Horses, camels, cows/yaks, goats and sheep
By Rachel My job at the Children’s Palace ended several weeks ago, and my volunteer work for the Mongolian Education Alliance has gradually faded away. I ended my Mongolian lessons in early May, before our Gobi trip. So all my organized activities are gone – baiquay, as the Mongolians would say. So what does this […]
Continue ReadingBy Charlie Wednesday, May 31 was cold and rainy in UB. Rachel and I went to the gym in the late morning and then enjoyed lunch at our favorite ex-pat watering hole. As the lattes arrived, we saw a horde of alpha-humans charging through the courtyard of the monastery/museum across the street. Each team of […]
Continue ReadingBy Charlie You will forgive the Five Snouts for becoming jaded. After nine months of vigorous snouting, our snouts are perhaps a little dry. Whether it be the constant wonder of this place or the profound wrongness, it is our reality and our routine. It is just not as interesting as it used to be. […]
Continue ReadingBy Charlie In order to counterbalance the bitter posting below, here’s something happier. It is a note that I sent this evening to the Luce Scholars who will spend two weeks in Mongolia this July. Have you ever wondered what it might be like to drive around Mongolia for two weeks? This note will give […]
Continue ReadingBy Charlie Readers of The Five Snout Daily will recall that Tuesdays are never good. And this Tuesday is no exception. Any Mongolian will tell you that Tuesday is “not a good day.” There’s no real explanation that is given or needed. It’s just not a good day. So far, nothing especially bad has happened. […]
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By Rachel Since the weather has warmed up there has been a lot more activity in the streets around our building. Hopscotch games. Singing from the police station. General hanging out. Lightning has had puppies, but we haven’t found where she is hiding them yet. Last week we found this graffiti near our front door. […]
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By Rachel Now it was time for some special time with Doug and Georgine. We visited the Antiques Market and an Art Museum. We ate many tasty meals, including two at a Uigher place down the street from out hostel where the food was delicious and cheap and our table got so big it stretched […]
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By Rachel We were ready at the train station at 7:30, and hopped aboard train 23 for Beijing. This was pretty much the same train Charlie and I took in the fall, except this time we were in the half-lux cabins with four beds each. The ride was uneventful except for the three friends we […]
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By Rachel Today it is raining. Not a shower, but a real heavy rain. We’ve been in northern Mongolian for the past few days and the rain started about 200 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar. The drive home was beautiful, through the green and greener fields. The Mongolian we were traveling with kept saying how happy he […]
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By Rachel We took two days to get back to Ulaanbaatar, and stopped the first morning at a sand dune. Only about 3% of the Gobi is covered with sand, so this spot was very cool. Later, we needed to buy gas in Mandal-Ovoo. This teeming metropolis had plenty of gas, but the pumps weren’t […]
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