mongolia
speaks for itself

there were not many moments as exciting as waking up on the train, looking out of the frosty window, and seeing a giant snowy desert spreading to the horizon. that was the scene after entering mongolia, a nation so spacious, it defies asia altogether.

the train stops at the chinese-mongolian border, where it is lifted into the air by gargantuan machines. the wheels of the train are removed, car by car, and replaced with ones of a different width. this accommodates the different sized tracks that are to follow in mongolia and into russia, hammering home the point that the place to come is a little different than the one behind.

yurt tents occupy residential lots on the outskirts of the capital city, and similar tents dots the landscape throughout the country. not a wealthy place by western standards, it's excellent news that the country exists, and manages to sanctify itself against larger and and more common ways of life.

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ulaan baatar station
the train
pasture from train
snowy expanse
snowy desert



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