Ger Life

Ger Life

Asia » Mongolia » Dornogovi
July 26th 2017

Published: August 13th 2017

After having such an amazing time working on a volcano in Nicaragua last year I thought I’d check out what other expeditions were on offer from the same volunteer charity, Earthwatch. After a perusal of all the exciting locations I decided I fancied a trip to the wilds of Mongolia, well why not. What did I know about Mongolia? Not a lot, mostly Genghis Khan (actually it’s Chinggis), horses an... Read Full Entry

Photos are below

Photos: 96, Displayed: 21

Rock art

Buddhist writing appears on some of the rocks

Snake!

At last I found a snake hiding in the rocks, I was assured this wasn't the poisonous viper, phew.

Vulture babysitting

The black blob at the top is a vulture looking after its baby.

Great geology

Rocks, so many rocks...

It's so wild

Sanbano!

An elusive Argali Sheep (Ovis ammon), female I think, pops its head over to say hello. They don't like to get too close.

More ponies

I like the ponies!

Nice to find some trees

There aren't too many and when you do find some they often have a vulture nesting in them.

Pika found!

After days of Mongolian Pika (Ochotona pallasi) hunting, one was finally caught in the traps. I was starting to think they were not real.

And a Gerbil to add to the small mammals collection

I'm not sure what type of gerbil, could be a Mongolian Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus). I could start a pet shop.

After the rains...

I had to go back and check my handiwork, it looks like my dam worked. After the rain storm you can see some sediment build up, this helps stop soil erosion. Mongolia, you are welcome.

Ibex ahoy!

Siberian Ibex (Capra sibirica). Like the Argali, they don't like to get too close.

Dumplings for dinner!

We all pitched in and I am pleased to announce I won the Ikh Nart Amateur Dumpling Folding Challenge, beating the USA into second place, a proud day for Britain.

The delicious Khuushuur dumplings we made

Note the less perfect one at the front was clearly made by non-Mongolians

Goodbye to Ihk Nart

The weather gave us a dramatic farewell to our time in nature reserve.

Abandoned Soviet Missile bases are to be found in the wilds of Mongolia

Shevi Gobi town

Not a lot there although they do have a couple of karaoke bars, civilisation.

We were in NX HAPT if you are wondering

Yaks!

Grazing in the beautiful Gorkhi-Terelj National Park close to UB. Stunning scenery and a place to go pony riding.

Turtle Rock

Or "Melkhii Khad" if you speak the language. I think you can work out why it is called that.

Terelj Monastery

Positioned high on a hillside, lots of steps to prove climb but worth it for the views.

29th August 2017

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Volunteering again
Good for you for picking some great locations. Mongolia is on my short list so I truly enjoyed reading this one. Great stuff. Will continue to follow along. MJ

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