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Mongolia|life|August 5, 2015 / 12:28 PM
Australian adventurer makes three-year journey on horseback across Eurasian steppe from Mongolia to Hungary

AKIPRESS.COM - steppe Mongolia While riding a recumbent bike from Siberia to Beijing, Tim Cope kept getting stuck in sand. Forced to push his bike through the tracks, he watched enviously as nomads would “materialize on horseback and gallop off with great freedom.”

“These people live in a world where there are no fences,” Cope, 36, said. “Everything’s turned upside down in comparison to the world I live in. There’s no time, no Monday through Friday. There are no boundaries. Anything was possible. I left my bike trip craving to understand this world, to break out of the confines of normal society, to experience this kind of freedom.”

In June 2004, at 25, the Australian adventurer began a three-year journey on horseback across some 6,000 miles of the Eurasian steppe from Mongolia to Hungary, which he details in “On the Trail of Genghis Khan,” whose paperback edition was published last month.

Following are The New York Times' excerpts from a conversation with Tim Cope.

Q. You weren’t an avid horseback rider before this. How did you train?

I did a lot of research through a group called the Long Riders’ Guild. I did a five-day packhorse journey over the Australian mountains. The rest of it I learned on the way. The first day of the journey this crowd had gathered and I was nervous, so we actually walked out of town because I was too frightened to get on the horse.

What were the benefits of traveling by horseback? The challenges?

It did give me an incredible ability to transcend the modern world, to depart from all roads. I could have a compass in my hand and go wherever I pleased. You can cross rivers and go up or down steep slopes. On the other hand, I lost my independence. I needed to look after the animal. I needed to find enough grass or water. If the horses weren’t ready to go, I couldn’t go. The other downside is all of the bureaucracy with borders and customs. I got stuck at borders for weeks at a time.

What can our more grounded society learn from the nomadic cultures?

These people have a sustainable way of living with their environment. They see themselves as just one species in this greater web of life. Earth was not built to serve the needs of humans. I think the nomads really give us inspiration about how we can live in harmony with our environment.

The other thing we can learn is their openness. They don’t have the same suspicions that we have. They need to appeal to the better side of each other to get through harsh conditions. I came home having realized that the only way I survived was by not casting quick judgments and making friends with different people.

How did the trip transform you?

There’s a wonderful saying among Kazakhs that if you have to rush in life do it slowly. I’ve really tried to live by that mantra since I’ve come back. I don’t think patience is something that any of us grow up with in a large dose. It’s a world of instant gratification.

Are there places you’d like to go back to as a tourist?

I take people on 18-day treks through Mongolia every year. When I came back to Australia I struggled to adapt. The only way I could relate was to share my experience. I love the Altai Mountains. Crimea, despite all the conflict, is a remarkable place historically, culturally and physically. The mountains drop down into the sea. Porpoises swim in the shallows. Horses gallop through the grass. There are huge rocks, castles, caves. It’s an amazing place.

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