"Live the Cover!" Contest: Thailand

Great Travel Moment

Throughout Mongolia in July, communities celebrate the traditional sports of horse racing, wrestling, and archery during the annual Naadam Festival. Children learn to ride almost as soon as they can walk and the grace a Mongolian rider exhibits is awe-inspiring. I spent a week bouncing across Central Mongolia in a huge Russian-made vehicle like a Jeep on steroids attending festivals in small towns and villages, mingling with the local crowds and experiencing the events in a much more personal way than is possible when watching the events in the stadium at Ulaanbaator.