Rambling Thoughts on Mongolia

Rambling Thoughts on Mongolia

In July 2006, I traveled through Mongolia with a guide and two other women. The country was far more beautiful than I had anticipated. There are some of my thoughts:

1-            There is a lot of wide, open space here.

2-            There is no shortage of livestock in this country.

3-            We have not seen any beggars or any indication of poverty.

4-            The ger tents we visit were very clean.

5-            The Mongolians make good beer.

6-            I do not like vodka, not matter how hard I try.

7-            Most Americans who travel to Mongolia are old, or at least older than me.

8-            I have met several Mongolians who would like to live in the US.  Bit I have not met any Americans who ever lived in   Mongolia.

9-            The museums are great

10-         The only coffee they make in this country is instant coffee and they don’t do that well either.

11-         I am not a good horseback rider.

12-         Every sheep I see seems to have face worth studying

13-         The Gobi desert is even more beautiful than I had imagined.

14-         The Naadam Festival is a great source of national pride.

15-         Every Mongolian I have talked to knows some degree of English.

16-         I am making no effort to learn even the slightest bit of the Mongolian language.

17-         I would like to have a ger and a small plot of land somewhere far,far away.

18-         Sometimes I prefer to capture the moment in film rather than just catch the moment.

19-         Fermented mare’s milk is not my cup of tea.

20-         Much of the desert is made up of small pebbles.

21-         I like listening to the rain in my tent.

22-         Having access to western toilets at all times does take some of the stress out of the trip.

23-         Inke is a very good guide.

24-         The motivation to learn English is very high in this country.

25-         Inke is the only guide in his tour company who knows how to swim.  He learned to swim when he studied in Hawaii.

26-         I am just as uncomfortable on camelback as I am on horseback.  I am not an animal person.

27-         Everywhere we turn we see art shops.

28-         I never saw the rising of the moon until I sat on the porch of the Three Camel Lodge in the Gobi desert.

29-         All of the families we visited are gracious and had the same degree of social etiquette.

30-         I wonder how often I will wear my mink hat.

31-         I know I will wear my blue suede jacket often.

32-         The average teacher in this country makes $80/ month.

MONGOLAIN LIST

Ger tents

Nomads

Inka- our guide

Monasteries

Buddhists

Herding

Sheep

Goats

Cows

Horses

Glaciers

The Steps

Nomads

Camel

Mink hat

Del jacket

Yaks

Clean

Quiet

Vastness

Mountainous

Wild horses

Fermented mare’s milk

Yogurt

Sheep shit

Cranes

Bad roads

Stupas

Naadam festival

Ghenis Khan

Few people

Ulan Baatar- ugly city

Cashmere

Friendly people

Gers in the city

Very little commerce

Mongolian Eagle

The Gobi desert

Bad coffee

Mutton

Throat singing

Great museums

Good dark beer

Lots of artwork