Tag Mongolia

Goats play dead :-)

Just a short post and video about a small interesting thing I learned during my stay: It wasn’t until I returned to the USA that I learned certain types of goats (pygmy goats in this case) have a nervous reaction…

The Nomad Economy

I had often wondered about how the Nomads earn a living. My impression was that they just “lived off the land” meaning they get whatever they need to live/survive from their animals and land itself. “Barter” and purchase of goods…

Arts and Crafts of the Nomads….

As I’m sure I mentioned earlier, the Mongolian nomads are very resourceful, meaning they can find uses for all things around them. After the butcher of a goat, sheep or cow, the skin (leather) is treated and stored a well.…

Leaving Mongolia

I woke up at 630 AM  to pack up my electronics and laundry. Surprisingly, Altai’s mother and stepfather were already awake! I started to gather my laundry which had been drying for about 7-8 hours. I noticed that my jeans…

Back to Ulan Bator

About 15-20 minutes after driving off we arrived at another nomad camp (with no roads and few landmarks I’m still wondering how the driver and others navigate).  This is where we are to pick up a fellow volunteer from Australia…

Leaving the Nomad Camp

It’s my last few hours in the nomad camp, Altanbulag District, Tov province, Mongolia. I woke up about 615 am today, 20 minutes earlier than usual. The driver (Amma) is supposed to be here at 1200pm, so there’s still time…

Day 10- Trash Duty

It seems like I’m doing less and less every day as the end of my visit approaches. I thought it would be the opposite. I woke up feeling a bit regretful because the night before Annjah had invited me to…

Day 9- Rain!

I woke up to the sounds of rain ( <– Isn’t that a  song lyric? ) early this morning! It’s the first substantial rain since I’ve been here. It is welcome as most of the land is barren and the…

Evenings in the Ger

The early evening work would usually end between 800-830pm. The very last task of the day was to “hobble” the riding horses (tying three of their legs together) so they could graze but not wander too far. This usually occurred…