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Galatians 5
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
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Flashback: Mongolia 5.4, Hello
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Aug 29, 2007 6:57 am
Mood: hopeful,
336 Views
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The highlights of the Winter Palace were the collection of taxidermied african animals including a decapitated giraffe because it was too tall to fit in the hall it was displayed in and chatting with a local who wanted to practice her English. The 'lowlight' was was a ceremonial ger [Mongolian tent] covered in 150+ snow leopard pelts - a sign of prestige as snow leopards are so rare. No wonder snow leopards are now on the endangered species list!
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Cancer Scare & Prayer Request
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Aug 27, 2007 10:58 am
Mood: Prayful,
402 Views
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Since early August I've been having a slight pain in my abdomen. It is very slight. But I am scheduled to take a six week trip to Asia & Africa soon and didn't want to suddenly require medical care there. So in a bid to be cautious I went to the doctor thinking it was possibly a hernia, something that my family seems to be plagued with.
She did not find a hernia but instead sent me for an ultrasound to look for ovarian cancer. I don't like the 'C' word! I should hear the results of the ultrasound Tuesday or Wednesday.
Your prayer are much appreciated!
 I love my BC family!
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Flashback: Mongolia 5.2, Thumbs Up
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Aug 27, 2007 10:51 am
Mood: happy,
388 Views
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I visited the winter palace of the Mongolian monarchy. It is on the outskirts of Ulan Bator and now a museum.
I love to walk but this was just too far so... I hitch-hiked. I'd never done that before. It was an acceptable practice in Mongolia since distances are so big and vehicles so few. Standard practice was for the driver to zero the trip meter or note the current mileage at the outset. The assumed fare was 100 Tugrug, or 10 cents a kilometer. The random citizens, assume-ably upper class since they owned cars, who ferried me charged me the standard rate, not gouging my foreign wallet. I appreciated that.
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Flashback: Mongolia 8, In a Rut
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Aug 27, 2007 10:29 am
Mood: content,
398 Views
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One hour out of Ulan Bator saw the last of the pavement. Dirt ruts for miles & miles over the steppe was our route now. The first night we stayed with friends of the driver in a ger [Mongolian tent] outside a small village. The village was at the base of some small tree covered hills and surrounded by a high wooden gapless fence. All this open space and when they block the views??
A water tank outside the ger supplied water for hand washing. The toilet was where ever you wanted to squat adding your 'deposit' to the numerous cow, yak, sheep & goat droppings one tip-toed over where ever one walked.
Lodging for the night cost the three of us [driver, translator & myself] one loaf of bread.
[Sorry about not knowing how to rotate my pics!]
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Flashback: Mongolia 7, Not Vlad?
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Aug 25, 2007 9:22 pm
Mood: ...procrastinating,
453 Views
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The van was huge! It was Russian made, like half the driver.
Let me explain: the driver was half Monglian, half Russian genetically. He was Monglolian, nationality wise. The translator, Mary, said his name was 'Val-a-DEE-mer.' I said, "Hi, VLAD-i-meer." He immediately told me through Mary that it was really 'Val-a-DEE-mer.' OK...
The Russian made van, with simple, barely padded bench seats, could have fit 10 people plus gear. Mary & I had lots of space!
Before leaving town Val-a-DEE-mer filled the van with gas, pushing on the van with all his might tipping it slightly in order to fill it to the max. Then he filled a 10 gallon can to be carried in the back of the van. Not many gas stations outside urban Mongolia.
Urban Mongolia? 
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Negative 4,400
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Aug 25, 2007 3:39 pm
Mood: tired,
480 Views
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Her car is dead. Though we topped off the oil Wednesday it was dry Thursday and we melted the motor. 
She paid $4600 for it less than 3 months ago. Yesterday we called and cajoled friends, mechanics, charities & junk yards all day and in the end sold it in five minutes for $200.
We rented a car and drove all night from Vail, CO, to Kansas City, MO. Snorrrreee.... I got my daughter to her new school at 6am. We unloaded the car. She went off to a mandatory discussion of the summer reading assignment and I took an 8am nap.
I am now home in NC.
We'd rather loose a car than our mobility in an auto accident.
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Boo Hoo Hoo... Please pray
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Aug 23, 2007 8:01 pm
Mood: sad,
501 Views
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My daughter's car broke down in Vail CO. It might be a frozen engine! Yikes! We just put a quart & a half of oil in it yesterday. Please pray we can finish our trip, relocating her from CA to MO for college, with out too much expense!
Many thanks!!
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Flashback: Mongolia 6, Pick Me!
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Aug 20, 2007 5:02 am
Mood: frustrated,
453 Views
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The guest house manager, Five Buck Bold
- I found it humerous that he never said 'dollar' -
knew I was under the weather & on my own. So he invited me to a private concert at someone's Russian apartment style home. Mongolia has a traditional instrument called the horse head fiddle and a French musician couple had asked him to find a master of the instrument that they could record. Bold even provided complimentary un-chilled beer.
I wandered the streets of Mongolia looking for travel agencies - small, one room operations that arranged trips for foreigners to the sub-siberian steppe. Would there be one going out soon that would take me, one extra?? Most trips where custom arranged, Europeans traveling in groups of 4-6 renting a van, driver & translator and splitting the costs. I had hoped to pay $25/day as part of a group.
No one took me.
Bold asked me how much I could pay. I told him $30/day. He found me a driver, van & translator for exactly that price.
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Ma'am??
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Aug 19, 2007 1:46 pm
Mood: amused,
492 Views
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The parking lot at my church is too small to handle all the cars on Sunday morning. So we have remote parking & several shuttle buses.
This morning I climbed onto the full bus. A man quickly stood up and said, "Ma'am, sit here."
Do I look old & infirm?? Not a good thing to happen a day after I mark a new year and a higher number, age-wise...
I'd post an updated picture of myself but I am a photographer and no one takes shots of me!
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Flashback: Mongolia 5, My Five Bucks Worth
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Aug 19, 2007 11:58 am
Mood: Ambitious,
448 Views
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The guest house was just a converted apartment. Like the apartments I had been living in in Beijing, they were based on the Soviet style: long cinder block buildings with door ways every 40 feet; inside each door way was a switch-back stairs leading up to five floors, each landing giving access to two to three apartments.
Plumbing is all exposed inside the cinder block rooms. This guest house had two full baths of primitive fixtures.
The kitchen had 2x3 feet of counter space. The simple but functional sink looked like it belonged in a laundry room.
'Dorm' rooms measured 10x15 feet. A homemade bed in each corner provided sleep space for four people. Mattresses where thin foam; no box spring. At least it was flat.
I was still sick so I spent much of my first days in Mongolia sleeping with strangers [other travelers] coming & going through the public spaces of Bold's guest house.
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