Such a fantastic photo essay and thank you for getting the details you could about these families and their way of life. You’re right; those clichés are, well, clichés, but there is also a grain of truth in them. I believe travel helps us build empathy and understanding. This is something I hope for my children when I travel with them. The world could use more of that - and sharing these stories is a vehicle for it.
Thanks Meghan - I totally agree. Traveling with a spirit of openness and respect is key for developing empathy. Thank you so much for reading and your encouraging words!
Beautiful. You've brought understanding, appreciation, and love into the tale of your experience. The photos are perfect too.
Funny enough, I too dropped in at Bob's. It was after the Offbeat workshop in 2019, when I extended my stay and went horseback riding for a week. En route back to Ulaanbattar, with Bob as my driver, our crew deked in to his home for lunch. I have an iPhone snapshot of the traditional meal his wife set out on a pretty cloth on the floor, for everyone but me...oh but we were all so excited.
My translator Ankha leaned over to inform me that this traditional food was a real treat, a delicacy really; that was abundantly apparent with how happy they were to tuck in and feast away. He also let me know no one expected me to eat the same food! Talk about gratitude on my part. Lucky me was getting soup! And it was delicious.
I gamely tried a nibble of intestine--I skipped the other offal bits, and there were literally loads of them in the big stainless steel bowl resting in the centre of the floor--but my Western sensibilities were just not able to appreciate the rubbery texture and, being honest, the idea.
I was so grateful not to be expected to eat the same dish! Gosh but there is something so freeing in just letting people enjoy what they enjoy. The grace with which I was encouraged to opt out will always stay with me.
Like you said, we all have so much more in common than we know.
Such an incredible experience Laura - I'm so glad you were able to have that. Thank you so much for reading and for your comments! (Cookies win every time)
These photos are breathtaking - so vivid and raw and real and so so very human. I absolutely loved hearing about your experience in the Gobi and the way you so beautifully articulated the parallels and similarities that bring us all together and make us more like others than we often realize, no matter what culture we are from and where we live. Thank you.
Such a fantastic photo essay and thank you for getting the details you could about these families and their way of life. You’re right; those clichés are, well, clichés, but there is also a grain of truth in them. I believe travel helps us build empathy and understanding. This is something I hope for my children when I travel with them. The world could use more of that - and sharing these stories is a vehicle for it.
Thanks Meghan - I totally agree. Traveling with a spirit of openness and respect is key for developing empathy. Thank you so much for reading and your encouraging words!
Wonderful images and story. I will be there in 2024 and your photos and stories inspire me!
Amazing! I'm so glad you're going - you will love it. Thank you for reading!
Beautiful. You've brought understanding, appreciation, and love into the tale of your experience. The photos are perfect too.
Funny enough, I too dropped in at Bob's. It was after the Offbeat workshop in 2019, when I extended my stay and went horseback riding for a week. En route back to Ulaanbattar, with Bob as my driver, our crew deked in to his home for lunch. I have an iPhone snapshot of the traditional meal his wife set out on a pretty cloth on the floor, for everyone but me...oh but we were all so excited.
My translator Ankha leaned over to inform me that this traditional food was a real treat, a delicacy really; that was abundantly apparent with how happy they were to tuck in and feast away. He also let me know no one expected me to eat the same food! Talk about gratitude on my part. Lucky me was getting soup! And it was delicious.
I gamely tried a nibble of intestine--I skipped the other offal bits, and there were literally loads of them in the big stainless steel bowl resting in the centre of the floor--but my Western sensibilities were just not able to appreciate the rubbery texture and, being honest, the idea.
I was so grateful not to be expected to eat the same dish! Gosh but there is something so freeing in just letting people enjoy what they enjoy. The grace with which I was encouraged to opt out will always stay with me.
Like you said, we all have so much more in common than we know.
Also, cookies ;).
Such an incredible experience Laura - I'm so glad you were able to have that. Thank you so much for reading and for your comments! (Cookies win every time)
These photos are breathtaking - so vivid and raw and real and so so very human. I absolutely loved hearing about your experience in the Gobi and the way you so beautifully articulated the parallels and similarities that bring us all together and make us more like others than we often realize, no matter what culture we are from and where we live. Thank you.
Thank you for saying so Kathryn, I really appreciate it. It truly was an incredible place to experience.