J.Zolbayar is a researcher, explorer, composer and diplomat who made the longest and the most difficult journey on earth. He is famous for many things -- he introduced the electro and techno music to Mongolians for the first time, and explored and researched 88 countries for 11 years. He is a son of celebrated historian Jambalsuren and is more commonly known as “Amai” (his artist name). Amai grew up in Ulaanbaatar, but his family moved to Irkutsk city, Russia because of his father’s work. That’s where he starting learning many foreign languages. He majored in international relations at the National University of Mongolia and has since experienced many adventures and difficulties during his journey, which have been shared through his blog and books. Amai sat down with the UB Post to talk about himself and his journey. What was the main purpose of your journey when you started 11 years ago? The main purpose was to explore and write about the world and keep the historical data of the human world of this period, which is the 21st century. My books and recordings can be kept for another thousand years and will let the next generations read and understand how people lived in this time period. Another was to find a way to develop Mongolia. How was the result? Are you happy with what you found? Yes, of course, it does make me happy. What I did is called “badarchin”.  In order to do that, approximately 12 years ago, I rejected all greed, envy, possession, materialism, and other references associated with modern economics that most people were attached to and couldn’t go beyond. When I decided to become a badarchin (wanderer), I found one thing very important in life, which was time. This journey around the world seemed like time traveling. I saw how the human evolution goes while traveling many different countries, including the most developed and undeveloped ones. You have traveled 88 countries and did a lot of research. I guess there must be many things that we should take from those countries? Because man is still on the process of developing, there are many things that we have to learn from other civilizations and cultures. But as a Mongol who is from the oldest living civilization, I realized that we probably have more things to teach others, especially to the new world people. Particularly, about time, life, love, family and the importance of life that those people trying to find but still don’t know how. But we are the ones who lived for the longest on this planet. I think this is the time that we have to share and deliver it to the others. There must have been many difficulties, including health issues and financial problems, during your journey. How did you overcome them? The Great Khaan of Mongols Chinggis Khaan said, “If you want to reach the other side of the river, think about reaching the other side of the river, not the way to do it.” I like this concept. When you have a clear vision then you can do it. The whole universe helps you. After all these experiences, not only your knowledge of other countries but also yourself also must have changed, such as your opinion and point of view in life. After these 12 years, I am a totally different person. I was born in the Mongolian People’s Republic, and l lived in the Soviet Union and democratic Mongolia. Also, after exploring the world, the point of view and purpose of my life has widened. What are you working on currently? After returning from the long journey, I am writing a history of the world and Mongolia, and the lifestyle of this time. In our long history, we passed through many different lifestyles, which are kept in historical books. What I am doing now is also writing about the thoughts and lifestyles of people who are living right now in order to help Mongols to not repeat the same mistakes we made. How many books have you written so far? I heard that you are also working on some projects? I already wrote five books out of nine I’ve planned to write. Also, I am working on 20 different projects, which have different purposes, including the Mongol Badarchin and Khurai projects. The most important one I am working on right now is the Terelj State project. It’ll be the biggest cultural festival of the world. Through this project, I want to introduce Mongolia in a new way. Not in the way that we are developing, but in the way that we kept what other countries and civilization lost. The most talented and professional Mongolians are uniting to create this state where at least 100,000 people from all around the world will be invited. I want those representatives to bring their knowledge and culture and show it to us. And they can see what it’s like to live in the safest, unpolluted country which kept its tradition and culture for hundreds of years. After gaining all this experience, creating the biggest cultural festival, same as the Olympic Games, has become my dream. And now this is what I am doing. Who has joined this project? It is not officially announced yet. But now we are working on the program and planning everything to receive 100,000 people. Accordingly, we’ll need the support of everyone, including the government and tour companies. Probably, because of our infrastructure and professionalism, it was impossible to hold such an event in Mongolia 10 years ago. But I think now we are professional enough to do it and people are welcoming very warmly. We should start doing things globally these days. The Terelj State will be a closed area which is a different world with different time and atmosphere. The visitors will be able to stay for a week and allowed to enter with only one backpack. There’ll be camels and horses instead of cars and limited internet (allowed for two hours a day). I want people to enjoy the reality and have a quality time staying away from the internet. We are planning to make 40 different stages with its camps in 40 different locations where people can choose from depending on their favorite music genre. It’s going to be something that no one else has done before in the world. What is the biggest problem that you are facing right now? I don’t have any problem. Life is a fight for survival. Whatever happens, it happens for a reason. You just have to overcome and carry on your life. That’s why I’d say there is no problem. Are you planning to travel again? What I am doing is exploring, not traveling. And probably, I’ll do it again because it’s in my blood since I am a nomad. You once said that Mongolians should travel more, especially young people. Yes, I recommend it because we are nomads. We keep moving to learn. I think the time to travel has already come. I believe that one day everyone will travel at least for one or two years to explore the world while finding themselves at the same time and bring back something valuable like knowledge and so on. In your opinion, what should Mongolians pay attention to most? What we should understand is that we are the oldest living civilization. We have so much knowledge and experience of life, spirits and unexplainable things to teach others. We already have so much foreign information and influences and we should digest it. Have you ever really wanted to give up during your journey? Mongols never give up. It is the number one rule of Mongols. There was some time when I wanted to go home. But when Mongols decide to do something, we have to finish it. My goal helped me to carry on. What is your opinion on learning new languages? Our language is very difficult and ancient. It is the only language which has six writings. For these reasons, learning other languages is easy for us and it also gives the opportunity to think differently and bring knowledge from others. And especially when Mongols learn about other languages and cultures, they realize how great our own culture, language and civilization are. What is your opinion on religions? All Mongols are Tengrist people. Tengrism is not a religion. Simply, we say that the planet earth is our mother and the sky is our father. We live on Mother Earth and are protected by father sky. This is a very simple way of understanding life. We believe that trees and rivers are alive. When you know about many religions, you will have more channels to communicate with others. The Great Khaan Chinggis also said that Mongols can worship any religion. But the only thing we should remember is that Tengrism and religion are totally different. Tengrism is the way life progresses and that’s what we’ve been learning for many thousands of years. I think this thing shouldn’t be destroyed or influenced. When do you feel that you’re really proud of yourself? Actually, I am proud that I am a Mongol. That is the biggest pride I have. I am so lucky and happy that I was born in Mongolia. I feel that I am blessed with the ability to sense things which were given to me in my genes, mind, and spirit that most people in this world don’t have. What I found during my journey was that we are very different, including the way we think, feel and see things. What do you want tourists to experience when they return home? It will be the biggest message to the world. When everyone returns home after staying in Mongolia for a few days, they’ll realize that life, nature and time can be felt differently. What I saw was that almost all people around the world don’t have time. Is there anything you regret? I regret nothing except the fact that as a human, I don’t have much time. I feel like most people don’t understand how short a life can be to create, do things and live that life. What we believe is that the heaven is here, on this earth, not somewhere spiritual. The earth is the complex of all intellectual, spiritual and material things existing together at the same time. That’s why we should feel and enjoy life instead of waiting or delaying it. How do you find the motivation to do all these things at the same time? I have no time. This thought is where all my motivations come from. You said Mongolia is the best. Why is that so? Well, currently Ulaanbaatar is polluted because of the wrong system that we adopted which is the democracy. We are having problems in the economy and social structure because it didn’t work well for us. But it’s just for twenty some years of our thousands of years’ history. In general, Mongolia is the safest country and it has the purest air and water, and the tastiest meat compared to others countries’. I think people across the world have no idea about how it is to live in a country with a land is as big as half of Europe and protected by China and Russia. If the human world starts to see things in the way we see it, they’ll understand what true minimalism, the tranquility of Mongolian music and endless steppe are. Additionally, we have only one problem, which is the democracy. We need to change this system in order to bring the normal route back. Because we are not a federation or nation. But we are undesten (ethnicity), we are one big family. If every member of the family starts doing whatever they want, then problems arise. What is happiness for you? It is sharing. No one can be happy even if they have everything but if he or she is alone. Only when we share or have someone to share with, we feel happiness.