Videos

I'm throwing a short intermission in here to present some video from the trip. Most of these are Buzz's. Enjoy!



Nadaam Festival singing

Tidbit of a horse race


Nadaam Festival wrestling


Dancing children at Nadaam


Wrestling victory dance

Drinking airag

Cheese throwing


Singing at dinner


Singing after more vodka

A little Mongolian ditty ...the only video I got.

Chapter 5.......the build

Part I: the crew

Approximately 36 hours after stumbling off that train, the rest of the Habitat crew had all arrived. The majority of the group hailed from Tacoma, Washington but Montana, Los Angeles, Arizona, D.C., New York City, and Toronto were also represented. Here are the 15 members of the Habitat crew plus the essential Mongolian counterparts:


Part 2: Kharkhorin

We arrived in Kharkhorin (pronounced "har-horin" and spelled a million different ways) roughly nine hours after leaving UB. I have not seen a picture yet that captures the road arteries that travel this distance. Picture gigantic blue skies (even the Montana native was impressed) above a vast area of green grass surrounded by rolling hills...not a building to be seen...and then veins of thin brown roads weaving in every direction. Drivers would just choose whatever path seemed best and criss-cross as they felt necessary. It was not the most pleasant of car rides but it was a fun adventure. We were split between two vans and ours held twelve...snugly.

Easily the most recounted tale from this portion of the trip was the man seen screwing his sheep...though only noticed by two members of the party. Other than that the dusty trip consisted of taking in the gorgeous countryside, lunch in a small town, and visits to various unpleasant outhouses.





Following the long excursion, we were welcomed by our hotel nestled in a river bed below bright green hills, surrounded by gers, and traversed by sheep, goats, donkeys, and horses.

After several well deserved and long-awaited beers, we had dinner and heard the music of the local band that would end up frequenting our dining room.




Over the next two weeks, we would learn our surroundings quite well. The town's population is slightly less than 4,000 and consists of a popular monastery, an abandoned flour factory-turned brewery, a smattering of shops, a little market, dirt roads designated by make-shift metal fencing that surrounds every person's property, beautiful people, and roaming animals. The city's major attraction is that it was once the capital of Mongolia as chosen by Chinggis Khan.



Part 3: the supplies


As expected, supplies were limited and unlike those in the States. We all became familiar with the process of mixing and moving concrete, laying cement blocks, preparing and installing a roof, and even making a breaker box out of a peanut can...Mongolian-style.
















Part 4: the process

Here's how it went up...






Part 5: the party

After an impressive nine days of work a party was held in the home that we built. Though the house was not entirely finished, the family was to put the finishing touches on (dry wall and outer brick) which was scheduled to take another week or two. The house we built was about 350 square feet and would have an entry way, cooking area, and main room. When we first arrived and started laying the foundation it seemed tiny and unimpressive. As we began to understand the way Mongolians live and spend time in the owners current living quarters, we realized this small home was very special and would combat Mongolia's horrendous winters. We were all immensely proud of what we accomplished. Thus, the party began...

Chapter 4.......Riots in Ulaanbaatar

As our train rolled into Ulaanbaatar (aka Ulan Bator...or simply UB), the seven dust-covered, wide-eyed tourists emerged to find the city in "upheaval"...or so we were warned. Because of riots following the election prior to our arrival, the local government administered a 10pm curfew as well as a ban on alcohol sales. This would not have gone over smoothly with our incredibly thirsty group had we not stocked up on booze during border patrol. Luckily, good ol' Johnnie, Robert, and Mou would keep us company during these times of hardship. On a more serious note, the city was facing a real dilemma with a young government being run by a pro-communist political party remaining in office and a nation of residents in opposition to the election results. The Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party's office was burned, hundreds of citizens and over sixty police injured, and five were killed in what was cited as a drunken melee by the losing party, the Democratic party, and outraged citizens. What was visible to us as visitors was a few buildings with broken windows and quiet streets strewn with armed military officers on foot patrol. We would later notice stark contrast with the bustling and peaceful mood of UB streets following the Habitat build and our return to the city.

Carrying on with our travels as life in UB pressed on, we visited the Buddhist monastery once destroyed by Soviet Communists and resurrected following the downfall of communism in Mongolia in 1991.





















Our knowledgeable tour guide, Nasa, then took us to the Mongolian History Museum, the Mongolian Intelligence Museum (a gem of an experience adorned in fuzzy slippers), a hilltop monument to a growing nation, a visit to the black market, and a lunch fix at bd's...yes, bd's.