Jun 17 2008
Here is a picture of the view from our window (door, really) at the Eagle Ger Camp in Ulgii in Western Mongolia:
We stayed in Gers (the round white structure on the left side of the picture). These are the homes for many Mongolian people, who are traditionally (and many are still) nomadic. The Gers are quite large and can be constructed and deconstructed quickly (by a professional; certainly not by us).
- Meredith
Jun 17 2008
Sometimes things don’t go according to plan in Mongolia. Our trekking guides, Eddie and Amy, call this the Genghis factor (as in Genghis Khan).
Today, our flight to Western Mongolia was supposed to leave UB at 10:45 am. But at 1:00 am, the flight schedule changed to 6:40 am because of forecasted weather at our destination. Our tour leader wasn’t notified by the airline until 6:20 am. We made a mad dash for the airport, while our local guides tried to pull strings with connections at Aero Mongolia to try to hold the plane. Within one hour of being told to hustle, we made it from our hotel to the airport, checked in 15 people with outdoor gear and most of the food for the trip (with a paper ticket system!), got through security, and onto the plane which was being held on the tarmac for us for an hour and 10 minutes.
The people at the airport were so efficient. This never could have happened in the US. Of course, I’m not so sure a flight would be rescheduled to 4 hours earlier in the US either.
The kicker? Perfect weather with blue skies and no wind at our destination in Western Mongolia. 
- Meredith