The Gobi: Mongolia's Last Frontier

Despite a bit of illness, a sandstorm, and eleven hour bus rides--or maybe because of these things--our time in the Gobi was little short of a grand adventure. We spent out time learning traditional Mongolian folk songs (Nat seems to have mastered more of the language than anyone), joking around with the Mongolian staff, riding camels, eating lots of mutton (I've quite sated any appetite I'd had before leaving), and sleeping in gers (Mongolian yurts). Between Dramamine doses, I got a good glimpse of the vast countryside. Once we ventured out beyond UB's paved roads, the rolling hills around the city guided us across the vast landscapes and, as the vegetation tapered off, we entered the desert. The Gobi felt rather wilder and more lawless than any place I've ever been in the US. It felt like what I imagine the unsettled West to have felt like and gives one the impression that one is alone, even though there are plenty of goats and yaks and sheep to tell you otherwise. The Abbott and his wonderful crew cooked us huge feasts of mutton stew and baked us bread each day and were often up until the wee hours sharing drink and songs with some of our group. We we able to finish up our Paleo "midterm" amidst some nasty viral bug that kept most of us running back and forth between our gers and the toilet, and even visited the famous Flaming Cliffs where Roy Chapman Andrews discovered one of the first dinosaur egg nests. After a trip to the Great Sand Dunes and the ruins of Khar Khourum, the ancient capital, we made our way back onto pavement and back to UB where we'll spend some more time finishing up our Paleo lessons and begin our coursework in Buddhism before heading to Northern China. I will do my best to keep you all updated and feel free to ask further questions of me if you want to know more about our travels. Be well, until later.

Photos: The Abbott looking out over a forested valley outside of Khar Khorum, our friendly bus, the hills surrounding our camp the first night, the Flaming Cliffs, a ger camp, and camel riding in the Gobi.