Emergency buuz and other desperate measures
Buuz is one of Mongolia’s most favourite and common foods. These steamed mutton dumplings are common fare for all Mongolians, and probably the nando’s equivalent for Mongolians who live overseas.
Yet personally, I don’t really like buuz. It’s edible, in fact it’s a lot better than some of the other country-specific cuisines out there (namely assida in Sudan, still the worst food I have ever had the displeasure of eating!), but after one or two my stomach reminds me that this stodgy overload of dripping mutton fat is not so good for the system or the tastebuds.
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Real adventures can’t be blogged from an Iphone
see the whole flickr set here
I learned this week that cats really are smarter than dogs- you won’t get 6 cats to pull a sled through thick snow and ice with yours-truly lurching around on the back.
After spending two days sledding along the Terelj river with a group of friends I still can’t describe the thrill and sensation of being pulled by six of man’s best friends- their paws scratching for traction into the icey river bed, their tongues and tails wagging in the sub-zero air, and their eager yelps and howls when our convoy would halt for a snack stop.
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10 ‘must do’ experiences in Ulaanbaatar
While I’m dreaming of travel far far away to a sunny beach and fresh coconut in hand, travellers who intend on coming to Mongolia in 2009 should consider these ‘must do’ authentic experiences while in UB -
1. Pick up a bargain at Narantuul the black market only to have your savings pickpocketed 10 minutes later
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Good morning Ulaanbaatar
I took my camera with me on my way to work this morning…
see the whole set here on flickr
Fishing in Mongolia
Ok I dragged these photos out of archive (from October). I took my family on one of the most amazing holidays I’ve ever had. As well as 4×4 driving, hot springs, horseriding and general wandering through the splendid Mongolian countryside, our great guide and driver took us fishing as well. This was one of the few goals I had for my time here and now I can happily tick that box with some great memories, especially with my folks sharing the experience as well.
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the coldest
би
Last week I spent 5 days in Sukhbaatar Aimag which is southeast of UB and very flat, it’s also usually much warmer than the rest of the country (as it’s lower in altitude, and borders China). Our public health workshops went well in the aimag capital of Baruun Urt, in fact so well that we finished early on the third day and our courageous team of doctors (and this Australian volunteer) went off the radar by 250 kilometres to visit the very auspicious location of Shiliin Bogd Mountain and its surrounding area. I wasn’t so sure what was happening so I just went with the flow, which is the best thing to do when the situation is out of your control (a lesson that a certain VSO could have learnt before giving her presentation at the workshop – which is a tale best left for another time).
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president enkhbayar of mongolia
I shot my first president today. pretty exciting stuff! It’s not the best photo in the world, but the best i could do before one of his body guards wiggled an index finger at me – the other hand was tucked away in his coat…!
also i’ve updated my photogalleries on my website, some different photos to flickr etc can be found here.
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Mongolian National Wrestling – grand final bout!
After 5 hours of wrestling the grand final feel like an anticlimax, especially as the crowd was moving towards the door as the final challenger was being thrown. I couldn’t help but think blacker would be awesome at this!
Also uploaded are better photos of the event with exclusive backstage access, check out the flickr set here (as usual, join flickr and comment/fav!)
A Mongolian joke
An international consultant is travelling to a project site in a far flung corner of the country. With a brand new Landcruiser, laptop, sat phone and hi tech equipment he travels across the country to his destination.
At dusk he remembers that he’s forgotten to bring food and comes across a herder with his goats and sheep. “Let us make a wager,” he says to the herdsman “if I can tell you exactly how many sheep and goats you have, you must give me one of your goats.” The herdsman agrees and the consultant promptly assembles his equipment – laptop, satellite dish and GPS system.
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Stop TB! Moh/WHO field trip to Darhan and Selenge Aimags
I recently spent two days on a MoH/WHO field trip up, here are some pretty crappy photos i took
From the family photo album
Looks like I’ll have to wait until i get home to scrap book them, but for now here are some photos from mr mumbles first bath in his new apartment…
Running from the evil plughole!!
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marmot smuggling
Even though a certain leafy ‘erb grows wild in certain (well known) areas of Mongolia, it’s interesting that Mongolia is facing the problem of the trade and smuggling of another type of illicit item – marmot meat.
I read this in the UB Post this morning…
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it’s 1:00 am
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I can still hear the sounds of cheering and shouting and car horns and whistles and yelling, all in the name of Tuvshenbayer, Mongolia’s first ever Olympic gold medalist.
Tonight I watched the gold medal judo bout with a Mongolian friend in a crowd outside state dept store. the passion, the emotion and the energy that the impromptu crowd delivered at every blow that Tuvshenbayer delivered in his Gold medal bout was beautiful. It really was!
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Introducing… Mr Mumbles!
Thanks for all the suggestions, they were all great! And the jury of one (aka me) has now settled on Mr Mumbles…
In other news it’s Health Worker’s Day in Mongolia so I’m heading to the countryside with work for a retreat. Fermented Horses Milk! Yay!
Help name my pet hedgehog!
I now have a new flatmate that likes to sleep, sniff, eat wallpaper and poop! But he needs a name… sooo help me name my pet hedgehog! Leave your suggestions in the comments section of this post and I will consider all ideas! Oh, and here are some pics of my new cute little flatmate:
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Mmmm Nando’s!
An exclusive gift, all the way from Uganda – Nando’s Wild Herb Peri-Peri sauce…mmmm thanks Ben!
Remember nothing says ‘I love you‘, ‘I’m sorry‘ and ‘It’s not your fault, you were born that way‘ like a Nando’s condiment…
little critters
Triops Longicaudatus
I found these little crustaceans swimming around in a shallow puddle in the middle of the Gobi desert last week, all who saw it were baffled by the mysterious presence of this aquatic wonder (a cross between a horseshoe crab and a silverfish), in the middle of the desert! It was promptly named the Williamius Alienus Gobius (or WAG!) after the heroic nature adventurer who discovered it…
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Gobi Archeological Expedition
Naadam holiday this weekend, I was fortunate enough to be invited to visit a archeological dig in Baga Gazriin Chuluu (Place of Little Rocks), in the Gobi. Click on each photo for the caption – enjoy!
“Hey, where’d everyone go?”
Concerns are beginning to spread over the welfare of over 700 men, women and children that were imprisoned in the aftermath of last weeks deadly riots.
While information has been sketchy due to the enforced ‘media blackout’, I’ve heard reports of people being beaten, tortured and starved (how well this can be documented and certified is another thing considering the current situation). One friend who has worked in prisons here asked the question ‘Where would they put everyone?“, there simply isn’t enough room in the UB gaols to hold over 700 fresh prisoners.
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An interlude: Mongolian wildflowers in spring
Spring in Mongolia is magnificent. While playing golf yesterday I took some photos of the beautiful field flowers that were everywhere – it’s a pity my camera couldn’t do them justice (and I was focused on other more important things like par!). Enjoy the interlude
The training wheels are off in a fledgling democracy
Here are some final thoughts on the events of this week, tomorrow I should probably move onto more mundane things.
From my perspective it feels as though Mongolians are finally coming to terms with what it means to be a democratic country, and hopefully it will act as a counterweight to the rushing spiral to chaos that many older Mongolians feel the country is heading into. By this I mean the warnings that I’ve heard for the young people – the lack of rules and norms that govern the national character, the new definition of freedom, and the downside of democracy.
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New sets on flickr and update on the ‘state of emergency’
Uploaded and ready to go-
Ulaanbaatar Riots (July, 2008) photos of the recent riot and protest held in the aftermath of Sunday’s elections
State of Emergency in Mongolia (July, 200) the day after the riots, with full security measures including the armed forces in place
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