To the countryside!

This is it! We - Badmaa, Bataa, and I - are heading to the airport shortly for the flight to Murun.

In Murun, we will meet up with Mishig, a former governor in the Khovsgol region, who will drive and also make the critically important introductions along the way. He knows where the Darhad live, and who among them sing the songs we aim to record.

Also joining us in Murun is Magi, our cook. We'll be taking our provisions with us, and Magi will make sure no one goes hungry.

We have the very portable recording studio (in my backpack), and a series of questions to guide the interviews with the singers about where they learned the songs, from whom, and when the songs are sung (festivals, when herding, when milking, etc.).

Everyone is excited to move into the fieldwork phase of this project!

I'll most likely add the next posting to this blog after Tsagaan Sar, the lunar new year, February 8 (when we return to UB and to ready internet access).

UB, Thursday

Today I went to the outdoor market with Badmaa and her parents for a few last-minute items, including a fur hat. Before the trip, friends who have traveled in winter in Central Asia told me that fur is really the best way to keep one's head warm. So with Badmaa's help, in the space of 20 minutes, I acquired a white furry top. I also acquired ten numb fingers in the process. The fact that this is a year-round market boggles the mind.

In the afternoon, I decided to take a long walk to test out the layers. Well, most of the layers. What I discovered in the process is that this combination of gear might look a little bit unusual on the streets of Ulaan Baatar. It is impossible to tell where someone is from under all those layers unless you can see their eyes. So passers-by would do a subtle (but not-so-subtle) "UB onceover" which inevitably ended in making eye contact: either starting with the black rubber boots that have a tiny bit of reflective piping, or with the big white furry hat, they'd check out both, then search for the eyes, as if to reassure themselves that this person is from somewhere else. Just wait until I'm wearing a deel instead of my black wool coat...

Much to my delight, I saw that Sukhbaatar Square - the main big plaza downtown) has an ice rink on one end (by the street). Also, there's a six-foot-high structure made out of ice; it has stairs to the top, and slides coming down either side. Children were playing on it with much laughter. There were also several other ice sculptures nearby. How cool is that!

Speaking of ice, and hard-packed snow, I have noticed that people around here tend to slide across hard-packed snow. For example, when coming upon a patch - I'm not calling it ice, because it isn't, but it is equally slippery - people do sort of a horizontal glissade across it, as if skateboarding. On purpose. (I do this only involuntarily, at moments when the surface becomes slippery with no notice.)

UB, Wednesday

We met with the Arts Council of Mongolia (thanks to a contact and networking in the States) - and I'm tickled that this project met with enthusiasm and support. We will be in touch with the Council after the recording trip to start reporting locally about the project, generating interest, and making further contacts among the cultural heritage and the language translation communities.

Meanwhile, I also spent some time wrapping my mind around being on the road in Khovsgol for 2 weeks.

Apparently the multiple clothing layers are key for time spent en route in the van. Hmm...
(Van = think Russian equivalent of VW bus... don't know if I mentioned that eariler.)

Another observation about UB: in this city of approximately 1 to 1.5 million, air pollution is surprisingly noticeable. Between the coal-fired power plants and the thousands of homes on the outskirts of town that are heated by wood fires, and the mountains that surround the city, the air settles in to stay. In that regard, it is not like the comparison with North Dakota, where I recall blue skies.

UB, Tuesday

We had a couple of major tasks today: review my clothes, cash travelers checks, and meet to discuss various aspects of the trip ahead.

Clothes. Badmaa's parents said if my layers looked OK for her to wear, it wouldn't be enough, because I'm not used to the weather in Khovsgol. Well, after a quick review, Badmaa thought things looked OK. I will probably be wearing a winter deel over everything I brought with me. A deel is an ankle-length over-robe that buttons on the side and has a sash that ties around the middle.

T-checks. A recent problem here with some $10k in fraudulent checks caused the cashier to be overly cautious. Then when verifying the numbers on my checks, this gal read "S" instead of "C" (reading momentarily in Mongolian), and told me the serial numbers were invalid. We then trooped over to the main bank branch, got the checks (now all signed) duly verified, but not without waiting for a while. Once all was settled, Bataa (Badmaa's fiance) went to buy our air tickets and wire funds to Magi in Murun for food.

The Trip. It is quite clear that there's genuine enthusiasm for this trip and fieldwork among the Mongolians involved in the project. We will be visiting families in the Darhad valley, to record their songs and the history of those songs. This will involve driving from Murun north-northwest toward Bayanzurkh, then north toward Ulaan Uul, Renchinlhumbe, and Tsaagan Nuur. We will take 2 weeks to do this.

My big aha! moment was in realizing that we will return via Lake Khovsgol to Hatgal and from there back to Murun. In the summer, that route would require a boat. In winter, the lake becomes a road. (For those on the horseback trek last summer/fall, this is essentially the same route we followed, but in reverse.)

Visiting. Badmaa's parents invited me over for lunch, which was very kind. Her mom served dumplings (yum!) and milk tea. I got to see the new deel her mom is making for the new year - an incredible blue.

Tsagaan Sar - White Moon - is the lunar new year celebration, coming up the weekend of February 8. It's a huge celebration here, a time to visit with family. Somehow everyone is already getting geared up, making thousands of dumplings, sewing new clothes, and genuinely upbeat about life. It's a happy time here. This ought to make for some wonderful music recordings...

Ulaan Baatar

I arrived Monday evening, and waited until the final piece of luggage came off the carousel: mine. I was very happy to see Badmaa and her dad waiting for me outside of immigration. Smiles and hugs all around :-)

They took me to Zaya's Guesthouse (fab location downtown), with promises to pick me up the next day.

UB in winter is not unlike Grand Forks, North Dakota. A dusting of snow, but no big drifts. Standing temp is around -10F, not bad with appropriate layers. Inside the guesthouse, radiators have one position: ON. Which makes for open windows to achieve a comfortable zone (otherwise it would be over 80F inside).

Huge enthusiasm for the project! I couldn't wait to talk more. But first, a real, solid sleep overnight.

En route

I'm on a long layover in Incheon, South Korea... some 20 hours, courtesy of odd scheduling of flights into central Asia. But it is nice to pause and reflect. And it's actually very quiet in the airport transit hotel, away from the constant announcements of the next flight. The flight from Dulles was pleasant; I was next to a window with an empty seat beside me.

Learning curve with some of the new gear: I can officially report that the boots (Baffin Icefield) will work just fine. What possessed me to wear them on the plane, I'm not so sure, except that they take up lots of space in the luggage. Feet were warm while standing outside in Arlington waiting for the bus to the airport. And once inside, feet were way warm...

While were on that topic, I'd like to thank Kent Madin (head of Boojum Expeditions, the company my family and I traveled with last fall) for talking through what to wear in the Mongolian countryside in the winter. He recommended a cross between a mitten and a glove - kind of like a Spock outer glove, or "claw," with fingers in 2 pockets, for some modest dexterity. To be used with fleece glove liners.

Actually, while I feel very excited to be heading out to do this recording, what I feel right now is hugely grateful to so many people who have offered helpful advice and encouragement. Their enthusiasm is wonderful!

It's the kind of enthusiasm that showed up in the practice recording session last Sunday with Brendan and Julie (thanks!). They sang and played guitars, and I played with the mic to see where it best picks up sound. Then all 3 of us sang a kind of round. Who knew that singing 3 well-known tunes at the same time could be so much fun? (It was fun to share this -- one of my favorite traditions from the Community Sings in Leland, Michigan during the summers! Try it sometime: "Three Blind Mice," "Are You Sleeping," and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat.")

Technical Gear, Recording Equipment

The sleeping bag arrived today! It's enormous and heavy, not like what a backpacker would choose. It's a Wiggy's Superlight (synthetic) system of 2 bags, individually rated at +35 and 0 degrees F. Putting the heavier one inside the lighter makes the bag rated to -40 degrees (F or C, you choose). It's an unimaginative black but looks like it will do the trick. Will let you know!

About the recording equipment: Greg Lukens at Washington Professional Systems set me up with an Edirol R-09 and an audio-technica stereo mic, a 15-foot whirlwind cord to connect the two, and a specially-turned brass fitting that allows me to put the mic on top of my old camera tripod. It's a truly portable system, so I won't need a laptop, and it should survive transport at subzero temperatures. At least, that was one of the unusual specs I mentioned to Greg when he was putting this together. I could always keep it in an inner pocket...

Why go now?

That's a favorite question - one I hear a lot. We're going to record the music of the nomads of this region. The only time of year they're not migrating, scattered throughout the countryside, or taking care of their animals' young, is in winter. That's also when more people are co-located in towns.

Getting ready for fieldwork

"Ger gets almost as cold as outside in winter inside." Badmaa was telling me I'd need a sleeping bag rated to -40. I've been in a ger during winter, and when the fire is burning, it's toasty warm inside. But when everyone's snoozing and the fire cools down, well, that's when the good sleeping bag becomes vital.

I decided to call Cam, who worked at the South Pole research station, to check whether my clothing layering system sounded about right. The funny part was, Cam said to pay attention to the feet - wear good boots, and don't cinch the top so tight that it cuts off circulation. And be ready to adjust whenever your level of activity changes. That, and if you get too hot, take your hat off. (I somehow suspect that won't be a problem!) Cam also had rave reviews for the Buff - kind of a continuous stretchy bandana to wear around the neck and face.

I'm 5 days away from departing for Mongolia! Knowing I'll be prepared to stay warm puts my mind at ease. That way, when I'm out with Badmaa, Mishig, Bataa, and Magi recording music in the Darhad Valley, the temperature won't be too much of a distraction!