I flew from Hong Kong to Mongolia on Thursday July the 16th, 2015. The photos shown in this Post were taken on both the day of my arrival into Ulaanbaatar on Thursday July the 16th as well as on Friday July the 17th, 2015.
I am going to start right off with several photos of Gers. The word Ger sounds like you are saying Grrrrrr. Then I will tell you a little bit about Gers. In Mongolian it is spelled ГЭР.
In the below photo look past the Gers in the foreground. Do you see all of the Gers (small white specs) way out in the distance on the right? The Mongolian countryside has many Gers!
Many .. perhaps most .. Gers are white in color.
Do all of you see the tiny white Ger specs on the right of the above photo? Herders and others would be living out there.
Many are also very colorful.
As with our own homes .. the interior of each Ger is quite different.
I must point out here that the Gers above are not residency Gers. People are not living in these Gers. We did not see the interior of normal Gers where people are living.
Now for a surprise. I was shocked when I noticed the below 'City-Gers'!
I snapped the below photos from my hotel window in downtown Ulaan Baatar.
Here .. right-smack-dab in the middle of the largest city in all of Mongolia we have 'City-Gers'!
Do all of you see the two Gers in the first photo below?
The Ger is the traditional dwelling of the nomadic people of Mongolia as well as other countries all the way to Turkey. A Ger is a 'tent-like' structure consisting of a wooden frame covered by a variety of materials traditionally wool felt. There are many sheep in Mongolia.
Odd as it seems to me .. Evidently a Ger can be collapsed very easily .. transported by three animals (horses, camels, yaks) .. and quickly reassembled. I do not see how this can be accomplished but being human beings with intelligence the nomadic Mongolians have figured this out over the centuries.
The 'walls' of a Ger are a lattice-work of wood that can be collapsed down accordian-like.
I have been told a Ger will fit comfortably on a small all-terain vehicle. This I would like to see BUT I must believe what I am being told and what I am reading on WIKIPEDIA!!
WIKIPEDIA AND GOOGLE (I HAD TO SPECIFY MONGOLIAN GERS) YOU BOTH ARE PHENOMENAL ..
This entire post (our Ger tour) resulted because our hosts Deegi (DAYghee) on the right and Oldokh on the left (I will go to my grave not being able to pronounce his name!) had us running as soon as we were all assembled at the Airport in Ulaan Baatar. ..
Deegi was the organizer ..
Oldokh was one of two drivers. Mark and I rode with Oldokh so we two became friends with him.
Below are a few photos of what we all looked like in transit.
Oldokh drove the white Toyota on the left above with Mark and myself as his passengers. The ladies needed a little extra space for their luggage so they were in a van.
Our Toyota is also shown below on the right edge of the photo behind Mark.
More Gers and the Mongolian countryside are visible in the background below.
The ladies were in the van below.
I am sure you can see the Gers in the background.
So sorry neither of you could go with us.
Now to some photos of the countryside and of course .. photos of MANY Gers as we were traveling along.
We saw a lot of wild horses.
Notice if you will the doors on the two Gers below.
Maybe the Ger in the photos above is a storage / working Ger and the Ger in the photos below is a residential Ger.
A nice gazebo along the roadside. Gers and more Gers.
A small food stand along the highway.
How do you pronounce a word that (above) begins with the numerical digit number 3? Or a backward R? Or any of the above words? The Ys are the letter U sounds I think.
Do you all see what I see above and below?
A solar panel and a 'Dish' for .. Television? The Internet? Obviously this is a residential Ger.
- - - - - - - -
The next morning, Friday July the 17th .. I was up-with-the birds and Mark was still sound asleep on the right. In the center below is a wood-burning stove.
When it comes to being a grand mess-maker .. I excell.
Our residential Ger kitty. Photos for Patti and 'Zilla and Claudia.
Kitty was quite-at-home in our Ger loving the warmth of the stove. The wood stove was really great except we let it die during the night that was cold (maybe in the 50s F) and rainy.
The ladies Ger.
We were in a Ger Camp that you see in the below photos.
Gullible I hope you are noticing the background in the photos that show the Mongolia countryside.
In the below photo please notice the (it sure looks like a rock-formation!) building on the lower left.
It is actually the 'necessary' building for the Ger Camp.
Upon a close inspection in these two photos I now see why the building looked like a pile of rocks from the hill overlooking the Ger Camp. Talk about blending into the countryside!
Oh my goodness God .. Thank you for not having to use the below 'facilities' that we actually encountered.
From the outside it actually looks very quaint!
Goodness .. Oh My Goodness .. Unbelievable .. Can you imagine two people together in here?
In all of my life this is the most radical 'squatter' that I have ever seen! I can't imagine using this one!
In the first five photos below notice the rocky terrain in the background behind the Gers.
Mark and I set out to climb up the hill overlooking our Ger Camp.
Up with us .. bigger-than-life .. came our Ger Kitty!
My friend Mark.
It got to be pretty rugged. Mark went all the way to the top and I awaited his safe return.
Several photos from up on the hill.
Below 'panning right' from the above photo.
Mark told me the greatest Gary Larson .. The Far Side cartoonist .. story.
An old man and his elderly wife were in a car. The man was looking at a map titled .. "Nowhere" .. The car then passed a sign that simply said .. "The Middle" ..
Does the above photo look like .. 'The Middle of Nowhere' to any of you?
Our driver ..
Oldokh drove the above road in the dark-of-night in the rain! Thank goodness he stayed-the-night in the camp. It was a good two hour drive.
Time to break-camp and head for more Gers.
In the rear-view-mirror behind us below was our Ger overnight Camp. The rock-outcrop Mark and I climbed up shown previously is on the right below.
Below are photos of the Shamonism Ger Camp.
I was shooting photos ..
The others were intently listening to the Shamon (the gentleman in red looking down) lecture about his camp. I swear in each and every photo of Oldokh he had his eyes closed.
Do you suppose he drove with his eyes closed?
IF I can only do one of two things (shoot photos or listen and try to take notes) I opt for photos every time. I tried listening a time-or-two and I could NOT understand the heavy Mongolian speech accent of the speaker.
Now we go into the Shamon Camp Gers.
I was wearing a ceremonial bear skin coat. It was very heavy!
I do NOT believe it. The photographer (NOT me I am IN the photo) who shot the below photo captured Oldokh with his eyes open!
One last look-back at the Shamon Ger Camp and we roll.
The Mongolian outback.
I believe that .. well I KNOW that Oldokh took a few wrong forks in the road during the night drive in the rain. How could he NOT miss a fork or two?
Can you imagine having serious car trouble out here?
Now we come to the Herders Ger Camp.
I was surprised to learn that camels are fairly common in Mongolia.
Rain is on the horizon. The Herder Gers were very colorful.
This little fellow was so sweet. I just kept shooting his photo.
He / She was absolutely oblivious of me and had no problem whatsoever when I scratched his / her back.
The wandering nomadic Mongolian herders had it figured out pretty well. Hitch up the horses and away they all went with the below Ger.
Nice work on the roof.
They were prepared to move their equipment and belongings.
We left the above Herders Ger Camp and proceeded to the Educational Ger Camp.
The interior of the Educational Ger was really something.
A last look-back ..
By this time I was 'toast'. As I waited in the car for the others a rock formation behind me caught-my-eye and I snapped a few photos of it.
I wonder if one of my companions noticed the above rock formation. I sure did and it just fascinated me.
Today's .. This Post's .. Rhetorical Question ..
I WONDER HOW MANY OF MY COMPANIONS COULD TELL ME IN DETAIL WHAT THE CONTENTS OF EACH OF THE MANY GERS WE VISITED WERE AND MEANT.
Oh NO! Our Friday July the 17th was not yet complete. Ahead of us lay the CHINGGIS KHAAN Museum. I will do a separate Post for that visit.
But like I was above I am now 'toast' and I am going to call this a complete Ger Post and sign off.
With So Much Joy I Can Barely Cope With It ..
Your very own .. Kanbaatar ..
I am going to start right off with several photos of Gers. The word Ger sounds like you are saying Grrrrrr. Then I will tell you a little bit about Gers. In Mongolian it is spelled ГЭР.
In the below photo look past the Gers in the foreground. Do you see all of the Gers (small white specs) way out in the distance on the right? The Mongolian countryside has many Gers!
Many .. perhaps most .. Gers are white in color.
Do all of you see the tiny white Ger specs on the right of the above photo? Herders and others would be living out there.
Many are also very colorful.
Some are plain and blend into the countryside.
I must point out here that the Gers above are not residency Gers. People are not living in these Gers. We did not see the interior of normal Gers where people are living.
Now for a surprise. I was shocked when I noticed the below 'City-Gers'!
I snapped the below photos from my hotel window in downtown Ulaan Baatar.
Here .. right-smack-dab in the middle of the largest city in all of Mongolia we have 'City-Gers'!
Do all of you see the two Gers in the first photo below?
These Gers are in a heavy industrial area of the largest city in Mongolia. So Gers are NOT unique to the Mongolian wilderness.
WHAT'S THAT 'ZILLA .. YOU LIKE THE FACT I AM FIRST SHOWING YOU GERS AND ALSO I AM NOT JUST TELLING YOU TO GO TO WIKIPEDIA AND DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.
The Ger is the traditional dwelling of the nomadic people of Mongolia as well as other countries all the way to Turkey. A Ger is a 'tent-like' structure consisting of a wooden frame covered by a variety of materials traditionally wool felt. There are many sheep in Mongolia.
Odd as it seems to me .. Evidently a Ger can be collapsed very easily .. transported by three animals (horses, camels, yaks) .. and quickly reassembled. I do not see how this can be accomplished but being human beings with intelligence the nomadic Mongolians have figured this out over the centuries.
The 'walls' of a Ger are a lattice-work of wood that can be collapsed down accordian-like.
I have been told a Ger will fit comfortably on a small all-terain vehicle. This I would like to see BUT I must believe what I am being told and what I am reading on WIKIPEDIA!!
This entire post (our Ger tour) resulted because our hosts Deegi (DAYghee) on the right and Oldokh on the left (I will go to my grave not being able to pronounce his name!) had us running as soon as we were all assembled at the Airport in Ulaan Baatar. ..
Oldokh was one of two drivers. Mark and I rode with Oldokh so we two became friends with him.
Below are a few photos of what we all looked like in transit.
Oldokh drove the white Toyota on the left above with Mark and myself as his passengers. The ladies needed a little extra space for their luggage so they were in a van.
Our Toyota is also shown below on the right edge of the photo behind Mark.
More Gers and the Mongolian countryside are visible in the background below.
The ladies were in the van below.
I am sure you can see the Gers in the background.
So sorry neither of you could go with us.
Now to some photos of the countryside and of course .. photos of MANY Gers as we were traveling along.
We saw a lot of wild horses.
Notice if you will the doors on the two Gers below.
Maybe the Ger in the photos above is a storage / working Ger and the Ger in the photos below is a residential Ger.
A nice gazebo along the roadside. Gers and more Gers.
A small food stand along the highway.
How do you pronounce a word that (above) begins with the numerical digit number 3? Or a backward R? Or any of the above words? The Ys are the letter U sounds I think.
Do you all see what I see above and below?
A solar panel and a 'Dish' for .. Television? The Internet? Obviously this is a residential Ger.
- - - - - - - -
The next morning, Friday July the 17th .. I was up-with-the birds and Mark was still sound asleep on the right. In the center below is a wood-burning stove.
When it comes to being a grand mess-maker .. I excell.
Our residential Ger kitty. Photos for Patti and 'Zilla and Claudia.
Kitty was quite-at-home in our Ger loving the warmth of the stove. The wood stove was really great except we let it die during the night that was cold (maybe in the 50s F) and rainy.
The ladies Ger.
We were in a Ger Camp that you see in the below photos.
Gullible I hope you are noticing the background in the photos that show the Mongolia countryside.
In the below photo please notice the (it sure looks like a rock-formation!) building on the lower left.
It is actually the 'necessary' building for the Ger Camp.
Upon a close inspection in these two photos I now see why the building looked like a pile of rocks from the hill overlooking the Ger Camp. Talk about blending into the countryside!
Oh my goodness God .. Thank you for not having to use the below 'facilities' that we actually encountered.
From the outside it actually looks very quaint!
Goodness .. Oh My Goodness .. Unbelievable .. Can you imagine two people together in here?
In all of my life this is the most radical 'squatter' that I have ever seen! I can't imagine using this one!
In the first five photos below notice the rocky terrain in the background behind the Gers.
Mark and I set out to climb up the hill overlooking our Ger Camp.
Up with us .. bigger-than-life .. came our Ger Kitty!
My friend Mark.
It got to be pretty rugged. Mark went all the way to the top and I awaited his safe return.
Below 'panning right' from the above photo.
Mark told me the greatest Gary Larson .. The Far Side cartoonist .. story.
An old man and his elderly wife were in a car. The man was looking at a map titled .. "Nowhere" .. The car then passed a sign that simply said .. "The Middle" ..
Does the above photo look like .. 'The Middle of Nowhere' to any of you?
Our driver ..
Oldokh drove the above road in the dark-of-night in the rain! Thank goodness he stayed-the-night in the camp. It was a good two hour drive.
Time to break-camp and head for more Gers.
In the rear-view-mirror behind us below was our Ger overnight Camp. The rock-outcrop Mark and I climbed up shown previously is on the right below.
Below are photos of the Shamonism Ger Camp.
I was shooting photos ..
The others were intently listening to the Shamon (the gentleman in red looking down) lecture about his camp. I swear in each and every photo of Oldokh he had his eyes closed.
Do you suppose he drove with his eyes closed?
IF I can only do one of two things (shoot photos or listen and try to take notes) I opt for photos every time. I tried listening a time-or-two and I could NOT understand the heavy Mongolian speech accent of the speaker.
Now we go into the Shamon Camp Gers.
I was wearing a ceremonial bear skin coat. It was very heavy!
I do NOT believe it. The photographer (NOT me I am IN the photo) who shot the below photo captured Oldokh with his eyes open!
One last look-back at the Shamon Ger Camp and we roll.
The Mongolian outback.
I believe that .. well I KNOW that Oldokh took a few wrong forks in the road during the night drive in the rain. How could he NOT miss a fork or two?
Can you imagine having serious car trouble out here?
Now we come to the Herders Ger Camp.
I was surprised to learn that camels are fairly common in Mongolia.
Rain is on the horizon. The Herder Gers were very colorful.
This little fellow was so sweet. I just kept shooting his photo.
He / She was absolutely oblivious of me and had no problem whatsoever when I scratched his / her back.
The wandering nomadic Mongolian herders had it figured out pretty well. Hitch up the horses and away they all went with the below Ger.
Nice work on the roof.
They were prepared to move their equipment and belongings.
We left the above Herders Ger Camp and proceeded to the Educational Ger Camp.
The interior of the Educational Ger was really something.
A last look-back ..
By this time I was 'toast'. As I waited in the car for the others a rock formation behind me caught-my-eye and I snapped a few photos of it.
I wonder if one of my companions noticed the above rock formation. I sure did and it just fascinated me.
Today's .. This Post's .. Rhetorical Question ..
I WONDER HOW MANY OF MY COMPANIONS COULD TELL ME IN DETAIL WHAT THE CONTENTS OF EACH OF THE MANY GERS WE VISITED WERE AND MEANT.
Oh NO! Our Friday July the 17th was not yet complete. Ahead of us lay the CHINGGIS KHAAN Museum. I will do a separate Post for that visit.
But like I was above I am now 'toast' and I am going to call this a complete Ger Post and sign off.
With So Much Joy I Can Barely Cope With It ..
Your very own .. Kanbaatar ..
What a fabulous post, fascinating, VERY, VERY, VERY interesting ... every bit of it! Thanks for having us along on this "trip" !! Love, Patti
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you liked the tour of the Gers .. Quite long but people can see what they want to see .. and skip the rest .. They have a choice .. Life is about having a choice .. Love .. KANBAATAR .. aka .. Cap ..
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable Country Side! I love all the horses and the different Gers. What an amazing experience Cap! I just love all of your photos- they make you feel like you are really there and experiencing it first hand. You always do such a magnificent job! :) Love and miss you! -Erin
ReplyDeleteThank You so much Erin. How nice to receive a comment from you here. I am sending you a Post Card of the Educational Ger that I have shown above in this Post. I am pleased that you are enjoying the Posts. Smiles .. Cap ..
Delete