Expert - my ass.

I would have expected that our self-proclaimed expert guide would have been to the park we were touring more than twice - or at the very least - would have a general idea of where we were going.  Yep, not so much.  We first started out from our lovely tourist camp on this - the main road.  Let's say this, there is a lot of wide open space.

We had our share of bumps along the way.  This was probably one of the worst spots.  It's a very good thing that I don't get car sick - a lot of the time I felt like I was on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.

But not a big deal - right?

And then this happened.  And in the middle of nowhere.  Now, a few things to note about our situation:

• It was late in the day - around 5:00 pm.  It stays light until 8:00 ish, but it was going to get dark at some point.
• We had just dropped off all our gear.  In the car we had one 1 liter and one 16 ounce bottle of water.  That was it for supplies.
• We were about 30 kilometers (or a little over 18 miles) from the park headquarters.
• It was quite cold out, getting colder and starting to snow off and on.
• AND - did I mention that we hadn't seen another car for the 2 and a half hours we'd been out?

We were more than just a litte bit stuck. Much to Joe's dismay - Liv and I couldn't help but burst into fits of giggles.  Now, don't get me wrong - I did the mental calculations. Probably not the best situation to be in - but what do you do? 

Now we should have figured we weren't in the best hands when our expert guide had to stop and ask a herder for directions.  To hear Joe re-tell the story, we also had to fight off a pack of wolves.  As he put it - only two or three of us were going to survive.  That's probably a bit much.  Especially because we had passed a herder family that had set up camp a couple of miles beyond the ridge.  Still not too much fun.

I like to fancy myself as having a good sense of direction, but it's quite different when there is really nothing to mark your path against - and I wasn't paying too much attention on the journey there.  But we set off - not a lot else we could do at that point. 

And then, at the top of the ridge.... our rescuers magically appeared.  I really don't think I could have been happier to see anyone at that moment.  We had to pile into the truck to give it enough leverage to pull the car.  Luckily the shoe string sized rope held and we were saved! 

They were great and according to our guide they only laughed at us a little. They should have laughed a lot.  Of all the places, somehow our expert hit the only muddy spot in the place as evidenced below.

 The muddy culprit.



And then we were off again - armed now with an excellent story that gets more outrageous every time it's told.

Ah, good times!

Don't call it a yurt.

Seriously, folks get fussy if you do.  In Mongolia - it's a ger (yes it sounds a bit like you are growling).  The traditional Mongolian home can be found in the city and out in the country.   There are a lot of traditions and things to be aware of when staying or entering into a ger.

A few of the rules:

1. Always enter head first (or duck your head all the way in before you step in)
2. Only touch the door handle - don't touch the door jam or any part of the door
3. Never step on the threshold
4. And perhaps the cardinal rule:  In or Out - no hovering in the doorway. 

Once you enter, you have to move clockwise around the ger - no matter what size it is or how many people you have to step over - it's very bad form to go the other way.  If you are offered something it is incredibly impolite not to accept.  Even if it's something that you'd rather not have (horse meat tops my list). 

Here we are having some dinner with our hosts.  Salami (I'm going to assume no horse was included), bread, cheese, and some soup cooked over the fire - I have strong suspicions that here I may not have been so lucky on the horse meat front. 

 

My bed.  I have to say - surprisingly comfortable.  While it actually felt quite a lot like camping, I would take the bed over a camp pad any day.

I also think you can start to see all the decoration.   the boards that hold up the top of the tent are painted just as intricately as the bed.  It does make it quite cozy.

Perhaps the most important element - the stove.  It is amazing how much heat this thing puts out.  Which I was very grateful for, because it was particularly cold (around 22 degrees) that weekend.  But don't let the fire go out - it gets cold very quickly.  Although probably not as cold as my trip outside in the middle of the night.  Trust me, be very very thankful for indoor plumbing - especially when there is a strong, cold wind.

Another view inside the ger (taken from my bed).  You can see that it's not very big.  Think about this - entire families live in this much space.  That seems like a lot of family togetherness to me.

We were quite messy the night we stayed, but I have to imagine that keeping things tidy would be key to living there long term.

You can't really see from any of these pictures, but the ger itself has a wood interior structure and felt insulation - all covered by a tent-like cloth on top.  What I couldn't get over was that this is the shelter that a majority of Mongolians brave the winter in.  I complained when the fire when out at positive 20, I don't think I can imagine what it would be at negative 55. 

This is the outside of the ger we stayed in at Hustai National Park as part of a tourist camp.  There are a number of tourist camps throughout Mongolia where folks like me can go and experience a night without staying with a family.  I know quite a few folks who have stayed with families but think given all the rules - and the amount of space -  we wisely decided to stay in the camp. 

On the way....

There is a whole lot of wide open space.  It is truly amazing at how much open space there is in Mongolia.  You can drive for quite a long way and not run into much of anything.  One thing we did see along the way were several  ovoos.  Ovoos are essentially a pile of rocks that are a site of worship for Mongolians. These are used when travelling as a way to offer thanks to nature and the gods for providing on the journey and to seek safety on the rest of the journey.  This is one of the biggest ones and is fairly close to the city. 

Still driving - we are now about an hour into the drive.  This is what's around....  Also, I am not one to get car sick, but I definitely should have considered motion sickness pills - it is a bumpy ride.

Almost there...  still not a lot of civilization to be seen but I definitely have a greater appreciation of truly how big and undeveloped Mongolia is.  And - we still have pavement at this point - which is not at all the case once we get into the national park.

For the record....

This is essentially the freeway out to Hustai.  There really isn't any sound so don't bother with that, but I do want to point out the weird cement strips down the road.  Those do not really separate one side from the other - but then nothing really does. Enjoy. 

Herders and Hustai

This last weekend, I went with Joe and Liv to Hustai National Park.  Now, let me tell you a few things about this park and this trip:

1.  While it is only 60 miles away from UB - it took us three hours to get there.
2.  It is truly in the middle of nowhere - the tourist camp/park headquarters has a satellite phone for emergencies.
3.  Our "expert" guides had been there a combined three times (there were two of them).
4.  It got very cold again here. It was approximately 22 degrees - with a strong Siberian wind. Let's just say this - brrrrr.......

So, I'll begin this series of posts with a lovely photo of a local herder that greeted us on our way into the park.  Seriously - it's almost like some of this was done with props.

Onerous: involving a burdensome amount of effort and difficulty.

Our team was sent a very lovely care package - thank you, Charity - that is currently being held hostage. 

Seriously, it is amazing how crazy it is to get something out of customs.  You can see my lovely attached handwritten letter (it had to be written by me, by hand - little did they know that penmanship is not a strong suit).  Once the customs attorneys (yes it takes attorneys) review my letter and documents, they'll submit to customs agency. 

Depending on how that goes, they may or may not need a letter from the company vouching for me.  And then, once that is determined, I have to go out to the airport to the customs office and sign multiple documents and pay the taxes on what they determine is the value of the package.  And, because dealing with customs can be such a pain, they'll send a translator with me to help.

Now, I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea - I'm very appreciative of the package and looking forward to checking out the goodies - but what did they possibly think I was going to do with one box of treats?  Onerous.

I'm back......

Did you miss me?  After a short, but welcome trip back to the states - I'm back in Mongolia to finish out my assignment.  Part of my trip was work related as I got to travel with one of my Mongolian colleagues as we took several parliamentary journalists around Utah.  I'll not bore you with the actual work part of the trip, but a few photos/observations......

This is what represents a line at Chinggis Khan International Airport.  It's a bit of every man for himself.  Luckily there is only one terminal and if you just wait it out - there is still your assigned seat on the flight but it was quite a spectacle.

I flew on an earlier flight, but the journalists were delayed so we had to adjust the schedule.  This is our strategic planning session of what sites to go see and more importantly where to go for lunch.  Winners in both categories:  Temple Square and the Cheesecake Factory.

Not the Cheesecake Factory, but dinner at a Brazilian BBQ with the group.  If you've never been to a Brazilain BBQ - this is where men in festive outfits come around with meat (lots of meat) on swords.  It was a hit and a good time was had by all.   We actually convinced a waiter it was someone's birthday so the waiters would dance and sing at the table. 

And finally, we took a bit of a break in Park City.  Bagi and Ganzo and I took a quick drive up and had a lovely evening on patio. 











I have to say - it was a great break!  It was great to see folks (thanks, Dad, for driving to SLC) and I apologize to those I didn't get to see - but I'll be back soon.  Until then....  it's always sunny in Mongolia!