Back from the Mongolian Steppe

I returned safely from my trip to the Mongolian countryside. For 7 nights I stayed in gers (nomadic Mongolian tent houses) with Simon and Jodie, a Scottish couple; a Polish guy named Konrad; a French lady named Mariette; and an Austrian man, Martin. Except for Martin, who was 45 years old, we were all around the same age. The smell of sheep and diesel fuel was always present. We all had an amazing time, though much of it was spent in an old Russian van on very bumpy terrain. There are no proper roads in the countryside, but rather paths that have been worn in the dirt by traversing automobiles. The beauty of Mongolia's steppe is a stark contrast to the dreariness of its urban areas. I find Ulan Bataar to be a quite depressing place. I've never been to Russia, but I imagine UB is very much like remote Russian cities. Yesterday I lost my camera, and I'm pretty bummed about that. I lost almost 4000 photos, so unfortunately, I won't be able to share any of them. I still have my 35mm camera and the rolls of film that I took, so barring any catastrophe, I should be able to share those once I return home. I'll probably just take the occasional 35mm photo for the remainder of my trip. I'm leaving tonight on a train back to China with 3 of my friends from the trip. I'm looking forward to returning to China.