Visiting the Reindeer Herders

I took a Russian jeep from Khatgal at the end of the Khuvsgul lake 12 hours drive to the most Northerly town in Mongolia - Tsaagan Nuur. Tsaagan Nuur is the starting off point for all trips into the Northern Mongolian border areas close to Siberia(taiga). Before the border with Mongolia was properly established many of the herders who lived with their reindeer around the border area moved back and forth between the two countries. During the war many fled to live in Northern Mongolia - the only area that has the food and climate the reindeer need to survive.

In November I met a Mongolian girl who had studied in the US before and she was dating a reindeer herder and would be returning to the Taigai to live with him. She invited me to visit them at any time and I decided to take her up on that.

The herders move 6-8 times a year between different camp sites where they set up their tepees at varying distances from the town, and in mid summer they are at the furthest point meaning it was an 8 hour horse ride up to the camp site. It is also one of the wettest parts of Mongolia so it is 8 hours of horse riding through marshy wet swamps, what fun! And there was no nice cushion on my saddle and it was horribly uncomfortable!! However the scenery was beautiful, mountains, lakes and lots of greenery. There were even still blocks of snow and ice on the hills in mid August!


The camp was set up with 11 families all living in tepees! It was a magical view. Zaya and her boyfriend invited me to stay with them in their teepee which was fantastic and they fed me really well as well!!

Unfortunately for the first day and a half it rained constantly which meant that the reindeers were out grazing and many of the visitors missed seeing any reindeers at all! So that meant we spent the day doing indoor "womens tasks"!! This meant cooking bread on a stove, lunch, cleaning and then watching Zaya's boyfriend doing his carving. There are very few ways for the herders to earn money so selling their carvings to visitors is one of the few ways they can earn, so they work hard at this.

Amazingly they also have TVs and satellites so we did some TV watching and card playing too. To be honest it was nice to have a good break after such a long few weeks of travelling.

Luckily the weather improved and I got a day and a half of beautiful weather and the reindeer spent the time down around the camp. There was one day where I was the only tourist there, and as a friend of Zaya I wasn't seen as a tourist and so I was able to get hands on involved in the running of the camp. We caught the reindeer, milked the Mum's, ate lots of bread and milk tea and walked up the surrounding hills. It was a fun 2 days of playing house, but not something I would want to have to do every day!

Unfotunately I did have to leave eventually and we managed to do the ride down in 6 hours - the fastest time ever apparently with a tourist! I then had to get from the drop off point to the town. The only transport available was a motorbike which was held together with masking tape!! With only one topple we made it to the crazy ferry, which we boarded along with 4 other motorbike and 6 horses and which was pulled across the river!

I was supposed to get back to the town and head out the next day, unfortunately I had to wait around for 3 days for a lift to the big town. Tsaagan Nuur was a small town and there was not even an internet cafe to hang out in. It was a very long 3 days! But I eventually got a lift on a poragon (russian minivan) which left at 6pm and took 15 hours to get there, with 2 flat tires, the second of which we tried to fix by gluing the two flat tires together - this was of course not a success!!

I made it into town just in time for the bus back to Ulaanbaatar with about an hour to spare. Of course this meant I was too late to get a seat on the bus, the only seat left was in the aisle. I really didn;t want to have to wait another day so I took the seat on top of a box in the middle of the aisle. It was a very long, very bumpy 20 hour journey back to UB and by the time I got back I was ready to never leave again! Except I was locked out of my apartment. Needless to say it was not a great return!

Khuvsgul horse riding adventure

After a wonderful night in the hotel which I didn't want to leave, I met up with the 3 French girls who would make up the horse riding group I was riding around Khuvsgul with for 9 days.

Unfortunately our first day was pretty much driving to Khatgal and 40 km along the lake - 140km took 5 hours!I am looking forward to tarmacked roads!!

We did get a quick test ride of the horses. Again I was driven crazy by the Mongolian belief that no foreigner can ride a horse. I was able to avoid being led and eventually convinced them to let me canter, but I had to be helped on and off the horse. This was one of the more frustrating parts of the trip - the other riders were not experienced either which didn't help. But it was over all a good trip.

We set off on Day 2 after some fun and games getting the pack horses sorted out. Because it was still mid July there weren't too many other tourists around and we were the first trip out of the season for some of these horses. So as we tried to load the horses with 100kg of bags, food and camping gear they jumped around, reared etc. It took about 2 hours to load them up. It was very entertaining for the paying guests (i.e. me!) to watch the guides doing all this.

We rode alongside the lake this morning and got a feel for our horses. There were a few good flat bits for me to get a bit of speed up. One of the other girls had ridden before a couple of times so by the end of the day she was happy to have a bit of a canter along with me. It was nice to have some company and someone to race with!

The scenery around the lake was beautiful. There were so many white tree trunks that had been weathered into crazy shapes! THe lake was frozen until Mid June so we decided it was too cold to swim at lunch time but at least we had a decent day of weather.

We camped on a flat spot of grass beside the lake and we eventually braved a swim in the lake before we had to set up our tents. It was pretty freezing in the water but really refreshing.

On day 3 we continued our ride along the side of the lake. We had progressed beyond all the tourist camps at this stage and it was just pure unspoilt lake with beautiful mountains in the background. THere was a lot of riding up and down through forests and trails. We also had to stop to dig a van out of the mud! It was up to its axles in thick sticky Mud and we had to help along with 5 other Mongolians. They had to dig rocks and sticks under the wheels. This was of course one of the reasons we had selected to do the trip on horse back and why we had pack horses with us. We also saw some fabulous storms blow right past us out across the lake which was stunning.

Our camp spot for that evening was at the side of a river running into the lake. The river was lovely (although again very cold!) and it had a fresh spring running into it and they had set up a sort of back massager box there - you sat on this seat and it funnelled the water down your back and shoulders! It was a bit too chilly for us to try that one out!!

On Day 4 we spent half the day riding along the lake where we were plagued by flies and then we headed up the pass and into the Darkhad Depression in behind the mountains. It was a long tough ride up the hill through extremely deep sucky mud. It was tough riding. When we got up to the top of the hill we got a lovely view back over the lake.

The Darkhad depression was beautiful high mountains, trees and lovely stony rivers. We had some beautiful gallops along the flat stretches with beautiful scenery. We camped right in the middle of this area. It was one of the most beautiful spots.

We continued through the depression on Day 5. It was not fun riding as we had to tide along the stony river beds and it was very slow riding. It was beautiful scenic riding again. After lunch the thunder started up and the lightning and we saw this cloud coming up the valley. about 30 seconds later we were soaked to the skin by a horrific hail and sleet storm. We were soaked to the skin as were the horses and all our gear because no one had put the plastic sheets over our gear. Luckily the sun came out and we were able to lay everything out to dry but it meant we couldn't ride any futher that day. So we spent the afternoon relaxing and playing cards. We did go out for another 30 minute ride but everything was so wet we had to go back in.

Day 6 was wet again but we were riding along the stones again so we were able to keep going. But it was slow riding again. We eventually got up away from the stones and got some really great gallops across the flat ground and trails as we went through the valley. There was some really great riding and now all the group had caught up and we were able to canter together.

Unfortunately as we headed up the hill we got hit by another massive rain storm. Today I had insisted on them covering all the packs with plastic so we were able to shelter under the plastic and we didn't get quite so wet this time round. But again we had to set up camp as it was getting late and we weren't sure how much further we could go.

Day 7 was our last full day riding. We headed up and out of the Darkhad depression which was tough riding again due to the masses of mud but it was beautiful scenery again as we went up through the valley. As we reached the top of the valley we were looking down over the lake. It was a beautiful sight. The lake was covered completely with clouds. We sat up there taking pictures and having lunch and it was a beautiful view over the lake.

Our afternoon was spent getting back down the mountain and back to the lake. It was an amazing difference in just one week. There were so many Mongolians and foreigners camped along the edge of the lake and tehre were so many groups riding out. I was very glad we had gone out the week that we did.

That night we stayed with one of our guides families and got to spend some time in the Ger and eating their snacks. We were able to get a great bit of fish for dinner whcih was such a treat for me!

We had one more morning of riding out and we rode up to the top of the hill behind us. It was a lovely ride up through the forest to a beautiful view point where we got another look out over the lake. We did a lot of fast galloping which was great fun and what I had been looking forward to.

The other girls headed off that afternoon to catch their plane. I kept the horse for the afternoon and rode around a little bit longer but we were both very tired at this stage. It was lovely to just relax and read and spend time at the lake.

Visit to North West Mongolia

The furthest West point of my trip was Uliastai in Zavkhan aimag/province. The family of a tour guide friend of mine live in and around Uliastai town and they invited me to visit for one week.

I chose to fly from UB to Uliastai as the alternative was a 3 day drive - I knew I would have enough time bouncing around on Mongolian roads! I was picked up by the family I was staying with and taken to lunch at their mothers house. I had arrived on the final day of Naadam although unfortunately I missed the horse racing, I did manage to spend the afternoon watching the wrestling along with the prize giving for the other events. Countryside Naadam is a really intriguing experience as all the locals turn out in their best clothes and have a great party. It is very similar to a country fair at home, but with better dressed locals!!

In the evening I was asked yet again to entertain the family with my Buuz making abilities. My skills have not improved much during the year and I fear my family at home may have to give up any hope of a Mongolian feast when I get home!

In the morning I walked up to the top of the hill beside the families house where there was a row of stupa's, a couple of Ovoo's and some crazy animal statues! We met the only other foreigner in the town - it is always amazing the kinds of people you meet - this Polish guy was cycling around Mongolia for 45 days!!

We then headed out to visit some more family in the countryside. It was a couple of hours drive away through some beautiful countryside, over hills and through valleys until we arrived at the gers beside the river in one of the valleys. The great grand father had just turned 90 so there were 5 branches of the family there celebrating.

I was given a horse for the 3 days we stayed there and one of the cousins who spoke a little English showed me around. Yet again Mongolians didn't believe a foreigner could ride and so they had pulled the fattest horse from the herd but we soon came to an understanding that we both wanted to go fast.

We had a short ride into one of the valleys and we climbed one of the hills and all the flowers and plants were pointed out to me, and I was expected to try eating most of them!! It is amazing how the Mongolians use everything available to them. The Gallop back was great fun - there were some great flat bits of ground to pick up some good speed.

Unfortunately on my second day it absolutely poured. We thought it would be ok, but after 2 hours it started to absolutely pour with rain and we headed back. But the riding itself was still really great over rocky outcrops, through rivers, back and forth. Unfortunately when we got back it took over an hour to get the fire going so I huddled under my sleeping bag.

Luckily we were invited to a Khorhog celebration in the next ger over. The khorhog was great, really tasty, until the vodka came out! The ger was packed out but I was still amazed that we managed to get through around 6 bottles of vodka. Of course in true Mongolian tradition the singing then started. I managed to only have to sing once which was a relief, but the rounds kept going for the rest of the group and then it became a singing competition in rounds, to see who could sing the loudest - it was a crazy experience!!

Eventually the singing was over and, after inspecting the baby goats who were very cute, we headed back to the ger, where more food was cooked. I hid outside in my tent for a while to avoid any more food! It was then time for the volleyball tournament. Once all the horses have been turned loose the rope they are tied to, which is above head height, is used as a volleyball net! It got very competitive and they were all very tough on each other, but luckily my word was usually the decider!

Luckily my last day was a beautiful day and that meant we were able to ride up to a view point where we could see the tallest mountain, Otgon Tenger. It was another lovely ride up a hill and over another, through herds of horses, sheep, goat and yak! and the views from the top of each hill were spectacular. We came back down the same valley we went up the day before and it was so beautiful in the sunshine! Unfortunately the day involved over 4 hours of trotting - every muscle in my body was aching by lunch time!

Because it was a beautiful afternoon the women all did the washing in the river (which was icy cold!) and the children played pooh sticks and washed in the river.

After another very competitive volleyball competition it was time to tie up the baby yak - they have to be tied up so that the Mums can be milked. I was asked to help, but noone warned me how wily the babies were! It was a hilarious process as 4 of us tried to herd babies away from their Mums and then tie them up. It took us quite a while!

No-one had mentioned to me that the gers were being moved and so on my last morning in the countryside there was lots of banging and I rolled over back to sleep. When I did get up the gers that had been there the night before were on the back of trucks! I wish I had known as I would have liked to have seen the moving process. We did get to follow the trucks to the new camp site and then back to Uliastai!

We then started the long 2 day drive to Murun where I was joining a horse riding trip. On the way we drove through lots of beautiful countryside which varied from hills, to valleys, to steppe to sand dunes!! As well as 2 beautiful lakes.

We camped beside one lake and just as we were going to bed I heard the most awful screaming sound, as if someone was being murdered. After 10 minutes I stuck my head out of my tent and came face to face with two massive male yaks horns locked having a fight over a woman! It was absolutely terrifying and so we moved the tents behind the car to try and stop them running over us! For 3 hours they ran back and forth in front of the tents. A pretty sleepless night!

Another beautiful days driving along more valleys, over crazy bridges and through herds of camels this time. At one point the roads turned pink!! We eventually arrived in Murun and I treated myself to a night in a hotel, with a fabulous shower and a double bed - such a treat.

Choibalsan and a "spa" visit

Unfortunately my trip to the Gobi got cancelled due to extreme temperatures, so I reorganised and headed to Choibalsan to the volunteers stationed in Dornod. Dornod is a lovely place, typical flat Mongolian steppe, a very different type of scenery to the rest of Mongolia. They have good amenities and a lovely river, but it is 15 hours drive east of UB so not easy to get back in for visits.

I stayed with another vol on her couch which was great. My first day there we got up at the crack of dawn (5.45) to go swimming in the river, which was so lovely and cool! I managed to get a few more hours sleep before I headed off to see some of the work the VSO vols have been doing up here. A young boy who had lost his leg due to cancer when he was 5 had been walking with an adult crutch and was told he couldn't have a prosthesis until he was 20! One of the vols in Dornod raised enough money to pay for him to get a prosthesis. He had just returned to Dornod and was walking around with a proper sized crutch. This is a huge benefit for this kid who is from a very poor family, and due to the discrimination against people with disabilities here in Mongolia he would never have been able to get a job. He will soon be able to walk without a stick and blend in with everyone else, play soccer and walk to school more comfortably.

Then after a visit to the market, we headed to Anna Childrens home, a place set up by a local Mongolian for the kids who were on the street. There are 25 children living in the home between the ages of 6 and 18, and when they turn 18 they move into a transition flat. While they live at the home they grow vegetables in a garden the vols set up, and they learn sewing and computer skills. They have asked me if they could possibly get a book ger. The kids were absolutely adorable and it is a great place.


The next day we had a slower start, thank goodness!! After a relaxed start E and I headed for a walk up to a russian pilots monument across the steppe. It was a beautiful walk out across the flat plains, through long grass, herds of cattle and horses and seeing lots of birds.

I cooked dinner for the vols that evening who took such good care of me. Unfortunately E didn't have a corckscrew so it took us almost 45 minutes to get into the bottle of wine, so we really appreciated it afterwards. We discovered the next morning that we had left another bottle in the freezer and it had frozen and pushed the cork out - so obviously the way to open a bottle without a corkscrew!

On Monday We went for a later swim at a much more reasonable 10am!! The river is the longest river in Mongolia and it was a little muddy and had a really strong current but it was cool and really refreshing!

In the evening I was invited to one of the volunteers leaving do's out in the countryside at one of the communities she has been working with. They are homeless, live in a derelict building and are extremely poor. But they were so welcoming and they had cooked us a wonderful feast of Khorhog (Mongolian barbeque) which was absolutely delicious! It was a wonderful evening and we got to see the work the volunteers have been doing here planting vegetables to give them food to eat, and they are planning to build a kindergarten and to provide 10 gers to the families so they can have somewhere to live come winter time. We drove home in the dark which was absolutely crazy and we got completely lost in the middle of nowhere going along dirt tracks. It was madnesss! But we made it back to UB in one piece!!

On Tuesday we started our trip back to UB via Dalad, a town near the Russian border in a landcruiser with 4 of us squished in the back seat. It took us 8 hours to drive there across the vast steppe where we saw loads of Eagles, white tailed gazzelles, cranes and all the other regular Mongolian animals. We passed a road that was set into the ground about half a foot, which Chingiss had built so he could protect his wife when she was travelling from the Chinese!! We then drove into Khentii where the landscape changed into hills, valleys and meadows full of wild flowers! It was beautiful! Unfortunately it was raining so the roads turned into slippy mud and we did a few 180 degree spins! Luckily the roads are pretty empty so we didn't hit anyone, or anything! We also passed the birthplace of Chinggis, so it was a very interesting drive!

We stayed at a "spa" in Dalad. D and I had thought this would be a nice relaxing end to the trip. Unfortunately it was a Mongolian medical spa! So our first massage experience left us all with bruises!! But the view from the ger camp was absolutely stunning out over a lake surrounded by a pine forest which we walked through with horses all around. It was a beautiful place to relax.

The next day we opted for the herbal bath (more like a puddle) and of course we were told to be there at 9, we arrived at 9.30 (allowing for Mongolian time) and we didn't get in the baths til 11!! Gotta love Mongolia. I then had a mud treatment which was basically an exfoliation, which left my skin very soft which was lovely.

In the afternoon we went to the local Naadam. This is like a county show - they have wrestling, archery and horse racing where the riders are young children riding bareback with no helmets on!! It was a really fun afternoon watching everyone wearing their traditional clothes (these people are buriat so their clothing was differnt from that I have seen in UB) and participating in the games on the small stalls nearby. The female archers wore beautiful high heeled boots with their costume, but it seemed a little incongruous in the middle of a field!! There was such a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, it was a great relaxing afternoon.

In the evening we went strawberry hunting. In the summer small wild strawberries grow in the forest and around our camp we found lots of little plants. They were really tasty and sweet and I am looking forward to finding some more on my next trip.

On Thursday D and I got a ride with some locals back to UB in their little car. It was very kind of them to take us and they were lovely people. Of course the journey started with the obligatory farewells to family and friends, so we were picked up at 7 and didn't leave until 8. We also had to have vodka and milk tea at 7 am. It was not great way to start the journey.

The scenery was stunning again through rolling hills and across the steppe. But I have no idea how we found our way as there are no signs in Mongolia, you just stop every so often at a ger when you lose your way and ask which one of the 4 dirt tracks heads off to where you want to go! We had to cross a big river at one stage and we crossed on the most rickety rope ferry I have ever seen. But we stopped afterwards for a coffee on the rivers edge and D and I decided to go for a swim! It was lovely and refreshing and beautiful clear water. Our driver and his wife then decided to go in as well. A really nice break in our journey.

At one point we ended up in a massive puddle, under a bridge with around 100 horses surrounding us as we tried to drive through them. It was a real adventure!! Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy it that much as I got really really really car sick.

It took us 12 hours to drive 515 km (280 on bad roads took 8 hours, and the last 235 took 4 hours). So travelling in Mongolia isn't easy! But is was a great adventure and I will really miss it when I come home.

I have had a busy week or two here in Mongolia! In the past 2 weeks I have helped my colleagues write two proposals, done some work for the National Aids Foundation and organised and helped facilitate marketing training.

In the last two days I have organised a discussion and debate between students at Methodist College Belfast (my old school) and my debaters at MEA. The discussion covered topics like traditional clothing, what music they listen to, what team they support in the world cup and what is their school day like. It was a fantastic opportunity for my students to learn about Northern Ireland. In the debate the topic was countries should ban the import of goods produced by child labour. It was great for my students to see experienced debaters in action and to practice debating against native English speakers. Apparently the Northern Irish kids really enjoyed it as well, which is a relief! I did this as part of my Global Action project which I have to do as a VSO Youth for Development volunteer.

We also had our work picnic at the weekend. It was an interesting experience to say the least. It all started out fine, with a Mongolian barbecue (Khorkhog) which was very tasty. But from the moment we arrived until the moment we left everyone was drinking heavily. I found it to be a very unpleasant atmosphere, as when I refused to have any more alcohol it was not accepted by my colleagues and they tried to force me to drink more. It seemed a real waste of resources - MEA paid for the alcohol, and there was no point to the event other than to drink. There were no activities, no walking, nothing. We camped overnight and had breakfast the next morning and the drinking just continued. Alcohol abuse is a real issue in Mongolia and the culture of heavy drinking just aids this. It was a real shame that what could have been a great outdoor event was wasted.

However it didn't ruin my weekend. On Saturday I got the bus up to Darkhan where some of the other volunteers are based. Drakhan is the second city of Mongolia, but is isn't really much bigger than a large town. It is in the middle of the countryside about 4 hours north of UB with the road passing through some beautiful scenery. Darkhan has much more greenery and open space than UB has and it was lovely to get some more fresh air. The Darkhan volunteers took good care of me, introducing me to the range of Koika, Peace Corps and other ex pats living there and giving me a great tour of the place. Darkhan has some interesting sights including the standard Ovoo's etc, but also they have the only suspension bridge in Mongolia, a Buddha statue and a childrens park. The childrens park is pretty amazing, it is huge and has a number of play parks, carnival rides and even singing animals along the footpath. Of course there were no kids there when I went but I could imagine it is great for kids. It was really nice to get to spend some time in another new place, and to see the countryside vols.

I am currently preparing for my big summer trip! I get 6 weeks of holidays now because MEA closes for the summer. I have lots of exciting plans including visiting Chinggis Khan's birthplace (and the local spa!), visiting Khuvsgul again (this time in summer), visiting the reindeer herders, experiencing naadam in the countryside, visiting my colleagues family in the countryside and hopefully visiting the Gobi desert! I hope to come back with lots of stories, pictures and not too many insect bites!

Mum's big adventure!

So apologies to all of you who haven't heard from me for a week, but Mum was visiting on her big adventure! Her first Solo trip since her elective in NZ before I was born!!

It was a jam packed week! I gave her Friday morning off after her late night arrival (and because we stayed up late after that talking!) but then we were in full motion. After she had her first Mongolian meal of Mutton (which she didn't find a love for!) with my colleagues we headed out in the sunshine to Choijin Lama temple (which may have given her nightmares) and the Natural history museum where we saw some amazing dinosaur fossils - to see so many fossils that have been found in Mongolia in the last 100 years was amazing. Then it was out to meet some other VSO volunteers for dinner at the Bull hot pot restaurant. We had a lovely dinner and then headed to Ikh Mongol for a drink in the beer garden and Mum got a chance to learn a little about the health system in Mongolia.

On Saturday my colleagues had decided to take us to the countryside and I had no idea what the plan was! It was a fantastic day. We headed to the massive Chinggis Khan statue where we saw another fantastic museum in the base and then we took a lift up the horses tail, walked through his belly and posed on the horses head! Then it was back in the car and we headed back to the time of Chinngis Khan at the 1300 theme park. I was worried it would be very tacky, but in fact it was very well done. We visited a number of different camps - a Shaman camp, a farmers camp, a book camp etc and dressed up in the various costumes, got our names written in traditional Mongolian script and played traditional games. Our day finished at the kings palace where a visiting dignitary had organised a mini Naadam so we got to watch wrestling which was hilarious with the little dances they did in advance. Then we watched children as young as 5 or 6 participating in a horse race which may only have been 2km but was tough. This was followed by an archery competition. These are known as the 3 manly sports and the big Naadam will be held in mid July. After the Naadam we went to the kings ger and had another Mongolian meal so Mum got to try some mutton soup and fried mutton pancakes! This was the only wet day of the whole visit so being in the car driving around the Mongolian countryside between gers was a great way to do things.

On Sunday we started our countryside trip to Khustai and Terelj. Khustai national park is about 100 km outside UB and it took us 2.5 hours to drive there with a short break (not by choice!) at a medical Ovoo which had plaster casts and crutches lying on it - so a good stop for a visiting doctor! I had warned Mum before she came that we would be staying in a very basic ger camp with drop toilets etc. When we arrived we discovered that it was a 5* ger camp with running water, toilets, 3 course meals, cutlery! But it was perfect for Mum and we were staying in a regular ger which was a great experience. In the afternoon we headed out on horse back across the steppe to visit a herder family. Mum got up her courage enough to enjoy galloping across the open Steppe and it was a great ride. The poor herder was asleep when we arrived, but he soon showed us true Mongolian hospitality with milk tea, fermented yoghurt and biscuits.

In the evening (after we convinced the Mongolians Mum was vegetarian to allow her to avoid mutton) we picked up a tour guide (who is studying international relations!) to go and see the Prezwalski horses. These are wild horses which were extinct in Mongolia because they were all transported to Europe for the zoos. In the 1990's the started a reintroduction programme and now there are around 300 living in Mongolia in their natural habitat. Khustai parks is one of the areas of reintroduction and we assumed we might catch a brief glimpse of them during our drive. However as we arrived at the watering hole just before sunset there were 4 herd of horses making their way down. Out of 300 horses we saw over 30!! Including a couple of foals, one who looked like he had just been born today! They were beautiful and made an amazing sight. Definitely worth a visit if you are in Mongolia! Although I got a lot of great pictures of the horses the marmots were a little more elusive - they would pose just long enough for me to get the camera out and focus but before I could take the picture they would disappear! Very frustrating!! But we saw an absolutely beautiful sunset over the surrounding hills.

We had a lovely evening in the ger including lighting the fire which we didn't really need, and listening to the crazy Mongolians playing basketball in the dark!

The next morning Mum and I left the guide behind to take a short hike up the hill surrounding the ger camp. It was amazing to see the grass that looked so green from the ger camp was actually bedded in sand and growing up throughout it are blue, purple, yellow and white flowers. On the top of the hill there were rocks and flowers that were the picture of the flower gardens people pay lots of money for! And we looked down into the valley over the green hills and over to the small sand dunes nearby.

We headed next to Terelj national park which was a long drive, and even longer with the guide questioning why we were not keeping him for the trip. The reason was we were heading to the Terelj hotel, the only5* hotel in Mongolia to relax and enjoy good food and a spa experience! He didn't quite get it. The hotel itself was phenomenal, so different from my usual lifestyle in Mongolia! The pool was refreshing, the sauna and jacuzzi relaxing and the cocktails delicious! The food was great too - the first time I have had fish in 8 months!! All imported of course but a wonderful treat!

The spa was also a wonderful treat and we left the hotel feeling clean, relaxed and refreshed. Unfortunately due to car issues that relaxed (and clean!) feeling didn't last too long in a smelly small car with no suspension. But we did make it back in one piece. We had a quick turn around before heading out to the Moonstone cultural show. We arrived in an unassuming theatre but they put on a great show of traditional dances, music and contortionists, all in colourful traditional costumes. It was a great introduction to Mongolian culture for both me and Mum!

Oe of the big draws of Mongolia is the souvenirs - cashmere, felt and kazakh crafts. So of course we had to go shopping! Our first port of call was the cashmere shops which are a bit off putting as they are out in the factory district - not such a salubrious looking areas. And as Mum and I didn't have a landcruiser to travel between the shops we walked and took taxis - making us stand out a little from the other shoppers. But we had a successful morning of shopping before heading to visit the book ger I have set up. This was a visit to a ger district as well which was a good thing for Mum to see and there were plenty of children using the room so I am pleased it is working so far!

As it was Mum's last full evening we treated ourselves to cocktails at the top of the MCS tower overlooking UB and then dinner at the French Bistro. The cocktails were amazing and the food was absolutely divine (as was the wine - I will have to bring my expectations down again) It was by far the best food I have had in Mongolia so far! And that I will have I am sure!

Because Mum's plane didn't leave until 11pm we had a whole full day to finish everything up. We started with a visit to one of the health projects a VSO voluneer is running in a family group practice. As Mum is a GP she wanted to visit the equivalent of a GPs surgery while she was here. And we did visit one of the painfully average ones, where Mum got to watch an innoculation morning - and I avoided looking at the needles! There was a complete lack of privacy, training and organisation but it gave her a real exposure to health care in a ger district in Mongolia.

We had time to squeeze in a little bit more shopping (for felt, kazakh products etc) before a visit to one of the working monastrys in UB - Gandan Monastery. It has a massive gold statue inside the main temple but it is also more peaceful and tranquil than the choijin lama temple museum and it was good to let Mum see a working temple.

Unfortunately we ran out of time and Mum had to return home and I had to go back to my regular volunteer life. There were tears at the airport but not too many!!But it was great to share my Mongolian experience with Mum even for a short time and I will miss Mongolia and my wonderful colleagues and friends when I leave. I have only 6 weeks of work left and lots to achieve before I finish, and 5 weeks of holidays, so it won't be too long until I am home again.

Book Ger and VSO summer conference

I have had a very busy week with work, VSO stuff and a VSO summer conference, not to mention my Mum arrives in Mongolia this evening!

On Tuesday we finally opened our second Book Ger in a Khoroo of UB called Amarlan (this is not how you spell it!). It was really important to me because it is a project I have worked from the start. I (and Mum!) found the organisation (who of course have a link to Hillsborough). I got in touch with their UK office, who were interested and put me in touch with their Mongolian office. I then built a relationship with the woman in charge there, developed and submitted a proposal and had it accepted! Even better for a fundraiser it was a project able to be implemented quickly so within 2 weeks of the contract being signed we had the open day. For me it is great to see something I have worked so hard for actually being implemented and to see the kids so excited about the books and toys was wonderful. Also the day was beautiful with blue skies and temperatures above 30, so the community members who turned out got to see a beautiful building. And the kids put on some great dancing for us which we really enjoyed!

I spent the rest of the week doing VSO related stuff. There was the annual quality framework review which was a day long review of VSO's activities for the year and I was one of the volunteer representatives. We have had a couple of new volunteers arrive so on Thursday I did a city orientation for one of the new arrivals. Interestingly for 2 of the new volunteers this is their 3rd VSO placement and they are finding VSO Mongolia very different from previous placements. And on Friday I had my leavers workshop which went through all the things to expect in terms of emotional, practical and pastoral when leaving VSO. It was a tough day but it needed to be done.

Of course because of all the VSO happenings lots of vols were in from the countryside and I have had my spare room full for the whole week! I really enjoy it because it means I get some company, new conversation and fresh faces. But I wasn't expecting the couple who stayed with me to get married while they were here!! They had a private ceremony at the embassy here and only told us all afterwards! I am so pleased for them!


On Sunday we all headed off on the train to our summer conference in the countryside of the Selenge Aimag. We stayed at a summer camp run by one of the organisations one of the VSO volunteers works for, and the money we pay to use the camp goes to support their activities working with child labourers, child trafficking and child prostitutes. So it was good to be able to support them.

The camp itself was lovely situated right beside a river in a valley surrounded by beautiful green hills. When we arrived the weather was beautiful so after we dumped out stuff off we headed straight for the river! The water was lovely and we had a great time swimming and sunbathing.

Unfortunately the weather went downhill from there and the rest of the conference was pretty cold and wet. We were staying in wooden cabins with holes in the walls and no heating so it got pretty cold at night. During our sessions we ended up wrapping ourselves in the blankets from the beds to keep warm. I had brought some thermals to wear as pyjamas but ended up wearing them all week!

But even though the weather was horrible it was great to spend time with all the VSO volunteers in one place, share our successes and challenges, and discuss ways to improve VSO. We also had some hilarious performances put on by each geographical area, including a great skit from Arvaikheer about collecting cashmere samples, and some contentious quizzes from the Staff and UB vols.

One of the volunteers brought his horses with him and during a dry spell a few of us went out riding through the valleys and hills around the camp site. These horses are very well looked after and the best looking horses I have seen since I arrived due to their glossy coats and fact they have been fed through the winter. So it was a real pleasure to ride a well trainined, well fed, happy horse!

Unfortunately we did have to return to reality and jobs eventually and so yesterday we boarded the train back to UB. Even the train journey was a great experience as it allowed us to watch the beautiful (rain soaked!) countryside go by!

Horse riding and finishing a placement

The weather in Mongolia has finally warmed up, literally within a couple of weeks we have gone from pretty chilly days under 5 degrees to sweltering in temperatures above 30! The plus side is I am finally changing from a very pasty white (having spent all winter covering every exposed piece of flesh) to a slightly darker ivory colour! My poor skin isn't quite sure what is going on!

Anyway we made the most of the beautiful weather and over the weekend I organised a horse riding trip. 4 of us headed out to a camp near Zuunmod on Friday evening to ride over to Manzushir monastry, 20-25 km away. The first night we stayed in a ger at the site and got to take a short walk around the surrounding hills. Because we had a few days of rain everything is turning green and it is quite beautiful!

The next morning we were off on horse back across the beautiful green landscape. It was a nice ride, even if we did spend a lot of it riding alongside the road. We had quite a few flat spaces where we were able to get a good canter going which was nice. The best bit of riding we did was through the national park up to the Monastry. We rode through the trees which still had piles of frozen snow beneath them, alongside a lovely river. It was beautiful scenery.

The Monastery is situated on top of a hill overlooking the national park which is beautiful. The ruins of the old monastery sit beside the newer Monastery and there were many families there enjoying the beautiful weather.

From the Monastery we headed back out of the national park to camp for the night. It was an interested experience as the tents were pretty small and most of the poles were broken! But we survived and stayed dry which was the main thing!

The next day we rode back to the camp across more flat plains where we got to do more fast riding and see beautiful flowers!

When we got back to the camp they were setting up some new tourist gers and I enjoyed sitting in the sunshine watching them put them together. It is a really interesting process and so simple! I suppose it has to be as traditionally most families moved with the seasons and the availability of food for their animals, so they had to be able to pack everything onto the back of camels and move quickly!

Although the weekend was great it was a sad week too as I finished my work with CMTU. I have very much enjoyed having the variety in my work of spending time at the trade union and I have learned a lot about trade union activities. It was also nice to be raising funds for projects closer to my heart - human rights, international law training and environmental projects.

Horse riding, camping and rafting (oh and majorly sore sunburn :()

So after a day to recuperate from the bus journey I described previously, I headed out to Terelj national park with some friends for an outdoors weekend.

On Friday we picked up some horses and did a full day of riding. The views on this trek were absolutely stunning, with the rocks and the new green grass and baby animals abounding. The worst bit was that the poor horses had just survived a tough winter and obviously weren't really up to carrying a group of westerners around for the day. My horse at one point lay down (yes really) while I was on his back! I was rather unimpressed! And when we let them go at lunch time and then tried to catch them again, they tried to flee! So I did feel a bit bad - especially since by the end of the day I thought my horse was going to expire. But we all survived and made it back in one piece (and a local family got some badly needed funds from crazy westerners!). One of the funnier moments was when we had to go around a fence (yes of course in Mongolia the concept of fences is a bit strange) and this involved scaling a slight incline - the boys I was riding with weren't so confident and I had a lot of fun laughing at them!

Once we dropped the horses off we met up with the rest of our group and found a great campsite right on the very grassy riverbank. We built a big bonfire and even made smores (gotta love the Americans!). Although the weather during the days here is now consistently in the 20's, the nights get pretty darn cold, so I was very glad for my sleeping bag!

In the morning we packed up and headed off to the river. The term rafting (not white water rafting mother!) may have been an exaggeration - we were basically in blow up canoes. It was a great day but the wind made it tough in spots, as did the lack of water meaning I was in and out of the canoe and ended up completely soaked! But it was a whole part of the area near UB I had never seen before, and it was all starting to turn green, so another beautiful day, with some great physical activity. Unfortunately I put my suncream on before I took off my shoes, meaning that my feet and ankles fried. I am not kidding, on Sunday I couldn't walk, and they are still sore today 4 days later. I will not be forgetting the suncream any time soon!

What about work? From my past few blog posts you might assume I have been doing none! But no in the last few weeks I have managed 2 half day trainings, a proposal and a whole lot of report writing! I am finishing up my CMTU placement tomorrow, which is both sad and good. Sad because I have really enjoyed the work and the issues, and it has opened my eyes to another area of law. Good because I have very few weeks left in work, and I need to focus on my main placement and finish things up. I think I have about 6 weeks left in placement as I have 6 weeks of holidays and one week of VSO conference the rest of the time. The year has really flown in. I am going to be very sad to leave Mongolia, as I have learnt alot here about development, about myself and about this wonderful country. However I am looking forward to getting back to legal work which this year has clarified is the area I want to work in. And of course I am very much looking forward to catching up with all my friends and family.

Visit to the countryside

A whole post on a bus journey may have been too much, but I wanted to share the experience with you, and not post a mammoth blog post! So here is the second part, what I actually did on my holidays.

The first stop was Arvaikheer, the Aimag capital of Uvurkhangai. There are 5/6 volunteers based there along with 2 of their accompanying parters mostly working in Health and National volunteering. The size of the town fluctuates during the year (more in the winter, less in the summer) but it is around 16,000 people. It is a pretty small town which was just the kind of place I needed to go to clear my head!

The volunteers there were very welcoming. The first night we had ladies pizza night, which might not sound like much, but when your host has only one ring to cook on pizza becomes a lot more time consuming! It was great to catch up with all the ladies in Arvaikheer and hear what they have been up to.

Because my hostess is vegetarian I had a whole weekend of eating vegetables! (For anyone who knows me well this is not normal behaviour!!) And I learnt a lot about cooking veg and more practically cooking on one ring - I hadn't realised how easy I had it!

The two full days I spent in Arvaikheer it rained. This might sound like a point that would ruin a vacation, but as it was the first rain in 6 months it was fantastic! The first morning there we walked through the town to the look out and it was so nice to have the rain soaking my hair, my clothes and dampening down all the dust. The smell of rain, fire wood and earth was just such a reminder of home.

In the afternoon to get out of the worst of the rain we went shopping! The market is made up of 10's of shipping containers, which somehow got here! Each one sells a different thing ranging from clothes, to ger equipment to house hold supplies. One of the great things they sell is second hand clothing! Even me with my massive feet was able to find a pair of boots for about 7 pounds. My friend also got a pair of boots so it was a very successful trip!

One thing I found hard to deal with were the stray dogs everywhere. They were very friendly and generally harmless but a lot were starving, we even came across one little puppy who was so hungry he was eating cardboard. I was a real sucker and bought him some meat from a local stall, but I know it was just a stop gap. The thing is that due to the bad winter the people are starving, never mind the animals, so scraps are hard to come by because the people are eating everything they can get their hands on.

Later in the afternoon one of the volunteers who had bought a car drove us out to a local monument. Arvaikheer was named after a famous horse of the same name and a monument was built in the horses honour. Here the locals bring the heads of famous horses that have died. It was a bit creepy especially since there was a pretty fresh head which stank! They also stick sweets and biscuits in the eye sockets and other holes in the skulls which I found a bit gross!! But the view from the monument was spectacular, with the rolling land, the hills and just the absolute lack of anything surrounding us.

That evening we had a crazy thunderstorm. I had my fair share of thunder storms in Chicago, but this one was a doozy! At one point the thunder clapped so loud that the whole building shook - it sounded like a snare drum going off! It was also freezing now that the heating has been turned off so we curled up on the sofa with a DVD and a couple of duvets!

The next day I went into work with my hostess. She works at the Uvurkhangai Diagnostic center which serves 4/5 aimags, a massive area. People will travel for days to get treatment, often on the back of a horse! It just didn't compare to any of my experiences of hospitals in the UK/Ireland. There were cracks in the floors which were breeding grounds for bacteria, the number of patients and the queuing to see the doctors, the lack of toilets for patients, it was all just a little overwhelming. There is one working defibrilator in the hospital, and only 2 nurses work in the ER - there is no dedicated doctor there. But my friend is doing a lot of good work down there. She is improving the management practices and has applied for a large grant to build a new ER with better facilities. So there is a lot to be done, but progress is being made.

I then went for a walk out across the steppe which was just fantastic. To walk for 10/15 minutes and be literally at the end of the town, looking out across the fields was a great experience and then to just walk out across the endless plains was something I have been needing. I have been feeling very chlaustrophobic in the city and getting some time outside was needed. Because of the rains the grass was growing, the animals were eating and signs of new life were everywhere. It was still raining, sleeting, hailing and windy while I walked, but it blew the cobwebs away.

I attempted in the afternoon to go to the museum, however the power was out, and stayed out for a few hours, so everyone was sent home from work early! Gotta love Mongolia! I had seen some little side cars around attached to motorbikes so I got a ride home in a side car which caused great amusement to all the locals. There aren't many blondes in Arvaikheer so I already stuck out like a sore thumb!

In the evening another volunteer had her nightly soup night which is a great idea and gives volunteers a time to meet, socialise and relax in friendly surroundings. The only rule is you have to bring your own bowl and spoon!

The next morning the beautiful Mongolian blue sky was back in business and I got a good walk in before leaving up to the lookout, then along the ridge of the hills, looking over on one side to arvaikheer and on the other to the wide expanse of countryside.

After my interesting trip across country to Kharkhorum as mentioned in the previous post, I arrived in a much more touristy town. It was smaller than Arvaikheer and built around the ancient remains of Chinggis Khan's capital of his empire. The Capital itself, and Erdene Zuu monastry within are definitely worth a look. But the town itself is a little shabby and not of much note. In fact I had a dreadful time trying to find somewhere to stay. Nothing was open (its a Tuesday and only the very beginning of tourist season) and anywhere that was was too scary for me!!After walking around for a while I found the tourist ger camps and gave in and took a ger for the night.

In actual fact it turned out very well. The camp was right on the bank of the River Orkhon, about 2 km outside the town (yes I did a lot of walking that day!). It was a beautiful area, much nicer than the town, and allowed me to spend the evening walking and then watching the sunset and the stars come out! On the top of a nearby hill there is a map monument showing the old Mongolian empire, which is pretty fascinating. But the main attraction for me was the view down over the valley, absolutely stunning!

Unfortunately I had to come back to UB, but tomorrow I am heading out camping and rafting so there will be more tales I am sure on my return!

A bus journey in Mongolia

A bus journey in Mongolia is an intriguing experience! To many it is purely a method to get from one point to another as efficiently as possible. However in my last few days of travelling around the countryside I have found the bus journeys to be fascinating from the views of the countryside to the people I have met. So here are some thoughts on bus journeys in Mongolia.

Getting onto the bus, getting a seat and having any leg room are all difficult to accomplish, especially if your Mongolian is as bad as mine is! Bus tickets go on sale 24 hours before the bus leaves, but there are sometimes a few seats at the front of the bus that aren't ticketed - these are first come first served before the bus leaves. I ended up in one of these seats, through no skill of my own, but due to a very nice man who grabbed my backpack, pulled me through the crowd and deposited me in the seat next to him. I of course had no clue what was going on, which bus I had been put on or how to pay! It was all absolutely fine and I was safely on my way.

However sometimes the bus driver will allow a few extra people on the bus to stand (for a 6-8 hour bus journey). They go in the aisle, where alot of luggage is stored and try to squeeze a space on a somewhat comfortable spot - I was certainly glad it wasnt me.

The luggage holds seem to be quite small - I certainly have no idea what goes under the bus as most of the luggage I saw was put on the bus - in the overhead bins, under the seat in front or in the aisle. It is all perfectly safe - all my stuff made it to and from Arvaikheer in one piece! It just means that leg room doesn't always exist!

The leaving time is another fluid concept depending on the driver, his friends, the weather, whether the bus is working and how many spare seats there are. I was only 15 minutes late leaving UB, but leaving Kharkhorum the bus left 1 hour late!

Once the bus is on the move the entertainment begins. Of course my companions were very keen to try out their English skills, and ascertain where I was from, what I was doing etc. The fact I was carrying a 10 pack of toilet rolls (for a friend in Arvaikheer) apparently meant I wasn't a tourist so this caused even more interest! Aside from my companions the bus driver likes to play his favourite Mongolian music at full volume as you drive. If you are very lucky you might even get treated to the music videos on a TV screen at the front of the bus. This certainly kept me entertained making up stories for the videos which are full of traditional costumes, green rolling hills and horses. One particular video that stood out was of a military man coming home from his military service and he gallops across the fields on his noble steed, but it was comical because his legs were nearly dragging along the ground, because of the size of the horse (or pony!). When the popular songs come on the whole bus will serenade you with their (off key and out of tune) rendition!

Of course the roads are interesting. Luckily the majority of the roads I was on were paved, but due to the frost there were many potholes ranging in size from a football to the width of the road. Where they were really big the road would be closed and we would have to venture off across country. Some of those paths had nearly as bad potholes and due to the size of the bus we had to go pretty slowly at times

For me the best part of the bus trip was the scenery. Going south to Arvaikheer (and back again) the scenery changed drastically. About an hour outside UB there was suddenly green grass popping up. The hills around UB give way to rolling steppe which is dotted with little white gers, herds of animals and the occasional Stupa! I even passed Mongol Els, the longest sand dunes in Mongolia which was pretty impressive!

Unfortunately due to the dreadful winter the animals in the Uvurkhangai aimag (which was particularly badly hit) were pretty scraggly looking, and a lot of the horses had bones showing. I also passed a lot of dead animals on the side of the roads, some piled up for collection, others lying where they died. It was a very depressing sight, and something which brought home to me the reality of the Dzud, something I have been very removed from.

While I was in Arvaikheer we had our first 2 days of rain in almost 6 months (it cheered me up considerably!) and on the trip back I saw a lot of herders driving their 10's or 100's of animals to the nearest puddle to water them. The herd can include everything from horses, cows, yaks, sheep, goats and even camels! And the babies are all absolutely adorable, especially the baby goats! Due to the rain I even saw some little yellow flowers on the way home - a really exciting event as I have been missing the spring flowers.

Anyway on with the bus trip. Half way through you stop for food at the equivalent of a motorway service station. Now this is Mongolia so it comprises a row of small cafe's or in some cases gers, and each day the bus stops at a different one and herds all the passengers inside. Again this is Mongolia so the conveniences are few and far between. The outhouses usually have only 3 walls, the open one facing the road (of course!) and they are of the long drop variety. But this is a luxury compared to the toilet stops which usually occur in the middle of the flatest field the (male) bus driver can find. There is no consideration of women and we just have to shield ourselves with a draped coat! Lovely!

For all its foibles I really enjoyed my journey to Arvaikheer and back again!

Just as a post script the other form of travel I tried out while on my adventure was the shared car. A lot of the soums are not connected together, but rather the public busses just run to and from UB. I decided to go from Arvaikheer 3 hours across country to Kharkhorum, the ancient capital of Mongolia. This involved turning up at Arvaikheer market and finding a car with a Kharkhorum sign in the window. Drivers who need to travel between the two towns often want passengers to help pay the fuel so they wait in the market until they have enough passengers to make the trip worthwhile. I was lucky, the car I chose was leaving immediately (immediately can mean any time from now to 4 hours time, but this one left there and then) and we only had 4 passengers in the car rather than crushing ourselves in like sardines.

It was a mostly off road adventure, and due to the rains we passed a number of larger trucks stuck deep in the mud which was a little off putting (as were the state of some of the bridges we crossed!). We had the obligatory mid point stop, where my fellow passengers produced the requisite vodka, snuff bottles and chocolate, and polite refusals were not allowed. I did make sure the driver did not have too much vodka!

The "roads" you follow when you go off roads, aren't roads as such, they are dirt tire tracks which I have no idea how the drivers navigate. At one point we were definitely driving in circles with everyone except me giving their opinion on where we should be going. The only tip I have been given is to follow the electricity pylons which connect the towns together. But even this can be hit and miss!

At one point in the journey we did stop to pick up a goat. Not as I would have assumed to put it in the car (I have become acclimatised to this!) but to set it back on its feet. It was merely lying on its side, so I have no idea why we did it, but that is another one of the mysteries of Mongolia!

And then the winds came

The crazy spring weather has continued. Although it is now consistently warm (and it even hit positive 21 on Friday!) over the weekend we had some strong winds which brought with them dust storms. But before we get to that I'll fill you in on what else has been going on in Mongolia.

It has been a quiet week in work. My fundraising proposals for CMTU got submitted and I have two trainings to prepare for in May so that will keep me busy for the next few weeks. At MEA we are still working away on a couple of proposals one for STARS and finalising the funding agreement with Mongol Charity Rallies.

I received my leavers pack this week as I am leaving in 4 months time! It was a bit of a shock to the system but it got me thinking. I have 4 months left (or just under now) and at least 8 weeks of that will be spent travelling/at VSO conference/spending time with Mum. So I have literally 8/10 weeks left at placement! Scary thought.

So I have started work on a couple of fundraising folders. I finish at CMTU at the end of May so I am working on theirs first and it will basically include all my training materials, funding proposals we have written, lists of potential funders and then useful documents and guidelines for fundraising. I will also do one for MEA and also for VSO as I don't think there are going to be many fundraisers here next year. MEA have also committed to hiring a fundraiser locally so I will have to train that person up when they are hired and hopefully they will successfully take over from me.

On Friday I had another random Mongolian experience - when I said I was going to Mongolia our next door neighbours of course happened to know a guy who owned a cashmere factory in Ulaanbaatar. Recently I got in touch with him and when we eventually were both free he invited me out to see his cashmere factory. It was absolutely fascinating, although I still have no idea about what was actually going on most of the time! His cashmere was just fabulous - I am going to have a lot of excess luggage on my way home if I keep visiting cashmere shops!

It was a busy week socially even if it was quiet in work. One of the "house husbands" (husband accompanying a volunteer) has set up an organisation called Mongol Expat which organises activities for expats to network in Ulaanbaatar. He has organised Wednesday night ex pat drinks which is a great opportunity to meet people outside your own group. The people there range from volunteers to miners and missionaries so it is a good group to mix in. And they have organised cheap drinks!! Always a good sell to poor volunteers!

Thursday night I did dinner and a movie swap with another volunteer and then on Friday we headed to the St Georges day party at the British Embassy. The last thing I thought I was going to see in Mongolia was Morris dancing! Accompanied by snacks of steak and kidney pie and mushy peas! It was a good night, if a little strange!

The weekend itself was spent outside enjoying the beautiful weather. On Saturday Mongol Expat had organised a picnic just outside UB on the river Tuul. Unfortunately when we were walking there it was really windy and that kicked up some dust storms. I did not know it was possible to get sand in so many places. It was engrained into my pores, got through my clothes, into my ears and my teeth! Horrible! But once we got to the picnic spot it was pretty sheltered so we avoided the worst of it. The picnic itself was great fun, a good group of people were there, but mostly our regular crowd. Half way through lunch a herd of goats and sheep were driven down to the river by their herders to drink. The baby goats were absolutely adorable!

On Sunday we sadly said goodbye to another volunteer. The wife of our country director has been offered another post in Bangladesh. I am so pleased for her, but sad for us as she has been so welcoming to all volunteers and she is a fabulous cook! And she cooked for us one last time at a barbeque on Sunday. It was pot luck and the food was absolutely fabulous! Some ex pats here can really whip up fab food with very few supplies.

Cashmere Shopping, Protesting and Crazy Spring Weather

I had a lovely weekend last weekend. Sadly Sarah, my flat mate has moved out as we are moving into 2 separate apartments. I will miss living with her, but we will of course see each other very regularly so I am not too worried! And after 10 days living on my own I must say I quite enjoy having my own space.

Aside from that my debating got cancelled (which of course I found out about when I arrived on Saturday morning - the joys of Mongolia!) so I headed up to Zaisan and watched some floor hockey - vicious uni hoc with the goalies wearing scary paint ball masks making them look like bugs! It was a good spectator sport and a good walk from UB for me as well!

In the evening I was invited over to another volunteers apartment where I was fed amazing chocolate brownies and fresh pineapple - what a treat! We played a fab board game called pandemic which I must get my hands on when I get home. It involves collaboration to prevent pandemics spreading around the world - a good volunteer game!

On Sunday I was up early to meet up with some other volunteers to make the most of the nice sunny weather. We walked up the hills around Ulaanbaatar and although I am still very unfit the view from the top is always worth it. It is always great to get out of the main bit of the city and see some of the hills, even if they are still very grey and brown. In fact we got very excited because there was a tree with leaves on it! You can tell how sick we are of winter at this stage. Saying that I did get slightly sunburnt so that will teach me!

In the afternoon me and some other female volunteers headed out to the factory shops to check out the cashmere! Mongolia is not well known for its cashmere as most of it is sold to China before it is made into products. However Mongolian cashmere can be very high quality and it certainly feels very lovely. I have spotted a fabulous blue pashmina I fancy so I will have to save up for that!

SO a busy weekend left me pretty shattered for the week! But of course it was a busy week in work too. As I mentioned last week CMTU held a rally on Wednesday and although the event itself was a little anticlimactic as I hadnt a clue what was going on as everything was in Mongolian, it was very exciting to see the background to a rally. To see the steps that trade unions carry out before they can protest, how they are organised and what challenges there are was an experience! Of course this meant I got no work done last week as everyone was distracted by preparations for the rally.

Another good week at MEA as well. A long with bringing Go help, the new funders for our book ger, to see the ger which was a lovely trip I finally got our first newsletter published. When I first arrived at MEA 2 of the things I thought I would be able to get organised easily were updates to the website and a newsletter. 6 months later, after 2 months of work on it, we have our first newsletter. We are still working on the website. The things you think will be the quickest can take forever in Mongolia! But this is one more of the things I had been asked to carry out in my job description, and there are only a few more things I need to do!

As I mentioned last weekend we had fabulous weather, in a complete about turn my weekend visit to Arvaikheer had to be cancelled due to crazy snow storm in the south. It is a real shame as I am not sure if I will be able to fit in another visit. Fingers crossed I will manage a quick weekend trip before I have to leave. Of course because the visit was cancelled I ended up not taking the time off and just spending the weekend relaxing. 2 coffee appointments on Saturday (one that lasted over 5 hours and ended with us being kicked out of the coffee house at closing time!) and a day of chores on Sunday.

I got some great news yesterday - my Mum has decided she is brave enough to come and visit me on her own in June. I am really looking forward to seeing her and have started the itinerary plans already - with only 6 days there is a lot to pack in!

Protests, basket ball games and flights home

Last week was a very good week!! We had out meeting about the funding we are getting and everyone is very happy and we are going to do a tour of the book ger on Monday with them to show them the place. There are still a lot of details to work out but it is all looking promising. If you have a look at my lost post you can have a quick look at our book ger project on You tube.

I am still enjoying my CMTU work but struggling to understand what it is they want to achieve from my placement other than fundraising proposals. There will be a lot of excitement next week as they are holding a rally/protest which VSO have said I cannot attend but I can watch from the window - I am rather excited at even that prospect!

On Friday night I was invited to watch on of Mongolia's favourite sports - Basketball. They were pretty good (they were the professional teams so the equivalent of the NBA in the US) bt much scrawnier than the US players but some were pretty tall! They also have no changing rooms so me and other girl in our group got quite an eyeful as they changed in the stands! I think I shall be returning!

Aside from that my debaters are doing well and we held a balloon debate (thanks Mum for the idea!) which went really well and I think they are fetting the idea about arguments. We have 2 competitions coming up - one an internal one and one with other English speaking schools so fingers crossed they won't feel too underprepared!

Last weekend we had some nice weather so I took a short walk on Saturday down the banks of the river Tuul. It isn't the most picturesque place as there is a lot of litter and building work on one side, but I got a look at the hills at that end of town and I am thinking I might try and head up one this weekend.

Unfortunately from Sunday onwards I was ill again - unfortunately my body doesn't really like the Mongolian weather so I came down with blocked sinuses this time round. I was pretty miserable for a few days and missed 3 days of work. I am on the mend now thanks to Mum's skype diagnosis and the use of some of my antibiotic stash!

It was a weird week as well because VSO UK have booked my flight home for September 3rd which is less than 5 months away now. It is strange to think I will actually have to come home and go back to uni and a "proper" job! I will miss Mongolia but I certainly couldn't do another winter. Today we got a feeling of what the summer will be like as it was sunny and warm at lunchtime and myself and my colleague went and sat outside in the sunshine and just enjoyed ourselves. I am really looking forward to my last few months here and hoping beyond all hope that it warms up properly soon!

TV Show

For those of you who are interested a local English TV channel made a 30 minute show about my organisation - the Mongolian education Alliance.
click here
It is episode 7 and hopefully will give you an idea of some of the projects I am working on out here.

Easter Celebrations

This week was the first week of me being properly part time at both MEA and CMTU. Of course it was a busy week as it started with an 8 hour training on fundraising for CMTU. This was not my cleverest idea! Anyone who has ever had to talk for 8 hours straight will understand that you are not only sick of the sound of your own voice but so is everyone else! It was an exhausting day but apparently they found it useful which is what is important. My poor counterpart who was my interpreter was also exhausted so when my boss sugested another training the following week we both said no!!

Aside from that I have finally had some proposal success! From my second month here I have been working with a particular organisation to get some funding from them. Its a UK based organisation with a great Mongolian girl working here. It is finally all coming together and they have provisionally said they will fund our book ger project! As a fundraiser it feels good to have actually achieved some funding! We are also through to the second round of a competition for 100,000 GBP - down from 193 to 40 applicants so fingers crossed!

I had a good weekend for the most part. I found a group having a Good Friday church service so I headed over and it was a lovely service, just what I needed. However on the way back I somehow managed to lose my purse. Im really annoyed with myself that I let it happen - I think I have been here almost 6 months and had just gotten complacent. I have lost the cash but got the rest of it back (for a "finders fee") which is a relief but of course still had to cancel the cards.

Aside from that I had debate club again on Saturday and as we were having a speech competition we decided to have a social afternoon with snacks and a DVD. I brought the DVD - Amazing Grace and it was a good afternoon, even if they may not have understood the whole movie!! The kids are improving, so hopefully with a few more weeks we can teach them how to make arguments and how to think critically. After debate club I had dinner out at a great local restaurant with great steaks with another volunteer.

Easter Sunday was a great day as I completed my lent without chocolate and got stuck into the easter eggs sent from home! Never has a mini creme egg tasted so good! Another expat had an Easter Brunch which was amazing! She had made enough food to feed a small army including Quiche and Apple pies from scratch as well as painted eggs and lots of cheese. It was a really nice lunch and a good group of people so a nice way to spend Easter Sunday, but it obviously didn't compare to Easter Sunday at home! Biggest difference was unexpected - no flowers in church! Of course everything is still frozen here and there are no flowers, but I still expected them to be there!

It looks like there might not be any more weekend expeditions for a while as we are in for some yucky Spring weather coming through. Contrary to our mistaken belief that we had survived the worst weather in Mongolia, Spring is worse! Sand storms, winds, unpredictable weather and of course the floods as UB has no drainage. Looks like it is about to arrive!

Also during Spring time it is warm enough to stand outside all day so the protests and demonstrations start. Most of them are peaceful but occasionally they bring out the riot police! My new work place is right beside Sukhbaatar square where they all protest which gives me a nice safe vantage point from which to watch - and my new employers are usually involved!

Mongolia is melting

Back to regular service!

Now it is warming up we are trying to make the most of it before the nasty spring wind and sand storms start up. So last weekend after my debating club class I headed out to the local monastery in Ulaanbaatar - Gandan Monastery. It is just outside the city center and is a spot of tranquility in a noisy busy city. I didn't go inside as there didn't seem to be any members of the public going into the temple, only the lamas. But the temples were beautiful from the outside as were the prayer wheels and the other monument things. There were a lot of people trying to sell you seeds to feed the birds - but there were absolutely tons of people buying them so I didn't feel like I was starving the poor birds. It was a nice walk out there and I can see myself going out there again when I need some peace and quiet.

I decided to be brave and on the way back went to the hairdressers. Although the receptionist spoke decent English and was able to translate for me, I still ended up looking like a 1950's house wife! They started back combing and even thought I tried to stop it they just kept going! Luckily once I washed it myself, blow dried it and straightened it it was ok. I'm still not convince yet though!

I had a quiet Sunday just doing stuff around the apartment and then heading to church, because I went part time last week. I was working from home for CMTU last week because I was doing an 8 hour training this week. It allowed me to get a lot of stuff done and to have 2 quieter days which was much appreciated! It was great in terms of work at MEA as it condensed what I am doing and means people have to concentrate on what they want me to do on the days I am there.

The weekend just gone was extremely busy because of the beautiful weather. I started it off by doing my first debate class on public speaking techniques. It seemed to go well and they seemed to take on board what I was saying. It was also helpful as it seemed to make the kids more comfortable talking to me which is great as I would love to learn more about Mongolia through them. We are struggling to teach them critical thinking as they don't seem to be able to construct effective arguments. We are not sure what we are going to do, but hopefully we will find some divine inspiration!

After debate club I headed to Choijin Lama monastery which is a museum where you can walk through all the temples without worrying about offending anyone. It was very beautiful (although very repetitive!) but there were a couple of rather disturbing temples full of pictures of dismemberment, people being pulled about and rather graphic sex images!! I hadn't labelled buddism as a violent religion, but it must have been in the past in Mongolia! But it is well worth a visit.

I got up early on Sunday and with Melinda who was up visiting from Arvaikheer I went for a walk in the hills around UB. Another volunteer had told me that you could take the number 18 bus out to the end of the line and you arrive at the end of a ger district. So off we headed. After a few false starts we eventually made it to the end of the line and we headed off up a hill! Due to the extreme cold all winter I haven't been getting out much and I am ridiculously unfit! But we stopped half way up at an ovoo and then made it to the top eventually. It was well worth it as once you reach the top of the hill you are looking out over the hills around Mongolia - it is just empty hills and scenery. It was a lovely 1.5 hour walk although it is still a little bleak. It will be absolutely beautiful in the summer. It is great to know that there are good walks close by UB - I will be making the most of it when the weather is good.

So we headed back into UB and out to a late lunch with some other volunteers. This was then followed by a trip to Swan lake the ballet. the ballet and the opera are on every week in UB and Swan lake was absolutely beautiful and the dancers were mostly fantastic. The only thing that was irritating were the unsupervised children who talked all through it. Apparently this is just how things are done here!

So after a busy weekend I headed into a crazy busy week with an 8 hour fundraising training on the Monday and part time hours the rest of the week!

A public service announcement

Hopefully you have all see the news reports on the BBC and heard of the appeal the red cross is having right now to try and help the hundreds and thousands of herders in Mongolia cope with the awful winter we have been having. This weather phenomenon is called a dzud and it refers to an extremely cold winter with lots of snow that follows on from a very dry summer meaning there is very little fodder available. This results in animals dying and because the herders rely on their animals for food and to make money there are now people as well as animals starving.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8592408.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8593302.stm


Although it is now warming up its currently around freezing most days. This actually isnt a good thing necessarily because when there is the extreme cold there is no snow, something you don't always realise is it can be too cold for snow to form. Now we are getting a lot more snow and this is leading to more problems for these families.

It is easy for us to forget about this in UB where we still have plenty of food and the snow gets blown away pretty quick and we have lots of central heating. But we are starting to see the signs here too - it started with prices going up for basic foods like potatoes. Now the meat that is on sale is looking pretty scrawny and isn't too tasty. None of this obviously compares to the devastation occuring in the countryside, but it starts to make life for those in the city living on ridiculously low wages more difficult as well.

A quiet few weeks..........

Well I have been back from Khuvsgul for 3 weeks now and I am only just getting over the post holiday blues!! So whats been going on in Mongolia over the last 3 weeks?

Well most importantly the weather is warming up! This has created even more chaos than the cold. Ulaanbaatar has a population of 1.5 million, is one of the driest cities in the world, but right now there is loads of ice and snow on the streets, but there is no drainage! So as you can imagine when it starts to warm up everything melts but cannot go anywhere as there is no drainage and ridiculously little green space, so it all just lies on the road. At the minute the temperature is fluctuating between low negative temperatures and very cold temperatures - this means the ice melts, it then creates puddles and then re freezes creating an ice rink effect!! But on the plus side we have seriously cut down on the layers and today it actually got above freezing for the first time since I arrived.

Things are still going well in work. I am really enjoying the Engish debating club - there are between 15 and 20 incredibly smart high school students who have great English levels. So last week I had my first class and we discussed child labour which was really interesting as they shared their views, and I took the role of devils advocate and challenged their views. There were only about 5 who actively participated but if I can even help them learn critical thinking that will be a huge achievement!

As of next week I am going part time at MEA and will be working part time at the Confederation of Mongolian Trade Unions (CMTU) doing fund-raising but they also have a legal advocacy and a legal advice service so I am hoping I can even just observe those activities. So I will be working with them for the next 2 months which will be great - and nice to be learning more about Mongolia than me just staying at MEA. I am very excited.

There have also been some developments in terms of APDC and the possibility of some work in the countryside offices as well as in UB which would be fabulous.

We have had a few more leavers in the last few weeks which is always sad but hopefully they are going on to bigger and better things. We have also had a VSO program review for all the program areas (health, education, secure livelihoods and national volunteers) which has meant all the volunteers from the countryside have been in UB. It has been great to catch up with everyone and hear what they have been working on. It is also a great way to share skills and discuss issues we may be having within the program. So we have also had quite a few dinners out. We had one of the Arvaikheer volunteers staying with us which was also great to catch up with her and she will return the favour when I hopefully go down for a weekend next month.

Ice Festival

On Friday 20th March we headed 26 hours north of Ulaanbaatar to Khuvsgul lake in a small Russian minivan which had heating that didnt work! Half way there we ended up in a snow drift in a ditch, and we had to push the van out of the ditch hoping at all points in time it wouldn't tip over! Eventually we got it out with all of us in one piece and we headed on. One of the 3 vans we were travelling with had some serious mechanical issues so we kept having to stop, and at one point we stopped to pick up bits that were falling off the van! Suffice to say it was a long and tiring journey but we made it in one piece.

The ice festival is a traditional Mongolian festival on the second largest lake in Mongolia, aimed at local Mongolians, so the number of tourists here were much fewer. We stayed in a local tourist ger camp which had a sauna and lovely people who came in during the night to keep out gers warm. Thank goodness because it hit -46 one night when we were there. Our "bathroom" (hole in the ground) was about 1/2 a km a way up a hill which was not fun in the middle of the night, with yows (yak/cow cross breeds) running around! We had a kitchen and a dining hall where I proceeded to melt my coat at every opportunity. My coat is now more duct tape than material but it made it through the trip thank goodness!

The day after we arrived we had a day off and went walking in the hills around the camp and went horse sledding in one horse open sleighs! We also had a short visit to the local tourist center where we saw taditional Mongolian skis and shaman paraphenalia as well as visiting the local shaman at his ger.

The next two days were the actual ice festival which involved a multitude of activities including sliding on an ice sculpture of a slide, ice crashing - throwing 2 bits of ice at each other, stone throwing - throwing a stone at small targets 200 feet away, rope pulling - tug of war on ice, horse sled races and ice skating marathon. We also managed to get to see the baby reindeers which had come down from even further North! There were also some great little stalls selling local products which we of course felt obliged to spend money at!

In the evenings they had an ice bar and a bonfire with a shaman ceremony. It was possibly the least safe bonfire I have ever been to with us all crowding round the pile of rocks which had been thoroughly doused with many liters, possibly gallons of lighter fluid. It was then lit with much ceremony before proceeding to fall over! No health and Safety there! There was then dancing and competitions held by fire light which was a lovely way to spend an evening.

The ice festival was just crazy and it was absolutely freezing. We must have worn about 10 layers on each half of our body every day. There was no running water and we just wore the same clothes for the whole week. And of course we were also staying in felt tents which got pretty cold at night if the fire went out. Luckily our fire stokers were pretty good at keeping it warm enough.

On the last day we went horse riding round the hills about the camp. It was great fun and we saw some lovely views out across the lake and just riding through the trees.

And then we were back into the van for the long drive back. On the way back we were much less tired and so we had time to appreciate the fantastic scenery which was just amazing! We stopped at some reindeer stones which are: Deer stones are Mongolian ancient megaliths carved with symbols. The name comes from their carved depictions of flying deer. Their purpose and creators are unknown. Archaeologists have found around 500 deer stones around Mongolia. They were created during the bronze age (courtesy of wikipedia!). When we stopped at the reindeer stones we were immediately distracted by the massive herd of yak that were grazing nearby with their herder. It was a true Mongolian picture post card view.

So I am now back in UB, defrosted and back at work. We have 13 new volunteer arrivals from all over the world and they have kept us busy between showing them around town, going out for dinner, trip to Terelj and generally enjoying having some new blood in our UB group!

Aside from new volunteers I am back at work and things are looking up. I am going to be going part time with MEA and part time with another VSO organisation, posibly a trade union or an association for parents of disabled children. I am still doing some really interesting stuff with MEA, one of which is organising a teacher exchange between Mongolia and the UK, and also with Methody setting up some form of English debating program in the UK and Mongolia! On top of that I have more proposals being done, I held a full day workshop on fundraising strategy and still doing English lessons!

Eagle Festival

On the day after Tsaagan Tsar there is a day of rest to recover from the over indulgence of the two previous days and to digest the humungous amounts of food and to prevent everyone turning up to work with a hangover! I took the chance to go skiing in the morning to work off my calories and to refuel in the evening with a pancake party to celebrate pancake Tuesday!

On the following day I took the day off to attend an Eagle festival near Ulaanbaatar. The traditional Eagle festival is held in Bayan Ulgii, in the Altai Mountains where the Kazakh people who hunt with eagles for their livelihood live. This eagle festival is a tourist festival put on purely to attract tourists for UB. However the eagles, hunters and horses are all brought down from the Bayan Ulgii region, which is 3 days drive away, and so it was an opportunity not to be missed. We took the free bus from the city center to the national park which is about 20 minutes from UB.

When we arrived we were immediately drawn to the first Eagle we saw and we all paid to hold it. It was extremely heavy and very scary to get that close to its huge claws! Eventually the festival began with the parade of the hunters on their horses carrying their eagles. Then we had the judging of the hunters, eagles and dress. THis is apparently an integral part of any traditional Mongolian festival.



THen we got on to the good stuff! The activities began with the eagles at the top of the hill and their hunter at the bottom of the hill with an animal tail on a string. The hunter has to call their animal and get it to "catch" the animal tail. Then we progressed to the eagles landing on their hunters arm. THis was hilarious as the Eagles really didnt see the point of this activity and most refused to participate so the hunters rode up and down the field making funny noises while the Eagle watched disdainfully!!

Then the eagles got a rest and the animal rights people had to leave. It was time for goat pulling. THis event involved 2 men on horses taking one end of a goat carcass each and pulling until the other person lets go. It was absolutely hilarious, and really dangerous because they would just plow through the crowd in their attempts to unseat the other rider.

Then the piece de resistance - the live bait! Apparently the weather wasnt right to use foxes so rabbits were set free and two eagles had to race to get to the rabbit first. The poor rabbits didn't have a chance as the lazy eagles just had to swoop on them and they were done for. It was a little macabre but it is their way of life and how they live and hunt in the wild. Of course this would never be allowed in the UK or the US.

Tsaagan Tsar

Apologies if this post isn't terribly coherent - I have had a lot of vodka, Airag (femented mares milk)and Buuz so feeling a little sick!
Yesterday Tsaagan Tsar started. Tsaagan Tsar is The Mongolian new year which falls at a similar time to the Chinese new year. For the two weeks before hand families make thousands of Buuz (meat dumplings)to feed all the visitors. The protocol is on the first day (Sunday) you visit your family members from oldest to youngest. On the second day you visit friends and relatives. So yesterday was a quiet day for me as everything was closed. But today I was invited to 2 colleagues houses, so I donned my Deel and headed out this morning. When you arrive at the house the oldest person sits at the head of the table and you greet them first saying Amar Bainuu and hand them some money. They great you by sniffing each side of your face (kind of like the European air kisses). Then you sit down at the table which has a mound of biscuits and either the back of a sheep or the chest of a cow on a slab on the table. As a guest it is your job to eat all the food that comes across the table - Salad, buuz, sweets and chocolate. It is a massive amount of food.

The first house I went to was my counter part Burnee, and her family. One of my other colleagues had agreed to meet me and take me around the houses to show me what to do. Burnee has two young daughters who entertained us with dancing while we were waiting to eat. THey were very aware that I was a foreigner and had made me Buuz without extra oil and didn't press too much SuudeTsai on me. But I was expected to eat a lot! They also had the fermented mares milk which I hadn't had before - definitely not one of my favourite Mongolian dishes!

THe second house I went to was my organisations directors house. She had a much larger house and a larger family. Unfortunately here they had extra oil in all the Buuz and a lot of vodka! She has a lovely family with older children, in their late 20's so it was great to meet them as well, and to have a lot of English conversation.

This week in work has been an interesting one as I have managed to get VSO and MEA to agree to let me go part time at work. Hopefully this should mean I feel more fulfilled and achieve more in the 3 days i am at MEA. The plan is that I work the other 2 days at another VSO partner organisation so we shall see what comes up.
Aside from that is was a quiet week as everyone was preparing for Tsaagan Tsar this weekend. This also meant we got a half day on Friday - which I hadn't been told about - surprise surprise!

Anyway Friday night was a pizza party as usual and on Saturday Sarah had some people round for lunch which was great and they ended up staying half the night!!

You probably wont here from me for the next 2 weeks as I have a lot going on. This week I am skiing tomorrow, having a pancake party in the evening, going to an eagle festival on Wednesday, doing a fundraising strategy on Thursday and then leaving for the Khuvsgul ice festival on Friday evening. I can't wait - it is going to be a great two weeks!