Tsenher Hotsprings

We spent a night at this ger camp by the Tsenher hotsprings.
Our Ger was cosy, the food was excellent (e.g. yak bolognese)
and bathing in the hot springs' water was devine. We could
easily have spent a week there.


The gers were quite comfy. It's actually quite easy
to imagine living in one.


Samuel learning the actions to "Ms Polly had a dolly"
with Aunty Sarah before bunking down in the ger.


In the morning, we were greeted by the
most beautiful light and gorgeous scenery.


The ger camp's kitchen and dining hall. The chef at
this camp was great. Samuel had been off his food for a
couple of days, which had us very concerned. The chef
made it his mission to make some dishes that Samuel
would eat and to our delight he suceeded.


The water from the hot springs being piped down to the camp

.

Bathing in the hot springs' water!

Tovkhon Khiid

Enkbayar at the bottom of Tovkhon
Monastery. It was built in, around and
on top of the rocks in the background.
It was the retreat of one of Mongolia's
first religious leaders, Ondor Gegeen
Zanabazar. It is said that he designed
the Soyombo there (left).


We climbed up the rocks to the monastery's temples and
then onward to the top of the mountain.


Some of the small temples in the monastery.


The higher up the mountain / monastery you got, the
easier it became to understand why this was considered
such a holy spot. The view was breathtaking.


The ovoo at the very top of the monastery...well worth the climb.
Ovoos such as this one are all over Mongolia. Each time we passed
one in the car Gans or Enkbayar would toot the horn. If you are walking
passed you are expected to stop and walk around the ovoo three times in
a clockwise direction and add a rock to the pile. A lot of them also had
offerings from passers-by such as money or vodka.


Hannah and Sarah weren't permitted to climb
to the ovoo at the very top. Just to Hannah's
left was a sign which read "woman forbidden".


Gans by the ovoo at the top of the monastery.

Our time in China

En route to Mongolia and on the way out again, we spent a couple of days in Beijing. We explored the Great Wall, the Hutong district, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Below are a few photos from our time in and around Beijing.

慕田峪 - the Great Wall of China, Mutianyu

The Great Wall of China at Mutianyu in Huairou County
about 70km northeast of Beijing. We were fortunate to be able
to explore the Great Wall on a very quiet day. At times, like
here in this photo, there were no other tourists to be seen along
stretches of the wall.


The heat and haze unfortunately restricted
the view a little.


A solitary Samuel on the Great Wall...and below solitary Samuel

gets a helping hand from Grandpa and Dadda.




Hannah alone on the Great Wall.

Here, Hannah is, strangely enough, rolling dried apricots
down the Great Wall. If you look very carefully you can see
rolling apricot where the sky meets the wall, just to the right of
Hannah's foot. It worked suprisingly well.


Little boy encouraging me up the steps of the Great Wall.


My Mum and Dad on the wall.


We all thought the wall was "great".

Little boy thought the idea of joing the People's Army was laughable...

北京 - Beijing, the Working People's Cultural Palace

The Working People's Cultural Palace by Tiananmen Square.
That's the sun in the photo, not the moon, dulled down by the Beijing
smog. Gee, that Olympic marathon is going to be fun...


The omnipresent Mao looking down from the front of the Working People's
Cultural Palace.


His presence seems to keep all the guards standing very straight.


Samuel boy claiming some space in the courtyard of
the Working People's Cultural Palace.


Guards being marshalled in a tunnel under the Working People's
Cultural Palace's in preparation to march across to Tiananmen Square
for the lowering of the national flag on the Square. We got stopped inside the Palace until the whole process was complete.


The national flag coming down. Still stuck in the Palace...


The boys returning from Tiananmen Square with the national flag!

天安门广场 - Tiananmen Square

The family on Tiananmen Square, along with about three
million other people!


Time for a bit of soccer on Tiananmen Sqaure. Little boy insisted
on kicking his ball around a number of famous landmarks in China
and also across the Mongolian steppes.


Samuel being adored by his fans on the Sqaure.


Further adoration from Samuel's fans. We were lucky they
didn't wheel him away then and there!


There were many, many children on the Square being
ordered by their parents to pose with the national flag as straight as
guards. As soon as the photo was taken they looked like kids
again, running and clowning around.


And again...

紫禁城 - The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City on a quiet day.


Rooves of the Forbidden City


Samuel making friends in the Forbidden City.


I think she wanted to keep him...




Samuel insisted on walking up and down all the steps
in the Forbidden City.


Here he's having a rest against a very, very big door
after all those steps - see below.

You know it's been a good meal when...

both your main course...

and your dessert are still on you face when you're done!