Mongolia conjures images of the untamed and carefree. Its vast barren steppes, snow-capped mountains and traditional nomadic culture all cry freedom. Add to this, a glorious past when Genghis Khan and his Mongol army conquered most of Asia and the country becomes even more interesting for travellers looking for a bit of solitude, a dose of bigger-than-life history and a gallop in the wind.

To get to Mongolia, which is situated between Russia and China, I boarded the Trans-Siberian Railway from Beijing for a two-day journey to Ulan Bator, the country’s capital. It was late January. The city has the distinction of being the world’s coldest capital, with an average winter temperature of -20°C in the day and -30°C at night.

The train rolled past the Gobi Desert — a vast expanse dusted with snow and punctuated here and there with sun-bleached skulls of animals — and pulled into the Ulan Bator station in the early afternoon to a cacophony of roaring engines and human cries of greeting. Outside, the cold Siberian winds scraped the skin and every exhaled breath was a smoky puff of air. “Sain bain nu!” my guide, Ms Zola, greeted me in Mongolian on the platform. “Hello!”

As a city, Ulan Bator is far from most people’s romantic notion of Mongolia. The former Soviet satellite that now houses over a million people is a mass of squat, boxy, concrete buildings reminiscent of the Stalin era. The architecture is spartan: Function is the priority, not style.

Over a third of Mongolia’s population live in Ulan Bator. Internet cafes and drinking dens where you can find Tiger beer provide shelter from the cold. Those who do not have the luxury of owning a mobile phone can call over a “walking telephone booth”, men who carry old-fashioned black telephones on top of pieces of cardboard that act like trays. They can be found everywhere.

It wasn’t until the Museum of Mongolian National History that the Mongolia of yore was revealed. Aside from its collection of archaeological finds such as bronze tools, there are colourful Mongolian national costumes and life-sized models of gers, the traditional Mongolian home.

Artefacts from the reign of Genghis Khan (1206 AD to 1279 AD) allow visitors glimpses into the life of a man who rose from tribal chief to become one of the greatest military leaders of all time.

Under Genghis Khan, who has been compared to legendary conqueror Alexander the Great, Mongolian territory stretched from present day Korea in the east, to Vietnam and the Gulf of Oman in the south, Poland in the west and Siberia in the north.

It is a history to be proud of, as every Mongolian would tell you.

The next day, we drove for two hours south-east over 130km to Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve to spend a night with the Mongolian nomads. The road hugged the snow-covered steppe. The landscape was barren and desolate, lightened only by a cloudless, blue sky. Clear days are the norm in Mongolia, which sees more than 260 sunny days a year. The country is dubbed “Land of the Blue Sky”.

When we arrived, a couple in their 50s emerged from their ger to meet us. They were dressed in the deel, a traditional fur-lined coat tied with a sash. They greeted us warmly, smiling and chatting with my guide who acted as my translator. Hospitality is an essential part of the nomads’ culture, not surprising in the face of the inhospitable elements. A Mongolian traveller can rely on the people he meets on his journey to open their hearth and home to him. No ger is locked and strangers are welcomed with tea, yoghurt and milk curds.

We were ushered into the ger. The circular tent is sparsely furnished, with the centrepiece being an iron stove connected to a chimney. The stove acted as a heater and a cooking apparatus. There was no electricity and few material comforts — two beds topped with thick Persian rugs, an altar displaying their family heirlooms and ancestors’ picture.

Being on the move — no doubt poverty plays a part, too — means that the nomads keep only what’s necessary and precious. They relocate two to four times a year in search of grazing land for their animals. The ger, which has over 2,000 years of history, has been adapted to this lifestyle. Essentially a lattice frame covered by a felt covering, it can be easily dismantled within half an hour and transported by two or three camels.

I swopped my Gortex jacket for a deel and was instantly warmer. Thus insulated against the battering winds, I was ready to gallop across the plains with my host. This is where riders can appreciate the rare beauty of Mongolia and if they are lucky, catch glimpses of rare Argali sheep, with their two corkscrew-like horns, and elusive snow leopards.

Night fell all too soon — at 4pm, as this was winter — but being so far away from haze and lights of the city, the sky was piercingly clear. The stars, the constellations, burst from the dark like fireworks. These were the same stars that led Genghis Khan to his victories over 700 years ago.

Dinner was simple — steamed dumplings, dried hard curds and salted milk tea — cooked atop a stove fuelled by dried animal dung. The nomads depend mainly on the wool and milk from their animals for their livelihood. A typical Mongolian makes less than US$100 ($140) a month. Despite this, they seldom expect payment for their hospitality from travellers.

For travellers, it’s a chance to be far from instant gratification lifestyles of the city. The slow pace, the unconditional hospitality, are in themselves breaths of fresh air. - TODAY/ra