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Permalink Reply by Graham Clune on May 20, 2012 at 1:27pm

A trial run on adding a topic. These pics are from the first trip in 2005. Tradition has it that you must have a camel milk (warm) toast when you visit a local herder. We then went on to have some "room temperature" Tiger beer, a lunch of beef noodles and rounded off with a few shots of vodka. Vodka being the drink of Mongolians. My stomach was not in good shape that night, believe me.

The group included myself, an architect from Singapore, herder Sol and his wife, Eddie the camp manager and Anna our translator.

A Ger is a traditional herders home and is in fact a round tent which is wrapped with a camel hair blanket with a cloth cover. It can be set up in about 2 hours and the herders move them around the desert as they graze the animals across the desert. The stove acts for cooking and for heating during the winter.

 

Hope you all enjoy.

Attachments:

• A Camel Milk Toast.jpg, 104 KB
• Eddie n Group.jpg, 76 KB
• Ger Living.jpg, 106 KB

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Permalink Reply by Jan Courtney on May 20, 2012 at 1:36pm

That's amazing Graham,  I noticed what looked like  an electric fan in the GER,  do they have a generator ??

Impressed at the two hour job setting up ,  especially the flued stove.  Fantastic.

There is no need to "attach" photos,  if you have them stored in your computer you just need to click on the picture icon at the head of the post (second from left) and follow the intructions. 

 

That makes it easier for us to see and enjoy them too.

 

Cheers.

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Permalink Reply by Graham Clune on May 20, 2012 at 1:50pm

Thanks Jan.

This particular Ger had a genset. We actually relocated them from the minesite to a site nearby and we set them up with a genset, SAT tv with a 42 in screen and a shower complete with hot water. Luxury living for them. They had given away herding (their son lived a couple of klms away and took care of the herds) and actually Sol and his wife both worked at the mine camp for us.

Pic is their water well out front of their camp

Jan Courtney said:

That's amazing Graham,  I noticed what looked like  an electric fan in the GER,  do they have a generator ??

Impressed at the two hour job setting up ,  especially the flued stove.  Fantastic.

There is no need to "attach" photos,  if you have them stored in your computer you just need to click on the picture icon at the head of the post (second from left) and follow the intructions. 

 

That makes it easier for us to see and enjoy them too.

 

Cheers.

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Permalink Reply by Graham Clune on May 20, 2012 at 2:13pm

Glad you like them. Lots of stories along with them of course. It has been an interesting journey. Have a lot on my plate right now but I will gather up some others and post them along the way. 

Beverley Prescott said:

Fan-bloomin'-tastic, Graham.

Thank you - Now they will be all contained in one discussion.

Glad everyone agreed.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Courtney on May 20, 2012 at 2:14pm

I'll second that Dale -  it's fascinating stuff.

 

Graham -  what are you mining ?

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Permalink Reply by Graham Clune on May 20, 2012 at 2:24pm

Thanks Dale. Appreciate the help.

Jan.

 

The first mine was a copper and gold mine. Mega project and bought into by Rio Tinto.

The current mine under development is also copper but no gold. We have just started earthworks to build a concentrator (2 yr program) and the local client will operate the open cut mine and concentrator once we get it up and running

Jan Courtney said:

I'll second that Dale -  it's fascinating stuff.

 

Graham -  what are you mining ?

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Permalink Reply by Graham Clune on May 20, 2012 at 2:36pm

I hadnt thought about sharing all this until Friday when I was coming back from the mine site and seen all the herds out grazing. The previous trips were during the winter months and they yard the animals mostly and hand feed them, so you dont see them out n about too much.

When I seen the herds this trip I wanted to show the farming guys on here some of the pics as I thought they might like to see some Mongolian lambs so that led me to posting here.

 

We seen two herds of Gazelles but they are moving too fast to get a pic and their colour blends in so close to the desert that you wont even see them in a pic at 500 metres

 

Now I know yr interest I will try and get some better pics on the next trip

 

Jan Courtney said:

I'll second that Dale -  it's fascinating stuff.

 

Graham -  what are you mining ?

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Permalink Reply by Graham Clune on May 20, 2012 at 3:03pm

Last two for today. Have to go have some lunch. Will scroll thru the files and put some more up during the week.

One is me in the desert at minus -35c in 2006. A good test for the RM moleskins  :-))

 

The other is a concept "city" for the mine site I worked to develop with an architect from Singapore during 2005. It never got built but we had a lot of fun for about 4 months designing it :-)) The then owner was a real entrenpenaur (spelling) and it included an amphithearter (spelling) to seat 200 people, an inside sports centre, central kitchen/dining/movie centre with a copper sheeted roof and modern style gers built with new age materials

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Permalink Reply by Graham Clune on May 20, 2012 at 5:00pm

Thats great imfo. And if you take a close look at the black dots on top of the horses' head it is people standing up there. You can take a lift up thru one of the back legs and walk up to the top of the head
Damn cold and windy the day I was up there

Geoff Brown said:

Here is an article about the Ghengis Khaan Statue in one of Graham's photos. The statue, made of stainless steel, is 40 metres tall and stand on top of a 10 m high visitors centre.  Amazing!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/world/asia/03genghis.html?_r=1

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on May 20, 2012 at 9:15pm

Great background info Graham,I was aware a number of years ago of Developments in Mongolia and the Fact that just about everything Australia sells China in the Way of recources is available next door but so few are aware of it.

I remember contacting Ross Greenwood about the Potential of Mongolia and how it will become the new Dubai and potentially at our cost and how incredibly stupid the Labor Greens Mining Rent Recource tax was in light of developments in Mongolia.

Now you pop up and show people just what has been going on since the Soviet Union gave Mongolia Independance and now that they have had a Stock Exchange and International banking precence  since around 2000 Development is going ahead full steam.

Have you had any contact with those developing the Oil reserves of Mongolia that are reputed to Rival the Middle East in capacity,These were Discovered in Stalins time but left alone due to closer reserves being available in the Caucasas Regions,From what I have researched they are particularily open to development being at relatively shallow Depth though I do not remember whether they were Light Sweet or otherwise recources.

You are certainly in the right place at the right time,great post and it is such an interesting area of the World.

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on May 20, 2012 at 9:59pm

The potential for Mongolia is great,I just hope they are not scammed by International Bankers and Mining Companies,For with the Climate they live with just like the Middle East when the recources run out life reverts to basic survival  unless they take advantage of wealth and invest for the future while they can.

Wheras places elsewhere in the world may have an ability to fall back on other options in a milder more sustaining enviroment Mongolia like the Middle East must plan and invest for the future and in their case from the get go would be wise and rewarding.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Hutcho on May 21, 2012 at 12:44am

Stephen C.

Have you had a look at the 'indecent' interest China has shown in Mongolia, particularly their coal reserves ?

Somewhere on J.G. in the recent past I have posted on Winsway & Winsway Peabody and the connections with Mongolia, and Russian  coal.

China's current 5 year plan indicates the use of a billion tons of coal per annum for energy and steel production.

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