I’m just home from leading a wonderful trip to Mongolia. First, I left Alaska, got home for 5 hours then headed straight to Mongolia. During my time in Alaska my cell provider made me switch to T- Mobile after being a loyal Sprint customer for many years. My previous service included an international plan with unlimited text/data and 20 cents a minute for phone calls. I had almost complete coverage all the time, anywhere I traveled. Since the two companies merged, I was forced to switch over and I’ve had zero coverage and zero data. Texting was intermittently available— it was frustrating to say the least, especially when I knew that I would be off the grid for a while. So, if I’ve been late in responding to emails, I’m sorry, it was not intentional I was simply without service.
Donna Bourdon was on the trip and provided a client’s perspective as did many of the other participants. Between all of us, we’ll be able to fine tune every aspect and make improvements to the tour where needed. That said, we will definitely be repeating this workshop next year as it was a huge hit with everyone.
During our photo sharing session, I was able to see firsthand the variety and quality of each participants images. You could sense the joy in their voices as they shared their images. It was a great group and a fun filled, cultural experience that we all immersed ourselves in.
The food was very good and plentiful. There were delicious vegetarian options as well; I was a bit nervous about going to a meat-eating country as a vegetarian (I’m really a pescatarian but on international travel I choose vegetarian options) but each location took great care of us and prepared delicious meals that met everyone’s dietary needs, I was impressed. I had brought several freeze-dried camping meals (Backpackers Pantry brand) just in case but never really needed them. Bottled water was readily available to us and included in the tour so we never had to worry. Hot boiled water for the selection of teas and coffees was available at every meal.
Our flight to the Gobi was canceled and we had to resort to our back-up plan. Since we knew in advance that this could be an issue, our ground operators were prepared and upgraded our vehicles so they we would each have a window seat for the arduous journey. Luckily, most was highway driving but some was a bit bumpy. This will most likely not be an issue for 2023.
Our Ger camps in the desert were roomy, some having one or two beds. Camp style bathrooms were clean with hot showers. During our stay in the Gobi Desert, it was hot in the tents during the day (very similar to the temperatures at safari camps during the day). But at night the temperatures dropped considerably just as you would expect in a desert climate. I usually travel with a handheld rechargeable, lithium battery fan but forgot to bring it— ratz!!
One of our Ger camps in the Gobi.
On our way from the Gobi to the Altai Mountain Region, we stopped to photograph a unique area with rock formations that mimic some of Utah’s badlands.
For centuries, nomadic tribes of the Altai region have trained their young men and women in the ancient art of golden-eagle hunting. This is done mainly for furs and not meat as many would think. During our stay in the Altai Mountain region, we stayed with an authentic eagle hunter family. The head of the family is a multi-award-winning eagle hunter champion in both Mongolia and Russia. They welcomed us with open arms into their camp and provided us with our own set of Gers. There was a large Ger used for the restaurant and a smaller one that they used as the kitchen.
The three generational family of Kazakh herders and eagle hunters that hosted us shared their day-to-day life as we watched and photographed them. Our friendly guide arranged for outside eagle hunters to join us in order to re-create a private festival with up to 10 riders with eagles. They would run the horses with the eagles on their arm, walk the horses, pose with the eagles, etc. We had an English-speaking guide that translated our needs and wants to the riders and was invaluable to our group. When we would tell her “eagle up” it meant to ask the hunter to lift his arm that held the eagle so that it would flap its wings. That saying, started off as our mantra and quickly became our victory song as we photographed the eagles with glee.
I couldn’t resist a close-up head shot of this beautiful Golden Eagle.
The temperatures were chilly, and we experienced some frigid nights. Each Ger had a stove that our host family lit using a combination of wood and coal. When the coal got to temperature it warmed the tents making it almost too hot. After the first night we realized we needed a re-warming at around 3:00am so our hosts gladly came back to our rooms in the middle of the night to stoke the fires. Each of us were supplied a sleeping bag to supplement our blankets. The mattresses were tiny metal springs and it felt almost like a hammock even though it looked like a single bed.
Our bathroom accommodations at camp were basic. We had a tented bathroom with a toilet seat and individual composting bags that wrapped over the seat. Completing the ensemble was an outdoor sink. It was an efficient and clean system. But no showers. Hand wipes and hand sanitizer were the ticket. I would say that the photography and the overall experience was well worth the lack of showers for that portion of the trip, and I am sure my clients would agree.
My laptop plugs somehow got damaged during travel, so I had not been able to look at my pictures after leaving the Gobi Desert. I usually go through and delete all unwanted images daily and tag the ones I want to work on. Now I am way behind.
I am anxious to get next year’s workshop on the board. I had promised Donna that she and Kah would lead next year’s trip, but I am already trying to figure out a way to join in.
My overall thoughts are that Mongolia is a fantastic trip. There is a bit of “roughing it" involved. But the small sacrifice for the unique images is well worth the effort. I made friends in both the drivers and guides as well as our host family. I will be back again soon, one way or another.