The deel is an item of Mongolian traditional clothing and remains an integral part of Mongolian culture. You can find plain and practical ‘working’ deels and then more ornate versions worn at ceremonial occasions such as Mongolian Tsagaan Sar (Mongolian Lunar New Year). The deels worn by Mongolian herders are an all-purpose garment. They are usually a long overcoat often with long…
This Friday is Black Friday – synonymous with consumerism and excess but there is an alternative option – to help make a statement against what Black Friday has come to represent. Personally, I’ll be sticking my finger up at the event and here are a few ideas on how to mark the day by doing something different using my beloved Mongolia…
As a company, we call ourselves ‘manaikhan’ which translates from Mongolian loosely into ‘ours’ or ‘our people.’ Essentially, we’re a family – with all the same stresses, strains and disagreements that all families experience. But, then, also, the support, the unity and the strength that a family can bring as well. For those that know Mongolia, you’ll know that it…
Have you ever read the book show in the image below? If not, the synopsis is simple. Tiziano Terzani – an experienced Asia correspondent— was warned by a Hong Kong fortune-teller not to risk flying for an entire year. So, in the year in question (1993), he didn’t. Instead, he slowly re-explored Asia by foot, boat, bus, car, and…
Such a simple sentence isn’t it? ‘To begin, begin.’ There’s no need for any deep analysis. Wordsworth meant what the quote literally says: to start something, you must actively engage it. And that’s the same for travel. Yes, there are people out there kayaking the length of a river from source to sea or living alongside a remote indigenous tribe.…
Look at the image above. Not the most prepossessing image is it? But, what do you think it represents? Any ideas? For me, it reminds us as travellers that real life is everywhere when we travel. It is actually the business plan of a young fashion designer who lives in the ger districts of Ulaanbaatar – Mongolia’s capital city. A…
I recently received negative feedback about certain members of my beloved team. But I didn’t pass the buck. Instead, I apologised and said that I take full responsibility for the mistakes made by my team members. When EL was first created, it was just Turuu and I as driver and guide. It was easier then as it meant we could…
Any ideas? Any ideas what the image represents? This is how our group spent a day recently in Ulaanbaatar – the capital city of Mongolia – at a felting project run by the Buddhist NGO Asral. The group learnt how to clean the wool, process the wool, colour the wool & then how to create by hand these intricate felt…
I am guilty of writing emails like a woman. Yes, I am a woman but it seems I am unconsciously using certain speech habits to soften my email communication. It was my Mum who pointed this out to me – looking over my shoulder one day as I was writing an email and reading the words ‘Hello! Apologies for the interruption…
I recently read a BBC Capital article on why ‘microbreaks’ when working can have a powerful effect on your body and your mind – basically tiny breaks that help to ease your body and reboot your brain. What was interesting is that I read this article during such a break when I spent a few minutes just searching the internet…