Updates, Part 1

Wow.
So we are once again behind on the blog.

What to say on where we are at right now? Things move quickly. One moment you are in Mongolia, rolling over rocky terrain for hours on end, and the next you are in the middle of Kazakhstan.

I don't want to skim over things too quickly, so here's my best.

Mongolia was an interesting country. We did not know what to expect. More than anything else I think that Mongolia was a learning experience. I personally have never travelled in a country that has so little infrastructure (ie. Paved roads, permanent bridges, etc.) We had great times camping and trekking out at Mongolia's reknowned Khovsgol Lake, but to get there it took at least 2 days, part of which included a 14+ hours ride in a Russian Jeep that should seat 12, but somehow carried at least 18 of us...the other part was a 12 hour night train. The terrain can be very harsh. Roads are dirt paths cut into rocky soil by jeeps and other large vehicles.

The harsh land and weather is also at the root of their limited fresh produce. A short summer season means no fruit trees of any kind, and vegetables are limited to anything that grows under the earth...oninons, garlic, beets, potatoes. There were lots of tomatoes and cucumbers at the market, but an expat I met said she was convinced that those were all imported from China. Importing is key in Mongolia. Just about everything at the supermarkets are brought in from elsewhere. Chocolate from the US, soup mixes from Russia, beer from Korea. They do however make their own Vodka...and they love their Vodka. This is most obvious by the hundreds of bottles that litter the streets and countryside. They also love their meat...obvious by the immense herds of sheep and yaks found all across the countryside, as well as the amount of BONES that litter every few feet of land. Femurs, skulls, you name it, we probably found it.

In all we had a good time in Mongolia, but I think the harsh traveling really took it out of us. If you want to travel comfortably, or the closest thing to comfortable, it will cost you as the best option is renting your own jeep and driver. Local transport is just plain painful. Thinking back, it could possibly be worth that cost. Also, the people can be quite hard, possibly because their land and weather is just that. They are somewhere in between hospitable and every-man-for-himself, which makes sense if you think that the Nomads probably need to balance looking out for their own families, but also relying on the help of their closest neighbors in times of need.

I don't even know if I should touch on how Communism affected the country because I probably won't do it justice. Matt is much better at that. What I can say is that Mongolia is a country that has changed very quickly in the last 10 to 15 years...almost too quickly...and it is pushing forward. The problem is they might be pushing in the wrong direction. Their lack of infrastructure seems to indicate that government money might not be ending up where it should (ie. proper health care for everyone, proper highways, bridges, agricultural advancments). One tourist we met argued that perhaps there was a bit too much Jingiz Khan worship going on with all the foreign cash that was flowing in. Mongolians love Jingiz Khan and they extol him with monuments, statues, vodka brand and hotel names. Just outside the capital his face is imortalized into the side of a mountain with large white rocks. This structure, which one can see for miles, cost the country 2 million dollars! And on top of that, they plan on building a new monument soon made of steel, standing 40 feet tall on top of another nearby mountain. One must wonder how much this sort of Mania is costing the country in other areas.

But I digress.
Mongolia was definately an eye opener. I was glad to experience it, but also in truth, i'm glad that it's done.

Internet time is almost up.
Russia will have to wait until next time.

Martine.