September 28, 2001 – Return to Ulan Bator

While we were climbing the rock, a horseman and his camels came riding by.

Mongolian herdsman follow a nomadic way of life, moving three or more times a year. Food is taken from their herds and stored to fit this wandering life style. Milk products from horses, camels, goats or cattle are made into yogurt and cheeses. These products along with dried meats provide their main source of food. Many families use an extra lightly insulated ger to keep animals that have been killed for eating. Meat from their herds is hung inside and the structure serves as a freeze drying chamber. Dried meats and cheeses are less perishable, more compact and easier to carry as they follow their herds.

And so goes life as they travel the steppes of Mongolia.