Hanging in the Gobi Desert

Despite the car picking me up for the airport at 4:15 am to head out - Lkhamaa (Mongolian colleague) and I spent a great day in the Gobi.  We were taking an international interest group on a photo tour.  I have to say, not a bad way to spend a day.

So, after lunch we set off to see what there was to see.  We stopped to take some pictures of camels, peacocks - and just see the sites.

But then, our lovely driver Pagi thought it would be great to show us this natural spring. So we headed off road.  And...  well you can see.  (I'm actually really starting to worry if I'm a jinx - because being stranded is starting to be the norm.)  It was a bit over 90 degrees - so hot but not dire and we had water so we figured we were ok.  Oh - that and you could see the main road from where we got stuck and we were about an hour's walk to the town. 

Still, getting stranded in the desert is no laughing matter.  Except maybe for the bit where Lkhamaa and I actually thought we might be

able to push the car out of the sand. That was hilarious.

Instead of sitting in the heat, we decided instead to grab oodles of water and just hike to the spring. 

Only flaw in the plan was my sunscreen and hat were in my backpack at the camp.  Let's say this...  I did a great impression of a lobster - ouch.

So after a bit of a walk and many lizzard and bug pictures along the way - we finally made it to the rocks.  Oh did I mention that Pagi stayed with the car and Lkhamaa and I were leading these poor innocent people on this trek?  Neither of us had really any idea where we were going - but really - what could go wrong?

I could credit my sense of direction, but I would say it was more than a bit of blind luck, but we found the spring.  And it might have even seemed like we knew what we were doing.  We spent about a 1/2 hour here and then headed back.  By the time we got back the car was back on the road and ready to take us on to the next stop. 
This is the river bed near Khanbogd (pronounced hanbod).  See, the original plan was to hike this river bed - so we set out again.  While we were still without suncreen - I managed to steal a hat out of the car so while I remained the color of a Coke can it didn't get any worse. 

Definitely a memorable and fabulous day!



Black Market

This is the Black Market.  You don't really ask where things come from - it seems that the shipping containers just appear and the crates are unloaded. 

I went with my pal, Nathalie, because at least 27 people will tell you not to go there alone.  There are also the standard warning of watching your bags, keeping and eye of your stuff, etc., etc.  Actually - it's not really scary - just pickpockets.

We left relatively unscathed - and got some decent deals on a few things.

 You can get a ton of stuff here.  We went pretty early before it got too crowded. 

Traditional clothes, bolts of fabric - you name it.  I got a cheese grater which I was super excited about - until I used it and something (couldn't tell what) came off with the cheese.  I decided it was probably better to spend a little bit more money in the interest of food safety.

Come on...  we all knew that this would be here.  Chinggis on wool is like Elvis on velvet....

But my very best purchase of the day!  Chairs for the balcony.  I have to say - I felt like they were quite the bargain - 15,000 MNT (or about $10) for each.  They had solid colored chairs - but they were four times as much!  Besides - these had cup holders.  You can take the girl out of Idaho, but you can't take Idaho out of the girl...

Lucky for me - it's a beautiful day to sit outside and hang with Chinggis.*


*It's hard to see in this picture, but there is Chinggis' face done in white rocks in the mountain side.  Can't help it - I sort of love it.

More China photos, but I'll try not to bore you

View from the hotel room.  It's not rainy - that's haze - otherwise known as pollution.  Luckily for us, most of it burned off during the day.

Boats on the lake at Beihai Park.  Oh, did I mention that a speed boat was also racing around?  Safety standards seemed to be a little lax.

Jingshan Park.  Completely worth the climb to the top - it's a great vantage point to see the Forbidden City.

Much like this.  It was hazy, so this isn't the best picture but it is really remarkable.

I loved this.  All through the park (this is Jingshan) people were dancing, singing and really just enjoying a beautiful Saturday.

The Great Wall.  It really is great - it's just massive.  Even with that, Mr. Wang (our seemingly 12-year old driver) couldn't seem to locate it. We did choose to go to Mutianyu (it's a bit further than Badaling which is the closest spot to see the wall outside of Beijing) but still - it's fairly easy to spot.

 Proof.  I was here too.












Imperial Garden inside the Forbidden City.  This might have been one of my favorite spots - really an amazing place.

Trust me, I have dozens more, but I don't want to bore.  So I'll stop there and just make you look at them when I get back to the states. 

For now, back to sunny Mongolia.

Who knew?

I was completely fascinated by all the of the communist paraphernalia in China.  Honestly, I have no idea why I was surprised at the volume, but it was fascinating.  Here is a taste..

This little guy was in front of a fabulous shop - where I probably spent a few too many RMB.

 In a somewhat bizzare turn of events, we found ourselves on a tour of the hutongs. It was definitely a good turn of events.  I have no idea if our "guide" actually knew anything or not - but it was entertaining.  He claims that Mao lived behind this door for a year. 

This is one of four statues that surround Mao's Mausoleum.  Oh - and we did file through to see him lying in state.  You had to check your bags and cameras, go through several screenings, remain silent while viewing - and no stopping - it was just filing through.  Bizarre and completely worth doing.

It did seem like security was high, we suspected it at the time, but confirmed later that we were there on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.  It also helped to explain the giant screens that seemed to have been brought in to show soft images and calming music.  I believe it was best referred to as "soothing the masses."

 Here we are - and here he is. 













Had to have a picture to prove I was actually there.












Trust me, a seriously large photo.

And, I'll leave you with my favorite purchase.  There was definitely a lot of kitsch, but this one took the cake for me.

Not always sunny....

Turns out it's not always sunny in Mongolia - particularly during the rainy season.

It changes you....

This last weekend I was able to spend a long weekend in Beijing. (Thanks to Amy who came up from Shanghai to meet me) It was fabulous and I'll bore with a thousand photos soon - but the one thing I've learned is how to adapt.  It was the subject of several conversations.  Here are some examples:

• I've learned you must always carry tissues with you - not just for blowing noses.
• I'd recommend that everyone buy stock in wet ones.  An absolute necessity (thank you, Laura, for pointing out the value before I left).  I use many of these every single day.
• Speaking of wet ones, you also pay attention to what handles you are grabbing, buttons you are pushing, etc. - there is a reason that bird flu spread quickly in these parts.
• I'm no longer flinch at people using the sidewalk (or surrounding areas as a toilet).  I don't approve, but I've seen it too much to be terribly shocked.
• While we might carry tissues for noses - the "farmer blow" is alive and well - and potentially is on your shoe. This plus the toilet issue means taking your shoes off at the door.
• Traffic lights seem to be a mere suggestion and should not be counted on to stop traffic.  Cross at your own risk.
• Getting into any line - for anything - is much like making a mad dash to the opening of Space Mountain at Disneyland.  Go for it full speed - and take no prisoners.
• And, finally - I no longer flinch when faced with a squatting toilet. Not my favorite, but sometimes you just have to make it work.  Besides....  what could go wrong?