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30 May 2010 | Ulaangom, Mongolia (49.9910, 92.0649)
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After the eagle-hunter, we passed through Olgii one last time for some supplies before making a two-week drive across the country to reach the capital, Ulaanbaatar. On the first day, we managed to spook a camel, cuddle a baby goat, and get lost only to find a mountain range between our destination and us.
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Bumping along, we startled this poor camel. Humps flying, the rider barely stayed on as the camel jumped off the road to avoid the car.
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Rasa made friends with a baby goat. Our guide told us they are just like dogs when reared around people; this one liked to sit in people’s laps.
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We stopped for a horsemeat sandwich at the last colorful, Kazakh ger before driving into Mongol country.
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Famous Mongol poets talk about ‘taking pleasure’ under the big blue sky. There really is not another alternative in the middle of the Steppe.
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As informative as the road sign is, we still got lost on the way to Uvs. We ended up going over this pass with no road at all (because it was washed out) and arrived 11pm at night.
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This is an ovoo, a type of shamanistic cairn. Buddhist followers usually build them to mark springs or high dangerous passes. We made the customary stop and circled three times for a safe journey down.
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Making it over the pass, we now had to cross a ‘creek’ but were unsure exactly where to forge. As you can see, the rain had flooded out the track.
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Even though, we arrived in town at 11pm and got miserably lost in the dark, it was still a great drive, especially seeing the countryside turn from high desert to lush valleys and lakes. Tomorrow, I go swimming in a freezing emerald green lake so more adventure to come.
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Robert, kumosta na kamo dira ni Rasa? Ga busong na si Rasa? Where is your residence now( diin inyo puloy an sa subong?)?. Im sending this message in an ilongo language for you to be reminded of the Philippines specifically in the City of Kabankalan. Christmas is now approaching. Hoping that you will enjoy your christmas season just what u enjoyed where u were here n the City. I asppreciated your pictorial messages that are informative thank you so much.
Hello Dr Canete,
Always good to hear from you. Glad all is well.
WE are currently in NY and will be here for Christmas. Not sure yet where to next. We are still looking for work, maybe a job with the State Department or USAID. I’m waiting for my security clearance to go through.
Who knows, I might even find work in Philippines one day.
Take care and tell everyone we miss them.
Robert and Rasa