Beautiful Mongolia

It is still winter in Mongolia, even though it is gradually warming up from deep freeze.  The temperature has ranged from -19 to 0 degrees C, since when I arrived 3 days ago.  I was told it can get down to  -30 and beyond.  

Mongolia is huge, roughly 3 times the size of France.  In the south is the Gobi desert.  The rest are grassland and mountains. Ulaanbataar seems to be in a valley surrounded by mountains to the south and the north. Hence one often sees houses clustered at the foot of snow-covered mountains. 

At the out skirts of the city, gers start appearing among the houses. Many houses have one or two gers in the compound.  As one gets out of the city, more and more gers appear. 

A blue and white airplane is parked on the roadside. Out ofthe blue. 

One has to climb mountains to get out of the city.

One can choose to live in villages near the forests. 

Or in a cluster of houses.  Or alone, many kilometres from anyone else.  

Some live in log cabins.

Cows and horses seem to run free on the grassland.  Even when it is covered in snow. Sheep and goats tend to be kept inside, when they are not grazing.. 

Sometimes a long cargo train would break the silence. 

Tires are buried in the ground, to mark passable roads.  It is easy to get stuck in the snow.  Passing cars stop to help, if you are fortunate.  

We had to pass over meandering rivers, frozen over., to visit a herding station.  The ice is slippery.  And they can crack. Posing many dangers. 

The sky seems always blue.  

It is indeed beautiful.  In so many ways,