The Frost-Covered Ger

by Brenna Holeman





(photo taken by my mum)
Terelj National Park, Mongolia

Today there was a thin blanket of snow covering Toronto, and I loved it. I haven’t seen snow that stayed on the ground for more than a few hours since Christmas of 2007; there were a few brief snowfalls in Osaka over the years, and I did see some very sparkly frost on my ger in Mongolia one morning, but that’s it.

My mum and I spent a few days in Terelj National Park, which is located about an hour outside the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. We stayed in one of the small ger camps, but, seeing as it was nearly winter, we were the only ones staying in the camp. Three days is a long time to be in an isolated ger with not another soul around, and with a small stove as the only source of heat. Our days were spent stoking the fire, riding horses, walking through the surrounding hills, stoking the fire, gazing at the stars, drinking Khan Brau, writing in our journals, and stoking the fire. It was quiet and calm, it was lovely.

Next week I’m flying back to my hometown in the Canadian prairies for a holiday visit, so I’ll have all the snow I could ever want.

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5 comments

The SoleSisters December 8, 2010 - 6:21 am

Love that last photo Brenna! Very pretty. Seems like a really nice experience especially to bond with family in a place like that.

Reply
Em December 10, 2010 - 5:05 am

I love this post about the experience of light snow in vastly different places! Your three days in Terelj National Park sounds so magical 🙂

Reply
This Battered Suitcase December 10, 2010 - 6:06 am

Thank you, Sole Sister! My mum and I had such a great time there together, talking late into the night by the fire.

And Em, it really was magical. I had a look at your blog and I am so intrigued about your time in Tibet – it definitely tops my list of dream travels but I am going to save it for another time (I hope to go through Bhutan and Tibet at some point). I just don’t think I have the time or the money to do it yet!

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Em December 10, 2010 - 3:48 pm

Hi Brenna, thanks for checking out my blog. I’ve just started writing about travel so your posts are very inspiring! I’m really looking forward to following your trip to Asia in the new year! (Ohh Bhutan, what a dream that would be!)

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This Battered Suitcase December 10, 2010 - 10:10 pm

Oh, thank you! Yes, wouldn’t Bhutan be amazing? Too bad the visa costs over $200 a day…

I’ve added you to my blogroll! Can’t wait to read more of your travels…

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