At some point during my biology studies, I was interested in eco-volunteering. On the internet, I found a snow leopard monitoring project in Kyrgyzstan. "No clue where this country is," I thought, “I should check it out.” However, it cost too much and I didn’t apply. The idea remained. Every time, when I was fed [...]
In the supermarket, in front of the vodka shelf: " Do we really need the big bottle ", I ask, "doesn't the medium one suffice?" Kishig and Mukhan look at me with big eyes and shake their heads in sync. "It's for the horsemen," says Kishig. "Yes, many horsemen," Mukhan adds. Well, I buy the [...]
If you are traveling with a Mongolian man, it may happen that he turns the car off the road and drives straight into the steppe. "A shortcut maybe," you think and stay quiet. Then he stops at several yurts and seems to ask the farmers for directions. At that point, you start to wonder what [...]
The first time we stop because the gear chain is loose. I climb off the motorbike, Basa does, too. He sits down behind the bike and pulls a wrench from his Deel, the traditional Mongolian coat. The colorful garment has no pockets, just a fabric belt that's wrapped around the waist. Basa keeps the tools [...]
When Orkhon said, the way to the mineral springs would be difficult, he was not exaggerating. The term "rough terrain" has never been a better fit. We are in the mountains around the Tsagaan Nuur, the "White Lake" in the Arkhangai province, central Mongolia. Orkhon is the mountain guide of a three-day [...]
The first horse I come across in Mongolia is lying on my plate. Oogi's sister has cooked a big lunch during the camping trip. Although it tasted good, eating horses was not the purpose of the trip. Actually, I wanted to sit on them, not chew on them. Apart from this, Ulan [...]
"You want to travel all alone? Wow, you are so brave. - That's what they said at home," says Johanna. Ruoyin and I are laughing: "Same here." The three of us met on the bus to Olkhon. This is the island in Lake Baikal - a hot tip by Sasha, my "couch [...]
When I clipped the first carabiner on the iron rope, a rain drop fell on my nose. A couple of seconds later, it started pouring down. "Oh, great!" - I got up early in the morning, I drove forty-five minutes by bus from Arco to Sarche and spent an hour (30 minutes ascent, [...]