Natural Light in the Mongolian Ger
Do you see that thing in the background under the horse’s legs (click on pic to enlarge)? Do you have any guess what it is? It looks like a wagon wheel, like in the old pioneer days of the USA,…
Tag nomads
Happy New Year! A list of things I appreciate!
It’s New Year’s Day. It’s a time when people reflect on the year gone by and set goals for the upcoming year. I have never been one to make New Year’s resolutions- The idea of waiting for the end of…
Spirituality, Religion and Superstition in Mongolia
I would describe the Mongolian people that I met as quite spiritual, with a close connection to nature, animals and the land. In this way I believe they are similar to the Native American tribes of the USA. I started…
Improvisation and re-purposing.
Just a short post. As I mentioned earlier, the nomads are quite resourceful. Here they’ve used what looks like an old truck tire as a feeding trough. Maybe it is not a truck tire because I can’t understand how they…
Plastics on the Mongolian steppe
“Every piece of plastic created is still on this planet in one form or another” When you think about it, that statement is rather profound. Before I left on my trip to Mongolia, I was very curious about what environmental…
The “Central Asian” knot
I remember sometimes my hands would be numb from the cold in the morning- so numb that I had some difficulty tying the knot to tether the horses after tracking them down. Durukh showed me a “Mongolian” knot that he…
Seeing ourselves in animals
In the same way that humans may abandon, give up their children for adoption for otherwise just refuse to acknowledge them, so do these animals. We (humans) can see our own behavior in animals. Biology and psychology transcend the line…
“See you at the local watering hole”
“See you at the local watering hole” is an expression used in the USA to mean, “I’ll meet you at the nearby bar after work.” Where did the saying come from?
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…
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…
A day in the life of a Mongolian Nomad
In the early spring, the day begins well after sunrise. At about 645 am, Biyambai, my host Durukh’s wife, would be the first out of bed (although sometimes I would lay awake under the warm covers, well before the others…
Day 8 -Back to normal
Thankfully I woke up with my strength back this morning. I was very relieved as the day before I had thoughts of having to go to Altanbulag (the closest town, 18 miles/30 km away) on the back of a motorcycle,…
Day 6 afternoon and a “Boats” Dinner
After returning from the morning herding and having a quick lunch, I was again asked to pasture the goats. I think my usefulness is starting to come into play and Durukh and his wife Biyambai are starting to do things…
Is agriculture the origin of these two sayings?
I was just reviewing some video the other day and noticed that I used some phrases/sayings that we may use in everyday language in the USA to mean something similar. Phrase #1: “The local watering hole” People use this (…
Day 5-The Well Mission and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
The type of work I do at the camp generally depends on the particular need for that day. I made this video the following morning which sums up day 5: So as I said in the video, After the ritual…
Day 4 addendum- A late night party
I usually go to sleep at 930 pm in the nomad camp. Work finishes between 730-800pm followed by a couple of hours of Satellite TV. The most popular show among all the nomads (and I’m betting in all Mongolia) is…
Sharing observations for a newspaper article.
This is just a quick update. A reporter from Chabot College in Hayward, CA USA wants to write an article on my trip and asked a few background questions. I thought it would be informative to share my answers in…
Day4-Cold and Wind, a look inside the Ger, and some herding.
This morning was very cold (4/10). I would guess it was about 10 degrees colder than the previous day. If you add in the wind, it makes the working conditions rather tough. It started out as usual with the search…
Day 3-Rest and Goat Sorting
I forgot to mention the night before I had a real Mongolian treat of Khuushuur, which is similar to what we know as a Piroshki. Minced horse meat Khuushuur Yes, the caption says “horse meat”! If your response is…
Genghis Khan, The Mongol Empire and Meritocracy
I think that Genghis Khan ( 12th-13th century), who was of course Mongolian, was a very interestingly represented leader in western society. When we hear his name we think of a merciless tyrant, ruthless murdering and pillaging, a bunch of guys…
Why Mongolia?
I’ve been interested in geography and the world since I got my first map at 9 years old. When I was bored I’d try to match the country’s flags to the country on the map. As a young adult…