the navigator

i have no idea how ganna navigates his way across this country. there is a seemingly infinite web of faint tyre tracks across the wilderness and he somehow negotiaties his way across them towards our destination. we can see no identifiable landmarks, but ganna appears to know this land like a nomad. which makes sense as the mongolians are a traditionally nomadic people. it brings a sort of romance to the whole experience, we're being guided through a country by a man born of it's earth, albeit in a mass-produced british-designed soviet-built 4-wheel drive van.

we've stopped for lunch at a family in a small wooden town bracketted by rocky mountains and the familiar crushed velvet plains. the others, our current traveling buddies have been challenged to a game of basketball by the children. we think this might be ganna's home, he's rather friendly with the lady of the house. we consider that maybe he just has a woman in every town. (ganna pictured)

our new traveling companions for this 6 day exploration are rowan and marc from canada, and ashley a london born sydneyite. as with many travelers we've met over the last couple of weeks their stories are a might impressive. when we planned this trip we thought it inordinately huge incredible but along the way we constantly meet people who've been on the road for 6 months, 12 months and more. a guy in the napolean hostel, moscow had been at that same hostel for 8 months as part of his travels.

then there are those guys who are driving to paris and beyond from beijing. and ewan mcgregor & charlie boorman are currently going north to south on motorbikes. we saw a story recently of two people walking the entire length of the great wall of china. i'm loving this holiday and it's opening my eyes as to how much of the world there is to see, and in how many ways. there's countries everywhere!


i'm growing fond of our van, i'm considering getting one instead of the jeep i had i mind when i get back. maybe that will open up the world even more, it's definitely capable. it just eats up the countryside and nothing can stop it. "roar," it says.