:00:00. > :00:00.That's it from me, the Breakfast team will be
:00:00. > :00:08.here at six o'clock. Now on BBC News, The Travel Show.
:00:09. > :00:15.It is one of the most isolated countries in the world, with huge
:00:16. > :00:20.extremes of climate. It has a reputation for endurance like no
:00:21. > :00:27.other. But, how tough do you have to be to survive in Mongolia today?
:00:28. > :00:33.I am travelling from the extreme north of the country, through the
:00:34. > :00:38.capital and south-east towards China on one of the world's most legendary
:00:39. > :00:46.trains. This is the restaurant car. Look at these! To the Gobi Desert,
:00:47. > :00:57.where I will test my own to really see in one of Mongolia's three manly
:00:58. > :01:12.sports -- test my own manliness. It will not be a walk in the park.
:01:13. > :01:23.Close to the Siberian border is Mongolia's forested playground.
:01:24. > :01:27.Wild, pristine and enchanting. Recently, more people from the city
:01:28. > :01:38.'s have started coming here in the summer, hoping to spend time with
:01:39. > :01:42.these magical creatures. Hello. How will you? These are your reindeer?
:01:43. > :01:47.They did not get here by chance. This herd has walked 370 kilometres
:01:48. > :01:58.to make money from the tourists. It is a tough journey, one of their own
:01:59. > :02:03.would rather not have to make. As night draws in, we returned to his
:02:04. > :02:43.teepee. I wonder where his resilience comes from.
:02:44. > :02:51.In early rise the next morning and onward in my mission to uncover the
:02:52. > :02:55.secrets of the Mongolian powers of endurance. Until a few years ago,
:02:56. > :02:56.there was no electricity in this region, and there is still no
:02:57. > :03:11.running water. It is raw and quite physically
:03:12. > :03:19.demanding just to survive around here. But impressive, take this for
:03:20. > :03:30.example. More than 2 million years old and one of Asia's biggest
:03:31. > :03:42.freshwater lakes. Hello, take my hand. Step out here. Excellent. A
:03:43. > :03:53.day on the lack! Let's do it. I absolutely love this place. It is
:03:54. > :03:56.wild nature at its best -- lake. The lake represents about 70% of
:03:57. > :04:03.Mongolia's fresh water supply. Nearly half of 1% of the Earth's
:04:04. > :04:08.fresh water supply, which is a huge amount. If you think about bottles
:04:09. > :04:12.of water, how many are consumed in a day, imagine one out of every 200
:04:13. > :04:21.would be coming from this week. Most people don't even know that it
:04:22. > :04:25.exists. Rate came over from Canada in 2007 to join the first scientific
:04:26. > :04:32.diving mission to explore the bottom of the lake. But this is what he
:04:33. > :04:36.found. It is pretty solid, what they've done in the past is illegal
:04:37. > :04:45.now. They used to drive tanker trucks of fuel across it. Diesel and
:04:46. > :04:49.other fuels. Every once in a while, the ice Break and the trucks would
:04:50. > :04:56.go to the bottom. It is known that there are 37 heavy trucks and
:04:57. > :05:02.additionally anywhere from three to 15 tanker trucks loaded with other
:05:03. > :05:09.fuels. We are talking potentially quite serious environmental damage?
:05:10. > :05:14.Yes. One litre of diesel fuel can contaminate 100,000 litres of fresh
:05:15. > :05:18.water. If you start talking about gasoline, that figure can borrow up
:05:19. > :05:31.to 5 million litres of fresh water that is literally destroyed. -- can
:05:32. > :05:36.go up. Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I said goodbye to the
:05:37. > :05:58.lake knowing I face a ten Hour Drive S. To my next stop, the capital. --
:05:59. > :06:02.ten Hour drive to my next stop. In a country of just 3 million people,
:06:03. > :06:07.the recent trend has been to move to the big city. Thanks to a mining
:06:08. > :06:16.boom, business and foreign investment was soaring up until
:06:17. > :06:27.2012. Although growth has slowed, or you can sense a good humour in the
:06:28. > :06:41.air. It is so hot today! 7pm, it is about 35 degrees. In the winter, it
:06:42. > :06:54.is the complete opposite. About -30. Hello, can I go in? Thank you. More
:06:55. > :06:58.than one third of people still live in yurts. It is cosy now, but you
:06:59. > :07:03.have to be resilient to live here when it is 30 degrees below. It
:07:04. > :07:08.cannot be comfy, but a lot of families are doing it. While
:07:09. > :07:13.Mongolia was never part of the soviet union, in the 1920s he became
:07:14. > :07:17.the world's second communist state and maintained close links with its
:07:18. > :07:22.comrades from over the border. Tourism was extremely limited until
:07:23. > :07:31.the democratic revolution in 1990. These days, it is much more
:07:32. > :07:35.accessible. There are even new attractions on the block that will
:07:36. > :07:46.give you a crash course in Mongolian traditions. Some of which might make
:07:47. > :07:55.you wince. Their's no better example of the traditional Mongolian traits
:07:56. > :08:02.and sheer strength and resilience. When I was, I think, six years old,
:08:03. > :08:12.I saw two girls performing on TV. I saw it and it looks really
:08:13. > :08:19.interesting. I told my mum to take me to a State Circus, I auditioned
:08:20. > :08:25.and then I started. For most people like this woman, it looks very
:08:26. > :08:35.painful. Is it not painful? When I started, it was very painful. I was
:08:36. > :08:40.crying, four months. Now, it doesn't hurt that much. If I overdo it, it
:08:41. > :08:51.does hurt a little bit. You do have joints? I do.
:08:52. > :09:03.LAUGHTER Just a normal human being. Actually, a little bit superhuman if
:09:04. > :09:08.you ask me. Nevertheless, she is a proud Mongolian and agrees to show
:09:09. > :09:12.off her hometown. A lot of people come after they graduate high school
:09:13. > :09:26.or college. Or even after the wedding. They come with their family
:09:27. > :09:31.and take pictures. This place is a monument, a relic of this country's
:09:32. > :09:34.once close relationship with the soviet union and a memorial to the
:09:35. > :09:43.soldiers killed in World War Two. This is why they come. Because it's
:09:44. > :09:48.fresh air, and it has a great view. Tell me one thing. I have noticed
:09:49. > :09:56.already that the people here are very tough, the men are very strong.
:09:57. > :10:09.In the city, is that the same? In Mongolia, the women are tougher than
:10:10. > :10:14.men. There are a lot of big business people, most of them are women. The
:10:15. > :10:22.women are good at business? Yes. A lot of women, they take care of the
:10:23. > :10:35.whole family. And the business? Yes. I think definitely women are
:10:36. > :10:47.stronger. I think it is in the blood. It comes from Genghis Khan.
:10:48. > :10:53.She is not the only one to claim heritage. He is largely airbrushed
:10:54. > :10:56.from history, but pretty much every Mongolian claims they are descended
:10:57. > :11:18.from Genghis Khan. The last ten years has seen a
:11:19. > :11:23.revival of the most feared and greatest war lord of all time. And
:11:24. > :11:29.there's no better illustration of the status of Genghis Khan in
:11:30. > :11:38.Mongolian today than this. -- Mongolia.
:11:39. > :11:46.Built into thousand eight and coated with stainless steel and 40 metres
:11:47. > :11:54.high, it faces north-east towards his birthplace. But how did separate
:11:55. > :12:03.fact from legend? -- 2008. Genghis Khan's name was actually Temujin and
:12:04. > :12:08.he was born to a nomadic family in about 1162. He formed enough
:12:09. > :12:13.alliances to raise an army and soon began taking over neighbouring
:12:14. > :12:17.tribes. By the age of 44 he united all of Mongolia's tribes and was
:12:18. > :12:22.crowned universal ruler, or at Genghis Khan. He used spies ex- dens
:12:23. > :12:30.of Lee, established a fast, efficient means of a medication and
:12:31. > :12:35.showed no mercy. Tactics that saw him conquer more of China, central
:12:36. > :12:40.Asia and Persia. He died in his 60s when it is that he was thrown from
:12:41. > :12:45.his horse, but his descendants went on to conquer everywhere from
:12:46. > :12:50.Beijing to the Balkans. But there's something bothering me. Should a
:12:51. > :13:20.mass murderer really be lionised like this?
:13:21. > :13:32.And of course Genghis Khan epitomises the Mongolian never say
:13:33. > :13:39.die attitude. Will passengers please take care on the cart. Thank you. I
:13:40. > :13:44.am now on my way deep into the country's upback to test my own
:13:45. > :13:49.powers of grit and determination. To do that, I will get on the famous
:13:50. > :14:01.trans- Siberian express, which runs all the way from Russia to China. It
:14:02. > :14:05.is a five-hour journey to my destination near the border with
:14:06. > :14:09.China, although I could have taken this train all the way from Moscow
:14:10. > :14:19.to Beijing over six days if I wanted. Outside Ulaanbaata, the
:14:20. > :14:26.population is sparsely distributed across this vast Touraine. Check
:14:27. > :14:35.this out. -- terrain. This is the restaurant car. Look at this!
:14:36. > :14:43.Fantastic! Lovely carvings, gold curtains. Let's see what there is
:14:44. > :14:52.for food. Can you tell me what we can eat, the ETO? The food?
:14:53. > :15:01.Breakfast, omelette, bread, writer, jam, tea, coffee and juice. Lunch,
:15:02. > :15:06.salad, soup, read, hear, juice and water. Beer, juice and water. OK.
:15:07. > :15:15.Anything else in the evening? Dinnertime? Jam. It is like a scene
:15:16. > :15:20.from a bygone era. And while the staff take a break, I go wandering
:15:21. > :15:26.to see who my fellow smut -- fellow passengers might be. Hadow, how are
:15:27. > :15:32.you? Tell me, where are you from? We are from Singapore. This train is
:15:33. > :15:38.legendary, the Trans Siberian railway line. What do you think? We
:15:39. > :15:46.love travelling on it. It is such a legendary trip. This train is very
:15:47. > :15:49.modern. I think it is one of the longest trains in the world. I think
:15:50. > :15:57.it is the longest rail line in the world. Actually, this is one of the
:15:58. > :16:01.highlights in our tour, travelling on this train for one night. It is
:16:02. > :16:09.something very different. The train is very different. I think it is
:16:10. > :16:18.good. A very good experience for us. And so deep into the desert we go.
:16:19. > :16:27.Bleak, harsh and mesmerising. To our destination. My first port of call
:16:28. > :16:35.is the home of a man who became a mental in a sport that is could
:16:36. > :17:08.essentially Mongolian. Hello. Hello. Hello.
:17:09. > :17:12.How did you feel when you see him wrestling? Do you worry about him
:17:13. > :17:34.getting injured? Now down to the nitty-gritty, the
:17:35. > :17:36.art of combat, Mongolian style. There are no weight divisions, so
:17:37. > :17:46.the biggest are often the best. Before that, you have to faster...
:17:47. > :17:53.My translator helps me get to grips with the strategy. Now pushing? I've
:17:54. > :17:59.got to get this one down and then do this on second. Then I've got both
:18:00. > :18:07.hands. How are my singing him? Use your elbow. Like that? This goes
:18:08. > :18:11.down, this goes up and I go for... Which led to? After several hours of
:18:12. > :18:19.quite intensive training, it feels like I am suddenly getting it. Yes?
:18:20. > :18:28.But I am still under no illusion it will be easy. After all that, how do
:18:29. > :18:33.you feel about tomorrow? My main worry is that I fall very awkwardly
:18:34. > :18:35.and injure myself, if I am absolutely honest, because they
:18:36. > :18:42.won't get anywhere near average and even basic standard. His advice was
:18:43. > :18:43.very important, having really good relaxed today and then your body
:18:44. > :19:00.will be loosened up. Sunrise the next morning and my
:19:01. > :19:02.mental's wife takes me to an agent site where I may draw some magical
:19:03. > :19:30.strength, called Sham Bala. You are encouraged to leave all
:19:31. > :19:39.harmful boards outside and set fire to your fears. Worth a try, I guess.
:19:40. > :19:55.Here we go. This is an annual festival which takes place every
:19:56. > :19:59.year right across Mongolia. To participate compete in the three
:20:00. > :20:06.manly sports, horseracing, archery and wrestling.
:20:07. > :20:11.The biggest and most popular with tourists is of course in the
:20:12. > :20:24.capital, but this is the real deal. And, to begin, the pomp of the
:20:25. > :20:36.Opening Ceremony. . I spotted my mentors. How are you? Good luck. He
:20:37. > :20:40.is one of the first to compete. The match is on whenever somebody falls
:20:41. > :20:55.to the ground, or anything but the souls of the feet or hands touch the
:20:56. > :21:00.floor. That could be you. I was a KR until just now, but the guy before
:21:01. > :21:04.the fight has dislocated his arm, which has freaked me out. Minutes go
:21:05. > :21:10.before my ballot and this is my opponent. -- bout.
:21:11. > :21:31.The one tactic I was taught doesn't really work. And from that moment
:21:32. > :21:50.on, I am in a bit of trouble. Good luck. Thank you. Well, I didn't win,
:21:51. > :21:54.but I think I took defeat like a man. So I set off on a quest to
:21:55. > :21:58.emulate that unique Mongolian spirit of resilience that is being forged
:21:59. > :22:04.over thousands of years. Did I succeed? Well, probably not. But I
:22:05. > :22:09.met quite a few characters en route to got that -- who's got that magic
:22:10. > :22:22.ingredient in spades. These are rapidly changing times for
:22:23. > :22:27.Mongolia and for these noted -- nomadic people at case of adapt or
:22:28. > :22:30.die. We will need all their Buddhist stoicism and their warrior like
:22:31. > :22:56.determination to survive. I think they will.
:22:57. > :23:01.Well, another weekend and another blast of chilly weather.
:23:02. > :23:04."Blast" is probably the right word because it is going to be
:23:05. > :23:06.particularly windy across much of the UK.
:23:07. > :23:08.The strong winds bringing heavy blustery showers
:23:09. > :23:10.and certainly across Scotland those showers falling as snow,
:23:11. > :23:13.particularly over the hills, but even down to lower levels through
:23:14. > :23:19.Notice everything is coming in from the west, from the Atlantic,
:23:20. > :23:22.so we don't get the desperately cold air coming from
:23:23. > :23:31.However, following this cold front, the colder air does tuck in
:23:32. > :23:33.for a time, bringing the outbreaks of snow even
:23:34. > :23:37.down to lower levels across Scotland for the early part of Saturday.
:23:38. > :23:40.Could be a covering in a few places down at lower levels, but piling up
:23:41. > :23:43.over the hills and being driven by particularly strong winds, which
:23:44. > :23:46.will drive a lot of showers, mainly of rain, eastwards through the day.
:23:47. > :23:52.East Anglia and parts of southeastEngland probably just
:23:53. > :23:56.Maybe not too many showers to the east of The Grampians either
:23:57. > :23:58.but the strong winds particularly across England and Wales, gusts
:23:59. > :24:01.of 40-50 miles an hour, might be enough to cause minor disruption.
:24:02. > :24:04.A closer look around shows further snow across the hills, blizzards at
:24:05. > :24:17.A bit of snow maybe further south across the higher parts
:24:18. > :24:20.of the Pennines, the Cumbrian Fells, but it will be rain across
:24:21. > :24:25.Northern Ireland and across Wales and the rest of England.
:24:26. > :24:28.As I mentioned, that south-east corner just about missing most of
:24:29. > :24:32.Temperatures, though, certainly lower than they have been
:24:33. > :24:35.over recent days in most places, 7-9 degrees and feeling colder than
:24:36. > :24:37.that in that strong wind, which will keep on blowing
:24:38. > :24:40.overnight, Saturday night into the early part of Sunday as well.
:24:41. > :24:42.Still have to keep snow going, I think,
:24:43. > :24:44.across higher parts of Scotland as temperatures dip away here.
:24:45. > :24:47.Elsewhere, temperatures holding up because of the cloud and wind.
:24:48. > :24:52.On Sunday, we could see a bit of snow down to lower levels,
:24:53. > :24:54.across the southern uplands, maybe the central belt of Scotland.
:24:55. > :25:00.Winds across England and Wales, even stronger than on Saturday.
:25:01. > :25:04.50-60 miles an hour, maybe more around exposed coasts.
:25:05. > :25:08.That might be enough to cause one or two problems.
:25:09. > :25:11.However, temperatures across the southern half of the UK in many
:25:12. > :25:27.The colder air sitting there across Northern Ireland,
:25:28. > :25:29.much of Scotland, and northern-most counties of England.
:25:30. > :25:31.Into the start of next week: A very turbulent spell
:25:32. > :25:36.Another deepening air of low pressure rushing in
:25:37. > :25:39.So more strong winds and more heavy rain.