Taki Mating Season

If you've never had the chance to see wild, Preznowski horses (aka Taki) mate, then you must not have visited Hustai National Park in June. With 10 day old foals at their sides, the female Taki ruefully submitted to the will of their corresponding stallion. Now the 11 month gestation can begin again...

The Taki are the only ancestral horses left in the wild. Although they died out in Mongolia in the early 1900s, a Dutch zoo, intent on keeping the species alive, reintroduced them here in the 1990s. The massive park houses around 200 horses, their numbers variable due to drought and wolves in the area. Also home to gazelle and the rare red deer, Hustai impressed me with its resolve to protect this bit of untamed wilderness.

Aside from a few nomadic herders and domesticated horses, however, there isn't much to protect the park from. At about 100km west of UB, the park centers itself in the middle of vast, well, nothingness. And I don't mean that in a bad way. The landscape, so barren of trees, barely covered in grass, and without many people, is awe inspiring. A hike to the top of one of the tallest points in the park revealed an amazing landscape of rounded mountains and valleys.

Before heading back to UB this morning, Annie, Sarah, Brian and I got up at 4:30am to see the sunrise. Unfortunately, rain stymied our efforts, but the hike to another tall hill was astounding nonetheless.

Now comes the ride home. Mongolia is a huge country with very low population density. Thus, roads are basically non-existant. For our journey, construction workers toiled on the main road out of UB (preparing it for the rush to the countryside that will happen in July for the Nadaam festival), forcing us to forge our own path. Our skilled driver (btw, we paid him about $30 for a day and a half of services) and his tough SUV managed just fine-- only 3 hours for the 100km journey! As someone who doesn't get carsick easily, I even felt nauseous after that drive.

Now back in UB, I'm beginning to understand the city better. The "downtown" area is quite nice. Ritzy shops are springing up alongside wide sidewalks and fasionable people. But this area is populated by a wealthy minority. The further one gets from this central business district, the more gritty the city becomes. Our hotel is surrounded by tired, Soviet style apartments with peeling paint. Passing the city limits on the drive to Hustai, we saw what can only be described as slums.

Despite the broad spectrum, I like the city and its people. Our friendly UB resident and co-worker, Armanaa, gives us great insight into Monoglia and its culture. Getting into the countryside should be quite interesting. Hopefully I can blog one more time before heading out to Hovsgol.

Ulaan Baatar or Ulan Bator or....

I made it! No lost luggage, no missed flights, no late planes, in fact, everything seemed to go pretty smoothly over my 29 hours of travel. And staying up for so long made me exhausted by the time I arrived in UB at 11:30pm (local time)-- perfect for getting onto Mongolian time.

Arriving in Beijing was fairly impressive. The Chinese built a new international terminal for the Olympics and it's ultra-modern, super-clean facilities made quite the impression. The best part involved playing cards during the seven hour layover, however. As we switched from ERS to Gin Rummy to Crazy 8's, several Chinese construction workers looked on, trying to figure out the rules and cheering when Brian would win a slap in ERS.

We spent the day in UB today, mostly walking around the city. UB is a gritty city (we even saw a dust storm engulf the capital and then disappear in a matter of an hour). But it also has an international flair. Many people speak/understand English, and even more signs advertise exclusively in English. We met up with my friend from Penn who is working in UB this summer, and he talked about a large, vibrant ex patriot community-- people from many different countries.

Today, we visited a Buddhist temple with a humongous, gilded statue. Surrounding the statue were several golden cylinders. Each, apparently, contains a scroll with a prayer written on it. By spinning all the cylinders, I said several hundred prayers today.

Following our spiritual experience, we took a cab ride (in which we got into a small fender bender) to the Mongolian Natural History museum. Old, dusty animals filled the display cases, but I think my feet were hurting too bad for me to really enjoy the museum itself.

Tomorrow, we're heading off to Hustai National Park to see the wild, Priznowski (sp?) horses. We'll be spending the night there, and one of the Mongolian scientists at the National University here arranged for us to get a special tour of the park. It should be very interesting.

Alright, I don't want to rack up too high of a bill on this 80 cents/hour internet! Hopefully, I'll be able to blog one more time before heading off to the internet-less land of rural Mongolia.

Leaving

The final hours before I ship off to the land of goats and gers has arrived. Luckily, I received my passport, with an official looking Chinese visa, on Thursday, so I'm clear to leave the country. All that worrying sure was worth it (NOT!)...

Speaking of worrying, I made a remarkable observation about myself today. I really don't consider every angle of my choices until the last minute. For instance, today (the day before I leave) I began to freak out about how I am going to get around Beijing once I'm there. I can't speak Chinese, I don't own a map, I haven't read a guidebook. I'm going to die. But, with a few deep breaths, I calmed myself, realized that there is nothing I can do at this point, and prayed to God that everything will turn out OK. I guess this delay of nervousness helps me. I'd never leave my house without it!

I packed my bags (25% clothing, 75% pharmaceuticals) and everything fit fairly easily. Ironically, this issue, which is normally my biggest problem with traveling, went smoothly. Confucius says: A good omen this is!

Many people have told me that they are sending positive vibes and plenty of prayers my way for a safe journey. I really want to thank all of you for this. I know that this trip will yield productive research and great memories. I'll be sure to share my photos and stories when I get back (here and in person).

For now, I'll leave you with this photo (courtesy of this website) of Lake Hovsgol, where I'll eventually be staying. Enjoy!

Yea for Science!

To start things off, my passport arrived in the mail from Jen yesterday! I'm off to get the visa tomorrow. Also, the Red Wings are now the 2008 Stanley Cup Champions! An exciting series should lead to an exciting parade downtown. Want to join me?

Anyone who knew me in high school would probably be surprised to know that I am now a biology major. I shunned calculus, dreaded chemistry, and made AP Environmental Science my third and final science credit. Somehow, that class convinced me to give environmental studies a shot. But I quickly realized that I wasn't going to understand much besides public policy unless I dove into biology headfirst. To further push me past my fear of hard-core science, I read a New York Times article about how deficiency in understanding science negatively affected our nation's policies-- on issues from stem cell research to global warming.

So I was really excited to read this article in the New York Times on Sunday by Brian Greene (who was on NPR's Talk of the Nation last Friday). Besides talking about the urgent need for better science education, he talks about the wonders of really understanding science.

"But here’s the thing. The reason science really matters runs deeper still. Science is a way of life. Science is a perspective. Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding in a manner that’s precise, predictive and reliable — a transformation, for those lucky enough to experience it, that is empowering and emotional. To be able to think through and grasp explanations — for everything from why the sky is blue to how life formed on earth — not because they are declared dogma but rather because they reveal patterns confirmed by experiment and observation, is one of the most precious of human experiences."

I couldn't agree more. Ever since I really got into my science classes, I've looked at everything (life, religion, fact, habits, etc.) differently. This does not discount the value of literature, art, and the social sciences, which are also important to understand. But none of those subjects ever transformed my world-view like this. It's liberating.

Plus, science is taking me to Mongolia!

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Now playing: Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl
via FoxyTunes

Prepare... or not

As part of the Mongolia trip, the Penn Biology department offered to extend our layover in Beijing-- at no cost to us. Of course I said yes! Who would turn down five days in Beijing, the month before the Olympics? Brian, one of my roommates who is also going on the Mongolia trip, agreed to come, too. We figured we would only have to pay for the Chinese visa ($130), the hostel ($9/night), food, and admission to museums.

I didn't figure in the cost of the Chinese travel gods, though. And they, apparently, don't want me in their country. First, I didn't know to bring my bank statement with me to the consulate. Then, my name wasn't on the hotel reservation. Now, I'm still waiting to get my passport back from my friend who took it to New York for me the second time. Once it comes in the mail, I now have to pay a document service to take it to Chicago for me. It better come soon...

The Junior Year in Munich program is trying to get us to prepare for living in Munich, too. Current students in Munich will sell us their pots, pans, and printers, and at a pretty good price. Now I have to choose what exactly I want, how much I want to spend, and make my decision soon.

In summary, I am a little overwhelmed right now (which probably has something to do with my job, too). The frustration is definitely worth it, and I am sure everything will turn out well.

Beginnings

Blogging isn't for the faint of heart. I learned that once I started blogging for The Spin at the beginning of 2007. Doing anything to get one more hit per week, trying to keep up with the blogosphere, and meeting deadlines twice a week was fun at first, but the novelty wore off. If you know me, then you understand that I am more contemplative than that-- my opinions don't fit in 300 word posts, and they probably don't belong on a blog in the first place.

So, here I am blogging again. The main goal is, yes, to tell my travel experiences and keep up with friends and family. But I also hope to share some thoughts and reactions to what I experience over this coming year (and beyond?). I don't plan on publishing my journal here though. I'll spare you, dear reader, from my personal issues, rants, and raves.

This year promises to be exciting though. In about two weeks, I leave for the wilderness of Mongolia followed by a brief stint in the metropolis of Beijing. In September, I start my Junior Year in Munich; from September of 2008 to July of 2009, I'll be immersed in German culture and schooling, with plenty of trips throughout the EU (I hope).

Although this blog is primarily intended to share what I see and learn with friends and family back home, it serves as a place for me to organize my thoughts. It should force me to actually react to what I see and experience, instead of just letting it fly by.

Here's to a year of yurts, yodeling, and yesterdays worth remembering.