Horses, camels, cows/yaks, goats and sheep
by Rachel On Thursday we attended a very special event. Our friend Jimmy, here teaching journalism as a Knight fellow, had his portrait painted. The unveiling was held in Nasaa’s studio. The room was full of her other paintings, bottles of wine, French snacks, bankers, ambassadors, friends, and babies. It was a salon like only […]
Continue ReadingBy Charlie I had a lunch meeting on Wednesday with Ariunbat, the director of Mongolian National Television and a team of Mongolians that he likes to call his consulting group. Before I proceed to have a little fun with Ariunbat, I should say that he and his consulting group face an impossible task. They need […]
Continue Reading
By Charlie Dalanzadgad is a town of about 16,000 people in the South Gobi. It feels like the edge of the earth. Aside from dust and stray dogs, Dalanzadgad has one of the strongest and most important civic institutions in Mongolia. The voice of the Gobi comes from Dalanzadgad. It is called the Gobi Wave […]
Continue Reading
by Rachel About a month ago we went to the Gobi. We went with the Asia Foundation Rep, Bill, to visit the Gobi Wave radio station and to meet with an environmentalist based there. The Gobi is huge, It covers about a third of Mongolia, but only about 3% is covered with sand. The rest […]
Continue Reading
By Charlie “Charlie, I had a heart attack.” So says the famous Moogii, whom loyal readers may remember as my AK-47 toting former translator. Moogii is in her early 30s and not exactly a high risk heart patient. Moogii called me this morning to ask if I had forgotten about her. “No,” I said. “I’ve […]
Continue ReadingBy Charlie Walk down the street in Phnom Penh and you’ll see the regular collection of characters: Guys with motorcycles who will give you a ride anywhere in the city for a dollar. Several generations of women playing with a baby on a mat. A blind old man playing a traditional fiddle as he is […]
Continue Reading
by Rachel Our tuk tuk driver, Mr. Sopha took us around, waited patiently, made good suggestions and was the only person in Siem Reap who did not try to sell us something extra. I met this friendly frog in the swimming pool at our hotel. We took refuge there during the hottest part of the […]
Continue Reading
By Rachel At Angkor Wat, you are constantly aware that you are not in the United States. Clues include the elephants, the heat, the flowers, the motorcycles, not to mention being surrounded by Asian people. But for me, it was the steps. Angkor Wat is full of steps that were seemingly built for people with […]
Continue Reading