TAVANTOLGOI, Mongolia – The Mongolian Armed Forces and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command jointly conducted the annual Khaan Quest peacekeeping exercise to promote peace and security in Northeast Asia.

The exercise, which had not been held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, included Soldiers from the Alaska Army National Guard. Khaan Quest 2022 concluded June 20.

“It is not only a great opportunity to exchange lessons and techniques, it is an expression of the commitment of the participating nations to the charter of the United Nations and all that it stands for and against,” said Maj. Gen. Chris Smith, deputy commanding general of strategy and plans for U.S. Army Pacific. “To that end, the exercise draws from a diversity of participants matched by few other military exercises around the world.”

For two weeks, the Mongolian Armed Forces hosted 15 nations in the 18th iteration of the exercise. By participating in Khaan Quest, countries showcased their resolve in peacekeeping missions around the world.

Soldiers from Mongolia and across the U.S. Army, Pacific participated in the exercise, primarily from the Alaska Army National Guard, along with Soldiers from 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1-5 Infantry Battalion, 1-11 Airborne Division and 387th Military Police Battalion. Also joining the exercise were Turkey, Sweden, Singapore, South Korea, Nepal, Malaysia, Japan, India, Germany, France, Canada, Bangladesh and Australia.

Khaan Quest 2022 included a combined brigade-level command post exercise and a battalion-level field training exercise. It focused on peacekeeping in a realistic scenario and coordination with humanitarian organizations and host nation partners.

Command post operations conducted during the exercise enhanced battalion staff capabilities and interoperability to prepare for U.N. peacekeeping operations.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Rafael Pacheco of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 297th Regional Support Group, Alaska National Guard, led command post operations.

“In my experience as an Alaska Guardsman, I experienced firsthand Mongolian Armed Forces soldiers perform in Kabul, Afghanistan, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2012,” Pacheco said. “Mongolian soldiers performed duties as the force protection contingency in charge of security in Camp Eggers and as flight line security at the Kabul International Airport. MAF Soldiers were amongst the best that ISAF partners could ask for.”

The field training exercises included improvised explosive device awareness, riot training and combat first aid.

“My Soldiers and I are grateful for the unifying experiences and friendship shared between us, MAF, and other participating nations,” said 1st Lt. Porter of 1-5 Infantry Battalion. “Our cooperation and shared interests continue to strengthen and develop our relations on both personal and professional levels.”

Maj. Eliza Zamor and Maj. Thomas Scott, 351st CACOM preventive medicine veterinarians, collaborated with the MAF public health team to address food and water safety for Khaan Quest participants.

Zamor praised the Mongolian-American teamwork.

“Planning and executing food and water risk assessments and mitigations with our Mongolian counterparts was an excellent way to increase our joint knowledge level and ensure preparation for future support to troop operations,” Zamor said.

During the closing ceremony at the Five Hills Training Area, Smith emphasized that exercise participants may be from varied backgrounds but share much in common.

“When we are called upon one day to go together to keep the peace in some unfortunate place, we will be ready, and we will know each other,” he said.

Smith also stressed the United States’ commitment to maintaining its partnership by continuing to co-host this important event alongside its Mongolian partners.

“As an Australian officer standing before you speaking on behalf of the United States - as a deputy commander of a force of over 60,000 American troops - I think there are few better illustrations of America’s commitment to deep and diverse partnerships,” he said.

“General Ganzorig, thank you for your leadership to get Khaan Quest back on track so quickly after the worst of the pandemic. You have a fine and professional force that we are proud to partner with.”

On June 21, an international scientific conference was co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bank of Mongolia under the theme ‘Current state and perspective of Mongolia-China economic and trade cooperation’.

The meeting was attended by Senior Advisor to Speaker of the Parliament D. Lundeejantsan, Minister for Foreign Affairs B. Battsetseg, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China Chai Wenrui, Governor of the Bank of Mongolia B.Lkhagvasuren, Vice President of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences G.Chuluunbaatar, and more than 50 officials from relevant ministries, public and research organizations, and businesses.

During the conference, the sides discussed the current state of trade and economic cooperation between Mongolia and Chinese, challenges, directions and opportunities for further cooperation.

They also exchanged views on increasing the trade turnover in other areas aside from mining, and expanding bilateral cooperation in agricultural sector. In the first five months of this year, Mongolia has exported 5.7 million tons of coal to China, which shows a decrease of 600,000 tons compared to the previous year. Director of the Research and Statistics Department of the Bank of Mongolia, D. Davaasukh emphasized that the coal export is expected to increase if border checkpoint operations are resumed within the framework of the government's ‘New Revival Policy’.

The study has found that the share of China in Mongolia's exports has been stable for the last 5-6 years, fluctuating between 70-90 percent. As of last year, Mongolia imported USD 7.7 million worth of goods to China, and mining products accounted for 93 percent out of total imports. The two countries' foreign trade turnover has been growing year by year, showing an increase of 38 percent or USD 2.8 billion compared to 2020. Despite the decline in volumes of mining products due to transportation and logistics in the face of the pandemic, revenues have not declined considerably because of high commodity prices at international markets. The volume of Mongolia's imports from China has increased by 31 percent in 2021.

Commercial and Economic Counsellor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China Sun Xuejun said, “The Chinese government and all investors are ready to engage in corresponding activities, supporting the policy to develop the agricultural sector within the framework of the ‘New Revival Policy’ being implemented by the Government of Mongolia.”

Throughout the world trade turnover has been declining due to the unpredictable factors such as Covid-19 pandemic and international situation. At this time, Mongolia is facing a big challenge in maintaining its volumes of exports and imports to be made with China, a major foreign trade partner.

As a result of the implementation of the goal set by the two countries to bring the trade turnover to USD 10 billion in 2020, the amount of trade turnover reached USD 10.1 billion (exports-USD 7.64 billion, imports-USD 2.49 billion) in 2021. The sides expressed their commitment to enrich trade and economic relations with new content, to coordinate the long-term development policies and objectives of the two countries such as and Mongolia's long-term development policy ‘Vision 2050’ and ‘New Revival Policy’ with China's ‘The Belt and Road’ initiative and ‘Global Development Initiative’, as well as to expand cross-sectoral cooperation.

In 2021, Mongolia exported to 64 countries and imported from 159 countries. China’s share in Mongolia’s total export accounted for 82.6 percent. In the total imports, China accounted for 36.4 percent.

On June 21, President U. Khurelsukh got acquainted with the operation of ‘Erdenet Mining Corporation’ state-owned enterprise and attended the opening ceremony of the first Forest Genetic Resources Center in Mongolia.

The ‘Erdenet’ Center for Forest Genetic Resources has a storage with capacity of 1,000 tons of seeds and will function to create a seed pool of endangered, beneficial and woody plants, preserve and protect forest genetic resources, conduct experiments and research, and put planted forest resources into economic circulation.

The President emphasized that the commissioning of the center has laid the foundation for the implementation of the ‘One Billion Trees’ national movement on a scientific basis. He congratulated the Erdenet Mining Corporation on its planning to establish of a production, research and innovation complex that will conduct all tree-planting activities, and the commissioning of Forest Genetic Resources Center.

Within the framework of the ‘One Billion Trees’ national movement initiated by the President of Mongolia, the EMC has promised to plant and grow 100 million trees in the next decade. In this frame, it is planned to establish the ‘Erdenet’ Forest Innovation Park, which will carry out a comprehensive science-based operation for planting and growing trees.

The ‘Erdenet’ Forest Innovation Park will consist of the Forest Genetic Resources Center with a 1,000-ton seed, biotechnology and quarantine laboratory, a soil biotechnology center for preparing 500 cubic meter fertile soil a year, and a world-class fully automated tree nursery with a capacity of 10 million seedlings per year.

The ‘Erdenet’ Center for Forest Genetic Resources, which was put into operation on June 21, consists of a seed laboratory, a biotechnology laboratory, a quarantine laboratory, and a storage for seeds, twigs, seedlings and saplings, a reception section, a deep freezing section, as well as a training and meeting room.

The center will be open to the public, supply seeds, seedlings and saplings, and organize a series of trainings on planting trees to support ecological education.

“In addition, the center aims to create a natural plant seed pool in the future and will play a special role in preserving the seeds of many endangered plants growing in Mongolia,” said Ya.Ariunzul, head of the Green Development Project Unit of EMC.

During the event, the Minister of Environment and Tourism B.Bat-Erdene handed over a Certificate of the Professional Forestry Organization to the EMC.

Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) on Tuesday marked the official opening of Gudai-Darri, its most technologically advanced mine, joined by Pilbara Traditional Owners, the Banjima People, and Western Australia’s Minister for Mines and Petroleum; Energy, Hon. Bill Johnston.

The opening featured a smoking ceremony and traditional singing and dancing to welcome over 100 guests to Banjima country. The mine’s footprint also extends to Yinjibarndi country, where a section of the new 166-kilometre rail line was constructed.

SIGN UP FOR THE SUPPLIERS DIGEST

Since development commenced in April 2019, more than 14 million work hours have culminated in the delivery of Rio Tinto’s 17th and most technologically advanced iron ore mine in the Pilbara. Rio estimates that development of the mine supported more than 3,000 jobs during the construction and design phase, with the operation requiring around 600 permanent roles.

Gudai-Darri features an unprecedented deployment of technology, including the use of robotics for the ore sampling laboratory, as well as for distribution of parts in the new workshop.

From autonomous trucks, trains and drills to a full digital replica of the processing plant which allows teams to monitor and respond to data collected from the plant, the same digital asset data is used to provide an interactive 3D environment for virtual reality training. These autonomous assets are monitored remotely from Rio Tinto’s operations centre 1,500 km away in Perth.

With an expected life of more than 40 years and an annual capacity of 43 million tonnes, Gudai-Darri will underpin future production of Rio Tinto’s Pilbara Blend product, the miner said. It is expected to increase iron ore production volumes and improve product mix from the Pilbara from the second half of this year. The mine is expected to reach capacity in 2023.

“Gudai-Darri represents a step-change in the deployment of automation and technology within our iron ore business and a fantastic demonstration of the talent, ingenuity and capability that exists in Western Australia, a region which is now known globally for its technical excellence and innovation,” Rio Tinto Iron ore chief executive Simon Trott said in a statement.

“Gudai-Darri’s combination of data and analytics, machine learning and automation, will make this mine safer and more productive,” Trott said. “Gudai-Darri is our first greenfield mine in the Pilbara in more than a decade and a multi-billion-dollar investment in the state of Western Australia that will operate for decades to come.”

Prices are continuing to rise at their fastest rate for 40 years as food, energy and fuel costs continue to climb.

UK inflation, the rate at which prices rise, edged up to 9.1% in the 12 months to May, from 9% in April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The figure is now at the highest level since March 1982, when it also stood at 9.1%.

The Bank of England has warned inflation will reach 11% this year.

Inflation is the pace at which prices are rising. For example, if a bottle of milk costs £1 and that rises by 5p compared with a year earlier, then milk inflation is 5%.

The ONS said rising prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages helped fuel inflation in May, with the biggest cost increases seen in bread, cereals and meat.

Russia's war in Ukraine has severely restricted wheat and maize supplies from two of the world's biggest exporters.

Ukraine is also a major producer of of sunflower oil, leading to the costs of alternatives also climbing.

Market reach firm Kantar has forecast that the average annual grocery bill in the UK is set to rise by £380 this year.

Supermarket Asda told the BBC some shoppers are setting £30 limits at checkouts and petrol pumps.

Customers are putting less in their baskets, switching to budget ranges and are worried about the future, its chairman Lord Stuart Rose said.

Grant Fitzner, chief economist at the ONS, said the prices of goods leaving factories rose at their fastest rate in 45 years in May, driven by "widespread food price rises".

Mr Fitzner added the cost of raw materials "leapt at their fastest rate on record".

But he said the steep rises in food and record high petrol prices had been "offset" by the price of clothes rising less than they did this time last year, along with a drop in computer game costs.

UK inflation chart

Responding to the latest inflation rate, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government was "using all the tools at our disposal to bring inflation down and combat rising prices".

"I know that people are worried about the rising cost of living, which is why we have taken targeted action to help families, getting £1,200 to the eight million most vulnerable households," he added.

But Rachel Reeves, Labour's shadow chancellor said the country needed "more than sticking plasters to get us back on course - we need a stronger, and more secure economy".

"Today's rising inflation is another milestone for people watching wages, growth and living standards continue to plummet.

"Though rapid inflation is pushing family finances to the brink, the low wage spiral faced by many in Britain isn't new. Over the last decade, Tory mismanagement of our economy has meant living standards and real wages have failed to grow."

One way to try to control how fast prices are rising is to raise interest rates. This increases the cost of borrowing and encourages people to borrow and spend less, and save more.

In a bid to stem the pace of soaring prices, the Bank of England recently increased UK interest rates from 1% to 1.25%.

The move was the fifth consecutive rise, pushing rates to the highest level in 13 years. However, when inflation was last at 9.1% in March 1982, interest rates were 13%, Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown said.

'More gloom lies ahead'

Laura Suter, head of personal finance at AJ Bell, said hopes of inflation "ebbing away later this year are dead" and warned the winter "could be tougher than the last".

"Unfortunately, more gloom lies ahead," she added.

"Once again fuel is the factor driving inflation higher, from home energy bills to petrol and diesel prices pushing up transport costs.

"But it's not just energy bills increasing, prices are rising across the board. Soaring food costs are also playing their part."

Berlin (CNN)Germany must reduce natural gas consumption and increase the burning of coal in order to help fill gas storage facilities for next winter, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced Sunday as the country moves away from reduced Russian gas supplies.

"The situation is serious," Habeck said in a statement. "We are therefore continuing to strengthen precautions and taking additional measures to reduce gas consumption. This means that gas consumption must fall further, but more gas must be put into the storage facilities, otherwise things will really get tight in winter."

Germany is heavily reliant on Moscow's gas to power its homes and heavy industry, but has managed to whittle Moscow's share of its imports down to 35% from 55% before the start of the war in Ukraine.

Habeck said security of supply was currently guaranteed in spite of a "worsened situation on the gas market" in recent days. Soaring prices were "(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's strategy to unsettle us, drive up prices and divide us," Habeck said.

"We will not allow that. We are fighting back decisively, precisely and thoughtfully," he said.

Despite Germany's plans to exit coal-fueled energy production, Habeck, who is a Green Party politician in the center-left ruling coalition, announced a return to "coal-fired power plants for a transitional period" in order to reduce gas consumption for electricity production.

"We are setting up a gas substitute reserve on call. "That's bitter, but it's almost necessary in this situation to reduce gas consumption," Habeck said.

Gas storage rules

Habeck's ministry is preparing a "gas auction model is to be launched this summer to incentivize industrial gas consumers to save gas," according to the press release. Industry was a key factor to reduce gas consumption, Habeck said.

In March, German lawmakers passed a gas storage act stipulating gas storage facilities must be almost completely full at the start of the heating period in order to get through the winter safely.

"Filling levels have been specified for this purpose: By October 1, the storage facilities must be 80% full, by November 1, 90%, and on February 1, still 40%," according to the law.

Currently at about 56%, gas storage tanks are filled to an above-average level in Germany compared with previous years in spite of storage levels having been at an all-time low at the beginning of the year.

"We must and we will do everything we can to store as much gas as possible in the summer and fall. The gas storage facilities must be full towards the winter. That is the top priority," Habeck said.

In March, Putin threatened to cut gas deliveries to "unfriendly" countries that refused to pay in rubles, rather than the euros or dollars stated in contracts.

Since then, the Russian state energy giant Gazprom has offered customers a solution. Buyers could make euro or dollar payments into an account at Russia's Gazprombank, which would then convert the funds into rubles and transfer them to a second account from which the payment to Russia would be made.

But many European companies, including Shell Energy, have refused to comply, prompting Gazprom to shut off its natural gas supplies to Shell's German customers in June.

On Thursday, Gazprom cut flows through Gazprom's Nord Stream 1 pipeline -- a major artery linking Russia's gas to Germany -- for the second time in days, sending prices rocketing.

The Russian energy giant said it reduced gas deliveries because German firm Siemens Energy had delayed the return of turbines needing repairs.

Siemens had taken the turbines to one of its Canadian factories for maintenance. It said in a statement on Tuesday that it was "impossible" to return the equipment to Russia because of sanctions Canada had imposed on the country over its invasion of Ukraine.

In response to Gazprom's move, Habeck said the justification for announcing further gas supply cuts to Europe was a "pretext" and a strategy to increase prices.

New Delhi :The Multinational Peacekeeping Exercise “Ex Khaan Quest -2022” culminated today at the Peace Support Operations Training Centre in Ulaanbaatar at Mongolia.

The exercise conducted from 06 June to 20 June 2022 provided a platform for mutual learning and sharing best practices amongst the armies from 16 Nations. The Indian contingent consisting of personnel from the LADAKH SCOUTS participated in the field training as well as the Command Post exercise. A number of training activities were organised during the course of the exercise, which included mock tactical operations as per United Nations (UN) mandate, combat discussions, training of staff & command appointments; as part of a combined UN brigade, in order to enhance multinational interoperability.

The bonhomie, espirit-de-corps and goodwill generated during the exercise will go a long way in future strengthening of bonds between the Armies of participating Nations.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with COVAX, announced today they delivered the first two U.S.-facilitated shipments of Pfizer’s Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccines for children in Mongolia (302,400 doses) and Nepal (2.2 million doses).

During the second Global COVID-19 Summit in May 2022, the U.S. announced our commitment to expand COVID-19-related donations to include boosters and pediatric doses to meet partner countries’ demand for vaccines to immunize 5 to 11-year-olds.

In collaboration with COVAX, USAID stated on June 20, 2022, that it would continue to ship pediatric doses to partner countries worldwide that have requested them.

Given the availability of global COVID-19 vaccine supply, USAID is working with interested partner countries to expand vaccination to other groups, including children.

The U.S. FDA recently expanded Pfizer’s Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine authorization to include 6-month-old infants in the USA.

It was around 3 AM when I woke up from the cold. I was shivering and still had not eaten any nutrient-rich meal in over 36 hours. Although it had been 12 °C during daytime, the temperature had now dropped below -10 °C. While the last piece of wood slowly burned away inside the nearby fireplace, the remaining flames just created enough light for me to see breath leaving my body as I exhaled. Just when I realized that my guide, who was supposed to sleep on the other side of the traditional yurt, was gone, he silently opened the small wooden entrance door, carefully walked in, put more wood in the fireplace, and went back to sleep. As the flames gracefully started dancing inside in the fireplace while slowly growing bigger again, my eyes, which were barely open, stared at the stars through a small opening located at the centred top part of the yurt. I knew that this trip was going to be demanding, but only 2 days into my journey, I started to doubt that I was properly prepared for this demanding adventure. After I stopped shivering, I slowly drifted back into a deep sleep with one legitimate question crossing my mind: What am I doing here?

Why travel to Mongolia?

Never has it been easier to travel around the globe. With cheap flights and countless destinations available at any time, finding remote places to experience true isolation has become a real challenge, especially for solo adventurers like me. When I was desperately searching for a new place to explore without hundreds and thousands of other tourists around me, I came across a mysterious and equally attractive country called Mongolia.

“Why would anyone even travel to Mongolia?” my best friend asked me a few days before my departure from Frankfurt, Germany. I hesitated. The more I thought about plausible answers, the more I realized I had none. At least none my friend would have understood. I simply wanted to get out. Getting away from everything and everyone I knew. I wanted to explore. Feel the nature. Experience isolation. And soon I would do exactly that. Before I knew it, I was boarding an airplane that carried me 8300 km across the world to meet a man that barely spoke English. After spending one night in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, I woke up early (06:30 AM) to meet Gamba, a 54-years old local that earned his money by driving tourists across country with his (very old!) Russian jeep. We smiled at each other, shook hands, and got into his vehicle right away. With “yes”, “no”, “sleep”, “food”, and “good” being the only words in his vocabulary, all I could do was pointing out my locations of interest on a paper map. Minutes later, we were on the way towards Khorgo Volcano, the main nature spot I wanted to visit. However, before reaching the actual volcano crater, we scheduled a few stops along the way.

Leaving Ulaanbaatar into the unknown

After we had left Ulaanbaatar behind us, I immediately realized that this wouldn’t be an easy trip. All of a sudden, there were no streets anymore. Gamba seemed confident and I could only assume that he knew where he was going. There was also not much to see. At least nothing that would keep me entertained as we slowly moved forward over bumpy fields and small hills. I got the feeling of being on a different planet. Until today, it is hard for me to grasp the dimensions and the isolating that I experienced during this trip. At the end of the day, it had taken us roughly 7 hours to travel a distance of only 300 km. I was equally exhausted and happy when I saw that we approached some sort of village. A nomad camp located close to the bottom of a small mountain range to be precise.

At this point, I had no idea where exactly we were and was a little nervous about my first night out there in the very isolation I was so desperately seeking while being back home in Germany. Gamba somehow managed to let me know that it cost me 5 US$ to stay at the Ger home for the night. I gladly handed out the cash and was promptly escorted to my temporary home, a traditional yurt with 2 beds inside. One for me and one for Gamba, the kind person that would later walk through the cold Mongolian night a few hours later only to gather new fire wood that kept me from being cold.

Exploring Mongolian desert

At around 8:00 AM, I woke up from the sound of barking dogs. Once again, I noticed that Gamba was gone. This time, however, not to get new firewood. As I stepped outside, I saw him preparing the jeep for the next stage of our journey. On the way to Khorgo Volcano, we intended to stop at Elsen Tasarkhai, a part of the Mongol Els Sand Dunes (also known as the Small Gobi Desert). I knew where we wanted to go, but still had no idea about or current location. It turned out that our nights lodging was surprisingly close to the sand dunes. After only one hour of driving, I could already spot the first sand peaks in the far distance. 30 minutes later, the jeep stopped. Gamba pointed out the desert on the map and we agreed to stay for two hours before continuing the drive. I knew myself and could anticipate that 2 hours were cutting it quite short, considering the number of photos and drone videos I was planning to take. Hectically, I started to gather my gear and headed out towards the highest sand dune I could see in close proximity. The hike was steep and I felt out of breath as I approached the top. I was breathing heavily, leaned forward, and couldn’t believe my eyes.

A view worth the journey

A mixture of accomplishment and freedom suddenly ran through my body. I stared into the distance for a few moments and then slowly turned around. Gambas jeep was barely distinguishable in between the sand dunes. Small breezes of wind created the only sound that accompanied me during this stop. Neither on the way to the sand dunes nor at the desert itself were any other people. Exactly how I imagined it when planning this trip. As I was taking pictures, I was wondering how it would be to walk through the desert all alone. How long would it take? Where would I end up? How far would I get without enough water? The general idea of people discovering places hundreds of years ago always fascinated me. I got caught in all kinds of thoughts when I realized that my 2 hours were almost over already. Slightly dehydrated but entirely happy, I made my way back to the jeep. As I was approaching the vehicle, Gamba waved and smiled at me, almost as if he wanted to make sure that I spotted him in between dozens of other vehicles while, actually, he was the only one around. A funny but very sweet gesture. It made me feel save and, in some way, somehow connected to him. Gamba studied the map for a few minutes and pointed out the next stop, Orkhon Waterfall. My randomly appearing doubts during the previous night varnished. All I felt now was excitement. As the jeep started moving again, I even managed to fall asleep for a while.

Stranded in between Mongolian sand dunes

“Are we already here?” I wondered as the jeep was suddenly reducing its speed and came to a full stop. I opened my eyes, looked around, and saw nothing but sand dunes. What felt like a deep sleep turned out to have been nothing but a 3-minutes nap. Not only were we still in between the sand dunes, we also got stuck. Gamba still seemed pretty relaxed, so I silently followed him outside the vehicle and observed was he was doing. His first attempt was digging sand from underneath the tires. Didn’t work. His second attempt to get us going again was to put a solid piece of wood underneath the back tires. Seemed to work for a second, but then the wood broke and the jeep rolled back into the whole, which got deeper every time we tried to get out. Just while I was wondering what Gamba would try next, another jeep came around the corner. After not seeing anybody since waking up in the morning, how was it possible that another vehicle showed up in exactly that same location? I couldn’t believe it and watched them towing our vehicle out of the sand in no time. While we had already been stuck for about an hour and a half, the “rescue mission” only took 5 minutes. Interestingly, everybody looked super relaxed and, somehow, happy. Not only did I love the nature, but I also started to feel more and more sympathy for Mongolia’s kind and warm-hearted people. What followed this unfortunate incident was another bumpy and rather boring 4-hour drive over hills and empty fields.

A brief visit at Orkhon waterfall

We finally arrived another nomad camp around sunset. It wasn’t entirely dark yet, so I decided to make a quick run to the waterfall, which was only a few minutes away from our yurt. While I was walking towards the waterfall, a stray dog joined my journey. Accompanied by my new animal friend, I climbed over some rocks and finally reached the edge of a steep cliff. I sat down, took in the scenery, and realized that it started to snow. A few sunset-pictures later, I made my way back to the camp.

With a better choice of cloth, or perhaps because I was super exhausted, I comfortably slept through the entire night without waking up. Since I fell asleep quite early, I even woke up before Gamba did (never happened before or after this night ever again!). I silently left the tent and walked around camels, watched people riding horses, and some older women preparing food and making cloths. Gamba woke up about 30 minutes after me and, as every morning, started checking his jeep.

The baby and me

Before leaving, we quicky went back to the family’s main tent to say “goodbye”. We knocked on the wooden door and patiently waited for a few seconds. A woman, breastfeeding her baby, opened the door, smiled, and waved us in. Gamba and her were talking for a few minutes and before I knew it, the woman handed me her baby and left the yurt with my guide. There I was. Alone with the little baby of a woman I didn’t even know the name of. About 15 minutes later, I slowly pushed the door open with my foot and discovered that Gamba, the man that was patiently driving me around the country in his jeep until then, was now horseback riding to help the family gather their cattle. Amazed by this situation and trust the family had put into me, I looked down at the baby and smiled. The baby imitated me and smiled back. To me, moments like this make a journey truly unforgettable.

Arriving and climbing Khorgo volcano

After a small breakfast, we started to head towards our final destination, Khorgo Volcano. Since the distance of 400 km took us about 8 hours (not including breaks), we split it into two trips. This part of the journey was by far the most remote. Between sporadically appearing nomad camps, there was nothing. No cars, no people, not even animals.

Mongolian outback means true isolation. Author walking in the desert with skulls of animals in the background.Photo: Thomas Später

Mongolian outback means true isolation. Photo: Thomas Später

The procedure kept repeating itself. We approached nomad camps, arranged a bed, spent the night, and moved on until we finally arrived. Even 30 minutes before even getting to the volcanos bottom, I was already able to spot it. It was massive and majestic. The surrounding lowlands made it look even bigger. Gamba parked the car and pointed out that I could stay for 2 hours. After I made my way all the way up the volcano, I started taking pictures like a crazy person. The only problem: The volcano crater was way too big for me to capture it in one shot with my DSLR. There was only one logical solution for me. I had to bring the drone up.

Although it was pretty windy, I managed to get some decent shots. I also got really cold, so I decided to head back even though I still had about 45 minutes left. On the way down, I realized that it was starting to snow again. I tried to not slip on the wet rocks and managed to get back to Gamba safe and sound. “Good?” he wanted to know as I closed the jeeps passenger door behind me. I nodded and showed him the pictures and videos of the drone on my cell phone. He was extremely interested and amazed by the footage. After all, I didn’t even know how many of the few people traveling Mongolia also carried a drone before. For all I knew, this could be the first time he saw something like that. Cold, hungry, happy, and sad that the trip slowly came to an end, we drove back to a nearby nomad camp and spent the night.

Many things crossed my mind when I went to sleep that very night. I thought of the places we visited, the positive vibes throughout the entire journey, the isolation, the adventure. I was happy to have accomplished what I did, fully knowing that without Gamba (or any other knowledgeable driver for that matter) none of this would have been possible. The lack of infrastructure, the language problem along the way, the technical difficulties of the car. I could have not dealt with any of this by myself. Little did I know that the problems weren’t over yet.

A rough wake-up call

“Go, go, go” were the words I remember hearing first when Gamba touched my shoulder to wake me up the morning after my volcano visit. I didn’t know what it was, but something seemed off. Gamba collected his stuff and carried everything out of the yurt. Without packing anything, I walked up to the main entrance to see what this was all about. Once I opened the door, I saw two things. First, a very beautiful and clear blue sky. My second observation: Snow. A lot of snow.

While getting ready and loading all my belongings into the jeep, I still didn’t know what the issue really was. All I knew was that we were supposed to begin our 10-hours journey back to Ulaanbaatar. But why the stress? 15 minutes into our homeward journey, I figured it out. The snow was beautiful. If it had been a skiing area or winter resort, it would have been perfect. However, in our case, it covered everything, including the car tire tracks that Gamba used as a general navigation. Especially when crossing river beds, he would follow the tracks that pointed out spots suitable for crossing. Due to the snow, Gamba had to slowly approach the river, dip into the water, and decide whether or not it was possible to cross. The snowfall of that night caused us such a delay that it took us an entire day longer to return to Mongolia’s capital. Crossing the first riverbed alone took us about 3 hours, whereas it took us only 10 minutes the day before.

The final goodbyes

At the end of my journey, Gamba and me took a few pictures together and hugged each other. It wasn’t a regular and quick “goodbye” hug. It was the kind of hug that told a story. A gesture that represented the feeling of two people that spent a very intimate time together, fully aware that they may not see each other again. But who knows? Maybe I will go back one day to see how big the baby has grown by then.

Thomas Später

Thomas Später, PhD, is an experienced backpacking traveler that specializes in adventurous trips around the globe. He has traveled to remote and exotic places, such as Namibia or Mongolia and focuses on landscape and wildlife photography to share the beauty of our planet with others. In 2021, Thomas published a (German) book about Overpopulation and Over-consumption (Die Überbevölkerung). With his awareness of current global issues, he uses his travels to support particularly local hotels and restaurants to raise awareness for the nature and culture of his destinations. Follow Thomas´ adventures on Instagram as well as on his website, World In Frames.

Mongolia reported 61 new coronavirus infections, the coronavirus statistics as of June 21 showed.

28 of them were revealed among persons who had contact with the infected in Ulaanbaatar, 33 other cases were detected in regions.

No new imported cases of COVID-19 were reported.

The death toll makes 2,118 as of June 21.