Under a white cloud and infinite blue skies
I remember the early morning sun in Ulaanbaatar with monks chanting, singing, drumming, both rhythmic and soothing prayers at Gandan Monastery. People from all walks of life, some on foot, some by car, from very old to quite young, and the monks themselves preparing the public space; distributing prayer books and putting drums, banners, bowls of milk and fruit in place as offerings.
The trip thoroughly enriched my connection to local people and place in my research. I met like-minded peers, professors and interlocutors along the way and travelled with them across immense distances. From the bright, grassy-herbal conifer forests of the Khangai to the flaming red, stony plains of the south Gobi, quietly returning to crystal clear rivers of the Tuul.
Whether it be pausing at the smaller, simpler details of flora and fauna ecology after seeing a falcon’s swooping shadow busily feeding on our leftover food scraps, or taking a break from the long bus journey to experience the magical vastness of the rugged peaks and deep valley area of the Khangai ridge – once the centre of the territory of the Xiongnu and where stone burial mounds still remain today! There was never a dull moment!
