gers and hiking

June 3

So we stayed at a"ger" camp the first night, but those were some really high class gers. They were equipped with running water, bathrooms, electricity, and chandeliers - really? (The next night we went to a hotel, which oddly wasn't as nice as the gers)

The air is very refreshing, and the sun is brilliant. The mountains look like some of the foothills in California, but they feel totally different. I had a strong desire to do some climbing, so I went with a few of my friends towards the top. I had to stop a few times to catch my breath, and I told myself that it was the altitude rather than the fact that I'm not in very good shape. There are some beautiful views, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to hike a lot while I'm here.

We're in the city for some pre-training stuff, and today was really the first time that I have been near actual mongolians. I didn't have courage within me to practice trying out any phrases yet, but I'll try to do some of that tomorrow since we will be more on our own.