News, Views and Reviews from Mongolia with Jess and Eternal Landscapes No Images? Click here In a rush? The Contents! Mongolian Well Project Update Which is much more interesting than either the title or the image leads you to believe! n a rush? The Contents! Spring training for my EL team Everything from Buddhism through to the ethics and responsibility of wildlife spotting Our One Day Experiences From felting to star gazing Our Special Offers and Late Availability YAY! Well Project Update Let's start with a picture. True, not the 'sexiest' of images. But wells are an indispensable source of water to herders and livestock in Mongolia. To those whose lives revolve around and depend upon their livestock they are absolutely invaluable. Our 2016 donation helped to construct two wells for herders in Khovsgol Aimag CAMDA - Cambridge Mongolia Devleopment Appeal is dedicated to supporting and bringing resources to Mongolia’s herders - not just by focusing solely on financial aid but by offering real practical help, the sort that makes a long term difference. CAMDA’s Mongolia Well Project is ongoing, aiming to provide about 30 wells each year shared among four provinces. Three – Dundgobi, Ovorkhangai, Gobisumber - are in Gobi fringe regions, and most wells there are refurbished. Khovsgol Province is in the north, not arid in the main but due to hilly terrain it suffers rain run-off and localised water shortage. Where herds are forced to travel further to graze or find water, their trampling degrades pasture. A solution to ease this situation was seen by adding new wells, especially in areas where climate change has reduced other natural water sources. This is one of the projects that we support and our 2016 donation funded the construction of two r wells in Khovsgol Aimag. In 2016, CAMDA constructed 20 in Khovsgol - now serving more than 170 herder households with an overall total of livestock exceeding 28,000 heads. A further 5 wells were rehabilitated in Ovorkhangai province, serving some 28 households and their 3,700 heads of livestock. 2017 should see Camda being able to fund 35 + wells. With a little bit of help from us as well. EL Trip Assistant Training Let me introduce you to some remarkable Mongolian women. And yes, I'm biased. I'm lucky enough to be in a position to run my own business and, as a woman, it is important to me to use my skills and influence to improve the prospects for other women. That's one reason why all my trip assistants are female - dynamic young Mongolian women who are searching for an opportunity to train and develop personally and professionally. They're not tourism professsionals - some have no experience in tourism at all but part of my business philosophy is to provide training and development opportunities to those who want to work in tourism (for a variety of reasons) but who don't have the professional qualifications to work for our larger competitors. Just like people trusted in me when I was starting out, so I invest in them. I provide them with a starting block. Part of that is that every spring they attend different training sessions that we put together. Rather than an intense two-day experience with lots of note taking (yawn!), we arrange the training over a number of weeks. It's informal (pizza anyone?!) but relevant. In fact, at the end of every year I ask 'my girls' for new ideas on what they feel would help us to improve our service to our guests and base the next training session around their responses. If you want to discuss Mongolia’s economic policy then we’re probably not for you. But, if you want to spend time with someone who sincerely loves their home country, loves their job and genuinely care about you as our guests they we are for you. What has their 2017 training covered so far? First aid with the Mongolian Red Cross. Buddhism with Chimedtsogoo Chimeddavaa - the Director of Buddhist NGO Asral and an active member of the Buddhist community in Mongolia. Conservation and environmental protection with Anne Camille Souris - the founder and lead researcher of Association Goviin Khulan NGO. This Sunday is history and archaeology with Ariuntuya - lecturer at the University of Mongolia and also a scholar at the National History Museum. One Day Experiences One day? Seriously? What can you hope to experience in one day in a country the size of Mongolia? Well, ditch the guidebook and the recommended highlights and come along and see. Felt Workshops Arranged through B. Erdenetsetseg - a retired Associate Professor and member of the International Feltmakers Association. Held at her home in Ulaanbaatar these workshops are informal and relaxed and designed to give you an insight into someone’s way of life in UB as well as a chance to practise this traditional art form.
Bow Maker Visit the home of Tomorkhuu Batmonkh a specialist bow and arrow maker in Ulaanbaatar. Batmonkh's home is also his workshop and every surface of his home is dedicated to his skill with sinews, glue, arrows, bird feathers, arrowheads, readymade bows, tools, and implements everywhere. As soon as you enter his 3-room apartment in the Bayangol District, his love for this profession is evident. Star Gazing Wrap up warm, stay up late and visit the Khurel Togoot Astronomical Observatory with its wonderful Russian architecture. The observatory is located at 1,620 metres above sea level - 15km from the centre of Ulaanbatar in Bogd Khan Mountain. The observatory magnifies the solar system by 250 times.
Bike Exploration See Gorkhi-Terelj from a different perspective. This national park is well developed but for our bike exploration, we use the home of Naraa and Bujee - a herding family for our base. In the summer they are located close to the Terelj River in an area of gentle natural beauty. Come and enjoy the freedom of the open road, rejuvenate your spirit of adventure and escape the pressures of the western world as well as experiencing a typical 'day in the life of' a modern-day herder
Ger Area Tour The ger districts form part of the urban landscape of Ulaanbaatar - informal settlements that have grown on the edge of the city. They are not slums - for many citizens the ger remains central to their identity and they have chosen to live in the ger districts and are proud to do so. Our Ger Area tour is arranged through the Ger Area Mapping Centre - an NGO which conducts research in the ger areas of Ulaanbaatar with the objective of compiling better data so that projects to improve the ger area communities are more effective. Come for the day and learn not only about the challenges but experience every day life and meet local Mongolians who are making a positive impact in their local ger communities. Khustain Nuruu National Park Khustai is one of three locations in Mongolia chosen for the re-introduction of the endemic Przewalski horse (Equus przewalskii)– the only wild horse to survive in modern times and known as Takhi in Mongolian. Depart UB early and spend the day experiencing panoramic views, sand dunes, archaeology, wildlife and a great picnic lunch. We hope that this brief day may provide you with a better understanding of the biodiversity of Khustain - its people, landscapes and wildlife in the area.
Eternal Landscapes Mongolia Trip Ideas Where will 2017 take you?Welcome to my new update on our availability and what new trips are live.If you're interested but unsure, advice is free and without any sense of expectation. Please just email me - jess@eternal-landscapes.co.uk. I would love to be of help Active Mongolia - June 9th - 9 DaysLed by Jess and Turuu, this is one of our research trips. Primarily overland, this active adventure will introduce you to the way of life in Mongolia's mountainous central heartland and the alpine northern regions including sacred Khovsgol Nuur. * Perfect for those looking to explore by hiking, biking or on a horse trek. Option to extend with a 5 day trek at Khovsgol. Untamed Mongolia - June 17th / July 22nd - 23 DaysThe ultimate discovery trip - Gobi Desert, Khangai Mountains and Khovsgol Nuur. June 17th trip can be extended with national Naadam in Ulaanbaatar.* Option of shorter 20 day itinerary Khovsgol Trails - June 26th - 19 Days Two separate horse treks in remote northern Mongolia - including five-day exploration to the Tsaatan - Mongolia's reindeer herders. Includes local two-day Naadam. Gobi Insight - July 3rd - 15 Days The ultimate slow paced discovery of Mongolia's Gobi Desert. Includes local two-day Naadam
Essence Of Mongolia - July 27th - 19 Days A slow journey through the middle Gobi, wild uplands of central heartland and stunning scared Khovsgol Nuur exploring the way of life in rural Mongolia. Includes 3 day trek at Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park Wilderness Trails - August 5th - 15 Days Includes 7 days glorious trekking in the remote Khangai Mountains - no other people, just you and wilderness. Altai Trails Research Trip - August 25th - 23 Days Join an EL research trip - our way of getting to explore and discover parts of the country that we know and want to get to know better with the possibility of putting this knowledge into our small group and tailor made tours. It’s also a chance for the local Mongolian people we work with to show us the hidden side to their home. National Park. Also, five day horse trek with an eagle hunter. That's it for this edition. As always, thanks for reading and do get in touch with your thoughts! You can always keep in touch with what we're up to through my EL Blog, or my previous newsletters, or even the EL Facebook page. For a more personal introduction to Eternal Landscapes, you can also read my EL Notes about running the business. Wherever the road continues to take you - Sain Yavaarai - Journey Well, Jess
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