These are the last of of my Mongolia photos. This is the main wrestling stadium in Ulaan Baatar.

A rally for one of the Mongolian political parties. It was peaceful when I was there, but after the elections there were a few riots.

At the UB Hotel, the signs can be a bit confusing. Which direction is my room??

A view from the Chinggis Khaan Hotel. Lots of Soviet built apartments.

An advertisement for the hotel's restaurant. I'd rather not feel, thanks!

Cows must be careful where they wander around town, or they may become dinner! This cow was in front of the Turkish restaurant I went to.

Traditional Kazakh music performers. They perform as a family (father, daughter, and son (not pictured), and have traveled all over Japan where apparently there is a market for their music! I was lucky to get my own personal concert.

Mongolian immigration officers who are on their way to Kazakhstan to work.

Life in a Altai Mountain town is so slow it is no problem to herd a group of calves a across the main square.

Ulgii

A statue of Lenin still remains. All the statues of Stalin have long since been torn down.

For dinner I tried turkish food. The juice is made in Mongolia!

This stone man has been waiting here more than 1,000 years. It is of Turkic origin.


The driver and the cook. They spoke only Mongolian and Kazakh, so I needed a guide to translate.

Altai mountains, Mongolia

Gers can quickly be taken down and moved to a new position once the grass for grazing runs out.

Jeeps with the Mongolian flag visited even the most remote gers to convince people to vote.

A view out the van.

Hiking towards Tsengel Khairkhan Mountain, Mongolia

It's not the best hair day without being able to take a shower and all the wind. The bird had to be masked so that it did not attack me!

These "charms" are placed on the ceiling of the ger for good luck (i.e. preventing lightning strikes).

Fresh cheese drying.

The two families here raised goats and sheep.

One goat wanted inside the warmth of the ger.

These children were back for Summer vacation from school. They have to live away from their families and attend school at other times.

The sheep milk was surprisingly good.

The approach to Tsengel Khairkhan Mountain, Mongolia.

People here catch eagles and falcons and train them to hunt in the winter. This bird was very young, so not that well trained yet.

I stayed in the ger on the right.

Inside the ger. Note that next to a wedding photo is a certificate for 1,000,000 tugrik, promised by one of the political parties to each family if they were elected(around 1000 USD).

Many of the Kazakhs in the Altai Mountain region of Mongolia are muslim so even this small town has a mosque.