Ed Stafford's Rite of Passage (2025) s01e04 Episode Script
Inner Mongolia
(VOCALIZING)
ED: I'm feeling it,
I'm very aware of
what I'm about to enter.
This isn't just beating your chest
and showing off
and showing how alpha male you are,
this is a vehicle for growing up.
(HORSE WHINNYING)
ED: I guess that's the essence
of rite of passage, isn't it?
(VOCALIZING)
ED: I'm Ed Stafford.
As an explorer and survivalist,
I've made a career out of
mucking around in the wild.
If I'm honest,
I've never really grown up.
Look at that!
So now
PILOT: Ready, guys?
ED: I've set myself a mission
to see how cultures across the world
navigate the messy business
of becoming an adult.
(GROANING)
I believe many of us
in the modern world
have lost our sense of identity.
But I'm hoping by immersing myself
in the often-extreme trials
that young people face,
I can figure out how these rituals
make us better members
of our communities.
I've never experienced anything
even comparable in terms of pain.
By joining them on their journey,
I hope I'll learn
to become a better man
(TINICO SPEAKING)
ED: maybe even grow up
Expelliarmus!
Okay, he wants me to jump.
I'm gonna jump it now.
and successfully pass my own
"Rite of Passage."
(VOCALIZING)
I'm in the far north of China,
in Inner Mongolia.
It's wild open country
and rough terrain
spreading out in all directions.
ED: I'll be travelling
to a remote region
located in the expansive grasslands
of Xilingol League
where I'll be spending a week
with a Mongol family.
The nomadic Mongols have led
a traditional pastoral lifestyle
on this grassland
since the time of Genghis Khan.
From what I know
about their rite of passage,
their training to become
a fearsome Mongol warrior
is as much a part
of their ancient culture
as it is a rite of passage.
It involves three manly games,
horse riding,
archery,
and wrestling.
Skills once essential
on the battlefield.
(HORSE WHINNYING)
Today, Mongolian men are still
expected to excel in these sports
to pass their rite of passage
at a traditional festival of games,
called Naadam.
It's all about technique
and strength.
And perhaps the truest form
of showing that strength
is Mongolian wrestling.
With just seven days here,
wrestling is what
I've chosen to focus on.
So basically, I've got a week
of being thrown around
and battered and bruised,
which should be fun.
ED: At the end of my stay,
my wrestling skills
will be put to the test
at the local Naadam festival.
If I can put up a good fight
and beat an opponent,
I reckon I will have earnt my stripes
in this Mongol rite of passage.
This really is
in the middle of nowhere.
I can't help but notice
that while remote,
we aren't far from the comforts
of the modern world.
I'll be staying on an isolated farm
with Temor,
who is the head of the family
out here on the grassland.
Hello.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Nice to meet you. My name is Ed.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Is this your son?
-(TEMOR SPEAKING)
-(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Hi.
(ERDEN SPEAKING)
ED: Temor invites me
to meet the rest of his family
in their traditional yurt,
known as a "Ger" in Mongolian.
Since Temor and his family
now live in a modern house,
the Gers now serve
as a comfortable area to socialize.
This is beautiful.
His family will be hosting me
for the following week.
His wife Dorjtuya,
his brother Erden,
his two sons,
23-year-old Nacho
and 13-year-old Amur.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: I'm gonna try this.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)
That's good.
And how do you make a living here?
Is it all from livestock?
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Yeah, and how many
animals do you have?
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: How much of this land around us
that we can see is yours?
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Wow! That's a huge amount.
Okay. So pretty much everything
we can say is yours.
Do you mind me asking
how old you are?
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Forty-nine. That's same as me.
Same with me. We're the same age.
Temor's son Nacho is a professional
Mongolian wrestling coach,
and he's considered a champion
of Xilingol League.
And do you think that 49 years old
is too old to wrestle?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Would you be able to teach me
how to, how to wrestle?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Good. I'm a little bit nervous,
I have to say.
ED: Before training
officially starts,
the guys decide to size me up.
Okay, 49 year old
against 49 year old.
(ED SPEAKING)
You let me win.
You let me win.
You're a very good host.
Thank you.
-(TEMOR SPEAKING)
-Come on, mate.
Come on, mate, let's do it.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Go.
Good game. You got a strong son.
Strong son.
ED: Buoyed up by beating
a 13-year-old
You ready?
it's time to take on the big gun.
(ED SPEAKING IN MONGOLIAN)
Oh, my goodness me.
Wow! Okay. He's strong.
You're strong.
Okay, that's quite sobering. (LAUGHS)
ED: It's clear that I've got
some serious catching up to do
with my new coach.
Seemingly not one to waste any time,
Nacho cracks the whip
and starts my training immediately.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Butler?
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Thank you, mate. I appreciate that.
Baatar. I'm going to get battered,
aren't I?
ED: Oh, well, that joke
definitely got lost in translation.
When entering the fighting ground,
the wrestlers perform a ritual dance
to signify their confidence
and readiness to do battle.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: With the movements supposed
to symbolize powerful animals
You run in, like a Mongolian.
Okay. It really is quite simple,
isn't it?
but I'm moving more like I belong
at the bottom of the food chain.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: With the dance over,
each wrestler raises his hand
as his name is called.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Nacho and his brother Amur
have already wrestled at Naadam,
so this week, it'll only be me
that's really going through
a rite of passage.
But before I start,
I'll need my gear.
One of the most important parts
of a Mongolian wrestler's uniform
is called a jodag,
an open chested jacket
used for gripping opponents
during matches.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Okay.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Okay, so lesson one
is all about gripping.
That can't be too hard.
Yes, very easy.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Basically, I need to seize
my opponent's grip points
Aah!
and break free when he takes mine.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Nothing seems to be working.
(BLEEP)
Breaking free from Nacho
is just impossible.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
(AMUR SPEAKING)
(NACHO SPEAKING)
(ED PANTING)
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Can we stop for half an hour?
Not five seconds, half an hour.
My brain is fried.
Obviously, this is an intensive
period of training,
if I don't have time
to mentally digest it
and physically recover,
I'm not going to advance.
That's my take on it.
I think the thing that's holding
me back at the moment,
which you're pointing out
very clearly to me is that
I'm trying too hard all the time.
And then,
because I'm trying so hard,
Um, I'm exhausting myself
within seconds.
Currently, it's day one.
I'm at the very beginning
of my journey,
but if I were to enter
a Naadam today,
I wouldn't do well, would I?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: This must be one of the toughest
rites of passage I'll be faced with.
Right now, I'm not sure if I can
throw anyone at the Naadam festival.
I need to raise my game fast.
Felt like the princess
and the pea last night.
The guys don't seem
to have mattresses here.
So, I'm on a hard wooden board
with nine blankets, basically.
And yet there was a lump
just underneath my chest.
Wrestling this morning, joyous.
I knew there would be a catch.
Outside the ger,
Nacho has already set up the gym.
Morning, mate.
All right,
I'm looking forward to this.
What are we doing?
Okay, bricks.
Are we head-butting them?
-No? Okay.
-NACHO: No, no, no.
Right, okay.
Oh, okay.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
NACHO: One, two, three
ED: Right,
it's already starting to burn.
Are you counting?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
I thought you were counting.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: This is a lovely way
to spend the morning.
Hundred and forty-two.
This is not my usual gym workout.
But I can see how it builds
the strong grips
needed in Mongolian wrestling.
So it's not hurting,
but it's obviously quite
wearing on the arms.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
No one likes to show off, you know.
Okay, that's 200.
Needless to say, I don't do
a lot of this in everyday life.
-Two hundred and thirty.
-(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: It's starting to get hard,
actually.
Okay, that's 400.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Ninety-eight, 99,
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Have you ever heard of the concept
of recovery within exercise?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
It's okay.
ED: Nacho tells me that we have
to spend the day doing farmwork,
instead of doing
any wrestling training.
But to be honest,
I'm not sure this is the best use
of my time out here,
especially with Naadam
quickly approaching.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Cool.
Let me have a crack at this then.
So you want all the soil that way.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Story of my life, isn't it?
I've noticed out here that they don't
really use any farming machinery.
It seems like it's all done by hand.
And I'm starting to think
this is all part of Nacho's plan.
All right, all yours.
(PANTING)
ED: Well, the hare notoriously
always wins the race, doesn't he?
(CHUCKLES AND LAUGHS)
So, Nacho's approach
is a bit more slow,
a bit more conserving energy.
I could go on all day.
It's almost tantric.
It's almost tantric.
(LAUGHS)
There's such a contrast between
his approach to life and mine.
How old were you when you started?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: And what would you--
I guess what would you
like to achieve in your life?
What do you aspire to?
What is the ultimate goal for you?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
And is that possible, do you think?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Yeah.
ED: Love your confidence, mate.
So, I'm being trained by the best.
Therefore, I've got no excuses,
have I?
It's fun.
It's fun to learn from somebody
who's not like you.
That's actually probably
where I'm going to grow the most.
And this is all really beginning
to be fascinating,
just in terms of
what I'm going to learn,
not just about farming,
not just even about wrestling,
but about how to approach life.
For the Mongols out
on the grasslands,
one of the most
legendary natural foods,
which is believed
to help keep them fighting fit,
is a nice big glass
of fermented horse milk
known as airag.
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(NARSU SPEAKING)
ED: Traditionally,
airag is made by Mongolian women
in family workshops like this one.
With the Mongol women
adding a vital part
to their economy in this way.
Today, Narsu's airag
goes beyond family gatherings.
It's also sold in local shops
and markets.
Does the horse milk
therefore cost a lot of money?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
(HORSE NEIGHING)
ED: I've never really seen
a horse's udders before.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: And do you put
a lot of your strength
down to drinking horse milk?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
I think, I might start
marketing it in England,
horse milk for bodybuilders
and wrestlers
and rugby players.
And then we'll share the profits.
This time next year,
we'll be millionaires.
No problem.
-NACHO: Yes, yes.
-Excellent.
ED: According to many experts
fermented horse milk
really is a great
lactose alternative.
It's high in vitamins and minerals
and has immune boosting compounds
to boot.
Once the milk is collected,
it's taken straight to the nearby ger
to begin fermentation.
And this in here,
this is all fermented, yeah?
(NARSU SPEAKING)
It smells sharp. (CLEARS THROAT)
It's not nice. It's tolerable.
I would say, you know,
it's the sort of thing
that you wouldn't naturally
eat or drink
unless it was good for you.
-(NARSU SPEAKING)
-ED: Okay.
This will be the first time
trying fermented horse milk.
Oh, it's got, it's got a tang to it.
ED: Would this have been drunk
in the time of Genghis Khan?
-(NARSU SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
(NARSU SPEAKING)
ED: Uh-huh!
ED: So to really take
my wrestling skills up a notch,
Nacho takes me
to the nearby city of Xilinhot,
to train alongside a group of young
semi-pro Mongolian wrestlers.
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
ED: I think they're the guys
who have been selected
as young potential professionals.
They should be quite
an elite group of wrestlers.
And yeah, it'll be interesting to see
what I can learn from this.
So, in terms of level,
how do they compare to you?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: There's that confidence again.
I bet Nacho would make
a pretty good lawyer back in England.
Literally just smashed him
on the ground so easily.
NACHO: Very good.
ED: After watching for a while,
it's time to quite literally
throw myself into action.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Okay, I've been smashed,
but he did pick the very best
of (PANTING) the entire group
to go up against me.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: All right, we've got
a smaller guy now.
Let's see what I can do.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Looks like my training with Nacho
is starting to pay off.
Time out.
BOY 1: Very good.
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: I just hope I'm doing him proud.
I don't think the word "rest"
exists in Mongolian.
So the concept of timeout definitely
does not exist in Mongolian.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Loud and clear.
ED: All right, let's go.
NACHO: All right. Yes, yes, yes.
Ah!
TRANSLATOR: Ed.
ED: Ah!
TRANSLATOR: Ed.
-(BOY 2 SPEAKING)
-ED: Yeah.
Grass on concrete.
There's no give in this AstroTurf.
(BLEEP)
I did see stars at that point.
But, um, he's half my size,
so I had to get up
and carry on fighting.
NACHO: Yes. Yes, yes.
(CAWING)
ED: Ahead of tomorrow's Naadam,
there's one last place
Nacho says we should visit
for some spiritual preparation.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Ovoos are cairns
made out of piles of rocks
that serve as both
territorial markers
and ritual altars for the Mongols.
ED: You've brought
your wrestling kit up here.
Is this part of preparation
for the, for the Naadam?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Mm-hmm.
ED: Nacho is now cleansing,
literally, the wrestling equipment
that he's going to use as well,
so that everything is pure,
everything is ready.
The reason Nacho's brought me up here
is to give me an understanding
of just how
this ritual
isn't something individual.
It's not just for a wrestler
who wants to win tomorrow.
It's tying it into
a bigger significance
of an understanding
that we're all part of
something a lot bigger, you know?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: For me, this is a less
conventional rite of passage.
There's no ceremony,
he's not jumping over a bull,
or putting his hand
in gloves full of ants.
However, if you look at
what he's learning
through doing what he's doing,
you know, through aspiring
to be the best in this country
at wrestling,
he is confronting his own demons.
He is learning about responsibility,
about discipline.
He's becoming stronger.
He's having to mentally be confident
and mature he's
All of the same qualities
that are nurtured,
in a person's
rite of passage ceremony
are also being nurtured in the young
wrestlers through their sport
and maybe it's actually
a more translatable thing
to the Western world
because we do take part in sports.
We do take part
in physical endurance events.
And maybe they can be used
as a kind of rite of passage,
as a way of developing yourself.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: I don't feel the rite of passage
has to be a ceremony.
I don't think almost,
I don't think it has to be
a deliberate rite of passage.
If you are going through something
which allows you to transition from,
for example,
a young, immature selfish boy,
into a mature, responsible,
community-orientated man,
then that's a rite of passage.
As a traveler through these lands,
paying respects at the ovoo
is seen as a huge sign of respect,
one which will hopefully
give me safe passage
as I continue my journey.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Uh-huh!
Oh, it's even got my name on it!
Look at that!
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Uh-huh!
Thank you.
ED: While I've been lucky
to experience
the famous Mongol hospitality
during my time here.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: This is really quite special.
It signifies for me turning a corner,
being accepted to an extent, um,
by the family, and, and, uh--
Nacho is, um you know,
softly spoken at first,
but he's warming up now.
It really took me back when, um
when Nacho was saying to me,
he was like,
"You're wearing yourself out.
You know, you're trying too hard.
You're
There's no bit of you that's relaxed.
You're just on
100 percent of the time."
And it was as if
he was being a life coach to me,
rather than a wrestling coach.
He couldn't have been describing
better my life, you know.
If I've come here
to learn about a culture
that has a rite of passage ceremony,
where I do genuinely feel like this
is helping me at my time in life.
I turn 50 this year, and, you know,
I've stopped having kids now.
You know, this is, this is
a new chapter in my life,
a new phase.
It's extraordinarily relevant to me.
And it's, um, really
causing me to address
certain parts of my life
and, and consciously evolve
through them.
I think, which is exactly what
a rite of passage is meant to do.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
(VOCALIZING)
ED: Today is finally the big day.
Today is the Naadam.
Don't laugh.
So because
I'm taking part in a Naadam,
which is a festival
of sports, basically, um,
I have to wear the traditional garb.
The wrestling is good.
I'm good with it.
If I get to round two,
for me, that's a win.
Um, for me, that is
above probably my expectations.
Um, if I don't embarrass Nacho,
then that's also a win.
And just as the festival
is about to start,
the heavens open.
(RAINING)
ED: The horses apparently
have been spotted.
So, they're 12km away they started,
which is apparently a 15 minute run.
And this is the finish line.
So you get four seasons
in one day in Mongolia.
I'd like to experience
some other seasons right now.
Thank you very much.
We've done the wet bit.
Look at that. Look at that.
Look at that.
They're all children.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
It's ridiculous, isn't it?
Half an hour ago,
hoofing it down with rain.
Now glorious sunshine.
Worried about sunburn.
So, we've had the horse racing.
This is the archery
being set up behind me.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)
(APPLAUDING)
ED: As the archery event
draws to an end
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
ED: the wrestling
is about to begin.
And in Mongolian wrestling,
it's winner stays on
until a champion is crowned.
How many people are wrestling today?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: While most people
will be watching the men compete,
there is also a junior tournament.
Which Nacho's brother Amur
will be vying to win.
I'm here. The sun is out.
I might as well enjoy it.
I'm feeling it.
I'm very aware of
what I'm about to enter.
Thanks, Temor. Appreciate it, mate.
I'll do you proud, I hope.
Going in first with the two experts.
This signifies that
they are very good.
Sometimes I do wonder
about my own mental health.
Crickey.
(SPEAKING IN MONGOLIAN)
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
ED: Here comes the moment of truth.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
(HOST SPEAKING)
Moving on to round two.
ED: First round, done.
I'm so relieved that I've proven
that I'm not a total failure
and can continue
this rite of passage.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
ED: So, it's round two
and my name has just been called.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
(APPLAUDING)
ED: Okay.
Slightly not feeling
comfortable about that.
Are they deliberately
giving me easy opponents?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
This is now round three.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Feels quite surreal
to be in this position.
ED: This is actually
the quarter-finals.
It's down to the last eight people.
Fingers crossed I don't have
to wrestle Nacho this round,
or the big lad.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
ED: Okay, this guy also
looks like a bit of a brute,
and he's in it to win it.
I just need to relax
and not do anything stupid.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
You could feel he could have
put me down at any moment there.
Thank you.
Got my earnings.
NACHO: Very good.
600 RMB, which is 60 quid.
So I can get the kids some presents
on the way home. That's nice.
Um
I got to round three,
which is extraordinary
and far beyond what I thought
I was going to achieve.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Okay, so it's the semi-finals.
Nacho is in with a good chance.
He's in with a good chance.
He's up against the guy that beat me.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
ED: Go on, son!
Yes, he's won! (CLAPS)
He's won!
Very cool. They've got two brothers
in the final,
Amur and Nacho.
You know, could have two winners.
But Nacho is up against
the biggest Mongolian
I've ever seen in my life.
Come on, mate. Come on.
So, Amur has won.
That's cool!
He might by a little shy around me,
but clearly he's on track to follow
in his brother's footsteps.
And now we can focus on Nacho.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
He's lasting longer than anyone else
has lasted against him.
He's doing well.
He's trying to lift him up.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
Sorry, Nacho is on the floor.
And that's the end of a
a dream for the day.
Never mind, the beast won.
Well done, mate. Well done.
Never mind.
ED: You can tell he's disappointed,
isn't he?
I think Nacho really
wanted to win that one.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
(APPLAUDING)
ED: Champion.
-Champion child.
-(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Congratulations.
Cool. I just want to say
thank you all.
I mean, for having me stay.
You've been an amazing family.
Um, it's been such a privilege
to live with you,
to train with you, but just
to take part in the whole thing.
So thank you very much indeed.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Thank you, guys.
(ED SPEAKING)
Thank you. Give us a hug, mate.
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: The main thing for me though
was what I've learned along the way.
And the key thing has been to relax,
you know?
Going like a bull in the China shop
through a fight,
but also through life
isn't doing me any favors.
Um, and Nacho has taught me
that I really do need to relax.
(HORSE WHINNYING)
("SET ME FREE" BY CASTING CROWNS)
ED: I think it's definitely something
I'll take into my wider life,
because it is true.
I do try too hard, and I think
it's all well and good
when you're young,
going 1,000 percent all of the time.
But as you get older, and I am
going through my own rite of passage
this year, this year I turn 50,
um, and you can't
carry on living like that
into your elder years.
Therefore
my lesson is, relax, enjoy,
enjoy the moment,
enjoy the game that is life.
("SET ME FREE" BY CASTING CROWNS)
ED: Lo and behold,
I've been entered into the fermented
horse milk drinking competition.
TEMOR: Baatar.
That's much harder to drink
than you think
and also my false tooth
was like waggling down
as I was drinking
and it was dripping down.
ED: I'm feeling it,
I'm very aware of
what I'm about to enter.
This isn't just beating your chest
and showing off
and showing how alpha male you are,
this is a vehicle for growing up.
(HORSE WHINNYING)
ED: I guess that's the essence
of rite of passage, isn't it?
(VOCALIZING)
ED: I'm Ed Stafford.
As an explorer and survivalist,
I've made a career out of
mucking around in the wild.
If I'm honest,
I've never really grown up.
Look at that!
So now
PILOT: Ready, guys?
ED: I've set myself a mission
to see how cultures across the world
navigate the messy business
of becoming an adult.
(GROANING)
I believe many of us
in the modern world
have lost our sense of identity.
But I'm hoping by immersing myself
in the often-extreme trials
that young people face,
I can figure out how these rituals
make us better members
of our communities.
I've never experienced anything
even comparable in terms of pain.
By joining them on their journey,
I hope I'll learn
to become a better man
(TINICO SPEAKING)
ED: maybe even grow up
Expelliarmus!
Okay, he wants me to jump.
I'm gonna jump it now.
and successfully pass my own
"Rite of Passage."
(VOCALIZING)
I'm in the far north of China,
in Inner Mongolia.
It's wild open country
and rough terrain
spreading out in all directions.
ED: I'll be travelling
to a remote region
located in the expansive grasslands
of Xilingol League
where I'll be spending a week
with a Mongol family.
The nomadic Mongols have led
a traditional pastoral lifestyle
on this grassland
since the time of Genghis Khan.
From what I know
about their rite of passage,
their training to become
a fearsome Mongol warrior
is as much a part
of their ancient culture
as it is a rite of passage.
It involves three manly games,
horse riding,
archery,
and wrestling.
Skills once essential
on the battlefield.
(HORSE WHINNYING)
Today, Mongolian men are still
expected to excel in these sports
to pass their rite of passage
at a traditional festival of games,
called Naadam.
It's all about technique
and strength.
And perhaps the truest form
of showing that strength
is Mongolian wrestling.
With just seven days here,
wrestling is what
I've chosen to focus on.
So basically, I've got a week
of being thrown around
and battered and bruised,
which should be fun.
ED: At the end of my stay,
my wrestling skills
will be put to the test
at the local Naadam festival.
If I can put up a good fight
and beat an opponent,
I reckon I will have earnt my stripes
in this Mongol rite of passage.
This really is
in the middle of nowhere.
I can't help but notice
that while remote,
we aren't far from the comforts
of the modern world.
I'll be staying on an isolated farm
with Temor,
who is the head of the family
out here on the grassland.
Hello.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Nice to meet you. My name is Ed.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Is this your son?
-(TEMOR SPEAKING)
-(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Hi.
(ERDEN SPEAKING)
ED: Temor invites me
to meet the rest of his family
in their traditional yurt,
known as a "Ger" in Mongolian.
Since Temor and his family
now live in a modern house,
the Gers now serve
as a comfortable area to socialize.
This is beautiful.
His family will be hosting me
for the following week.
His wife Dorjtuya,
his brother Erden,
his two sons,
23-year-old Nacho
and 13-year-old Amur.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: I'm gonna try this.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)
That's good.
And how do you make a living here?
Is it all from livestock?
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Yeah, and how many
animals do you have?
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: How much of this land around us
that we can see is yours?
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Wow! That's a huge amount.
Okay. So pretty much everything
we can say is yours.
Do you mind me asking
how old you are?
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Forty-nine. That's same as me.
Same with me. We're the same age.
Temor's son Nacho is a professional
Mongolian wrestling coach,
and he's considered a champion
of Xilingol League.
And do you think that 49 years old
is too old to wrestle?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Would you be able to teach me
how to, how to wrestle?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Good. I'm a little bit nervous,
I have to say.
ED: Before training
officially starts,
the guys decide to size me up.
Okay, 49 year old
against 49 year old.
(ED SPEAKING)
You let me win.
You let me win.
You're a very good host.
Thank you.
-(TEMOR SPEAKING)
-Come on, mate.
Come on, mate, let's do it.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Go.
Good game. You got a strong son.
Strong son.
ED: Buoyed up by beating
a 13-year-old
You ready?
it's time to take on the big gun.
(ED SPEAKING IN MONGOLIAN)
Oh, my goodness me.
Wow! Okay. He's strong.
You're strong.
Okay, that's quite sobering. (LAUGHS)
ED: It's clear that I've got
some serious catching up to do
with my new coach.
Seemingly not one to waste any time,
Nacho cracks the whip
and starts my training immediately.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Butler?
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Thank you, mate. I appreciate that.
Baatar. I'm going to get battered,
aren't I?
ED: Oh, well, that joke
definitely got lost in translation.
When entering the fighting ground,
the wrestlers perform a ritual dance
to signify their confidence
and readiness to do battle.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: With the movements supposed
to symbolize powerful animals
You run in, like a Mongolian.
Okay. It really is quite simple,
isn't it?
but I'm moving more like I belong
at the bottom of the food chain.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: With the dance over,
each wrestler raises his hand
as his name is called.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Nacho and his brother Amur
have already wrestled at Naadam,
so this week, it'll only be me
that's really going through
a rite of passage.
But before I start,
I'll need my gear.
One of the most important parts
of a Mongolian wrestler's uniform
is called a jodag,
an open chested jacket
used for gripping opponents
during matches.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Okay.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Okay, so lesson one
is all about gripping.
That can't be too hard.
Yes, very easy.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Basically, I need to seize
my opponent's grip points
Aah!
and break free when he takes mine.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Nothing seems to be working.
(BLEEP)
Breaking free from Nacho
is just impossible.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
(AMUR SPEAKING)
(NACHO SPEAKING)
(ED PANTING)
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Can we stop for half an hour?
Not five seconds, half an hour.
My brain is fried.
Obviously, this is an intensive
period of training,
if I don't have time
to mentally digest it
and physically recover,
I'm not going to advance.
That's my take on it.
I think the thing that's holding
me back at the moment,
which you're pointing out
very clearly to me is that
I'm trying too hard all the time.
And then,
because I'm trying so hard,
Um, I'm exhausting myself
within seconds.
Currently, it's day one.
I'm at the very beginning
of my journey,
but if I were to enter
a Naadam today,
I wouldn't do well, would I?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: This must be one of the toughest
rites of passage I'll be faced with.
Right now, I'm not sure if I can
throw anyone at the Naadam festival.
I need to raise my game fast.
Felt like the princess
and the pea last night.
The guys don't seem
to have mattresses here.
So, I'm on a hard wooden board
with nine blankets, basically.
And yet there was a lump
just underneath my chest.
Wrestling this morning, joyous.
I knew there would be a catch.
Outside the ger,
Nacho has already set up the gym.
Morning, mate.
All right,
I'm looking forward to this.
What are we doing?
Okay, bricks.
Are we head-butting them?
-No? Okay.
-NACHO: No, no, no.
Right, okay.
Oh, okay.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
NACHO: One, two, three
ED: Right,
it's already starting to burn.
Are you counting?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
I thought you were counting.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: This is a lovely way
to spend the morning.
Hundred and forty-two.
This is not my usual gym workout.
But I can see how it builds
the strong grips
needed in Mongolian wrestling.
So it's not hurting,
but it's obviously quite
wearing on the arms.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
No one likes to show off, you know.
Okay, that's 200.
Needless to say, I don't do
a lot of this in everyday life.
-Two hundred and thirty.
-(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: It's starting to get hard,
actually.
Okay, that's 400.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Ninety-eight, 99,
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Have you ever heard of the concept
of recovery within exercise?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
It's okay.
ED: Nacho tells me that we have
to spend the day doing farmwork,
instead of doing
any wrestling training.
But to be honest,
I'm not sure this is the best use
of my time out here,
especially with Naadam
quickly approaching.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Cool.
Let me have a crack at this then.
So you want all the soil that way.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Story of my life, isn't it?
I've noticed out here that they don't
really use any farming machinery.
It seems like it's all done by hand.
And I'm starting to think
this is all part of Nacho's plan.
All right, all yours.
(PANTING)
ED: Well, the hare notoriously
always wins the race, doesn't he?
(CHUCKLES AND LAUGHS)
So, Nacho's approach
is a bit more slow,
a bit more conserving energy.
I could go on all day.
It's almost tantric.
It's almost tantric.
(LAUGHS)
There's such a contrast between
his approach to life and mine.
How old were you when you started?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: And what would you--
I guess what would you
like to achieve in your life?
What do you aspire to?
What is the ultimate goal for you?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
And is that possible, do you think?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Yeah.
ED: Love your confidence, mate.
So, I'm being trained by the best.
Therefore, I've got no excuses,
have I?
It's fun.
It's fun to learn from somebody
who's not like you.
That's actually probably
where I'm going to grow the most.
And this is all really beginning
to be fascinating,
just in terms of
what I'm going to learn,
not just about farming,
not just even about wrestling,
but about how to approach life.
For the Mongols out
on the grasslands,
one of the most
legendary natural foods,
which is believed
to help keep them fighting fit,
is a nice big glass
of fermented horse milk
known as airag.
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(NARSU SPEAKING)
ED: Traditionally,
airag is made by Mongolian women
in family workshops like this one.
With the Mongol women
adding a vital part
to their economy in this way.
Today, Narsu's airag
goes beyond family gatherings.
It's also sold in local shops
and markets.
Does the horse milk
therefore cost a lot of money?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
(HORSE NEIGHING)
ED: I've never really seen
a horse's udders before.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: And do you put
a lot of your strength
down to drinking horse milk?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
I think, I might start
marketing it in England,
horse milk for bodybuilders
and wrestlers
and rugby players.
And then we'll share the profits.
This time next year,
we'll be millionaires.
No problem.
-NACHO: Yes, yes.
-Excellent.
ED: According to many experts
fermented horse milk
really is a great
lactose alternative.
It's high in vitamins and minerals
and has immune boosting compounds
to boot.
Once the milk is collected,
it's taken straight to the nearby ger
to begin fermentation.
And this in here,
this is all fermented, yeah?
(NARSU SPEAKING)
It smells sharp. (CLEARS THROAT)
It's not nice. It's tolerable.
I would say, you know,
it's the sort of thing
that you wouldn't naturally
eat or drink
unless it was good for you.
-(NARSU SPEAKING)
-ED: Okay.
This will be the first time
trying fermented horse milk.
Oh, it's got, it's got a tang to it.
ED: Would this have been drunk
in the time of Genghis Khan?
-(NARSU SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
(NARSU SPEAKING)
ED: Uh-huh!
ED: So to really take
my wrestling skills up a notch,
Nacho takes me
to the nearby city of Xilinhot,
to train alongside a group of young
semi-pro Mongolian wrestlers.
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
ED: I think they're the guys
who have been selected
as young potential professionals.
They should be quite
an elite group of wrestlers.
And yeah, it'll be interesting to see
what I can learn from this.
So, in terms of level,
how do they compare to you?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: There's that confidence again.
I bet Nacho would make
a pretty good lawyer back in England.
Literally just smashed him
on the ground so easily.
NACHO: Very good.
ED: After watching for a while,
it's time to quite literally
throw myself into action.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Okay, I've been smashed,
but he did pick the very best
of (PANTING) the entire group
to go up against me.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: All right, we've got
a smaller guy now.
Let's see what I can do.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Looks like my training with Nacho
is starting to pay off.
Time out.
BOY 1: Very good.
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: I just hope I'm doing him proud.
I don't think the word "rest"
exists in Mongolian.
So the concept of timeout definitely
does not exist in Mongolian.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
Loud and clear.
ED: All right, let's go.
NACHO: All right. Yes, yes, yes.
Ah!
TRANSLATOR: Ed.
ED: Ah!
TRANSLATOR: Ed.
-(BOY 2 SPEAKING)
-ED: Yeah.
Grass on concrete.
There's no give in this AstroTurf.
(BLEEP)
I did see stars at that point.
But, um, he's half my size,
so I had to get up
and carry on fighting.
NACHO: Yes. Yes, yes.
(CAWING)
ED: Ahead of tomorrow's Naadam,
there's one last place
Nacho says we should visit
for some spiritual preparation.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Ovoos are cairns
made out of piles of rocks
that serve as both
territorial markers
and ritual altars for the Mongols.
ED: You've brought
your wrestling kit up here.
Is this part of preparation
for the, for the Naadam?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Mm-hmm.
ED: Nacho is now cleansing,
literally, the wrestling equipment
that he's going to use as well,
so that everything is pure,
everything is ready.
The reason Nacho's brought me up here
is to give me an understanding
of just how
this ritual
isn't something individual.
It's not just for a wrestler
who wants to win tomorrow.
It's tying it into
a bigger significance
of an understanding
that we're all part of
something a lot bigger, you know?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: For me, this is a less
conventional rite of passage.
There's no ceremony,
he's not jumping over a bull,
or putting his hand
in gloves full of ants.
However, if you look at
what he's learning
through doing what he's doing,
you know, through aspiring
to be the best in this country
at wrestling,
he is confronting his own demons.
He is learning about responsibility,
about discipline.
He's becoming stronger.
He's having to mentally be confident
and mature he's
All of the same qualities
that are nurtured,
in a person's
rite of passage ceremony
are also being nurtured in the young
wrestlers through their sport
and maybe it's actually
a more translatable thing
to the Western world
because we do take part in sports.
We do take part
in physical endurance events.
And maybe they can be used
as a kind of rite of passage,
as a way of developing yourself.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: I don't feel the rite of passage
has to be a ceremony.
I don't think almost,
I don't think it has to be
a deliberate rite of passage.
If you are going through something
which allows you to transition from,
for example,
a young, immature selfish boy,
into a mature, responsible,
community-orientated man,
then that's a rite of passage.
As a traveler through these lands,
paying respects at the ovoo
is seen as a huge sign of respect,
one which will hopefully
give me safe passage
as I continue my journey.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Uh-huh!
Oh, it's even got my name on it!
Look at that!
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Uh-huh!
Thank you.
ED: While I've been lucky
to experience
the famous Mongol hospitality
during my time here.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: This is really quite special.
It signifies for me turning a corner,
being accepted to an extent, um,
by the family, and, and, uh--
Nacho is, um you know,
softly spoken at first,
but he's warming up now.
It really took me back when, um
when Nacho was saying to me,
he was like,
"You're wearing yourself out.
You know, you're trying too hard.
You're
There's no bit of you that's relaxed.
You're just on
100 percent of the time."
And it was as if
he was being a life coach to me,
rather than a wrestling coach.
He couldn't have been describing
better my life, you know.
If I've come here
to learn about a culture
that has a rite of passage ceremony,
where I do genuinely feel like this
is helping me at my time in life.
I turn 50 this year, and, you know,
I've stopped having kids now.
You know, this is, this is
a new chapter in my life,
a new phase.
It's extraordinarily relevant to me.
And it's, um, really
causing me to address
certain parts of my life
and, and consciously evolve
through them.
I think, which is exactly what
a rite of passage is meant to do.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
(VOCALIZING)
ED: Today is finally the big day.
Today is the Naadam.
Don't laugh.
So because
I'm taking part in a Naadam,
which is a festival
of sports, basically, um,
I have to wear the traditional garb.
The wrestling is good.
I'm good with it.
If I get to round two,
for me, that's a win.
Um, for me, that is
above probably my expectations.
Um, if I don't embarrass Nacho,
then that's also a win.
And just as the festival
is about to start,
the heavens open.
(RAINING)
ED: The horses apparently
have been spotted.
So, they're 12km away they started,
which is apparently a 15 minute run.
And this is the finish line.
So you get four seasons
in one day in Mongolia.
I'd like to experience
some other seasons right now.
Thank you very much.
We've done the wet bit.
Look at that. Look at that.
Look at that.
They're all children.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
It's ridiculous, isn't it?
Half an hour ago,
hoofing it down with rain.
Now glorious sunshine.
Worried about sunburn.
So, we've had the horse racing.
This is the archery
being set up behind me.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)
(APPLAUDING)
ED: As the archery event
draws to an end
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
ED: the wrestling
is about to begin.
And in Mongolian wrestling,
it's winner stays on
until a champion is crowned.
How many people are wrestling today?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: While most people
will be watching the men compete,
there is also a junior tournament.
Which Nacho's brother Amur
will be vying to win.
I'm here. The sun is out.
I might as well enjoy it.
I'm feeling it.
I'm very aware of
what I'm about to enter.
Thanks, Temor. Appreciate it, mate.
I'll do you proud, I hope.
Going in first with the two experts.
This signifies that
they are very good.
Sometimes I do wonder
about my own mental health.
Crickey.
(SPEAKING IN MONGOLIAN)
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
ED: Here comes the moment of truth.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
(HOST SPEAKING)
Moving on to round two.
ED: First round, done.
I'm so relieved that I've proven
that I'm not a total failure
and can continue
this rite of passage.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
ED: So, it's round two
and my name has just been called.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
(APPLAUDING)
ED: Okay.
Slightly not feeling
comfortable about that.
Are they deliberately
giving me easy opponents?
(NACHO SPEAKING)
This is now round three.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Feels quite surreal
to be in this position.
ED: This is actually
the quarter-finals.
It's down to the last eight people.
Fingers crossed I don't have
to wrestle Nacho this round,
or the big lad.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
ED: Okay, this guy also
looks like a bit of a brute,
and he's in it to win it.
I just need to relax
and not do anything stupid.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
You could feel he could have
put me down at any moment there.
Thank you.
Got my earnings.
NACHO: Very good.
600 RMB, which is 60 quid.
So I can get the kids some presents
on the way home. That's nice.
Um
I got to round three,
which is extraordinary
and far beyond what I thought
I was going to achieve.
(NACHO SPEAKING)
ED: Okay, so it's the semi-finals.
Nacho is in with a good chance.
He's in with a good chance.
He's up against the guy that beat me.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
ED: Go on, son!
Yes, he's won! (CLAPS)
He's won!
Very cool. They've got two brothers
in the final,
Amur and Nacho.
You know, could have two winners.
But Nacho is up against
the biggest Mongolian
I've ever seen in my life.
Come on, mate. Come on.
So, Amur has won.
That's cool!
He might by a little shy around me,
but clearly he's on track to follow
in his brother's footsteps.
And now we can focus on Nacho.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
He's lasting longer than anyone else
has lasted against him.
He's doing well.
He's trying to lift him up.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
Sorry, Nacho is on the floor.
And that's the end of a
a dream for the day.
Never mind, the beast won.
Well done, mate. Well done.
Never mind.
ED: You can tell he's disappointed,
isn't he?
I think Nacho really
wanted to win that one.
(COMMENTATOR SPEAKING)
(APPLAUDING)
ED: Champion.
-Champion child.
-(TEMOR SPEAKING)
ED: Congratulations.
Cool. I just want to say
thank you all.
I mean, for having me stay.
You've been an amazing family.
Um, it's been such a privilege
to live with you,
to train with you, but just
to take part in the whole thing.
So thank you very much indeed.
(TEMOR SPEAKING)
Thank you, guys.
(ED SPEAKING)
Thank you. Give us a hug, mate.
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: The main thing for me though
was what I've learned along the way.
And the key thing has been to relax,
you know?
Going like a bull in the China shop
through a fight,
but also through life
isn't doing me any favors.
Um, and Nacho has taught me
that I really do need to relax.
(HORSE WHINNYING)
("SET ME FREE" BY CASTING CROWNS)
ED: I think it's definitely something
I'll take into my wider life,
because it is true.
I do try too hard, and I think
it's all well and good
when you're young,
going 1,000 percent all of the time.
But as you get older, and I am
going through my own rite of passage
this year, this year I turn 50,
um, and you can't
carry on living like that
into your elder years.
Therefore
my lesson is, relax, enjoy,
enjoy the moment,
enjoy the game that is life.
("SET ME FREE" BY CASTING CROWNS)
ED: Lo and behold,
I've been entered into the fermented
horse milk drinking competition.
TEMOR: Baatar.
That's much harder to drink
than you think
and also my false tooth
was like waggling down
as I was drinking
and it was dripping down.