Mongolia

Where do I start?!
After a month in China and Mongolia there is a lot to show but the blog was restricted so I could not access it in China. You have heard of the great wall, well Facebook and my blog are victims of the "Great Firewall" that controls the Chinese internet to favour Communist media interests.

So here follows Mongolia where I was staying with a Mongolian family of 6 and 2 fellow travellers in a traditional 'ger' or round tent for my short stay of 4 days. This is a movable house designed my nomads which is made up of insulated floor, wooden frame, canvas walls/roof and rope. Inside it has multi fuel stove and chimney, furniture, water and various modern electrical appliances.

Bez my host works as an IT manager in the capital Ulanbaator's library. I met him at work and his children took me home on the bus as he travels by bike. Travelling by road in UB is a nightmare if you tavel during rush hour (which is most of the day).

So we ate great home cooked food, which relies heavily on dairy products (Bez has his own cows) and not much meat which is not in keeping with Mongolian tradition as usually every meal consists of meat! We played games with his children and learned about Mongolian culture. I was Bez's 75th couch surfer and that does not include groups! He has met a lot of travellers, but I am the first from Swansea to stay a t Bez's place!

Also made it to National park a few hours outside the capital. Rode some stubborn Mongolian horses and saw wild horses which have been reintroduced. From a long way away we were being watched by a huge elk standing on a boulder on the horizon a few kilometres away. He was only just visible with binoculars. A great sight! Time to let the photos do the talking.