Mongolia journal

Erdenet, Mongolia: 2005

Thursday, June 29: First Impressions

According to the airlines, I am about 10,000 miles from home. And as Dorothy might say, "it doesn't look like Kansas, Toto." As we landed at dusk last night, I caught a glimpse of the landscape. Barren of any sign of trees or green. Mountainous. A few small clusters of homes. But mostly, just wide open spaces.

Ulaanbaatar (there are various spellings, but this seems to be the local one) is a bustling city of 1 million (almost half the total population of Mongolia) and growing. Had some time today to do some exploring in and around doing various tasks. Our hotel is within walking distance of the main central square area, a very large, open space that no doubt is great for assemblages of troops for military parades, etc. The topography is very flat, but we are surrounded by mountains. And at an altitude of about 5,500 feet, we are sort of Denver-like I guess.

The architecture is very Soviet, meaning concrete block buildings, but some more interesting ones from the earlier 20th Century. And very low to the horizon--no skyscrapers, almost nothing taller than 5-6 stories.

I walked around the square a bit while others were buying postage stamps (what a concept!). Saw the usual small groups of old men, some in traditional Mongolian dress, gathered around chess sets, dice games, etc. Regularly approached by individuals wanting to sell me something--military medals, coins, paintings, etc. Another oddity is people with portable phones like the one in our house, offering to allow people to make phone calls. Apparently, they have an antenna to the telephone center and this serves as their answer to our old-fashioned fixed site payphones.

UB shows all the signs of being a cosmopolitan city. This means restaurants of all cuisines (including one called Maggiano's, which I'm hoping isn't part of the chain we have at Southpoint), signs in English, etc. No Starbucks, though, and I haven't seen the usual US fast food outlets, but they may exist.

We went to two small museums before lunch. One was very small, very new, and had Mongolian calligraphy. Really fascinating. I'm tempted to go back and get a reproduction and may yet. The other was the Museum of Mongolian History, which was not all that big (fortunately, since we had to be guided through it all, complete with a guide) and actually rather interesting. Then to lunch at a German-style restaurant, then back to the hotel for a nice nap, and now out to here (it's about 7 p.m.) and perhaps a little dinner.

Our hotel served us a nice breakfast this morning. Something resembling fried rice, a hard-boiled egg, some other kind of rice-based soup with things floating in it, a glass of delicious sweetened warm milk (Ethan would no doubt have loved it, and so did I), and endless amounts of tea. Served with chopsticks, too, although you could get silverware. I decided to go the chopsticks route and Dora, you'll be proud to know, I finished my meal entirely with them. I may yet master this.

The hotel is comfortable, though this morning's surprise was that it doesn't come with hot water. After waiting for some time for the shower to warm up, I decided it never would. And that's the report from everyone else, too. But then again, what should we expect for $12.50 per night including breakfast? At least tomorrow, I'll expect it. And be braced.

The group is an interesting composite of people from all over. I think it will be quite congenial, but we'll have to see how that develops as we actually begin working with one another.

That's about it for now. We're off to Erdenet tomorrow evening on the slow train, and to work on Saturday.

Friday, July 1: A Few Tidbits

Walked to a monastery this morning. A wonderful, quiet experience. We got there in time to hear the monks doing their chanting. Mongolia is heavily lamaist (a Buddhist sect) so there are monasteries all around. The smell of incense, the beauty of the altar, many people spinning the prayer wheels.

Weather yesterday was cool (upper 60's) and mostly cloudy. Perfect for wandering around. Today is a little warmer, sunnier, still pleasant. Earlier this week, it was in the upper 80's, so nothing's the same about the weather. And a couple of weeks ago, it snowed(!) in Erdenet.

I've discovered how to take a shower when the water is cold. I soap myself all over. Then I have to turn on the shower and rinse, otherwise.....If I started the usual way, I'd never manage to do it, I fear. I can't recall ever before being happy when I could turn off the shower and crawl back under the covers.

I also discovered one of the benefits of only having the clothes on my back. It makes getting dressed in the morning so much easier--no decisions. I'm hoping that my suitcase will catch up with me today, before we board the train to Erdenet. If not, I may be doing some clothes shopping when we get there. So far, I haven't minded too much wearing what I've been wearing since early Tuesday morning. The socks are getting a little funky, but otherwise, I'm doing okay. Will be quite a shock to have new choices, of course.

Had a great dinner last night. A small group of us went out to a local restaurant (I pushed to go there rather than to a French restaurant. I can always go to a French restaurant, I said.) And it turned out great. I ordered (actual menu translation) "Mongolian lamb soup with fat-free fried bread on the side." (I thought of the Monty Python "crispy frog" routine, Mark.) Tasted great. The bowl of soup and a mug of Mongolian beer, in a restaurant with cloth napkins and service, was.....$3. (Yesterday's lunch, which was a complete dinner, including a mug of beer, was $6. And the internet price is 15 tourreg per minute. That's a little more than 1 cent per minute.)

Last night, after we got back to the hotel, a staff member knocked on our door and asked whether we wanted a Chinese breakfast or a European breakfast. I said Chinese, my roommate said European. So this morning, we all got Chinese breakfasts. The same milk, rice and hard-boiled egg as yesterday, plus a soup with a little rice, lots of broth, several prunes (yes, prunes) and other stuff floating, and fried dough that reminded me of funnel cake, except not sweet, accompanied by duck sauce. I loved it all. Especially the milk. I'm beginning to wonder whether the question actually meant something else.

A sign I saw over a shop this morning read "New Food." My imagination runs wild as to the alternatives.

We're just about to be joined by the rest of our group, which is arriving at noon from Beijing. The total size is 14 people. I'm the oldest, but that's not a problem. There are several rather young women--2 18-year olds from Canada, 1 sophomore in college, another recent college graduate. They kind of separate off from the adults, which is fine. We all seem to get along well, have lots of laughs together.

We have some orientation this afternoon, then dinner, then board the Trans Mongolian Railway to Erdenet. We have read there are two classes of passage on the train: "hard seats", which you are urged to get in line for several hours in advance, have sharp elbows, and be prepared to have the cabin packed to the roof; and "soft seats" which are extra, and it is implied they somehow recline or something. We're hoping for the "soft seats" option, given that the trip is 12-14 hours long (there's some dispute about exactly how long the scheduled trip is.) We leave at 8 p.m., when it will still be light for a couple of hours, which is great since the book says there's some wonderful scenery. But mostly, it will be in the dark.

Enough for now. I've spent all the money I can afford (I think I'm up to 15 cents.)

Saturday, July 2: Under Way

Happy 4th of July weekend to everyone.

I had a close encounter with my suitcase last night. It was due to arrive at the Ulaanbaatar airport at 10 p.m. Of course, I left Ulaanbaatar at 8:45 p.m. on the train to Erdenet. I am now in day 5 of the clothes I put on originally about 4:30 a.m. last Tuesday. They are becoming very familiar to me. And to everyone else.

Actually one team member brought some clothes to give to orphans, etc. including a pair of low-cut socks which she decided I needed more than the orphans. And another team member brought some new t-shirts for the same purpose, and he gave me one. I was amazed at how much improved I felt to put on clean socks and a clean t-shirt. It's the little things.

The plan now is for a person in UB to (1) pick up my suitcase (if it came in); (2) find a "responsible person"; and (3) ask that person to drive 200 miles, about 5 hours, to Erdenet to bring it to me. And then drive back. I'm not counting on this happening.

The train trip was an adventure, in a good way. We left UB with a little over an hour of daylight left, so we got to see some of the surrounding countryside. Beautiful, in a stark sort of way. Rolling mountains, if that makes any sense. And vast quantities of space with no human inhabitants. Then a couple of gers and the livestock, then vast space. Watched the sunset over this very tranquil scene and simply cannot imagine living in it. About 40% of Mongolians are nomads and move their ger, belongings, and livestock 8-10 times per year. All land is publicly owned, so they simply move wherever there is good grazing land. And move when it's done. Hard to imagine any of that.

As expected, we did go for the "soft seat" option on the train. This meant compartments of 4 berths, two upper, two lower. I was "selected" for the upper, because of my height (somehow, that made sense to the others). Of course, Mongolians are shorter of stature than I am, so the berth was quite a bit shorter than I am. My solution was to simply lie back, stick my feet out the window, and rest. Really.

Was up before sunrise and watched the sunrise over some equally tranquil and beautiful countryside, and saw some of the ger inhabitants as they were coming to life for the day's work of tending the livestock, cooking, etc. And then the train pulled into Erdenet around 8:30 a.m., the full 12 hours after leaving.

A little about Erdenet that I'm learned. It is a very new city--really only got started less than 20 years ago, I think, when a large copper deposit was discovered and a joint Russian/Mongolian venture developed the mine. So that is the base of the city. Much of the housing is four-story cement block apartment buildings which are in the Soviet style, i.e. prison-like in appearance. The rest are in ger districts, a mixture of gers and shacks and a couple of actual houses. The city itself is fairly depressing looking. Nothing would recommend anyone coming here except to work the mine.

Habitat has been here for 3-4 years and so far, has built 50 houses. A little about the project: The houses are about 400 square feet in size (our Cary house is 2800 square feet, for comparative purposes) and consist of 2 rooms, divided by the chimney. A stove in one room serves to heat the house and a place to cook. Each room has 1 window, and there is a door. The homes are concrete block covered by stucco, the chimney is brick, the roof is tile of some sort.

The construction techniques are fairly crude, as I learned today when we had our first workday. Arrived on site mid-morning, just as it was beginning to rain and blow. Temperature probably in the 50s. I elected to do indoor work, since I was wearing my one and only set of clothes. So I got to be a mason again! (Yes, Mark, I know the Python reference to always wanting to be a Mason.) Was pleased to see I hadn't forgotten my recently developed skills. Was also interested to see that the standard of quality here is way, way below what Pancho held in Chile. But I keep reminding myself---everything is contextual. They are working with very limited tools and access to materials--nothing power (no electricity--shades of El Salvador), poor quality paint, etc. The finished house may not look all that nice to my eye, based on U.S. aesthetics or even those in Chile, but it is still a significant improvement over what they have. The typical Habitat family in Erdenet has an income of $100 per month. They pay around $2,400 for their new house and repay that loan over 6-7 years at the rate of $25 per month.

The rain got steadily worse through the afternoon, so we quit earlier than expected to go back and settle into our hotel rooms. To end on a good personal note: our hotel has hot water! I had an Herbal Essence moment when I turned on the hot, hot shower and actually took one. Felt clean (at least until putting on the same clothes!) for the first time in a while. And then, as I left to go here to the internet cafe, I realized it had largely stopped raining and was actually a little warmer than before. A harbinger of tomorrow, I hope.

All for now. Time to go to dinner. Hope everyone has a nice holiday weekend. I will.

Sunday, July 3: “Raise High The Roofbeam…”

Woke up this morning to crystal clear blue sky and cool temperature. Took advantage of a late breakfast time to take a nice walk before breakfast, up the hill that has a Soviet-era "Friendship" monument on it. Best part is that from that vista, you can see the city below, without having the view marred by....the Friendship monument. Returned to the hotel, met a fellow teammate, and we walked back to the monument, then further up to the top of the nearby hill. Felt great.

Today's work involved.....ROOFING! And you know how happy I was. Partly I actually enjoy roofing, and partly it's because so many others shy away from it. Today, actually, involved building the infrastructure for the roof---the trusses, the floor, the beams. Took most of the day, but it all seems to look like it will work. Don't know whether we will now go ahead and put the roof on that house (which I would like, since it is metal tiles, something I've never worked with) or move to another house to do the same thing as today (there are 9 or 10 houses underway currently.)

The job site is incredibly well organized by the construction supervisor and her team. When we got there, after a brief introduction, she announced the various activities, the number of people needed, and we were off, working, within minutes. I like this. And since there are so many houses underway, there is plenty of work, keeping us all busy. Which I also like.

A construction note: in El Salvador, we re-used any bent nails, pulled used nails out and straightened them and re-used them. In Chile, we simply discarded any bent nails. In Raleigh, we drop nails all the time and don't bother looking for them. In Mongolia, we carefully select nails, straighten any that we bend, and search for any that we drop. It's partly about the cost, partly about the access to replacements.

Our hotel is characterized in the Lonely Planet Guide as a typically Soviet-era hotel: large rooms, hot water, and no character. They got that right. But it has beds, it has hot water, and what more can a fellow ask for?

Food continues to be bountiful and good. I'm just a little disappointed that our on-site lunches so far have not been home-cooked by the homeowners. Instead, we're buying them at local restaurants. I really liked the contact I had in Kyrgyzstan and Chile with the women doing the cooking for our lunches. And the great insight we got into the local cuisine.

The Habitat site is located on the outskirts of town, in the hills above it. The scenery is stunning, especially on a beautiful day (clear skies, significant breeze, temperature probably in the lower 70s.) And the scenes are great: gers intermixed with Habitat houses, in the background small herds of livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, yaks), and more mountain peaks beyond. And the more dismal industrial-looking city is safely below you, in the distance.

I've decided that part of the reason Erdenet looks so dismal is that it lacks color. The block apartment buildings are beige or off-white. There is little or nor vegetation--no trees, sparse grass and weeds, no flowers. And there is no sign of personalization of any of the apartments---nothing hanging out, certainly no color, nothing. The colorlessness even extends to the dress of the locals--makes me think of Mennonites, Amish (or Quakers, in former times) with their lack of color. Puzzles me a bit, since in the history museum, we saw beautiful examples of the clothing of the various clans that lived in Mongolia. So there is a history of color, just nothing current.

Another local tidbit: seems like billiards and snooker are one of the most popular pastimes. At least, there are plenty of billiards places, even billiards tables out on the sidewalk. Disco and karaoke also seem popular. Or at least, there are lots of disco bars and karaoke bars.

Still no sign of my luggage. But I did acquire a new (to me) sweatshirt today, ultimately destined for someone else here. Surprisingly, it actually fits. (Also acquired a pair of Perry Ellis dress pants that are only minor floods, but I really don't have a use for them.) This whole adventure has given me new insight into packing in the future. Like, do I really need more than one pair of pants, one shirt, one t-shirt (yes), one pair of socks (yes--maybe two)? In the spirit, I think, of Ann Landers, I am glad that I put on a nice pair of boxers last Tuesday instead of one of my more friendly/ratty ones. Not that it matters ultimately, but it seems nicer to spend a week in nice ones rather than ratty ones.

Time to go get showered, take a hike with the group, then dinner. All for now.

Monday, July 4: “Non-verbal Communication

Another day of great weather and good work. My morning walk (sunrise is about 6, breakfast isn't until 9, and I'm usually awake and up by 6:30) was a stroll the full length of the main street, watching the city come to life on a Monday morning. Some of the sights I encountered: a large picture of Lenin, painted on the end of one of the myriad of apartment blocks, and near the bottom, a sign saying Internet Cafe. Two men walking toward me, one dressed in crisp camouflage (never could spell that word), the other in traditional Mongolian costume. Mountains in the background, adjacent to "mountains" of tailings from the copper mine. Small clusters of people getting off the bus, carrying their milk cans of fresh milk, cream and yogurt, and setting up shop on the street corner to sell today's milk (talk about fresh!) Women come up, examine the various choices, and make their selection. The selection is dispensed....into their own container, naturally--it's a "bring your own" situation. (Speaking of "bring your own", restaurant bathrooms are "bring your own" toilet paper.)

I ventured into the Erdenet Bakery for the first time, fantasizing about delicacies such as raspberry tarts, or whatever. There was a modest selection of elaborate birthday cakes (or at least, I think that's what they were), a few muffins, and some bread. I selected a chocolate muffin. It was probably vintage May, and even at its best, tasteless. Ate a couple of bites, deposited the rest in the receptacle at the hotel's entrance. Think of all the money I save by having bad local products!

Breakfast at the hotel is actually pretty awful. The first two days, it was one fried egg, one piece of bread, and tea. I told our leader we needed to supplement it, as we did in Chile. She agreed. So we got some yogurt, fresh fruit, etc. to augment the egg and bread. This morning, the egg and toast had been reduced to bread and a small mound of liver sausage from God knows what animal. We were grateful for all that we added to the "spread."

Work today was an excellent example of the power of non-verbal communication. I spent most of the day working with a local man, finishing the installation of the walls in one house, which involves measuring, cutting and nailing up something like wallboard. We worked well together, a tribute to the power of nods, gestures, whistles, and a lot of good will. There's probably a message there somewhere.

Lunch today was another adventure. Take-out, with several choices. For some reason, I was the last to get there and all that was left was spaghetti with ground beef and carrot. All quite tasty. The adventure was that it was served with.....chopsticks. I'm actually getting better with them (Dora take note.) Last night's dinner was Chinese, and again, I did it all with chopsticks.

I could do a commercial for Tide. Decided last night to do my laundry (well, the pair of socks I acquired Friday night and wore for two days of construction.) One of the guys brought along a small container of Tide. The sink has a plug, for this purpose. You wouldn't believe the color of the water from my formerly white socks. They came out quite nice. Dried them overnight on the hot water pipes, and they were stiff and dry this morning.

One of the pleasures at the end of a day of work is cleaning up. Hot water for the shower is always welcome (better than the mountain stream I had in El Salvador.) The only downer is drying with a towel the size and texture of a dishtowel. Really. I'm getting better at it, though.

After cleaning up, we went to the local museum to see the history and artifacts of Erdenet. These included obligatory examples of Soviet realism art, done by local artists, as well as some superb woodcarvings, including one of Lenin. Also included a taxidermy display (they're big on that in this country for some reason.) The highlights of that included a 2-headed calf, born here in 1989 and lived for 3 days. Something everyone should have a photograph of. The other highlight for me was seeing a stuffed marmot. (Several of you know that I talked about roast wombat as a Mongolian delicacy. I was wrong. It's roasted marmot, which is roasted whole, on a stick. You can tell it's done when it bursts. So far, we haven't experienced this, but tomorrow or Wednesday night, we're all going to have a Mongolian barbecue together, so there's still hope.)

I understand that in my absence, Federer defeated Roddick. Surprise. Mark, I hope you Tivo-ed it and keep it for me. I still would like to see it.

Enough for now! Happy 4th of July. This will probably be one of my more memorable ones.

Tuesday, July 5: “And on the 8^th Day….”

The creation story, with or without Intelligent Design, ended on the 7th day. I'm figuring that's because God didn't get separated from his luggage. Otherwise, it might have ended "and on the 8th day, God's luggage appeared" and we'd have 8 day weeks.

I held an appropriate reception for it. Held up a sign saying "John" so it would know where I was, embraced it fondly, and recorded it all for a photograph. Now I'll have to make decisions about what to wear!

Prior to this, to paraphrase Tennessee Williams' Blanche, I continued to rely on the kindness of teammates. One offered me a clean t-shirt for today, since he was going to do some laundry. Another went to the department store and bought some things, including a new pair of boxers for me! (Economic note: they cost $1.25 and actually are quite nice. Maybe I should consider buying more.) She even got the right size---XL--since she considered the stature of the average Mongolian male. So today I had clean underwear. Then, they also found a pair of jeans in their giveaway bag. They're a little tight in the waist and a little short. When I put them on the first time, I was wearing the socks they had given me on Friday, which are those low cuts. That, combined with "floods" for pants, led to exposed bare ankle, which didn't seem like my fashion statement. But then I realized I could wear my own regular length socks which, while 4 days dirty, hadn't been worn for three days. Much better. I've been asked to wear the Perry Ellis floods to a dessert party one of us is having in their room after dinner.

Speaking of dessert, Mongolian cuisine may be the only place where chewing gum is an option on the dessert menu. Really. Price: 15 tukrigs (or a little more than a penny.) Also, catsup is a garnish, as in a dollop of catsup on top of each mound of rice, and a circle of catsup around the pile of ground beef atop the spaghetti (or anything else.)

Another day of good weather for building--sun and clouds, good breeze, temperature in the 70's, odd brief showers typical of mountain climates. I was doing roof structures again today. Tomorrow looks like actual roofing may be going on, which would be most satisfying. It really is wonderful to see the visible progress on the houses day by day. More evident than other trips I've been on for some reason.

Also getting much more familiar and comfortable with the community people working with us. Today I learned the Mongolian expletive used when you hit your thumb with a hammer. This will be most useful to me when I return to my Habitat work in Raleigh. (Actually, it came up when I hit my finger here and could only utter an English expletive.) I call this a good example of real community building!

The hotel we are staying in is regarded as "the best in Erdenet." Considering that business people have to travel here, I really can't imagine this. There are other hotels, too. BTW--we are paying less than $7 per day per person for bed and breakfast at "the finest hotel in Erdenet."

Finally managed to get into the department store today. ("The" is accurate, both in Erdenet and UB.) That shouldn't be a reportable event, since it should every store's desire to get you to come in. But I had circled the store on several different occasions, each time failing to find any way of getting into it. Even asked someone, and probably managed to pick the only person in Erdenet who didn't know. Anyway, yesterday, our interpreter took a group to the store and they got in. So today, I did, too. It's really just a collection of independently run little stalls with everything available. I didn't buy anything, but now I've satisfied my curiosity.

The Erdenet Cashmere shop, also across the street from the hotel, has a sign advertising "Sale" during the first weeks of July. So far, it hasn't been open any day this week. I guess if I wasn't going to be open, I could advertise a sale as well.

Am getting to be a familiar face at the internet cafe behind my hotel. All I do now is walk in and the young man recognizes me, directs me to the appropriate computer and helps me when I can't do the simplest thing. And all this for half the price of UB (typically 15 cents for my session, rather than 30 cents in UB)! I like being recognized at my internet cafe.

The national festival we're attending next week celebrates the three manly arts of Mongolia in a series of contests--wrestling, archery and horseback riding. While there aren't contests, my observation in town is there are two additional manly arts practiced by Mongolian men: spitting and blowing your nose on the sidewalk.

On that note, it's definitely time to go and admire all my clothes.

Wednesday, July 6: “Construction Interruptus”

Woke up this morning to gathering clouds. On my pre-breakfast walk, I almost always see something unique. Today it was a small herd of horses, being herded near the Friendship Monument, with the herder on....a motorbike. Herd dog, herd bike, what's the difference.

The gathering clouds became a real storm by mid-morning. Fortunately, today we had arranged to start an hour earlier, so we were able to get about an hour's work in before the rain, wind and cold. Today was roof day, which is definitely not possible in a storm.

Weather cleared after lunch, so we were able to go back to the site and get a couple of more hours in. I was working on the same house, finishing the roof structure, working solely with local men. Something really nice about working with people who are humming Mongolian tunes while we work.

We were also being closely observed by the homeowner. One of the interesting things here is the close observation of the homeowners, making sure things are going satisfactorily in their mind, beaming as their home progresses, even making a little customizing along the way. Yesterday, another homeowner had the team working on installing the floor not nail down one of the boards. They were puzzled. After much hand waving and gesturing, they figured out she wanted a place to store her potatoes under the floor, where they'd be cool. Her wish, our command.

One of our team members held a cookie party last night, complete with balloons, crepe paper streamers, and cookies and other desserts she'd bought at the supermarket. Another team member brought along a 12-pack of Shaker Bobcat. We shared pictures of family we'd brought along. Ethan won the award for most appealing kid, hands down. One person even said she thought I was being the usual doting grandfather until she saw the picture and realized yes, he really is adorable. (I am working on reprogramming my brain to refer to him as my perfect older grandchild come November.)

Shake Bobcat is a unique drink, bottled in Scandinavia. It is billed as an energy drink (read: Red Bull)...with 5% vodka. Really quite good. One of our team is thinking of getting the import rights to the U.S. We could bill it as a great drink for college students and perhaps, truck drivers ("tired of being a sleepy drunk? Drink Shaker Bobcat. Awake and blitzed.")

Finally have found some good baked goods. They aren't the raspberry tarts of last year, but they are quite adequate. Found them in the bakery stall of one of the supermarkets. So now I can get my carb fix when I need it.

I find that on each of these trips, I hit the food wall at some point--the time when I stop caring about eating and have to keep reminding myself to eat. Sometimes it's about the food. Other times, it's just...I don't know. Anyway, I hit the food wall at lunch yesterday. The lunch was perfectly good takeout, but I was indifferent. Then, we had to order our dinner as well. I ordered some mushroom soup and mutton with mushrooms. (The entree choices included mutton, smoked mutton, mutton with scallions, mutton with mushrooms, cheese schnitzel which doesn't have much mutton in it except it turns out to be chopped mutton "steak" covered with an egg and cheese,.....you get the point.) The mushroom soup was a clear broth, a few mushrooms, and pieces of.....mutton, half meat and half fat. The mutton with mushrooms was lots of mushrooms of different types, small bits of mutton, the usual two mounds of rice, each with a dollop of catsup. I drink a lot of beer and nibble at the food.

Tonight: Mongolian barbecue! In which we find out whether there is any relation between what many of us have experienced as Mongolian barbecue and the "real thing." Tomorrow night: Mongolian karaoke (for which I might break down and order the national drink, to be fully in the spirit.)

Thursday, July 7: “Barbecue and Pizza”

There are some similarities between Mongolian barbecue at the shopping mall and Mongolian barbecue in Mongolia. Both involve food. And there the similarity ends.

Our barbecue was held up in the mountains outside of Erdenet, on a beautiful night with gorgeous scenery and a magnificent sunset. Held at a ger camp, with a choice between sitting in a ger (yes) or a boring cabin (no.) (I'm sure ger-dwellers welcome the alternative. It's always the different we crave.) The barbecue was preceded by some appetizers which actually were quite appetizing. A mutton/pasta-like salad (you were expecting something other than mutton?), a cucumber/tomato salad that I've become quite fond of, a plate of mystery luncheon-type meat with tomatoes, and pickled carrots and pickles which were superb. Along with milk tea, which wasn't. (Our leader actually took a cup and tossed it outside the ger, discreetly she hoped.)

Then we had an interlude which included a volleyball game, mostly of Americans but with some of our Mongolian friends (our drivers and interpreter) playing as well. I decided to play, despite not having played volleyball for probably 40+ years. Had one of those Patti Schroeder experiences--one of our teammates said, "wow, you really can serve and spike." (She had assumed that a geezer really couldn't do that much.) [I also enjoyed the fact that this morning, the injury and complaining list included only the young'uns, not the geezer.]

The barbecue itself is cooked in a large metal pot, over an open fire, that functions also as a pressure cooker. Layers of vegetables, vegetables and mutton on the haunch are stacked inside, along with some heated rocks. The pot is closed, locked, and fired for 40 minutes. The result is very good (though very mutton-y.) The broth is quite greasy (even the Mongolian say it is oily), the potatoes and vegetables very flavorful, and the mutton almost tender. Knowledgeable people (i.e., Mongolian men) take sharp knives and cut of small bite-size pieces and pass it to each of us. They also distribute the bones, which are eagerly sought after (by others). Sort of like a Henry VIII scene. At some point, the head man (Dasha, a delightful man of 55) came and gave me a piece of the premier part (no, not an eygeball!) which he said goes to "the oldest person there." I felt honored, actually. Heavy eating continues, and by the end, everyone and everything smells of mutton. Then the sunset, then the ride home in the growing darkness (which is particularly exciting because most of the way, there really aren't roads, just.... drive across the land and/or follow a minimal track that someone else drove once.)

On our way up to the barbecue, we made an impromptu stop at the ger of our interpreter's brother. He wasn't there (he was out with his sheep), but we were able to visit with some of the other residents, watch a horse-milking, sample some cheese that was drying on the ger top, sample some of the airag (national drink--fermented mare's milk) which wasn't at its best because it is best (which is a modest claim) when it is refrigerated which this wasn't, had a brief horseback ride, and went on our way. It's things like this that always make the trips incredible.

Good day of work today, after we toured the local copper mine, which was most interesting. We had good weather, so roofing was the order of the day. Can't remember whether it was two and a half or 3 and a half houses we roofed, but either way most satisfying. And the relationships with the local homeowners and works only get deeper and closer.

Lunch was pizza, which reminds me that pizza, like other things (bagels, croissants) has become a generic meaning "stuff on flat bread" rather than anything Italy might recognize. This pizza-like was good, in a Mongolia sort of way. The bread was almost like pizza dough, the sauce was catsup-based but with seasonings, and the toppings included carrots and miscellaneous luncheon-type meat of unknown source. Oh, and cheese, also of unknown source. It was actually better than I'm making it sound, perhaps because it really was, and perhaps because it didn't have any mutton on it. (BTW--I've already ordered tonight's dinner entree--spaghetti. I'm muttoned out for a little while.)

Close with a couple of mysteries. Why would someone who has major food allergies (like, to everything) come on a trip where she'd have no control over her food and very little ability to get the soy-based/non-dairy/minimal meat things she needs? And why would someone who has a phobia about using an outdoor toilet (read: open trench) come to a place where that's what's available on the build site? (She takes the van back each noon to go to the bathroom at the hotel, a round trip of at least an hour.) I've suggested to my friend, the leader (who is also rolling her eyes) that in the future, she should ask applicants (1) what's your worst bathroom experience; and (2) what's your worst food experience and make her selections accordingly.

Time to wander around a little before dinner and Mongolian KARAOKE! Should be.....memorable.

Friday, July 8: “Song and Dance”

I've never been to karaoke. I've never even wanted to go to karaoke. But when in Mongolia.....

I've discovered the obvious: karaoke is apparently a cover for getting drunk and acting stupid. We didn't do much of either, but some of the Mongolians surely did. It actually was okay fun for a while. One of the funnier parts was our group trying to decipher the drinks menu and, seeing "Martini" decided to try a Mongolian martini. Actually, six people ordered them. Which led to a bottle arriving....of Martini vermouth! So much for deciphering the menu. We drank it, though, plus ordering another bottle.

Mercifully enough, there was a lack of coordination between the numbers in the song directory and the songs on the karaoke machine. I say "mercifully" because this glitch enabled me to avoid doing "Hound Dog", which I had sort of half-promised I'd do. (I said I only did Elvis, feeling that might be safe.)

Breakfast this morning was a little quieter and more somber than usual as we heard and absorbed the news of the London bombings (CNN is on here, of course!) Interesting to hear people's reactions, both from London and from our group. On a personal note, I'm glad not to be flying home through London.

Speaking of breakfast, we began augmenting the hotel breakfast after the first day. Then, on Tuesday, we took over the hotel kitchen (mostly with their approval) and cooked scrambled eggs. French toast the next day, and pancakes today. On the one hand, I'm a little concerned about the cultural insensitivity. On the other, having a great filling breakfast really makes the day better for me. So much for any guilt feeling.

Had another great day of work and weather. A variety of tasks, including the usual roofing, but that's now almost done, so this afternoon, I happened onto something that I'm really valued at---nailing the paneling to the ceiling. Women and Mongolian men are shorter than me, especially with my chimpanzee arm length, so I was a welcome sight as I was able to stand flat on the floor and simply nail the ceiling (Mongolian ceilings are low, like them.) Quite a conversation piece for the Mongolians. There will be more of this tomorrow, no doubt.

I am also aware (as usual about this time) that deep muscle fatigue is developing. Nothing specific, just the accumulated effects of 7 days of hammering, sawing, climbing, lifting, carrying, cutting, whatever. But the work pace continues as we all realize we only have until Sunday noon.

I was looking at the size of a ger today. (Several of the new homeowners are living on site, either in their ger or in a tent.) A good-sized ger is about 20 feet in diameter. I was trying to imagine having everything I owned--clothes, furniture, kitchen equipment, whatever---fit into a structure that is 20 feet in diameter, including the stove in the middle for cooking/heating. I can sort of imagine having that few things in a nomadic life. But many Mongolians live in gers in the cities and live an urban life---working in offices or shops, going to school, etc. And have good-sized families. And everything the family has fits into a 20-foot diameter ger.

We introduced bubbles to the kids today. And they liked them just as much as Ethan does. It was made easier, in fact, by the steady wind, so all they had to do was hold the wand up and the wind blew the bubbles. Also introduced frisbees, which were a great success with the adults.

One of the kids reminds me so much of Ethan in appearance. He's 5, but not all that much bigger than I remember Ethan being. Every morning, as he sees our vans approaching, he goes running along up the hill, to be where we park the vans for the day and greet us. He has warmed gradually to being with the group---not as much an extrovert as Ethan is.

Excitement is building locally for the Naadam Festival which begins Monday. We drive by the area where it will be held in Erdenet and see the stands being built, the merry-go-round erected, the stalls appearing, and a few tents as well. We're all looking forward to going to Naadam in Ulaanbaatar on Monday.

Off to the hotel to get cleaned up (hopefully.) I say hopefully because when we returned from the work site, there was no water in the hotel. None. Nada. Nothing in the toilets, sinks, etc. When asking at the desk, the clerk said, "we're going up now to turn it on." I wouldn't have thought water was something you'd "turn off" in a hotel unless there was a major plumbing problem. Still another Mongolian mystery.

Saturday, July 9: “Don’t Ask”

Another day of great weather and good work. Actually getting a bit warmer--probably in the low 80's. Isn't bad at the work site because of the wonderful wind. But in town, it's a little toasty.

Spent the day doing ceilings, then moved to insulation (briefly, since it doesn't take long), then to walls. Worked with one other from the team plus the homeowner, under the watchful eye of the homeowner's wife who is 7 months pregnant with their first. Very satisfying to be working with people who are actually the owners. And they're the bosses as to whether it's good enough work or not.

Today was also the day of the big rush---the realization that we are almost done with our work time. This leads to heightened activity on both parts--ours, because we know there's only a 1/2 day of work left tomorrow, and theirs because they realize that their crew of 14 willing workers is about to leave. Still had time for a good old-fashioned water fight at lunchtime, though.

Lunch was of the "don't ask" variety. It was sushi and a couple of salads, and mutton-filled dumplings. The "don't ask" part is don't ask what's in the sushi. I decided it really didn't matter. Can't decide whether it really was good or I have simply given up caring. Anyway, it all went away. (Well, actually, about 5 of the little dumplings remained on the plate. I realized that I was counting how many were left and had to be eaten, and at that point decided maybe I'd had enough.)

Had some good team fun last night after dinner. Bowling, using a beach ball and mostly-empty water and soda bottles. And balloon ball, using a net made out of toilet paper. Good time had by all, I think.

Tonight, after dinner, we're going back to the work site for a bonfire and party with the homeowners. It's a beautiful night, and should be wonderful watching the sun go down, on the home site, with the homeowners. The sort of thing that always makes it so worthwhile to do this.

p.s. When I got back to the hotel yesterday after e-mailing, the water still wasn't on. But about an hour later, it was. They "had a leak" which, fortunately, got fixed.

Sunday, July 10: “A Typical Sunday”

Next Sunday, maybe someone will say to me "So, what were you up to last Sunday?" And maybe I'll say "Nothing special. Did a little wall framing and building. Took a break and walked over the hill to watch the finish of an exciting 20 mile horse race. Walked back, detoured to visit a small herd of 4 camels passing through. Then a larger herd of goats resting on a wood pile. Did a little more work, then took a 1-hour walk back to town with Baynaa, caught up with the rest of my teammates and had a late lunch at the Casablanca Cafe. What did you do?"

The horse race was one of those uniquely Global Village opportunities. Turns out the finish line was "just over the hill" from our build site, and the finish was expected around 11 a.m. (tea break time.) So of course, we stopped work and walked (perhaps a mile) over to the finish area. The race is about 20 miles long. From the finish line area, we could see perhaps 2-3 miles into the distance over the rolling terrain. The crowd was gathering (this is a BIG DEAL), coming by SUVs, cars and horses. Probably several thousand ultimately. Police were directing the traffic, unsuccessfully I might add. You could sense the rising excitement and the growing murmur of the crowd. Suddenly, in the distance you could see clouds of dust--the horses running over the dusty terrain. Getting closer, crowd noise growing louder. Finally, the leader appears---a young boy (perhaps 9-10---they're lighter on the horse, of course), dressed in Mongolian costume, whipping madly to the finish line. And then the 2nd and 3rd horses, a photo finish for 4th place with the whips engaged aggressively, then more leisurely finishers (some horses plodding to the finish line.) Probably about 30 horses total. And then the crowd gradually disassembles, in cars, SUVs and horseback. And we walk back to the build site. The camels and goats were only a wonderful extra along the way.

Last night was the official Farewell Ceremony, with sun setting, thanks, very short speeches, exchange of gifts (we were given a keychain and a set of fortune-telling bones), singing, dancing and the bonfire. It was a very down home/family experience--unlike those I've had elsewhere which were more formal and upscale (with hired entertainment.) This one had no hired entertainment. Indeed, since they couldn't get the generator started, they couldn't even play the boom box they brought. Mongolians took turns singing songs (both adults and children), including someone who does throat singing, a uniquely Mongolian thing, which is simply indescribable. Then a little team singing (national anthem, America and When the Saints), then the bonfire lighting. Then they taught us a simple Mongolian dance, and we taught them the Hokey Pokey (not my idea, but they seemed to like it) and we left for the hotel as the embers burned down.

I always get to the end of these builds feeling very emotional. It's hard for me to leave the people I've met, the homes I've helped build, and the community I've helped to create. I am so grateful to have these opportunities--thanks to my family for supporting me in this, to Habitat for being a great organization, and to the local people themselves who are so welcoming to us and pleased to make us a part of their lives. For many, we are the first Americans they have met. And they are certainly the first (and probably only) Mongolians I will meet.

On to Ulaanbaatar and Naadam. We board the overnight train around 7 p.m. tonight and head to Naadam Festival for the day tomorrow. The heat is building--90 today, forecast is 95 tomorrow and 104(!) Tuesday. (I know--it's dry heat. But a chicken still cooks in a sauna as well as in a steam room.) I'm figuring that hot and dusty is better than rainy and muddy. And besides, I only expect to be at Naadam once in my life, so I'll drink plenty of fluids, drip as appropriate, and have some fun watching the Mongolian manly sports of horse racing, archery and wrestling.

More about that later.

Monday, July 11: “Herding”

The good news is that the weather turned out to be less beastly than forecast (at least for much of the day) and we did finally get into the Naadam Festival. But not without difficulty.

The day began at the UB train station, where we arrived after our 12-hour overnight trip. We left Erdenet about 7 p.m., when it was 100 degrees (yes, someone in our group has a travel thermometer and checked). Cooled down nicely after sunset (around 10:30) and actually needed a blanket before morning.

We arrived on time, got into our bus, and sat. Gridlock in the waiting parking lot, with quite a few vehicles devoid of drivers. About 45 minutes later, finally we were able to get out. Off to the hotel, check in, have breakfast, then left about 9:30 to go to the main square for the 9:00 opening ceremony, which, according to Lonely Planet guide, is the premier event of Naadam. Of course, by the time we got there, they had long gone. But the real purpose appeared to be to link up with two other Habitat groups, one from Korea, the other from Malaysia, and take a large group photo. Which we did. Then all boarded buses, and caravanned out to the stadium. (Moo, moo.)

Got into another gridlock. Forced to turn off just before the stadium to go to another place to buy a group ticket. Then back to gridlock, finally get into the parking area and get to our entrance gate at 11:30 for the 11:00 opening ceremony at the stadium. Couldn't get in, despite tickets, because they were already full with not even standing room. Kept arguing about "the group has tickets" (the groups, combined, numbered 50-60, all moving as a pack). Finally decided to "go do something else" and come back an hour later and we'll get admitted (because the ceremony will be over.) A couple of us wandered over to the archery (slightly boring), then to the bones gambling tent (which requires an audio explanation and was fascinating--probably the highlight for me), then back to enter the stadium and see, at a great distance, the wrestling. Back outside to gather in the bus, take it to a restaurant downtown for lunch. Total time at Naadam: 2 hours. Total time going/coming from Naadam: 3 hours. Total time spent in the herd: far too much.

Weather was cloudy this morning, keeping the temperature down. Clearing this afternoon, and the temperature is probably in the 90s, but with a stiff breeze. Quite bearable, actually, even in "longs." We have a much nicer hotel than before, complete with hot water, so we are feeling improved.

A little about my teammates: there are 9 adults (i.e. 40 and over) and 5 kids (all under 25). A brief synopsis of the adults: Rod, retired Air Force, now a contract worker for the Air Force doing the same job, we think he's a spook, lives in Northern Virginia. Margo, our leader, in marketing at Salem State University, lives in Marblehead, MA across the street from a restaurant that Lois and I had lunch at many times. Dennis, a project manager who lives in Anchorage and Wyoming, is a personality clone of my cousin (voice, intonation, mannerisms, sense of humor, etc.--I love being around him) and the ultimate liberal arts-er. His expected-to-be 3rd wife Alyce, from San Diego, a 3x grandmother. Martin(aka Mutton) who works for Chevron and lives in the Bay Area and his wife, Karen, who is an architect. Win, a medical research librarian who lives in San Francisco and is the only other currently married person not traveling with his spouse (she doesn't do construction, difficult toilet situations, etc. either.) And Julia1, who lives in NYC and works in IT for cable television.

The kids are Julia2, a Bryn Mawr grad starting med school at Jefferson in August. Liz, a music teacher in the public schools in Long Island. Chrissy, a sophomore at Notre Dame. And Leah and Morgan, two new high school grads from Ontario, Canada.

It's been a great group, all in all. And it's been a great trip, too, the above hassles notwithstanding.

Tomorrow, we leave for ger camp, overnight, and recreational activities including shooting, horseback riding, swimming, etc. Then back to UB Wednesday night. Until then, HOT regards to all.

Wednesday, July 13: “Ger Camp:

"You'll be in ger #2."Not something I'm accustomed to hearing when checking in for the night. "But that was the greeting at "Dugan Khad Complex for Holiday and Tour" according to the billboard. The ger camp is about a 3-hour drive from Ulaanbaatar. The first two hours (60miles) are on a paved main road, then turn left at the billboard and go almost another hour on a dirt road. The camp is a holiday destination for Mongolians. At least, for those with cars (few), jobs (few), time, and money. The surroundings are beautiful. Mountains, but green instead of brown. Trees, valleys of green, khads (which I think are rock formations), and clear vistas. It was hot when we arrived, but cooled off later in the afternoon. The gers are very well kept. The buildings and cottages look like something we would have rejected long ago, in the 40s. But again, the options are few, and the market to support them also few.

Yesterday could also be called Herding--Day #2. And you know how I do herding. First, we had to caravan with the Malaysian and Korean groups, in our separate buses. This included stopping somewhere along the way so one of the groups (don't know which one) could all get out and have yet another group photo. Finally did arrive (together) and then found out that we had a total of 56 people and they had ger spaces for only 44. Since staying in a ger was one of the primary purposes of the trip, this led to a certain amount of consternation. We resolved our end by deciding that our group would take 2 gers, each with 4 beds, and the rest of us would sleep on the floor of the ger. (I opted to exercise age and chose a bed.) Actually worked out okay, since the gers are fairly large, and one couple in my ger slept together in 1 bed.

And then we learned that there was a whole sequence of team-building events for all groups, combined, through the rest of yesterday and all day today. At that point, I led a mini-rebellion, supported fully and unanimously by all in our group, including our leader. The most important outcome of the rebellion was our absolute, non-negotiable commitment to leaving the ger camp before lunchtime and coming back to Ulaanbaatar. (It's a commentary on things that we all regarded UB as heaven by comparison.) We also staked a claim to horseback riding in the morning.

Dennis, Alyce and I took off for a long walk, partly to explore the area, partly to avoid the group activities. Climbed a khad, walked through a valley, up to a Buddhist shrine and down, met a man walking with four small boys, and generally had a great time. Weather turned nicer---cooler, a thunderstorm in the distance, and we missed two group activities (those found hiding in their gers were aggressively summoned to the activities.)

After dinner, we had the obligatory cross-cultural presentations. We were chastised later for coming late to the event (because we were being solicited for donations to UB Habitat!) but we got through it. Then the also-obligatory bonfire (read: campfire) with songs, the Hokey Pokey again, and finally, we were allowed to go bed.

This morning, we staked our claim to the horses and leaving by noon. There were 14 horses for the 56 people. But somehow, our claim worked, and we got first dibs. Rode for close to an hour, an absolutely idyllic ride through the valley, up to a khad. Lots of fun. I got the frisky horse--the one others turned down. Not sure why I won the honor, but it went okay. The horse even stumbled forward at one point, I held on, and got a thumbs up from the guide.

Waited a while until the bus came to pick us up, but it did, and we left the camp about 1 (our fallback position) and got back to UB around 4 for a (very) late lunch. The weather here has also taken a turn for the better---cooler (probably in the 80s) with a strong breeze and of course, virtually no humidity. Hope it lasts one more day.

Nothing scheduled for tonight, thank goodness. Tomorrow's a free day for shopping, whatever. I will do that, plus hit the Gobi Sauna (sounds like a redundancy to me) which is about a block from our hotel for a day of beauty and indulgence. Tomorrow night after an early dinner we will go to a truly cultural experience---a variety show involving throat singing, contortionists, and other uniquely Mongolian things. Should be a fitting climax to my visit.

As usual, best to all. My Mongolian adventure is nearing an end, and it has been a great one.

Thursday, July 14: “Journey’s End”

Another good weather day. We have been lucky. Clouding over a bit this afternoon, but not too hot. Tomorrow's forecast is for near 100 again----but I won't be here!

Went downtown this morning to do a little shopping. Found everything I was looking for, and one thing that I didn't know I was looking for. All very satisfactory.

Strolled back to the hotel to drop things off, then a little further for an afternoon at the Gobi Sauna. Opted for a Mongolian massage ("when in Mongolia....") rather than a Thai massage (one of our team member's had one and said it involved someone walking on your back rather than merely sitting on it). Also had a selection of four different saunas, with different temperatures and humidities, a tea bath, and a hot tub. All for the princely sum of $21. I feel like a new man. Well, at least, a relaxed one. And with any sort of luck, all the sweating and rubbing will cause the mutton odor to leave my body (my money even smells of mutton!) which would be a kindness to those around me when I get home.

The stroll back from downtown took me from the heart of the commercial district, including a pedestrian shopping mall, through a densely populated residential area, then through one of the monasteries that I had visited my first day, then through another commercial district. As I walked through the residential area with dusty unpaved streets and the din of a very densely populated area of shack-like homes mixed with gers and small retail establishments and then entered the monastery area with its comparative quiet, calm, beauty and serenity, I thought about the contrasts I have seen in my visit. Beautiful scenery in the countryside that simply doesn't translate into an urban area. A nomadic people historically that supported itself well in that life being induced/forced/attracted to urban life in a global economy. A people that at one time dominated a major portion of the Asia and European continents and more recently, was dominated for most of the 20th century by the Soviets. A country that has a rich base of natural resources (natural gas), poised geographically between China and Russia, both of who need the resource. An earnest, eager and entrepreneurial people lurching into the flattening 21st global economy. It's difficult for me to envision what this city and country will look like in 10-20 years. It seems poised for a major shift. The big question remains how to accomplish that. I will be watching with greater interest, now that I know a little more about it.

And my Mongolian journey nears an end. I leave at 7:45 a.m. Friday (6.45 p.m. Thursday Raleigh time) and, airlines willing, arrive in Raleigh at 9:00 p.m. Friday. I'm ready to go home.....until my next adventure.

That's all from me from Mongolia.