Bodhi in Beijing

Consequences

Sadly all that shovelling and carrying heavy bags up and down dodgy stairs has had its consequences on my back and I've had to spend the whole day in bed. 
Still there are worse things could have happened as it's freezing cold and windy outside, the dogs are keeping me company, and I've had the phone and  a lap top on my bed to work from.

Fabulous fox

Anticipating a cold winter on her return Lizzie models a foxy hat to keep her ears from frost bite.

Time's up

Sadly there was not enough time to get the roof on...but there's a great view from the ceiling where the family's winter stores will be kept.
What a pity we couldn't stay an extra week to complete the job.
We have learnt lots of new skills and LOVED being a "part of the Habitat family"

Cut and fill to keep warm

The girls get high to insulate the roof.
What a view!

new tools

The new wheel barrow is a godsend for carting the tons of soil that have just been delivered. much better than the bucket or bag drag we have been doing.

Bricking

The view from the house will be fantastic especially from the second storey...which will unfortunately be only storage

Snow fairy

Shaving the insulation is amusing but possibly not too good for the lungs.

The build

Doggy the build foreman...hammers in some fibrous sheeting carefully measure by the team leader..."measure girl".

The build

6 days of hard slog...very rewarding building for a Mongolian family.

Container market

The market in Arvaiheer is primarily operating very conveniently out of containers. Loads of character....and bargains. We even found theIndian snuff that we had sampled previously, and best of all, hand-made, fur lined, Mongolian boots

Sweet meats

In the local meat market in Arvaiheer, there is a section specially dedicated to offal. Here you can see a selection, artistically displayed in a sheep's stomach. Delicious!

Fancy balconies

The Russian architecture in Mongolia is primarily reflected in the concrete and decrepit balconies. Everything is crumbling....and seemingly dangerous.

Frontier

Notice the truck name...it's true. It's definitely the frontier territory here. Horses outnumber the cars for sure!!!!

Ger dawn

It's 5.00 am and already the sun is rising, signalling another glorious day in Mongolia.

Testing out the snuff

At Ikh Tamir we get the full Mongolian experience with the fermented mare's milk, hard smelly cheese, mutton on the bone, snuff, and the mandatory throat singing.

Ger Camping cousins

Mutton time

View across the steppe

Yak cheese

This is a cheesy delicacy and special treat for one and all made from Mongolian sheep or yak's milk.  Hard or soft, sweet or salty, it smells the same!

Hole in the ground...Khorgo Volcano.

Khorgo Volcano.While driving past the volcanic scree slope we saw people staring into a hole in the ground so we stopped to see what they were looking at....when, suddenly a head appeared and a man crawled out, then unbelievably another man crawled out. This area is ridden with caves and tunnels.

Chinggus khan brew

Trans Mongolian railway

The train snakes around one of the few bends we see in 30 hours of travel.

Hot potato

Pedi time

In Beijing.Even the boys indulged in a little foot pampering when they had a chance.

3 wheels is enough.

Acrobats

The Chinese acrobats thrilled scared and amazed us with their feats.

Plate spinning balancing acts

Plate spinning balancing acts

Multi-rider bicycle tricks

The final act had 8 illuminated motorcyclists racing simultaneously inside a metal sphere.

Hiking the Great Wall

Our first glimpse of "the Wall" is still a vision shrouded in Beijing mist. Beautiful but limited.

Pack up time

The weekend market of panjijuan is a treasure trove of antiques, furniture, artisans selling their wares, pottery and beautiful hand made fans. Not enough time though and the pack up happened all too soon.