ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA

I have been to Mongolia four times to do research as an historian. As the article mentioned the Gobi and Lake Khosvgel are beyond stunning. Try to get to the valley to the west of Lake Khosvgel the Grand Tetons pale to insignificance in comparison especially in September when the mountainsides turn to pure gold. . .you will feel as if each breath of air is as pure as on the day of creation. But far more important that the landscape the sense of true adventure the trekking on horseback and the fishing (wow hook into a taimen and you will have the fight of a lifetime) it is the people themselves. One of the last true nomadic cultures on the face of the earth. In the evening sitting in a ger drinking \aureg\ (fermented horse milk) sharing but briefly the world of the nomads was for this historian not just a trip to a different age but a wonderful moment of new friendships found which I will always cherish. Those you meet are not doing what they do because you are the \five o'clock tourist bus\ this is their real lives with all its beauty and yes at times harshness as well. Mongolia is not for the weak of heart and spirit. Travel can be tough you better be in shape it can at times be dangerous (I broke three ribs my last time out and it was a week before I got to medical attention. . .but gallons of aureg helped somewhat!). Above all else respect who they are show a love for their culture their remarkable history of which they are intensely proud and please try to show the best of what we are as well since contact with Americans is actually rather rare. The country is rapidly changing across nine years I have seen profound change some for the better some I'm not so sure of so see this lovely country while something of its cultural past still remains intact. I love Mongolia it is my second home the most beautiful and blessed place on earth.