Sometimes plans do not always work out. That was the case on our final research trip to Ikh Bogd. I had planned many activities but weather, health and the nomadic lifestyle of the people I was researching were all against us this time. As we slowly climbed the steep rocky tracks into the mountains we should have taken heed of the warning signs. First we passed the door of a Russian jeep hanging from a pile of rocks at the edge of a steep precipice. Then we caught up with another Russian jeep just as it belched out a dying plume of black smoke. It was loaded floor to ceiling with components of a summer ger, with stove and other parts hanging off the roof and back of the car. In the front seats were 5,
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