bathing

We are now in the middle of steppes called Herlen's Huduu Aral where historically the most important Mongolian language chronology book "The Secret History of Mongols" was written by an anonymous author after death of Chingis Khaan 1227. The steppe is found in south-western part of Hentii Province, to north from Herlen River. 

It's peaceful here so far. Save Mongolia from world mining companies!!! There is likely no a healthy miner who can live 100 years, but damages to nature caused by him may last for hundreds of years after him. Photo taken by me, Bolod.

scraching windows

A winter image in public buses in Ulaanbaatar. Not being announced bus stops, passengers have to schratch and blow ice on windows  like this in order to know who they are travelling like that. People say old buses imported from abraod cannot heat enough... Photo taken by me, Bolod.

 camel in use

Darkhan Mountain is on horizont. A man sitting in blue del\mongolian costume\ is Mr. Od or "Star" in Mongolian\ the head of family. The family is watching a french girl to ride camel. Blue plastic on cart is for water. This family uses their camels for bringing water and moving  their ger to a new place with carts.  Mr. "Star" is now to show us a cave found nearby mountain. He gave me his mobile phone number. I will visit the family in case I go to this area in Hentii Province.  Photo taken by me, Bolod.

winter clothes

Here is a boy who was driving the horses shown in the previous photo. He is dressed in warm sheepskin Mongolian costume.  His horse  got its heavy wool "coat" too. Winter in Mongolia is normally not windy, It's just cold. So winter is just nice. Your horse is in heavy winter "clothes" too. Photo taken by me, Bolod.

 

cold and beautiful

Driving horses. Not us, a boy was driving his horses towards his home. We were driving just our car. Mongolian horses are a semi-wild type. That's why they never go home voluntarily and someone should occasionaly drive them back closer to camp. Normally horses stay in home area, but not neccessarily closer to owner's camp place. Photo taken by me, Bolod. 

naadam

At Sumiin Naadam or County's Naadam. Festival or naadam in village is certainly small, it's normally less organised and less disciplined, but it's more natural. Spectators who are mostly herders, watching closely a wrestling bout during the Naadam festival of 90th Anniversary of their county. It's very possible that wrestler in blue civilian costume had no time to change clothes because of being too buzy with his jockeys and horses participating in races. Photo taken by me, Bolod.  

homeless

A homeless woman who earns her living by collecting plastic bottles and cans is sleeping safely and confortably here, just about 150 meters away from Government House and 100 meters from National History Museum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She is self-employed like this collecting plastic bottles.  She is the most likely homeless. She lives moving around like a nomad. There are many homeless people in this country. It's a fact that during socialist time that ended in 1990, almost none was homeless like her. It was not allowed to be unemployed or  either homeless that time. Photo taken by Bolod.

drinks

Wow!!! Much better than Coca Cola!!! The juice they are drinking seems to be much tastier for them than expensive foreign juices sold in shops in a village where the older boy certainly has to go to by September for study. But it's still many days to do it although it's important not to forget too much of those have been learnt in classes while having a lot of fun like this on daily basis during the 3-months school holiday. As usual, I'm thinking of returning the photo to these kids when I go again in the area. 03.8.2012. Photo taken by me, Bolod.

sand dunes

Small sand dunes. Photo taken by me, Bolod.

bag with babies

12.4.2015. The horseman is carrying a blue bag with him in order to pick up new- born baby goats and sheeps in pasture and bring them to his camp. Otherwise new born baby animals may not survive in cold and freezing wind. March-April is animal birth season in Mongolia. It's the buziest time in calendar of Mongolian herders. Photo taken by me, Bolod.

man stones

Ancient stone monuments called "Hun chuluu"\"man stones" hun=man, person chuluu=stone in Mongolian\. You can clearly see a face of man carved in one of the stones.  A white ger\felt tent\ of a nomad family is seen nearby behind. These "men" are found standing here, to east from Murun village in eastern Hentii  Province since Bronge Age. Photo taken by me, Bolod. 

Baby gazzelle

This baby gazelle which lost his mother was found in the snow-covered steppe last winter. The poor baby could not even walk in deep snow and was left behind by his mother and herd. When the gazelle is grown up, one day he will the most probably join the fellow gazelle herd. Who knows, he might even see his mother again. Mongolian gazelles totalled 5 mln. in 1970,  were 3mln. in 2010.

Photo taken by me, Bolod

routine moments

Routine moments caught in my camera. Photo taken by me, Bolod.

camels in winter

Camels look best beautiful in winter. In summer, the animals are almost naked, with no hairs and humps go falling unless they drink enough water. Owner of these camels says he owns 700 camels. Photo taken by me, Bolod.

upper orkhon valley

Upper Orkhon Valley. Every stone is a piece of volcanic lava. Do you notice it in the nearest rock? Land of yaks starts here. You see Orkhon River down in the valley which takes its sources from Hangai Mountains and  flows to Siberia in Russia. The valley is rich in ancient graveyards. Photo taken by me, Bolod.