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Walking the Gobi: A 1,600-Mile Trek Across a Desert of Hope and Despair
* The ultimate Baby Boomer adventure story!
* The author is an icon among American women adventurers
* By the bestselling author of Polar Dream
At the age of 63, Helen Thayer fulfilled her lifelong dream of crossing Mongolia's Gobi Desert. Accompanied by her 74-year-old husband Bill and two camels, Tom and Jerry, Thayer walked 1600 miles in 126-degree temperatures, battling fierce sandstorms, dehydration, dangerous drug smugglers, and ubiquitous scorpions. For more than 60 days Helen struggled to keep moving through this inhospitable terrain despite a severe leg injury. Without sponsors, a support team, or radio contact, hers is a journey of pure discovery and adventure.
Walking the Gobi takes readers on a trip through a little-known landscape and introduces them to the culture of the nomadic people whose ancestors have eked out an existence in the Gobi for thousands of years. Thayer's respect and admiration for the culture of Gobi and her gentle weaving of natural history shine throughout this remarkable story. The author proves that Baby Boomers don't have to take life lying down-their adventures have just begun.
* The author is an icon among American women adventurers
* By the bestselling author of Polar Dream
At the age of 63, Helen Thayer fulfilled her lifelong dream of crossing Mongolia's Gobi Desert. Accompanied by her 74-year-old husband Bill and two camels, Tom and Jerry, Thayer walked 1600 miles in 126-degree temperatures, battling fierce sandstorms, dehydration, dangerous drug smugglers, and ubiquitous scorpions. For more than 60 days Helen struggled to keep moving through this inhospitable terrain despite a severe leg injury. Without sponsors, a support team, or radio contact, hers is a journey of pure discovery and adventure.
Walking the Gobi takes readers on a trip through a little-known landscape and introduces them to the culture of the nomadic people whose ancestors have eked out an existence in the Gobi for thousands of years. Thayer's respect and admiration for the culture of Gobi and her gentle weaving of natural history shine throughout this remarkable story. The author proves that Baby Boomers don't have to take life lying down-their adventures have just begun.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
26 people are currently reading
681 people want to read
About the author
Helen Thayer
11 books19 followersIn 1988 New Zealand born Helen Thayer became the first woman to walk and ski to any of the world's poles when she trekked solo to the Magnetic North Pole without dog sled or snowmobile. She was the first woman and first American to circumnavigate the Magnetic North Pole. Her best-selling book Polar Dream tells the story of her historic adventure with her beloved companion Charlie, her protector from the ever constant threat of polar bear attack. Helen has gone on to explore far corners of the world.
Best selling author, international speaker, National Geographic
explorer, gifted story teller and motivator.
Best selling author, international speaker, National Geographic
explorer, gifted story teller and motivator.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
December 27, 2017
Serious life/ relationship goals. Inspiring. Oh did we mention she was 63 when she walked across the Gobi desert, with an injured hip??? I need to stop complaining about getting 10,000 steps a day.
February 10, 2017
Majestic.
December 7, 2024
Crazy goal to set but author and her husband accomplished it. Whew!
April 30, 2015
Here's something that, early on, told me what kind of book this was going to be: on page 12, Thayer mentions that in preparation for their 1,600-mile trek across the Gobi, she and her husband had walked 1,500 miles through Death Valley and 4,000 miles through the Sahara. This isn't said dramatically—just a statement of fact. They knew what they were getting into, and they were determined to do it right.
It is not a trip that appeals to me—breathtaking heat, serious concerns about water (and one very close call involving water), camels. But I can appreciate how mindful they were about the trip, and the way they adjusted to the endless desert:
When we began the journey, the desert had seemed empty. Now we noticed little things that earlier would have passed unnoticed. An oddly shaped rock, a tiny sliver of struggling vegetation, a dancing distant mirage, and the deep blue of the sky all gained our attention. Details were no longer insignificant. They were what made the desert, and in our passage we had become part of it. (109)
For the most part they are steady, calm. There are pitfalls—problems with water and scorpions, for example, and an injury the author sustained some months prior to setting out. She was in her 60s and he in his 70s, and they made the trip both in spite of and because of their age; it undoubtedly made some things more difficult, but if they waited much longer it would simply be more difficult, and it had been her dream for decades. (Also helpful: being able to play to 'respect your elders' card.)
I am unlikely to return to this one, but it satisfied my curiosity and gave me things to think about.
It is not a trip that appeals to me—breathtaking heat, serious concerns about water (and one very close call involving water), camels. But I can appreciate how mindful they were about the trip, and the way they adjusted to the endless desert:
When we began the journey, the desert had seemed empty. Now we noticed little things that earlier would have passed unnoticed. An oddly shaped rock, a tiny sliver of struggling vegetation, a dancing distant mirage, and the deep blue of the sky all gained our attention. Details were no longer insignificant. They were what made the desert, and in our passage we had become part of it. (109)
For the most part they are steady, calm. There are pitfalls—problems with water and scorpions, for example, and an injury the author sustained some months prior to setting out. She was in her 60s and he in his 70s, and they made the trip both in spite of and because of their age; it undoubtedly made some things more difficult, but if they waited much longer it would simply be more difficult, and it had been her dream for decades. (Also helpful: being able to play to 'respect your elders' card.)
I am unlikely to return to this one, but it satisfied my curiosity and gave me things to think about.
January 18, 2010
The author has an excellent reputation as an explorer/adventurer but I did not care for this book or her style of writing. She and her husband set out to walk east to west across the Gobi desert - a trip of 81 days. Since I know nothing about the Gobi or Mongolia I was looking forward to seeing new things and learning new things, but the main focus of the book is her complaining about being hot (which reminds me of Hummer owners complaining about gas mileage), complaining about her sore legs, complaining about the food, complaining about how ugly the Russian settlements are. Every so often she launches into how beautiful and wonderful it is in the desert and how wonderful the nomads are, but this enthusiasm is short lived and lost among her complaints. There are some interesting parts with very brief descriptions with Gobi animals and Gobi nomads (but she can't stand their food and is uncomfortable with their hospitality). There is little elaboration on the wildlife or on the native peoples. She does like the camels who are trekking with them.
The book may have also suffered because I read it between two great travel/adventure books: the first a rollicking fun account of traveling through Afghanistan and Pakistan by a young woman who had equal travails but found the difficulties stimulating and who genuinely loved the food and the people; the other an interesting and well researched account of a trip up the Yangtze.
Walking the Gobi is not worth the time to read it.
The book may have also suffered because I read it between two great travel/adventure books: the first a rollicking fun account of traveling through Afghanistan and Pakistan by a young woman who had equal travails but found the difficulties stimulating and who genuinely loved the food and the people; the other an interesting and well researched account of a trip up the Yangtze.
Walking the Gobi is not worth the time to read it.
September 26, 2012
An interesting and inspiring story. I hope at age 64 and 73, I have as much stamina as Helen and Bill.
November 26, 2024
It's a bit of a dry read 🤣🤣🤣. What an adventure!
March 21, 2021
For a virtual adventure, read Walking the Gobi or anything by Helen Thayer. It is an adventure - hair-raising at times, a day by day touch with nature, a lesson in history among other expeditions.
Do yourself a favor and travel the Gobi the easy way!
Do yourself a favor and travel the Gobi the easy way!
December 13, 2007
This was an amazing book, and contained everything I long for in a non-fiction book: daring-do adventure, a plot so amazing that it would work in a fiction book, and a place I have never been before.
At times you have to remind yourself that this really happened, as I found it difficult to believe.
The book tells the story of Helen Thayer and her husband, in their 60's and 70's respectively, who, not long after a horrible rear-end collision with a truck, on a bridge in Seattle, that hurt her, from her spine all the way down to her feet, walked 1,600 miles across the Gobi desert in 81 days, in Mongolia, in the blistering, lip-cracking, 120+ degree summer heat.
They did it with only 2 camels, which they named Tom and Jerry, who carried their supplies. They weren't allowed radios, as they were too close to the Chinese border.
Their walk was fraught with danger: they nearly died of dehydration, they were almost thrown into a Chinese prision, they came across smugglers, they were bit by scorpions, and she had to consume mass quantities of pain pills to make it with her injuries.
They also encountered great kindness, and at times almost smothering hospitality, from each and every Mongolian they encountered, in addition to coming to love the land around them, and making friends with Tom and Jerry.
I adored how their focus was on honoring the people, customs, animals, and land of Mongolia. The reader can't help but come away with, not only a better understanding, but also a greater appreciation for the people who make the Gobi desert their home.
She is a descriptive writer, and at times, all they see for days on end is flat nothingness, but it never gets boring or monotonous. She has a way of zeroing in on the interesting moments.
I also really enjoyed the book's interesting factoids about the Gobi desert. I found myself raising my eyebrows in wonder at least every other page, especially toward the beginning of the book. For example, did you know that only 3% of the Gobi is covered with sand? Or that, during the winter, the Gobi is covered with snow, and averages -40 degrees?
The only 2 things I wished for were captions about the black and white photographs at the beginning of each chapter, so that the reader would know what they were looking at, and in fact, it would have been nice to have a section of color photos in the center of the book.
I also wished for an inventory list of what they took on their journey.
For those who have a hike across a desert on their life's to-do list, and for those who are arm chair adventurers (I'm in the 2nd category) this book is a riveting non-fiction read.
At times you have to remind yourself that this really happened, as I found it difficult to believe.
The book tells the story of Helen Thayer and her husband, in their 60's and 70's respectively, who, not long after a horrible rear-end collision with a truck, on a bridge in Seattle, that hurt her, from her spine all the way down to her feet, walked 1,600 miles across the Gobi desert in 81 days, in Mongolia, in the blistering, lip-cracking, 120+ degree summer heat.
They did it with only 2 camels, which they named Tom and Jerry, who carried their supplies. They weren't allowed radios, as they were too close to the Chinese border.
Their walk was fraught with danger: they nearly died of dehydration, they were almost thrown into a Chinese prision, they came across smugglers, they were bit by scorpions, and she had to consume mass quantities of pain pills to make it with her injuries.
They also encountered great kindness, and at times almost smothering hospitality, from each and every Mongolian they encountered, in addition to coming to love the land around them, and making friends with Tom and Jerry.
I adored how their focus was on honoring the people, customs, animals, and land of Mongolia. The reader can't help but come away with, not only a better understanding, but also a greater appreciation for the people who make the Gobi desert their home.
She is a descriptive writer, and at times, all they see for days on end is flat nothingness, but it never gets boring or monotonous. She has a way of zeroing in on the interesting moments.
I also really enjoyed the book's interesting factoids about the Gobi desert. I found myself raising my eyebrows in wonder at least every other page, especially toward the beginning of the book. For example, did you know that only 3% of the Gobi is covered with sand? Or that, during the winter, the Gobi is covered with snow, and averages -40 degrees?
The only 2 things I wished for were captions about the black and white photographs at the beginning of each chapter, so that the reader would know what they were looking at, and in fact, it would have been nice to have a section of color photos in the center of the book.
I also wished for an inventory list of what they took on their journey.
For those who have a hike across a desert on their life's to-do list, and for those who are arm chair adventurers (I'm in the 2nd category) this book is a riveting non-fiction read.
February 10, 2012
I am probably more familiar with the Gobi, and cultural ideas of Mongolians than most people who read this book. I find her view of the Mongolian people pretty far from the cultural group and minorities themselves.
When I had originally got this book, I was hoping more for a decent overview of the flora and fauna of the desert. While, it being a desert, I realize that there isn't much of it, but there is a fair amount of history and conservation efforts of the Gobi bear and Bactine Camels. She briefly touches on them. She has ample opportunities to identify some of the snakes that they come across but instead she can only seem to manage to explain the lengths that she and her husband go to avoid them. She could have gone into a decent description of the plants found there and the shrubs, but like the snakes she doesn't just complains about the challenge of getting through them. They even make a side trip to see where remains of where dinosaurs had been found, but again for someone who claims to be an adventurer who does classroom work, there's little to no description of what she finds.
I find that she had photos at the beginning of each section, which didn't match what the following chapter was about. I would have liked some description about the photos that she included and why she chose those over what I'm sure to be thousands of photos.
Her writing style and ability to write certainly doesn't match other travel writers, and while I've been spoiled with Bill Bryson and some other travel writers, I found this book overall to be disappointing because mostly with something as amazing and auspicious as the Gobi Desert is, I really don't feel like she's done it proper justice in this book where she spends most of the book complaining about the heat and long trek, but she chose to go. I just didn't care to read as much about her bitter complaints about something she chose to do. She was brash and judgmental at times, and had opportunities to go further with descriptions of nomadic tribes rather than describing the fatty meat they serve every chapter. The fact that she choose to be less of a fly on the wall is a shame for a travel writer, nor did I really care to read about how she chose to negatively portray people that she seemed to know very little about.
However, I do believe that this book does has its moments. I find her segments from her journal that she includes to be more interesting than the actual book; it's certainly a shame that she didn't include more instead of what she actually published. It's a shame that I've been reading more books this year that I don't really like.
When I had originally got this book, I was hoping more for a decent overview of the flora and fauna of the desert. While, it being a desert, I realize that there isn't much of it, but there is a fair amount of history and conservation efforts of the Gobi bear and Bactine Camels. She briefly touches on them. She has ample opportunities to identify some of the snakes that they come across but instead she can only seem to manage to explain the lengths that she and her husband go to avoid them. She could have gone into a decent description of the plants found there and the shrubs, but like the snakes she doesn't just complains about the challenge of getting through them. They even make a side trip to see where remains of where dinosaurs had been found, but again for someone who claims to be an adventurer who does classroom work, there's little to no description of what she finds.
I find that she had photos at the beginning of each section, which didn't match what the following chapter was about. I would have liked some description about the photos that she included and why she chose those over what I'm sure to be thousands of photos.
Her writing style and ability to write certainly doesn't match other travel writers, and while I've been spoiled with Bill Bryson and some other travel writers, I found this book overall to be disappointing because mostly with something as amazing and auspicious as the Gobi Desert is, I really don't feel like she's done it proper justice in this book where she spends most of the book complaining about the heat and long trek, but she chose to go. I just didn't care to read as much about her bitter complaints about something she chose to do. She was brash and judgmental at times, and had opportunities to go further with descriptions of nomadic tribes rather than describing the fatty meat they serve every chapter. The fact that she choose to be less of a fly on the wall is a shame for a travel writer, nor did I really care to read about how she chose to negatively portray people that she seemed to know very little about.
However, I do believe that this book does has its moments. I find her segments from her journal that she includes to be more interesting than the actual book; it's certainly a shame that she didn't include more instead of what she actually published. It's a shame that I've been reading more books this year that I don't really like.
January 5, 2021
If there were five more stars I would of given all ten. I love good adventure tales especially when they are told in a humble manner that belies the absurdity of what is happening. My advice is that you keep a tall cool glass of water handy as you read. Before long you are going to reach for it, again and again. No matter from where you are reading the book know that you won't be there for long. It takes us all on a cultural journey set in a landscape few of us will ever traverse for good reason. It's an unforgiving desert that harbors no grudges but exacts a toll upon all who venture unprepared into the vast skies and heat of the Gobi Desert. Helen and Bill full of pluck and shear untamable persistence lead us on un-imaginable journey. The story inspires one to evaluate our own individual weakness and our boundless potential to succeed.
As I glided easily along their journey I realized I was gathering images that would last me a life time. Thanks for the journey Helen and Bill!
As I glided easily along their journey I realized I was gathering images that would last me a life time. Thanks for the journey Helen and Bill!
January 4, 2017
This is definitely a true vicarious experience walking Mongolia's Gobi Desert with the author, her husband and two camels. I felt tired, hot, hungry, awed, gritty with sand, and incredibly thirsty. The miles passed, the scorpions stung, the camels ate their cookies, sandstorms attacked and still many more miles to go. This book really takes you step by step by step by 1600 hundred miles of aching steps through the Gobi. I pulled for them all the way! An extraordinary experience.
September 11, 2010
Trek vicariously with Helen and her husband through the Gobi Desert...unforgettable, courageous journey.
October 20, 2024
This didn't reveal any surprises. The title and subtitle say it all. I always scratch my head over adventurers who, wracked with pain, nevertheless trek on, here into 120-degree temperatures, and/or nearly thirty miles a day, as the author is 63 and her husband a decade or so older. But they've trained well, are experienced, and she's fulfilling a fifty-year old dream to fulfill, crossing the Gobi which she's first heard of in her New Zealand classroom. The couple support an educational charity, which is mentioned at the back of this travelogue, and they seem sensible, ethical, and kind.
What else? You learn about camels, that expansive vistas can meet the horizon where nothing above two inches grows. That Mongolian border officers and even nomadic herders may possess an enviable fluency in English. Buddhism is making a comeback after the depredations under Soviet rule, which educated and industrialized the nation, but whose departure meant the economy appears oriented towards illegal mining, smuggling, and vodka.
It's a brisk account. Inevitably repetitive, as the isolation leaves the writer and her spouse often for long periods with little change from winds, dust, thirst, and hunger. But the encounters with those in the "ger" tents along their dry way enliven the narrative. I am impressed how much of the native language she picks up, too. While I closed this without much in the manner of enlightenment, I needed a simple story far from the cares of this world, and got it.
What else? You learn about camels, that expansive vistas can meet the horizon where nothing above two inches grows. That Mongolian border officers and even nomadic herders may possess an enviable fluency in English. Buddhism is making a comeback after the depredations under Soviet rule, which educated and industrialized the nation, but whose departure meant the economy appears oriented towards illegal mining, smuggling, and vodka.
It's a brisk account. Inevitably repetitive, as the isolation leaves the writer and her spouse often for long periods with little change from winds, dust, thirst, and hunger. But the encounters with those in the "ger" tents along their dry way enliven the narrative. I am impressed how much of the native language she picks up, too. While I closed this without much in the manner of enlightenment, I needed a simple story far from the cares of this world, and got it.
November 19, 2021
Helen and Bill Thayer, in their sixties and seventies respectively, walked across the Gobi Desert accompanied only by two camels. This book chronicles their journey.
It's fascinating to read about the Gobi, one of the harshest environments on the planet, and the wildlife that survives there. The pack camels are a surprise -- intelligent animals with distinct personalities.
It's depressing but instructive to read about the crushing poverty of the native people and the Orwellian militarism of the Chinese border stations.
It's fascinating to read about the Gobi, one of the harshest environments on the planet, and the wildlife that survives there. The pack camels are a surprise -- intelligent animals with distinct personalities.
It's depressing but instructive to read about the crushing poverty of the native people and the Orwellian militarism of the Chinese border stations.
January 5, 2018
Thayer's life is so incredible that it reads like fiction. She berates gun-toting border guards, telling them that they have shamed their families and Mongolia itself by imprisoning her and her husband, as she and her husband are elders. She suffers through the loss of her water and subsequent near-death dehydration but continues on, stubbornly putting one foot in front of the other to attain her goal.
July 11, 2017
The book was decent in a generalized way until the chapter about breaking the law and being scared of the local officials. At that point and for the rest of that particular chapter, it seemed to me that the author was trying to make something fantastical out of something that would have been interesting anyhow ~ she turned it into something unbelievable. After that chapter though, it returned to being decent. Overall I would not recommend this book.
August 11, 2019
Although I enjoyed learning about nomadic culture and the hardships facing those who live in this extreme climate, this travelogue didn't grab me. I kept looking for a higher purpose for this journey (scientific and/or spiritual) and ultimately questioned the author's judgment. Why would you cross a 1,600-mile desert at an advanced age with injuries recently sustained in an auto accident? Was it just to say "I did it"?
September 8, 2023
Started reading this book coz we are traveling in the Gobi, and am glad I picked it up.
Thayer details her attempt at crossing the desert with her husband , Bill, and two camels, Tom and Jerry and gives great details about the Mongolian way of living. I am mighty impressed by Thayer and Bill and that they finished their walk at their advanced years, they really are goals.
I’d have loved this book even if I wasn’t in Gobi coz it invokes the joy of the outdoors.
Thayer details her attempt at crossing the desert with her husband , Bill, and two camels, Tom and Jerry and gives great details about the Mongolian way of living. I am mighty impressed by Thayer and Bill and that they finished their walk at their advanced years, they really are goals.
I’d have loved this book even if I wasn’t in Gobi coz it invokes the joy of the outdoors.
October 8, 2018
Several years ago I heard the author speak about her solo trip to the magnetic North Pole. Though I don’t share even an inkling of her desire to trek the deserts voluntarily, the story of her and her husband’s 1600 mile trek across the Gobi was fascinating.
December 24, 2022
I love anything by Helen Thayer, who has chosen unusual ways to explore and be "first" among explorers. She is an inspiration. I don't understand why her books haven't caught on; I think it has to do with timing.
February 17, 2025
Wow out of respect and admiration for the author and her husband I would give this book 5 stars. What they accomplished is so unbelievable! As a 60 something year old I cannot fathom how they had the fortitude and motivation to endure this trek across the dessert.
June 30, 2019
Amazing accomplishment- the writing style (educational?) was a bit spartan for me, the the travelogue is impressive.
December 31, 2020
I love when people step out (pun not intended) of their comfort zones and cultures to experience a new way of life. The author is such a good writer so this book was a delightful and quick read. I particularly like the imagery and details as I’ve never been in an environment like Mongolia.
April 6, 2021
Inspiring and amazing story of a journey I wish I had the physical ability to take. How wonderful of the Thayers to take it for me and share it with me.
December 15, 2021
Exactly what it says on the tin.
> We Mongolians have a proverb—if you are afraid, don’t do it. If you do it, don’t be afraid.
> We Mongolians have a proverb—if you are afraid, don’t do it. If you do it, don’t be afraid.
August 21, 2023
"The emptiness of the desert and the loneliness of our journey were underscored each time we encountered a nomad family moving away, leaving dry weeks and intolerable heat behind..."
May 16, 2024
Travel at its base level, on foot with a legend.
June 10, 2017
Helen Thayer is the author of one of my favorite books, Polar Dream, so naturally I wanted to read this one.
Although well planned, this is a walk I wouldn’t want to take. Miles across hot, dry, sandy, windy, mostly desolate land, accompanied by snakes, scorpions and wolves. Thayer and her husband share their encounters with the Mongolian people, which is mostly the nomadic families in their path. It is admirable to see how they handle the unexpected with grace and determination. This is another great presentation of adventure by Thayer.
Although well planned, this is a walk I wouldn’t want to take. Miles across hot, dry, sandy, windy, mostly desolate land, accompanied by snakes, scorpions and wolves. Thayer and her husband share their encounters with the Mongolian people, which is mostly the nomadic families in their path. It is admirable to see how they handle the unexpected with grace and determination. This is another great presentation of adventure by Thayer.
July 23, 2015
It takes a lot of talent to be able to write a book like this that is both interesting and worth while because the Gobi desert is just one large barren landscape with very little happening. Helen has been traveling all over the world sharing her stories about all the places she has ventured too and I'm glad I read this because chances are I would probably not last a day or week walking around in the Gobi. The heat can get as high as 126 in a day and I can barely handle 97 degrees at times.
The story of this wonderful book starts with the whole purpose of her trip - to teach kids about all the different places with personal stories and pictures but also to fulfill her dream of walking the Mongolia's Gobi desert. I must say that for a woman who is 63 at the time of her adventure is quite an undertaking so when your grandparents say they are too tired to go to the mall for the afternoon just know they have the energy in them they are just being lazy, if a lady with hip problems can complete a 1,600 mile journey.
What was fascinating about the journey her and the husband took was that they both had injuries to their body while walking the trip. The level of pain they endured was at times unbearable but they managed with the help of modern medicine and their camel buddies, Tom and Jerry. In their adventure they ran across all kinds of people who lived in this vast empty space and were at times happy to toast and talk about what they do. Many of these people have never had anything to do with modern technology and most probably have never used a computer. The families that travel in the desert are always moving from water hole to water hole.
The idea of wealth for people living there is not measured so much in money but by how many kinds of animals you own in your herd. It is common for the well-off families to have as many as 500 animals in one herd of varying kinds. The idea of having to take care of that many animals a day in the desert with very little vegetation is very difficult if you don't have resources to feed them with. I found it very interesting that it was common for animals to wander off for several miles and that the children and teenagers would be required to help round them back up and that the animals never made it hard to corral back home.
Many Westerns would probably not be able to stomach the kind of foods they eat over there just as Helen and her husband experienced over and over. There they let their camel or goat's milk sit in the hot heat for days so it can spoil and go bad (according to Western standards) but they loved drinking it there along with very salty tea. Many of their snacks were a kind of fermented yogurt with hard curds at times and hard squares of goat milk. One of their delicacies was cutting off a sheep's fat tail and cutting it up into chucks to mix with rice and water. I think when you live in the desert your whole life you have to learn to make do with what you have.
Their resourceful way of life is what caught my attention. Every family lived off the land and none of them required any kind of electricity since they were always moving. They had no crops so vegetables were very limited but meat was fresh and ready from the animals that were with them. It was only as fresh as when they killed the animal but what they had left over they would just hang in the air to dry and regardless of how rancid or putrid it smelled they would still cut off stripes at a time and throw it on the stove to cook. Stoves were heated from the dung patties from the animals which created a source of fuel for them that didn't produce any kind of odor when it burned.
If you want to learn more about a space that is very hot and dry with very little activity then this is a book that will open your eyes to a life of adventure and learning of new cultures. It bothers me that people say they need all the modern conveniences we have today but the truth is you don't and can very much reduce your carbon footprint. This is story that the author made very interesting to read and I'm glad I got to learn about a place I might never get to visit.
If you want to learn more about Helen Thayer be sure to visit her website to see pictures of her trip to the Gobi. www.helenthayer.com
The story of this wonderful book starts with the whole purpose of her trip - to teach kids about all the different places with personal stories and pictures but also to fulfill her dream of walking the Mongolia's Gobi desert. I must say that for a woman who is 63 at the time of her adventure is quite an undertaking so when your grandparents say they are too tired to go to the mall for the afternoon just know they have the energy in them they are just being lazy, if a lady with hip problems can complete a 1,600 mile journey.
What was fascinating about the journey her and the husband took was that they both had injuries to their body while walking the trip. The level of pain they endured was at times unbearable but they managed with the help of modern medicine and their camel buddies, Tom and Jerry. In their adventure they ran across all kinds of people who lived in this vast empty space and were at times happy to toast and talk about what they do. Many of these people have never had anything to do with modern technology and most probably have never used a computer. The families that travel in the desert are always moving from water hole to water hole.
The idea of wealth for people living there is not measured so much in money but by how many kinds of animals you own in your herd. It is common for the well-off families to have as many as 500 animals in one herd of varying kinds. The idea of having to take care of that many animals a day in the desert with very little vegetation is very difficult if you don't have resources to feed them with. I found it very interesting that it was common for animals to wander off for several miles and that the children and teenagers would be required to help round them back up and that the animals never made it hard to corral back home.
Many Westerns would probably not be able to stomach the kind of foods they eat over there just as Helen and her husband experienced over and over. There they let their camel or goat's milk sit in the hot heat for days so it can spoil and go bad (according to Western standards) but they loved drinking it there along with very salty tea. Many of their snacks were a kind of fermented yogurt with hard curds at times and hard squares of goat milk. One of their delicacies was cutting off a sheep's fat tail and cutting it up into chucks to mix with rice and water. I think when you live in the desert your whole life you have to learn to make do with what you have.
Their resourceful way of life is what caught my attention. Every family lived off the land and none of them required any kind of electricity since they were always moving. They had no crops so vegetables were very limited but meat was fresh and ready from the animals that were with them. It was only as fresh as when they killed the animal but what they had left over they would just hang in the air to dry and regardless of how rancid or putrid it smelled they would still cut off stripes at a time and throw it on the stove to cook. Stoves were heated from the dung patties from the animals which created a source of fuel for them that didn't produce any kind of odor when it burned.
If you want to learn more about a space that is very hot and dry with very little activity then this is a book that will open your eyes to a life of adventure and learning of new cultures. It bothers me that people say they need all the modern conveniences we have today but the truth is you don't and can very much reduce your carbon footprint. This is story that the author made very interesting to read and I'm glad I got to learn about a place I might never get to visit.
If you want to learn more about Helen Thayer be sure to visit her website to see pictures of her trip to the Gobi. www.helenthayer.com
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