Album 24
(31 May to 13 July 1999)
China is a different place in some ways and not in others.
They eat dogs,
have a repressive government
and a proud history;
BUT they are also modernizing and leaving the past.
Mao is for sale...
The mistake is that the government thinks it can modernize the architecture,
but will not allow the Falun Gong to practice free breathing (thinking??).
Messing with Chinese in matters of faith
is like messing with them in business.
Not a good idea. Watch and see...
We left China with less money and full bellies for Mongolia, where the first
thing the Mongols on the train bought was koumiss, the fermented milk of
horses.
Mongolia is a different place, with a warmer feel and
(photo by Sandra Basic)
freedom to practice Buddhism after years of communist abuse.
(photo by Sandra Basic)
The Mongols live very close to the earth,
only the stirrups separating them from the ground after birth,
thru childhood
(photo by Sandra Basic)
and into adulthood and marriage.
We went into the country (wow - grass and hills!) and got rained on.
After a week of roughing it, we were back on the train for Ulaan Bataar.
(goodies on board!)
We went to Naadam, the national festival of independence, for wrestling
and horseracing.
The crowd thought we were weird - no horses!
After that lovely rest, we went back to China
(2 ....)
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