Blogs from Barnaul, Siberia, Russia, Europe

Definitions: gol -mongolian for river, nuur -Mongolian for lake, aimag -a mongolian state or province, asalam aleykhem -Kazakh for peace be with you. The Bohmoron Gol drains several lakes high in the boundary ranges which seperate Russia from Mongolia. It then flows through a large, wide (50 km +), rocky valley rimmed with 4000 m + peaks before dumping heavily turbid water into broad, shallow Achit Nuur. Along this course, the river devides Uvs aimag to the northeast from Bayan-Olgii aimag, the western most political division in the country. In dividing the two aimags, the mighty Bohmoron also divides two distinctly different cultures. On the Uvs side, the virtually plantless, rocky plains are occupied by a mostly Kalkh Mongol population, who ethnically make up roughly 90 percent of all Mongolian citizens. Two days drive over high, ... read more

(pictures will be posted later) I thoroughly enjoyed our Russian ceremony and reception, although admittedly, preparing for it may not have always been bliss. The idea of a wedding is pretty much the same in any countries so I won't go on and on about first we did this, then we did that, next we did that...but instead I'll elaborate on a few of the peculiarities. The Bride: First off, I must say my bride-to-be was really stunning. There's something so beautiful about a woman all beautified (to use her words), in a white dress, and flush with attention, but when it's your bride to be, I can now say from first hand experience it does set you back a step or two. Wedding Palaces: In Russia you can be wed in a church or a ... read more