life lived a long time ago.

Mongolia is an authentic travel experience. Some of the places you can travel to you get a visceral sense of how life was lived, of the environment and the people. Out on the Mongolian steppe, the culture is very much like its always been. About retaining family traditions, heritage and home.

Adventurous spirit: Ian Finch enjoying the remote environments he discovered in Mongolia Credit: Ben McMahon

The food is created the same; the gers are made as they always were; the communities live as they always have. While there is a touch of modern influence – perhaps there is a small shop in the communities selling modern foods –on the whole, traditions endure.

On journeys to far away regions this is what i go in search for. I look for authenticity, for stories of real people, a life lived in remote environments. In Mongolia this is still prevalent and the culture as a whole is rich and unchanged. If this is what adventure is to you, Mongolia awaits.

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