Under the Big Mongolian Sky: Echoes from the Steppes (first published in 2012)
I stood in the darkness in the middle of the steppe one evening and saw something I’ve never seen before: an unobstructed view of the stars in the skies above and the horizons around me. Nothing else was there; no trees, no skyscrapers, just the stars all over me, as if I was under a huge dome made of stars. That was when I realized why they also call Mongolia the land of the big sky.
I was in a ger camp of a herder family and the day was spent doing what herders do in the steppes but, because of the seemingly endless breadth of open space, much of the time was lost just driving to places; to the next ger camp, to their grazing herd, to a ‘nearby’ river, and then back to camp (Glad I chose to ride in the car, not on a horseback!).
The trip to the river was especially arranged so I could try fishing in its waters. Unfortunately, the fishing gear they produced were not appropriate and I caught nothing. But, back at base, the family surprised me with a bunch of freshly-caught fish and everybody just smiled when I asked where they came from.
After a huge dinner of fish and meat, I was treated to a welcome party of vodka, vodka, and more vodka. Oh, there was also airag, a fermented mare’s milk, but it didn’t last long and we quickly shifted back to vodka. Apparently, a hoard of vodka bottles was riding with us all along from the city and all over the steppes in an old Russian jeep !
After the ceremonial offering of vodka to Mother Nature — done by flicking droplets of vodka to the air using the right hand fingers — followed by a series of 3 shots and exchange of well-wishes with the head herder; each person around the camp fire took turns drinking shots and the rule was, one has to render a song before drinking. Luckily, there was a young herder’s son who can beautifully render a khoomei or throat singing and he made a good substitute singer for me after the first 3 rounds. The others rendered songs summarized to me by my English-speaking Mongolian colleague as songs about nature, mother, the horse, the wind, love — almost in that order of frequency. I didn’t understand a word from their songs but it was often a heartfelt rendition and, with much help from the vodka, I eventually sang with them in Mongolian — my own version — and even requested some of the melodies I liked to be sung once again.
That night was one of my most memorable in Mongolia. Though I didn’t like vodka that much, I gained a deep appreciation of the Mongolians‘ strong connection with Mother Nature. But the biggest surprise to me was the boy’s throat singing — my first experience with khoomei where two or more notes were simultaneously produced from the throat and the sounds of the steppe’s wind, animals and natural surroundings were imitated. The boy’s father bragged that the melody produced by his son can travel great distances in the steppe and I believed him. The group fell silent every time the boy started singing and the strange but beautiful sound seemed to float in the air and ride the wind to the deep and dark reaches of the steppe then come back to us moments later.
When it was time to sleep many hours later, I was given a space on the floor together with the rest of the family inside the head herder’s ger. Having been briefed by my colleague that I came from the tropics, they covered my body with 3 layers of thick sheets.
I didn’t get to sleep that soon. On top of the snoring and various sounds people make when sleeping, I can still hear the boy’s voice reverberating from the steppe. Or, perhaps it was Mother Nature herself singing a lullaby? I couldn’t tell.
I was sweaty under the sheets when I woke up at dawn. My hosts were still asleep so I groped my way out of the ger where a glorious early morning greeted me. The stars were fading, a cool breeze was blowing, and the distant mountains were starting to appear in various shades of blue. At the herds’ corrals, two ladies were starting to milk the goats and cows while a man was preparing the horses. I heard something that sounded like a wolf’s howl from far away. It’s the start of another exciting day in communion with Mother Nature at the steppes.
-0O0-
.
Note from the Author: Except for the photo of grazing horses, all the photos in this post were taken at Uvs Aimag, Mongolia way back in 2005 (the photo of grazing horses was taken in Cental Aimag in 2009); the photo of the city and the mountain cottage were taken at Ulaangoum Soum, also in Uvs Province. The cloth-covered pole in the 2nd and last photo is an animist totem placed by shamans and can be found all over the steppes so that the passersby can pay respects to Mother Nature.
If it’s your first time to hear about throat singing, there’s a short article about it at the website of Smithsonian Folkways in this link. Thank you for visiting this post.
Related Posts by Shutter Bug:
- The Ger: Faithful Mobile Home of Mongolian Nomads (travellingartist.wordpress.com)
- The Nomadic Herder of Mongolia (travellingartist.wordpress.com)
- Tales of Gobi
- The Magical Sand Dunes of the Gobi Desert
- A Glimpse of Ulaanbaatar
Jessie, I really liked your blog here, what I’ve just read “Echoes from the steppes” It is such a beautiful writing and it reminds me that every blessing and beautiful touch of moments of that I also had in my life. I appreciate for your wonderful thoughts of Mongolia. I miss a lot my home town, 🙂
I wish you the best, Zula from Sydney
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Hi, Zula. It’s good to hear from you. I hope you’re doing well with your studies in Sydney. Thanks for dropping by my blog.
Yes, I was smiling but also felt a bit of sadness while writing this post — I really miss Mongolia as well! I’m you’re terribly homesick there. Keep in touch!
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What an amazing experience you had! Wonderful pictures, beautiful post!
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Many, many thanks, Kristina!
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Beautiful. Just beautiful!
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by the way, I just learned about The Vanishing Cultures Project today. They’re 2 photographers with hopes to document, well, vanishing cultures such as the herders in Mongolia. Perhaps you’ve already heard about them, but if not, I thought you’d be interested!!!
http://www.vcproject.org/projects/current/
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Thank you, Emily! And also thanks for the link about The Vanishing Cultures Project – it’s quite interesting. Will be checking out their work. Cheers!
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Just flown over Mongolia on my way back from China and was left with a clear sense of it’s vast scale but little idea what it was like on the ground. This really helps. Great photos.
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Thanks, Gordon. Well, Mongolia is dwarfed by China and Russia in the map but yes, being on the ground on the steppes gives a clearer perspective. I compare it to standing in the middle of the ocean with nothing else around you but flat surface and an unobstructed view of the horizon. Thanks for dropping by.
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What a wondeful country and such excellent photos. The last one is fantastic…a favourite. Another first class post Jessie.
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Hiya, David. Grateful for your very encouraging comments. Regards.
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I envy your travels. The images here are remarkable and stir a desire to travel to places I’ve never been before. Thank you for sharing!
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Many thanks, Tarheel. If only I can make all the choices, I’d like to travel and photograph exotic places for the rest of my life. Thanks for visiting.
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Wow, awesome post- amazing experiences and beautiful photography 🙂
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Thanks, Janette.
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Interesting post.
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Thanks.
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amazing post, happy i’ve discovered your blog. thanks for sharing photos and story, they make me long for discovering the beauty of Mongolia.
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Thank you, yelena. Glad to have found your blog as well.
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A poem in colors and few words. Beautiful. 🙂
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Thanks, Spiral Dreamer. Am enjoying your work as well.
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Thanks for visiting my blog, Jessie. I really enjoyed your Mongolia stories and photographs. It looks like a very unique life they lead. We have tough cowboys and ranchers in my area, but they could learn a few things from the folks you write about!
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Grateful for your visit, Ken. I’m sure your cowboys and ranchers would be amazed at how differently they raise livestock in Mongolia.
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the scenery here is really amazing, so expansive! really makes you feel small and insignificant like.
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Exactly how I felt in the steppes. Thanks for visiting jaurbanphoto.
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Beautiful, really stunning work here…
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Thanks, Aware of the Void….
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Thank you Jessie for sharing your amazing journey with us. Such a beautiful country and I truly enjoyed all of your photo’s.
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Thanks, Carolyn….
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Written so poetically and illustrated with such wonderful images of Mongolia’s landscape! Well done, Jessie! Mongolia is now on my list of must-see destinations… if only the world was just a bit smaller!
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Many thanks, Tricia. Your comment made me :). I also wish that the world was smaller.
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A most wonderful blog you have here. I blogged over from one of your friends.
Have a wonderful day
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Thanks, Lisa. Grateful that you visited and led me to your wonderful blog as well.
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I am going to enjoy reading and looking here, now that I have seen your blog. Thanks so much for stopping in, and leading me back here.
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Thanks, Sandy for returning the visit.
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Fascinating reading (very well written) and interesting, expressive photos! Exotic subject, even if, sometimes I see some resemblance with the far Northern Quebec…
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Thanks, ivdanu.
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Thank you for taking us along on a journey most of us would otherwise never be able to take!
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Thanks, Bonnie Michelle. It’s my pleasure to be sharing my experiences in this blog.
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Amazing post. I stand in awe of your wonderful photos, your writing and what you experienced in Mongolia. It truly is a beautiful story, and one I’m sure you could elaborate on. Thanks for the visit to my blog. I’m glad you came..otherwise I may not have found you here!
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Hi, Judy. I’m quite flattered by you comment. Thanks a lot. Yes, I could write pages after pages about my experiences in Mongolia but that would require another medium — perhaps a book? It’s my pleasure to have found your blog as well. I’ll be a frequent visitor.
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Your photos are dreamishly divine. Your story also rang a few bells in the cobwebbed corners of my mind. Like: Montana in the USA is also considered “Big Sky country.” Or, the stars at night, when viewed from expansively separated distances such as consumed you in Mongolia, and like where I live in Idaho, is indeed brain boggling. It also reminded me of a lady I had on a river trip one time, at age 40, whom had never even slept outside in her entire life. But once she saw the stars, like you, she saw nature differently – like a little kid filled with wonder. It was sad, (having’ took so long to see what she had been missing. but cool to see her reveling in a micro-enlightenment.
And similar to the throat singing and simulating nature’s sounds, so too, do many of the other indigenous peoples who llive close to the land (such as native people in my neck of the woods) who have develop language based on onomontopoeia – sounds animals or natural elements make as objects of referral and are imitated.
Isn’t nature wonderful?
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Hi, Gary. I’m pleased to have you visit my blog and delighted that you were able to quickly associate many of the things I wrote with similar contexts around you.
Yes, it’s amazing how much of nature’s wonders we miss when choose to stay within what you call the ‘protective bubble’ we build around ourselves. I was actually wondering if ‘imitating’ is the right word for using nature’s sounds in indigenous songs and languages. Perhaps ‘harmonizing’ with nature’s sounds is more appropriate?
Yes, nature is wonderful and I appreciate the ‘eye-openers’ you write about in your blog. Many thanks for your kind comments.
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Shutter Bug,
“Harmonizing”. Yes, I like that idea. A Nez Perce (the first nations people that live in my area) call a coyote – “itsiyiyi” because the sound this animal makes is similar to yiyi. Thus the imitation to its yipping. But, as a people they certainly lived more harmoniously with nature than the dominionist culture that subdued them a long time ago. It is hard to be harmonious with nature when it is always subjected to being controled. It soon turns more into a process of running around trying to fix things that weren’t broken to begin with. Sad.
Two cultures living side by side, two world views which lead in separate directions. One worldview is of man as part of the whole, connected to everything. The other worldview, man is separate from nature, and above. Salmon is an icon to first nation folks, dams the icon to the second culture. One is cyclic, the other disruptive.
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I’m still with you, Gary. I was initially uncomfortable listening to the songs of my Mongolian hosts because they were mostly songs about the horse, the wind, etc, only to realize that it was an indication of how they worshiped and tried to be in harmony with Mother Nature and, considering the environment they are in, it’s probably the best way to survive. I think that, in the long run, we will all be forced to live in harmony with nature in order to survive.
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Wonderful Jessie. These images are gorgeous.
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Thanks a lot, Karen…
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This reminds me of my visit to Mongolia in the Summer of 2010. It’s a beautiful country. Thanks for posting.
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Hi, Nina. I’ve visited your blog and saw your huge collection of familiar images about Mongolia. Thanks for checking out mine.
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Amazing images!
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Thanks, Sophie…
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Oh wow, thank you for taking me on that amazing journey with you! Truly awe inspiring and the photos are beautiful.
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Thank you very much, CwithNuEyes..
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Great photos, and really admire all the work you do! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
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Thanks, Leanova.
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Gorgeous photos. I recently turned down a teaching job offer in Mongolia…you’re pictures are makeing me regret that decision!
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Thanks, Sarah. Tell me if you eventually accept a job there. Will be happy to share some notes.
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Love the animist totem. Such a statement of respect.
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Thanks, m1nute. I agree, the totem is quite a strong statement.
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Wonderful photos! Enjoyed each and every one!
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Thanks, Four Blue Hills.
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A wonderful post, thank-you! Your work is a real inspiration, I would love to travel at some point in the future – I particularly resonate with the “Big Sky” idea, I can imagine the stars are fantastic out there!
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Thanks for your kind words, Tim. Will look forward to the photos from your travels in the future. Regards.
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Reblogged this on Coach Danny Johnson and commented:
Beautiful!!!
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Wow! It’s an honor to be in your blog, Danny. Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it.
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This is beautiful.
Thank you for sharing.
Danny & Laura
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Thanks again, Danny & Laura. 🙂
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Thanks for following. Photo Website is: http://bit.ly/dMMwtt, Photo Blog: http://bit.ly/dJnv0o and FB at: http://on.fb.me/dFOCUU
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Thank you, Barry.
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Thanks for liking my post.
Your blog is great.
This part of India is inspiring and very photogenic if you are ever down way!
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Thanks lakesideindia. Yes, I love your photos about your place. Will make sure to capture some if I happen to visit. Regards.
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Well-written post. The story of the throat singing boy was captivating. That last photo is wonderful.
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Hi, thepetalpusher. Thank you for your kind comments and for visiting A Traveller’s Tale.
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Terrific post! Thanks for taking us your trip 🙂
p.s. thanks for the ‘Like’
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Thanks for joining me in the trip, athyfoto!
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Interesting post and lovely pictures. I wish I could visit Mongolia and see that sky.
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Thanks aditix.
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What process are you using with your photos? They look vintage. Nice work!
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Hi Kroy2012. I did minimal work on the photos’ brightness and color saturation but that’s about it. Taken in 2005, they may not be vintage but they’re quite old too. 🙂 Thanks for the visit.
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I’m imagining what that big sky looks like at night. No ambient light from surrounding major metropolises to obstruct a purely natural view of the Milky Way running through it. That has got to be spectacular.
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It was spectacular, themofman, a fantastic visual show produced by Mother Nature herself. Thanks a lot!
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All the photos are awesome! i really enjoyed watching them! How I wish I could be like you too someday.. Thanks for visiting my blog. Keep up the good work!
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Thanks, Anonymous. I’m sure you can be even better if you just kept trying and never gave up! Regards.
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How fortunate to find myself directed to this post today… I have literally just finished a novel (The Zahir by Paulo Coehlo) that describes the culture and landscape of the steppes in Khazakhstan… I don’t know how similar these two places really are but your photos lend colour and form to everything the novel has just described.
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Hi, poeticadia. I’m sure a copy of The Zahir is lying somewhere in the house but never got to read it. My daughter is an avid Paulo Coehlo fan. I won’t be surprised if the culture and landscape of Mongolia and Kazakhstan are very similar — they’re relatively close to each other. I was able to visit a province in Mongolia called Bayan Olgii which is near the border with Russia and inhabited by ethnic Kazakhs and that was one incredible experience — something that I still need to write about.
Thanks a lot for visiting.
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amazingly serene and beautiful! thank you! thank you also for visiting my photo/writing blog!
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Hi yi-ching lin. Thank you for visiting and for your kind comments.
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Cool Stuff!
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Thank you very much!
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Wonderful site! Thanks for visiting mine.
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Thanks, jnaszady:)
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What gorgeous photos and rich experiences you share here. It gives me a taste of something quite different – quite different from the rushing traffic and enclosed spaces and sunshiney heat of southern California. (I am a nomad here.) Thank you for stopping by my blog last week. It was a pleasure to visit yours.
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Pleasure is mine, kate. We are all nomads one way or another, I guess. Will be visiting your blog again soon. Regards.
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I’d love to experience Mongolia. Great read.
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This was fascinating! And thank you for the lovely shots of the big sky.
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Thank you, reggie and ladyfi.
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Sounds like such an amazing trip. And what wonderful memories to bring back. Enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Carl
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Yes, I always find something exciting when I visit Mongolia. Thank you, Carl.
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Simply beautiful. Thanks for sharing your experience.
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Thank you, Almates.
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Looking forward to following your journey here. Asia holds a very special place in my heart.
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Appreciate it, keruili.
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What an interesting story to go with beautiful photos. I listened to the singing and tried to imitate! Funny!
I do some wool felting which I’m told came from the way they make gers.
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Hello, Mary Lou. You made me 🙂 when I learned that you actually tried throat singing. It’s quite a feat, isn’t it? Yes, felt-making looked like a long, tedious process to me. Good for you to be doing it yourself. Thanks for the visit.
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Stunning photos. Beautiful site!
Thanks for liking my site – I’m honored.
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I’m honored as well to have you visit my blog. Thanks for your kind comment, Lois.
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Love the final image in this selection!
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You are seriously making me want to travel.
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Beautiful photos! Makes me want to travel again. Love the story with it as well!
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Thanks, Graham, Bill and lschwietz!
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You have some powerful pictures here.
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Thank you very much, ShimonZ. I love your articles about Jerusalem and Israel. Will be sure to visit you blog again.
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Reblogged this on Travels with Fred and commented:
Now this is REAL traveling!
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Thanks for the reblog and the compliment, Fred.
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Thanks for ‘liking’ my blog. Great eye.
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Thank you.
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Amazing photos. Thanks for sharing your journey.
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Thanks, pattisj.
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Everyone above seems to have covered everything I wanted to say … so ditto
Great …
Isadora
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Still happy to know that you visited, Isadora. Thanks a lot.
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Thanks for taking the time to like my blog post. You have some awesome photos here. Love the lighting and composition. Look forward to seeing more.
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Thank you, Ken.
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This is fantastic and obviously a lot of time, patience and passion went into this. Well done.
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Thanks, Kenneth.
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Amazing country. Great photos.
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Thank you, Russell.
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We would like to reblog this on our site, but would like your permission first. Love your blog! Thanks for visiting ours. Please contact us at tripsfor2@gmail.com. Thanks for sharing Mongolia with us; we’ve always wanted to go there.
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Hello, Kathleen. Please go ahead and re-blog this or any of my posts. Thank you. Only copying of photos for use in other purposes, especially for commercial use, is a no no. Regards.
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thank you for visiting my blog 🙂 These are so, so beautiful…i’ll be following your blog. I love to travel too and hope to visit some of these places one day (namely Mongolia). Are those prayer flags in the last photo?
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Hi, Yamyah. Thanks for following A Traveller’s Tale. I hope you do get to visit Mongolia in the future — it’s such an exotic country.
Yes, they’re prayer flags. One has to go around the totem 3 times, drop a stone or another object with each rotation, and say a prayer or make a wish. I saw some of these with money, animal bones, stones, even crutches.
Thanks again.
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Mongolia looks awesome. I think I will have to set up another blog – just for my photographs.
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Good idea, Martin. You’ll get better reaction from fellow photographers/enthusiasts that way. I have written a few articles and short stories but intend to post them on a separate site as well. Thanks for visiting.
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Wow, Jessie, I really look forward to visiting often! Thank you for stopping by the Tsog party! 😉
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Hi, Leslee. Thanks for stopping by this blog as well. 🙂
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You make my yearn again to travel to all those far places. I have traveled and compared to most Americans, traveled a lot … but it is an acquired taste that, once acquired never entirely leaves. This one is particularly beautiful, but all of them are. Thanks!
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Thank you for showing me a place I have never been to.
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Thanks for visiting, Debra.
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Thanks for a rare look at Mongolia. It has been a passion of mine since childhood, why, I don’t know. I even exchanged some letters with a penfriend in Ulan Bator when I was around 12. In the past I have blogged about Mongolia, but those blogs have all disappeared. Thanks for visiting my blog and the ‘like.’
AV
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Ah, I had the same passion, AV but I think in my case the stories about nomads was what captured my imagination. You should visit Mongolia sometime. Thanks for the return visit.
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Now that I have been in South America for 20 years, I doubt I’ll get the chance. …but perchance to dream.
AV
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I have thoroughly enjoyed this post. It brought back fond memories of my trip to Inner Mongolia in China. I am sure there are differences between the countries, but so much seems the same. I remember the hardy people, the horses, the Mongolian wrestling, the nighttime bonfires around which we danced, the yerts, the sheep’s milk yogurt, strong tea, and stronger baijiu; the endless sand dunes and grasslands… What a marvelous place! Thank you for sharing your excellent photos.
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Good to hear from you, morningjoy. Yes, I’m sure there are a lot of similarities. Mongolians I’ve talked to consider those in Inner Mongolia as one of them. Your story about your experience sounds very interesting. Will be glad to read about it in your blog. Thanks.
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Thanks for clicking the like button on cardboardmetravels today.
Your photos are exceptional.
I hope you will consider hosting Flat Ruthie and take her on an adventure.
Then email the photos and writing back to me and I will post your guest blog.
Thanks
Ruth in Pittsburgh
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Hello, rutheh. Thanks for your kind comments.
And thanks a lot for your offer. I will consider hosting Flat Ruthie when I’ll have an opportunity. It will be my pleasure to be a guest author in your blog. Regards.
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Great words on Mongolia! I have always wanted to go there! Those pictures are beautiful and the layout is great!
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Thank you very much, ImaginaryCanary.
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This is a beautiful article, the words paint such an eloquent picture of the life and lifestyle of the people. I can almost feel myself there under a night cloaked with stars! Wonderful! Only issue being I now REALLY want to travel to Mongolia!!!
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Hello, Laura. Very grateful for your kind feedback. Even your ‘issue’ about wanting to travel to Mongolia sounds good to me 🙂 Thanks a lot!
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Thanks for visiting my blog today. I love your photos. How amazing that places where you can view an unobstructed sky still exist. Dianne
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Thanks, Dianne.
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Hi Shutter Bug – Nice to meet you, see your wonderful photographs and read your evocative words. Your photographs are like paintings – they’re so beautiful. I hope you enjoyed the landscape of elephants that I’m trying to portray in my website and blog. – Cheryl
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Thanks for the thumbs up for the Nauset Bech picture. Your stuff is just awesome.
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Great post! I passed through Mongolia a few years ago on my journey from St Petersburg to Beijing. Unfortunately it was at the very early stages of my interest in photography (I bought my first Soviet issue SLR on route!), so I didn’t capture many shots of my own.
I though the country was fascinating and can still smell the bitter odour of airag when I think back (wasn’t a fan!).
Thanks for the blog visit
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Hi Jessie, thanks for visiting my blog today, I’m finding it a great way to get in touch with some of the amazing people out there such as yourself. Makes my life look dull!
Love you post on Mongolia, it looks a facinating country. I’ve just finished watching Tim Cope’s series ‘On the Trail of Ghengis Khan’ about an Australian adventurer who rode from Mongolia to Hungary over 3 years so it’s now on my Bucket list.
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Lovely pictures! Thanks for coming by to my blog! I shall surely be hanging around here.
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Thank you for stopping by, “Eyes of the Mountain”.
Your work is incredible! I’m glad I popped over!
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What a vast and beautiful landscape.
Its def on my Must Visit List
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I have always been fascinated by Mongolia, and strolling through your sensitively captured photos made me feel as if I were there. Thank you. This brought me out of my small world into a much larger one, on a Monday morning.
Thank you for your recent visit to the Norwegian Artist and for Liking The Pataha painting.
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Gorgeous country.
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Love that picture of the horses! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Hej from Sweden !
Wow !! Thanks for clicking the “like” button on my most recent post on my blog.
I am glad you enjoyed it.
I love you post; it has always been my dream to visit Mongolia. I hope to get there but n the meanwhile, I can enjoy your beautiful photos.
You are most welcome back to learn more about our little herd here at Gullringstorp.
http://gullringstorpgoatsblog.wordpress.com
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Beautful pictures… I had that moment in the Big Bend, TX. Out in the desert, no lights just me and the stars it is something is it not? Thank you for coming by and ‘liking’ my stuffed pork chops, hope to see you again! I will be spending a lot of time here at your site!
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Good work!
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Wonderful photos, they remind me of my childhood when i was in northwestern China.
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Wow cool post ! I saw that you recently liked one of my posts so decided to check out your site. I would love to go to Mongolia and do some hiking. It seems a little bit like Nepal and China, two places I’ve been . What did you do there and how long did you go for?
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Planning a trip to mongolia soon, making a stop with the Trans Siberian train. Your pictures are really inspiring
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Thank-you so much for visiting my blog and my “Three Little Paintings.” Exciting photographs!!!! – Kathy
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Such great photography. Your words compose images too! Even your profile is a ‘good read’ (-:
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Hello ! Thanks for stopping by ! And thanks for the encouragement !
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Beautiful place and photos. I’d love the horseriding, the views and the singing… don’t think I could cope with all that vodka though! Wonder what they’d make of me – a non-drinker?!
Carol.
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Sigh. Such beauty! Theadora
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Thanks for the like. I really enjoyed this piece. I traveled around the Kazakh and Uzbek steppe last year and you’ve really captured the feel of the place.
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Great photos of Mongolia. Just went to an OAT travel program today. They talked about scheduling a trip to Mongolia.
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So very beautiful. Marvelous travelogue!
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Great photos and story. Looks very similar to the area in the Altai Mountains near Ulgii that we visited in 2006. Mongolians are some of the friendliest people I have ever encountered in my travels
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Beautiful photographs.
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Wow. That’s a quite a trip report! I really do love it.
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Thanks for sharing this… it’s definitely outside my own travel experience and even though a good portion of the photos didn’t load your descriptions were quite captivating. Thanks for dropping by my blog also, by the way, there’s a lot more to come. If you’d like to join my group just look for the tab We Love Castles at the top of the homepage and it’ll take you where you need to go. You can add any castle photos you might have if you decide to join. Be sure to add your copyright notice. It’s a real pleasure.
The Castle Lady thecastlelady.wordpress.com
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A beautiful article, Lovely prose and stunning photography.
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Many thanks again ! Enjoying your work !!!
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Thanks, judyjudygirl.
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Stunning photos. Wow! Great blog.
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Thanks a lot, Naomi.
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I enjoyed your write-up very much and the photos are the perfect counterpoint. I would like to see the stars as you have seen them here.
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Thank you very much, norinep.
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Thank you for sharing your photos and travel experiences! This is an awesome blog!
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Thanks, Anna.
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so beautiful. and i hope to see mongolia one day. i have a fascination with mongolia since i was little….
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Hi, giannina. Had the same fascination about Mongolia since I learned about Genghis Khan in High School. Really glad I had a chance to see it. Now it’s your turn to live up to your fascination. 🙂 Regards.
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Hooray! the one who wrote is a cool guy..!
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Stunning photos! You have a beautiful blog! 🙂
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Hello, Ilya.Thanks for checking out A Traveller’s Tale.
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Hi, those are some terrific and fantastic photographs about Mongolia that I saw in your travel feature. I loved your blog.Thanks for sharing it with us. I was wondering, if you are into reading ebooks about celebrating life in all its vibrant colours, then may be you could check out my blog at your own leisure–my latest ebook: 12 Precious Anecdotes from Life of such a genre has been released at Amazon, and I posted the synopsis at my blog. I wish you a great week ahead.
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Thanks a lot. Will check your site.
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Spectacular scenery, very nicely captured
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These photos are just so breathtaking!
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Hello, Alex. Thanks for visiting and for your kind comment.
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You are welcome!!!
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Great experience, wonderful pictures and an inspiring post! I, too, love the starful (if there’s such a word) sky of Mongolia that can be seen only in places still free of light pollution. Steppe dwellers are suspicious of mountains and feel cramped in cities. Anyone who has seen the vastness of the flat grassland will understand. When there’s nothing in the way of the wind, there’s nothing better than racing it on a horse and capturing it with your breath. I have lived in Mongolia for 3 years. It is, indeed, beautiful, but in my strong bias, I’d much rather prefer the scenes of my native Kazakhstan. 🙂
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Hello, Valentina. Even your comment is poetic. 🙂 And you describe steppe life so beautifully. It’s a great pleasure to find somebody who has lived the experience. I’ve been intrigued by Kazakhstan as well and always wished I’d get to visit sometime. The closest I got to was living with ethnic Kazakhs in the Bayan Olgii province of Mongolia. Still hoping to get across the border someday. 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
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Man, not much to say, too busy watching your amazing work. Keep it up…
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Thank you so much, Karel. Grateful for the visit and the kind comment.
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Beautiful landscape! Makes me wanna pack up my bags and live in a ger for a week! 🙂
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Hey, great blog! Mongolia is an awesome country too Do you have any advice for mine, http://www.facebook.com/UndiscoveredPlaces , it would be really appreciated?
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Inspiring post! What a beautiful landscape, just fantastic.
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Jessie, I really enjoyed reading your insights and seeing your fantastic photos of Mongolia. I’ve always been intrigued by Mongolia since it seems so vast, mysterious and beautiful. Thank you for enlightening us. Also, thank you for stopping by Travel Oops and liking the post about “tossing cookies” in a Dutch canal.
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It’s a fabulous landscape and I like the simplicity of your images. Lovely stuff.
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Hello, Omer. Thanks so much for your visit and for leaving a kind comment. Your images are stunning. Would be visiting again. Regards.
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Wow! I’ve always wanted to visit Mongolia, and your photos and experiences have provided further motivation 🙂 thank you for sharing
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It’s my dream to travel to Mongolia someday. Thanks for the amazing blog – it felt like I was almost there!
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Thanks for the visit!
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Stunning captures of the country I so want to visit! Need to make that trip. 🙂
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Yes, you do! 🙂
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