Steinkes traverse through Mongolia on cultural journey

Learning the ancient origins of their martial art, Kurt and Alanna Steinke of Kurt's KARATE traveled to Mongolia in August, spending 12 days in one of their bucket list destinations, taking in the rich and proud Mongolian culture.

Mongolia is not a common travel destination for most, but for the Steinkes, it was a must-visit because of its connection to Spirit Wind Hapkido, the martial art they teach at their dojo in Worland.

"One, our martial arts go back through Korea and before Korea, Mongolia," said Kurt Steinke. "We wanted to get to the root of where all of our stuff comes from. It's also been a bucket list thing and I don't want to get too old and still get out and do things."

Mongolia is sandwiched between two superpowers, with Russia to the north of them and China to the south. The landlocked country has a population of 3.44 million people and has one international airport in Ulaanbaatar, the country's capital. Getting to the country can take some time; for the Steinkes, from checking into their Airbnb in Salt Lake City, then flying to Seattle to Seoul, South Korea, to landing in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, took around 40 hours.

It was a long journey where days got lost traveling over the dateline, but once there, the Steinkes' Mongolian adventure began.

Over those 12 days, the Steinkes went on a six-day horse backpacking excursion, met eagle hunters who hunt with golden eagles and visited museums where they learned about the war history of Mongolia.

It was a jam-packed 12 days but an experience of a lifetime. The six-day excursion took them through Tavn Bogd National Park. Translated, Tavn Bogd means "Five Holy Mountains," named for the five mountain peaks in Mongolia's Altai Mountain range.

The Steinkes, along with two other German tourists, two animal wranglers, a cook and an English-speaking tour guide, some Mongolian horses and stubborn camels (which are native to Mongolia) the company trekked around the Western Mongolian wilderness and to the summit of the Tavn Bogd.

It was not an easy journey. The terrain was unforgiving, and one day, the group had to hike on foot as they summited past the Pontanine Glacier and to the Malchin Peak.

"It was just rugged, rugged country, and the horses went through it," said Alanna Steinke, who was impressed by the horses' ability to climb the mountain.

From the peak, they could see into Russia as the border was down the mountain's north side.

"It was amazing. Almost all of it was on horseback but one day we spent it was on foot and summited one of the biggest peaks there. You get up there and it's like you're in the sky. You look one way and you see China, you look another way and you see Russia," said Kurt Steinke. "All the horseback stuff was neat for us because we do weapons off horseback as part of our martial arts. We learned how they neck-reined which is very different from us. They have long reins and pull them back to their shoulder. They have short stir-ups and long reins."

During those six days in Western Mongolia, the Steinkes felt a level of familiarity looking around at the scenery, even though their home was across the Pacific Ocean.

"Mongolia is really a huge basin. It's similar to Wyoming as far as terrain. They have similar wildlife with bears and big cats. Their big cats are snow leopards. Have a lot of petroglyphs and petrographs and a lot of dinosaur remains. Their natives have a similar history to our Native Americans," said Kurt Steinke.

A nomadic culture, traditional Mongolian food is built around dairy, meat and animal fats. While their guides on their excursion did cater to typical Western tastes, the Steinkes did have opportunities to eat Mongolian cuisine.

The Steinkes visited the family ger, what Mongolians call a yurt, of their cook, Piko, whose mother had a large spread prepared for the guests. They shared a meal and learned a few more Mongolian customs.

"We went back to the cook's mother's house. The mother had a massive spread prepared, which is part of their culture, in which they would be ashamed if they didn't have the whole table covered with food. You don't use the names of elders and call them mother, auntie or something to signify a show of respect. That was cool because it's something we do at our dojo, too.

"We got to see how they lived, their clothing, the decorations in the ger and especially the food. They have a very specific diet based on what animals they raise because they're herders and they're nomadic," said Kurt Steinke. "They live in the ger during the summer but in the winter have a house in the city because how severe the weather is in the winter."

Another highlight from their horseback excursion was that the Steinkes met a family of eagle hunters. The hunters wore furs that their golden eagle hunted, and they got to try them on while holding one of the golden eagles.

"We don't do eagle hunting, but they do in Mongolia. We learned about the traditional dress and how they pride themselves wearing furs that their eagle hunted. The experience was cool and wearing the hunter's clothing was awesome," said Kurt Steinke.

The experience on that horseback was everything the Steinkes wanted from their trip. Getting to the summit was difficult; the weather was cold, and they had to work through a storm. However, the adventure was priceless as they saw a beautiful country and were immersed in Mongolian culture.

"Going over the pass was one of the highlights. It was really intense and I wasn't sure we were going to be able to do it but we did. We were riding all day to this pass. You could see it in the distance," said Alanna Steinke. "Our guide kept telling us we were going to go around and over it. I thought it was going to be this pass that kind of meandered, but we got to the base and it was straight up with a glacier, too."

For the Steinkes, traveling overseas was more than crossing off Mongolia on their bucket list, it gave them a deeper appreciation for this world.

This trip gave Alanna a new perspective on tourism. The financial incentive can erode the local community's culture if they cater too much to tourists. But, that tourism can also motivate locals to connect with their culture and keep it alive.

"One of the takeaways I had on this trip was reflecting on how tourism can sometimes hurt a culture, but it can also help a culture. It gives the locals a reason to stay involved in their culture, monetarily. The biggest example I could come up with was camels. Camels used to be used a lot in the area we went to but nowadays most people don't use camels in that area unless it's for tourists. That's nice because it helps them retain that part of their traditions, culture and history," she said.

The trip to Mongolia recharged Kurt. Having lived abroad and remembering those experiences, this trip was a good way to navigate a new culture and language barrier and find that common ground with people.

"By nature, we're able to see other people's viewpoints pretty readily because we both lived overseas before. I've lived in Korea for two years, and she lived in Palau for a year. Because of that, we know what it's like to be the minority and fresh off the boat, which can be awkward and difficult not speaking the language.

"That helps because every now and then you need a little reminder that there's a bigger world out there, and you're a very small piece of it," he said, "It helped me in that way, and it also refreshed me. I came back here a little less bogged down, which is what a vacation is supposed to do."

Getting there was a taxing journey, however, visiting Mongolia was more than worth it for the Steinkes. Their adventure was only one piece of what the country has to offer. There are many other areas of the country worth exploring and an underrated destination to visit.

"If you're going to Mongolia, it's good to get out of the city. That's the first thing, and after that you can chose where to go. You can go farther north and see reindeer. Do you want to go west and be in the Altai mountains. I'd do that again because that was spectacular. Or, do you want to get see more of the Buddhist influence which we just touched on. It all depends on what you want," said Kurt Steinke.