People Come, People Go, and People Disappear. But the Mountains Will Always Be There'

Dr.Bayarsaikhan Luvsandorj Mongol, or simply “Bayar,” is a third generation medical practitioner specializing in gynecology and oncology here in UB. Most, however, recognize this colorful man as part of the Mongolian Mountaineering Team “KhukhTenger,” or “The Blue Sky,” who successfully climbed the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, in 2012.

He describes how “it’s not easy to explain exactly I was feeling when I was standing on top of the world. It was more like emptiness or full zero - or just a pure clean sheet of paper. After many years of preparation and dreaming, I was finally on the summit. In the first few minutes I felt nothing - no emotion. I summited Everest at 8:18 am on May 19th 2012 and stayed there for twenty minutes and waited for my team members.

Eventually I had to climb down because of the extreme cold and strong winds. In the first few moments on top of Everest, I sat down and listened to myself, looking around. There was a real sense of space around me. In Mongolia we call this ‘sansarogtorgui.’ Then it took an enormous amount of strength to just stand up. I held my hands in the air and shouted, ‘Uunees deesh gazarugui’ or, ‘there is no land above me.’”

Apart from his successful career as a doctor, Bayar has also been a proud member of Rotary and a member of the first Mongolian speaking Rotary club in the world. “I served as club President and Assistant Governor. I also initiated, participated in and implemented a number of successful humanitarian projects in Mongolia and abroad. I am most proud of the fact that I was honored by receiving Rotary International’s top award, - Service Above Self.”

Bayar is also involved with numerous professional organizations and is a specialist in cervical cancer screening. He describes how as a vocational service volunteer, he has visited all twenty-one of Mongolia’s provinces over the last eight years. During this time, he’s personally examined 25,000 nomadic women, and in the process, has saved many of them from developing cervical cancer.

For fun, Bayar founded the Mongol Hiking Club in 2006. This club is the first of its kind in Mongolia and organizes a hike every Sunday, come rain or shine. “Regardless of the season or weather, our members hike every Sunday in the mountains around UB and organize trekking and climbing tours in Mongolia and abroad. Our hikers even reached Everest base camp in Nepal. Recently, we hiked and climbed Tavan Bogd in the Altai Mountains. I think the main reason I...