The National Park

We've just returned to Ulaan Baatar from a two-night stay in a tourist camp (gers, again) at the national park. The park itself was pretty, but not nearly as exciting as the Gobi. The gers were in pretty bad shape, too.

Will - one of the other guys on the trip - and I got pretty sick the first night we were there and spent the whole next day in our gers while everyone else got to go horseback riding over the mountain to the monastery. Ugh. We're not sure what made us so sick, but all signs seem to point to food poisoning. Let's just say it was not a fun time.

Of course, I'm feeling better now.

We will be in Ulaan Baatar until tomorrow night, then we're taking an overnight train on the Trans-Siberian up north to Egiin Gol. This is where we will visit the nomadic herders. We will return to Ulaan Baatar on the 8th or 9th of July.

My Ger in the Gobi

Gobi Desert – Day 1

On the afternoon of June 24^th, 9 students from Colorado, 1 from Philadelphia, our guide, our professor, an old Mongolian couple and a handful of other tourists emptied from a small airplane onto the square runway, the bulk of which the craft occupied itself. Blue sky and the dry breath of the Gobi greeted the travelers weary of three rainy days in the already dreary city of Ulaan Baatar.

We filed into the one-room airport of Goyu Saihan (meaning “beautiful three”, named after the nearby mountains) in Dalanzadgad, a city in Mongolia’s southernmost province and the primary access point to the Gobi desert for most travelers, then moved outside to the parking lot where we received our luggage. Our drivers swiftly loaded our bags into the two vans waiting for us and we made our way across the rocky planes of the Gobi where the roads were little more than animal trails memorized by the older driver.

Upon arrival to New Tovshin tourist camp, we deposited our backpacks in our personal gers and went into the restaurant for a late lunch. Our charming waitress – who stood in the corner of the room during the entire meal poised to serve at the drop of a hat – served us a three course meal of soup, salad and hot beef and rice wrapped in what appeared to be crepes.

After lunch, Hillary and I borrowed a couple of bikes and explored around the camp. We came across a herd of cashmir goats and photographed them until we were chased back to camp by a wayward rain cloud. (We were later rewarded, though, by a double rainbow.)

Day 2

After an early breakfast, we piled into our vans and headed out to a place called Vulture’s Mouth – or Golin Am in Mongolian – where we hiked through a mountain pass to the remnants of a glacier. Perched atop a distant peak, our guides spotted an ibex and delighted in showing all of us their find.

At the end of the trail, where the ice formed a platform with rabbit holes for the more adventurous travelers to explore, sat a local man carving wooden figurines of the local wildlife including vultures, camels and what Stephanie decided to name ‘baby bunnies’ (which were actually a type of ground squirrel.)

On the trail back to the vans, I ran into Jordan (the Canadian) and Lee (the Korean), my two new friends from UB Guesthouse. Mongolia is beginning to feel very much like a tourist country, but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying it.

We returned to camp for another hearty lunch, then headed back out on the road to a very different spot – the giant sand dunes, the Mongolian name of which I cannot remember. Atop the windy, sunny dunes, I wandered away from the group to find my own peak and sat in the warm sand and basked for about 45 minutes. After I rejoined the group, who had spent their time paying locals to give them camel rides or jumping from the edge of the dunes, we bought small souvenirs from the locals who had set up a little shop for us at the edge of the tall dune near our tourist vans.

We were met back at camp with a large dinner, then Namun taught us the traditional ankle bone game until we were too tired and went to bed.

Day 3

The Flaming Cliffs were our third and final excursion in the Gobi. When we arrived, there were again locals setting up makeshift souvenir stands hoping to sell tiny felt camels or geodes to us, the influx of tourists.

The cliffs themselves were the sight of the Marshall Expedition of the 1920s, the famed American archaeological dig in which dinosaur eggs were uncovered. After exploring around the cliffs for a bit – I went off on my own again to escape the chatter of the rest of the group – we climbed down to the other side where our trusty van drivers were waiting to pick us up. They had located some fossilized bone in a rock formation near their parking spot and showed them to us excitedly. Though they were laughing suspiciously, I choose to believe that it was actual fossilized bone that we’d found and not some practical joke played on gullible tourists.

We headed back to camp after a picnic lunch and then played a couple of games of volleyball. As it turns out, I’m not as bad a player as I’d assumed. The entire staff of the tourist camp stood by watching us play – obviously very amused by our… um… animated playing style.

Day 4

Our last day at the ger camp was slow, but happy. We played another couple of games of volleyball after breakfast which left my arm pretty severely bruised, then we had lunch and packed up for our flight to UB. When we got to the airport, we were the only people around except one other man who informed us that our flight, which was to board at 2:10 p.m., couldn’t leave U.B. until after 4 p.m. which left us waiting at the airport until 5 o’clock. Our class basically had the run of the place because the man let us inside, then disappeared.

We spent most of the afternoon playing cards, jimmying the vending machine, and editing photos all by ourselves in the airport. They turned the power on just for us – which indicates what kind of security we’re dealing with here.

The Monastery

Today, we trekked to the monastery on the eastern part of Ulaan Baatar. Once we arrived, we were free to go our separate ways, so I spent most of the day sloshing around on the muddy streets of the ger district. I walked side-by-side with child-monks in their red and yellow robes and old men and women dressed in traditional deels past make-shift wooden fences and felt gers dulled by the city dust.

As I was walking, I encountered a house with a filthy glass window behind which were two little girls waving at me frantically. Their giant grins gave me permission to take their pictures as they stood there in their knock-off American shirts. The images are a bit blurry, but I love them anyway.

Now, I'm kicking the mud off of my shoes and preparing for our 3-day trek into the Gobi desert!

Traditional Mongolian Performance

Last night, our group attended a theatre performance of traditional Mongolian music and dancing. Basically, it was spectacular. The troupe performs nightly for tourists in a dinner theatre-like situation, but don't let that fool you - I can't even describe how talented they were.

Wearing period costumes representing the varied tribes that once comprised Mongolia, the dance ensemble paraded across the stage. Throat singers, fiddlers and 'traditional chamber music' served as the score for contortionists and Shamen (?) whose bodies moved in ways mine definitely never could. I filled my entire 4 gig memory card before the second half.

Afterward, Namuun, our guide, arranged for us to go backstage and meet/photograph the cast! While I was back there, one of the women let me wear her amazing hat. I have a picture, but it's REALLY blurry since I couldn't explain how to use the camera to the Mongolian dancer who took it.

Photos At Last!

The contortionists from the theatre performance last night.


The guy on the right is my new Dominican friend, Pedro. The two on the left are the Mongolians who tried to steal our beer.


This is a shot of some architecture in Ulaan Baatar.



This is the Ger District in Ulaan Baatar.

Here is the Wise Old Man from the theatre performance last night.

Photo Class in Mongolia

Since my arrival two days ago at the Continental Hotel - which is a considerably different experience than that of the UB Guesthouse - I have met my collegues, attended class and visited Ulaan Baatar's finest tourist destinations.

The lectures are very much at the same level as any class at Moore, and Professor Iwamasa (Ken), though he keeps the atmosphere light, is very serious about teaching us proper technique in conjunction with helping us find our 'artistic vision' (for lack of a better term.)

Throughout the class, we must turn in 30 good, edited photos each day and also develop a series of 30 photos that are related to a theme of our choosing for our final portfolio. I'm still throwing around ideas for my final, but right now I'm thinking about nomadism (is that a word?) and recreation. We'll see how it goes.

My classmates are all from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and we are definitely a motley crew. Two are art students (one of which is a non-traditional student with a photo emphasis), two are frat boys (but well-behaved more or less), one is a history major and my roommate is a recent psych grad from Minnesota.

More later!

Out on the Town

Yesterday, in spite of being cooped up in the hostel for most of the day while waiting for word on my baggage, I managed to sneak away for some dinner and later for a night out with new friends.

I found a small restaurant around the corner from the hostel which was operated by two teenage girls and their mother. The girls were really adorable - they watched music television and sang along to their favorite songs, totally disregarding the presence of their only customer (me). I was treated well, however, and for bargain prices. I ate a veritable bucket of tomato and egg soup with a side of fried bread and drank almost a full pot of tea all for only 1,700 tugriks (which is about $1.50). The tea here is delicious - green with a slightly fruity aftertaste.

Later, my new friends Pedro and Miguel from the Dominican Republic invited me out for a night on the town. First, we went to this large Irish pub with outdoor seating and live music (a Mongolian band whose singer, a petite but saucy young woman, belted out popular American tunes like "Let it Be" and "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend"). We had just placed our order when two old (drunk) Mongolian men sat down beside us at our table at first claiming to just want to watch the singer, but later began encroaching more and more until they were flagrantly attempting to steal Pedro's beer. The guys were really frustrated because we couldn't get the old men to leave, so we left - and left our new buddies the bill - and ended up in another restaurant and pub called the Savannah. It was eerily quiet there, but at least we were left alone! (For the record, I thought those two old men were pretty hilarious.) After Savannah, we went to yet another "Irish pub" near the hostel and sampled some local Mongolian beer.

Though Ulaan Baatar is no New York City, I'm finding that it certainly has a very particular urban experience to offer its visitors.

Hello Ulaan Baatar!

Though it is incredibly difficult for a person who'd been travelling for 26 hours and whose baggage has been misplaced by the airline to feel excitement, but I can safely say that I am probably the most excited person in the world.

My journey went very well, other than getting my baggage misplaced (Korean Air is a really class act, so they've been very helpful in getting it back to me.) When I arrived in Ulaan Baatar, I hitched a ride from the Chingiss Khan International Airport to the UB Guesthouse downtown in the car of a local couple - who charged me a little too much money, I think, because I am American and look like I don't know any better. They were at least friendly and excited to meet me (again, probably because of the $$ they knew they would get..) even though we could barely communicate.

Driving in Ulaan Baatar is an interesting business to say the least. The roads are filled with cars from all over the world - land rovers, volkswagens, hundai accents, and russian jeeps - and as far as the rules of the road are concerned, it's pretty much Marshall Law.

We had a heck of a time finding this guest house as it is tucked away behind a series of shops. The building has a combination lock on the front door, however the combination is posted outside so I had no trouble getting in - yes, I understand the irony.

Most of the guests at this guest house - I'm staying dorm style in a room with 5 other guests - are travellers about my age from countries like Canada, Australia and England, but I have also befriended a girl from Lithuania, a guy from the Dominican Republic and a group from Japan.

As soon as I get my baggage resolved, I'm off to explore the city of Ulaan Baatar. I cannot post any pictures right now, as I am using a borrowed computer, but as soon as I have access to a WiFi connection, I'll send some along. This is a very strange and interesting city and I can't wait to show you!

Bye, Bye Philly!

Well, my loyal fans and supporters, the time has finally come to actually go to Mongolia! I write to you from my cushy seat on the New York bound Bolt Bus - lots of leg room, flat panel TVs, friendly drivers and free WiFi all for the same price as the Chinatown bus.

But, enough commercials.

Though excitement fills me - despite being awake since 5 this morning - I don't believe I've quite realized yet that this is actually happening. Regardless of whether I realize it or not, it IS in fact happening - I AM going to Mongolia.

I have a long journey ahead of me: This morning, Aunt Margot and Uncle Bob dropped me off at 30th Street to catch the Bolt Bus to New York. When I arrive in New York, I will take the subway (and then the mysterious AirTrain) to JFK airport. My flight to Seoul departs at 2:00 p.m. I will transfer onto another flight from Seoul to Ulaan Baatar which will arrive at 9:10 p.m. (Mongolian time). I will then take a taxi to the UB Guesthouse where the friendly staff awaits my arrival.

I promise to keep in touch!