LisaRose: Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. The topography reminds me of some parts of Nevada, serene and beautiful, but also a climate that can be harsh.
It is great scenery, typical of the steppes that extend across central Asia, from near Korea to at least Iran. And much more important in human history than is given credit.
The steppe people, known as the Xiongnu, in the last centuries BCE, had an empire that challenged the first Chinese empire (the Qin). War between them was continuous. And, there were defections over the border both ways, as people were attracted to the other side. In later periods of time, they often ruled what is now north China. (The Manchus, who established the last Qing dynasty came from the same ethnic group)
In Roman times, the same people, known to Europe as the Huns, caused the downfall of the Western Roman Empire, swept into both France and Germany and became an important factor in the eventual rise of both political entities.
In the early thirteenth C, Chiingis Khan (Ghengis, in some spellings) united Mongolian and Turkic tribes and established the biggest land empire the world had known. They ruled the world from Korea and China to eastern Europe, and became an important factor in the development of Russia. The Mongolian horde at the gates of Vienna, scared Christian Europe sh*tless.
The scenery in Mongolia is similar to that above:
The Mongolians by the way have a similar form of Buddhism to the Tibetans.
Not sure of where the above pik was taken, but if anyone would like to travel there (It's safe) on their bike (motor) this guy organises tours across Europe to Mongolia: http://nicksanders.com/cms/adventures/mongolia/
I'm confident it will be more fun than a modern JW convention would be. :(
