Day 10
After breakfast, while waiting for a minivan to come and take us back to Tsetserleg, we went to sunbath at the river. Continue reading “Last Day in Paradise – Leaving the Steppes”
Turning 30, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Start Loving
I never thought that turning 30 will be so painless. Just two years ago I dreaded this date, vaguely aware of the existential void it would unveil. Last year, having departed from most certainties of my life, I was coping with the realization that my life lacked any clear direction. Continue reading “Turning 30, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Start Loving”
Is Your Life Worth Living?
We rarely ask this question seriously, afraid there won’t be a satisfying answer. But when faced with a crisis, when life seems bleak and pointless, dealing with this question authentically is of crucial importance.
Albert Camus called the question of suicide the central issue of philosophy: Continue reading “Is Your Life Worth Living?”
Into the Uncharted Steppes
Day 9
After a wonderfully warm and comfortable night in the ger, the morning brought with it a delicious breakfast of pancakes and tea. While others were packing, me and Oxanna went to say goodbye to the family. A Mongolian custom suggests that guests bring presents to their hosts, and so a small package of tea I brought from home served as our parting gift. Continue reading “Into the Uncharted Steppes”
Mongolian Summer is a Harsh Mistress
Day 8
The night in the tent was long and cold. Without a mat to put under the sleeping bag (I intended to rent one at the hostel in Tsetserleg, but they ran out of mates), lying on the cold ground, with rain streams making their way through tent’s zipper cracks, I couldn’t fall asleep, waiting for the sunrise to come and rescue me. Continue reading “Mongolian Summer is a Harsh Mistress”
So You Thought You Might Like to Go to a Lake
Day 7
At 09:00 we were picked up by our driver, and headed north-east to the White Lake. A 185km drive turned out to be a seven hours affair. Our Russian minivan broke up twice, which didn’t upset the driver – stopping for half an hour in every passing village for a quick fix seemed to be a part of the routine. Continue reading “So You Thought You Might Like to Go to a Lake”
The Nicest Town in Mongolia
Day 6
Catching an early bus from Ulaanbaator, I was glad to leave the city behind. Starting a week-long tour to central Mongolia, I was anxious to get out from the noisy and crowded capital and get a taste of the great Mongolian emptiness. After a few hours of driving, the asphalt road turned to a grassland trope. Continue reading “The Nicest Town in Mongolia”
Culinary Trip Summary
I’m back. After two and a half months of deserts and skyscrapers, camels and Russian minivans, ice-cold lakes and kettle-boiled hot-water showers, but mainly bad roads, warm people and surprisingly competent digestion, I’m back home. Continue reading “Culinary Trip Summary”
Swimming through UB streets
After the night’s rain, UB’s streets became a mess. No wonders Mongolians with means buy SUV’s, the most popular being Toyota’s Land Cruiser. Continue reading “Swimming through UB streets”
Ulaanbaator Immersion
Day 2
We started the day by visiting the Gandan Khiid – the largest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, and the first one I ever visited. The monks were friendly, when not praying or talking on a mobile phone, they were gladly giving directions or posing for a photo. In one of the temples, while the older monks were praying, a couple of young boys were cleaning the floors. They did this with such mindfulness and concentration, that it looked as a part of a religious ritual. Continue reading “Ulaanbaator Immersion”
Arriving in Ulaanbaator
Day 1
Most airports would look unimpressive after Seoul’s Incheon airport, and the small and lacking in comfort Genghis Khan airport of Mongolia’s capital is not an exception. In a taxi on my way to the city I had an euphoric feeling that I gonna love this country. Even though the road from the airport to the city was appallingly bad and the driver reckless, the sunrise revealed shaky, lonely buildings on one side of the road, and wild, green hillside stretching to the horizon on the other. This place was uniquely different. Continue reading “Arriving in Ulaanbaator”
Seoul Airport
Day 0
After a 10-hour flight from Tel-Aviv to Seoul, I arrived at the Incheon airport at 17:00 local time. Korean airlines were pleasant – they had cushions and blankets in the economy class, good meals and a perception of fast service – they brought meals in many quick rounds, every time bringing a little dish, instead of moving slowly through the rows with a huge cart. The flight to Mongolia was delayed due to bad weather, so I had more than enough time to explore the airport, which turned to be an attraction in it’s own right. Continue reading “Seoul Airport”
Mongolia – 2 Days To Go
Sitting amidst half-filled luggage, with my desk covered with passport photocopies and ticket printouts, it’s two days till my departure to Mongolia, and the excitement starts to sneak in on me. Continue reading “Mongolia – 2 Days To Go”
Riding The Waves Of Uncertainty
Fulfilled living requires us to learn to live with uncertainty. This idea has preoccupied me for the last several months. And while I still struggle to grasp its full meaning, my life has been giving me enough opportunities lately to do so. Continue reading “Riding The Waves Of Uncertainty”
The Charity Dilemma
A couple of years ago I went to visit my mother in a hospital. Just as I parked my car, a young guy approached to me with a bouquet of wild flowers. He told me that he lives alone with his grandmother, and that he doesn’t have any money to buy food. He offered me to buy one flower for twenty shekels. He didn’t look particularly miserable or hungry, and there was something defying in his attitude, as if he dared me to believe him. I thought to myself that bringing a flower to my mother would be a nice gesture, so I got out my wallet, and paid for the most expansive flower I have ever bought. Continue reading “The Charity Dilemma”
