Mongolia, where cows are the better police

Twelve days are a short period to see a country more than four times the size of Germany, but we really wanted to see those vast open landscapes (there's less than 2 people per km² while there are more than 412 in the Netherlands). Almost half of the population lives in the capital Ulaanbataar and owns a second hand Prius from Japan with the steering wheel on the right (officially there is right-side traffic). The other half of the people still keeps a nomadic lifestyle which the mongolians performed for centuries.

UB is a typical capital city including a giant open air market, museums about the rich mongolian history, concerts, insane traffic (from above it must look like Tetris without the line cleaning)
 and even a vegan (!) restaurant.

Genghis Khan overlooking the square in front of the parliament in UB

Genghis didn't leave any built monuments, so they added one later and not too small

Khorkhog, a meal with mutton (of course) prepared using hot stones

Traditional mongolian script

practising a mongolian puzzle - the woman was obviously amused about our unability

vast...

...plain...

... landscapes

a monastery at Kharakhorum, the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire

morning routine

modern shepherd - there were often animals on the streets that had to be scared away. From goats, sheeps to yaks or camels this worked rather good. Just cows seemed to be rather unimpressed with horning cars and therefore slowed down the traffic everywhere they crossed (or not) the street

the sky window of a Ger tent

fun with mongolian kids

making Buuz

on the footsteps of Marco Polo who crossed the Gobi (further south), but didn't go to Mongolia actually

long rides accompanied by music like this

a climb on one of the highest sand dunes of Khongoryn Els. It was exhausting going up there...

... but the view of the rising sun, the dunes and oasis was stunning.

camels (the real ones with two humbs)

the Gobi is even emptier than the rest of Mongolia...

... and unbearably hot

a report about Mongolia without horses is impossible and I can really see why they didn't walk these distances

insecure about how to handle all this meat, Khuusuur (meat pasrty), Airag (fermented mare's milk) and vodka

Tibetan Buddhism, along with shamanism, one of the major religions in Mongolia

We had more mutton than in our previous live combined, enjoyed incredible hospitality of the local people and were amazed by the stunning landscapes empty of human influences (besides herding), but full of wildlife, eternal blue sky, mirages, a milky way so clear it might become airag... it was awesome - bayarlalaa.
We might even make a video if we find time and the material is usable.