Day of Firsts..

One of the things I love about travelling are the new things I get to experience and to see. Yesterday, our first full day in Olgii was a day jammed pack full of firsts.

To even get to Olgii, we flew at sunrise over some of the most beautiful scenery I have experienced. Mountains stretched for as far as the eye could see--some with snow, others shrouded in the shadow of clouds. Frozen lakes met our gaze and the occasional ger popped out of the landscape. I spent probably half the flight looking out the window at this...

First time I've ever taken over 50 photos on a plane.

After arriving in Olgi, we wandered to the market and around to get to know the town. Its a little smaller and more manageable than Ulaan Bataar so we were able to walk everywhere and explore. We saw the post office where Leo gets his packages and saw the main square with its communist red star statue and quotes from Lenin. Leo brought us next to the market where you can literally buy everything imaginable! Walking from vendor to vendor, we saw Kazhak carpets, make up, and fresh fruit. We then happened upon the meat room. In all its glory, every part of animal hung from the ceiling and was laid out on tables with five women as their proud owners. I asked to take a picture of this scene and before I knew it, I was taking pictures of each women and her stand. First time I've taken portraits of meat sellers.

After our ramble around town, we went to the Turkish restaurant in town to meet up with Leo's fellow peace corps volunteers. We enjoyed learning about their experiences and getting to know them better. We also got to eat one of the specialties: horse. First time I've ever eaten horse.

In the afternoon, Dad and I finally felt the lack of sleep and jet lag catch up with us and we retreated for a five hour afternoon nap. It was epic--and desperately needed. And where did we nap? Oh, in a ger. A ger is a traditional Mongolian nomadic home that looks like a mini circus tent home. Inside our ger were three beds and then a small wood burning fire in the middle. The door frame was tiny and so you had to crouch down to get through. It was incredible and such a unique experience. At sunset, a sweet Mongolian man came in to light the fire and within minutes, our ger was warm and toasty. First time I've stayed in a ger.

(And yes, this time, that really is our ger and our photo).

I'm sure that many more firsts will occur on this trip as we step more and more out of our known world and into this new, beautiful way of life here in Mongolia. This country is breathtakingly beautiful in its vastness and simple majesty. The people are gentle and friendly and curious. And I am so glad to be here.