Photographing with Stepperiders!

After a few weeks of talking via email in the middle of the night (Mongolia is 12 hours ahead of our time), I was officially asked to be a volunteer photographer with Stepperiders during my stay in Mongolia! Naturally, I accepted right away but even now the reality is still sinking in.

It started after discovering the company and volunteer experience - Mongolia goes hand in hand with horses, and what better way to truly learn about the country and culture than to live and work with them! They offer two volunteer positions. One is a basic volunteer who's duties including coordinating with the guests on the treks, help with the horses, help out around the camp, etc. The other is actually an assistant manager/volunteer who actually helps in additional elements to run the camp and treks, organizing equipment, and more. Because they are essentially working for the family, they do not have to pay the volunteer fee (though aren't paid anything either.) Being I haven't been around horses since younger and even then it was the occasional ride or two, I wasn't sure how helpful I could be around the camp. Nor did I know which position to try and vie for.

The first thing they resolved was that the lack of horse and horse riding experience would not be a problem - I'd quickly learn and they'll guide me as needed. The longer I can stay and help, the better I will be with the horses. The next item we tackled was which position was best suited for me, after noting some of my strengths and ways I thought I could help out. The extra advantage I had was that due to the mid-Sept start date of the Tibetan trip, I am able to commit to volunteering for at least 6 weeks, if not a full 7. With this in mind, they noted they prefer their assistant/volunteers to stay longer and thus be more useful than those who stay for 1-3 weeks.

The final tipping point came when Nathalie asked me, almost out of the blue, if I can take photographs. I explained that I would consider myself an amateur but have a relatively nice camera and would be willing to undertake such a task. Naturally, I offered to submit some of my best photos for review before they decided. Of course, they asked - yet I hadn't actually gone through and established what my best photographs were!

After spending some time sorting through the photos I have access to digitally, I pulled a little over a hundred into an album to pare down drastically further. With this, I enlisted the help of a good friend, Bekah, who helped pull out 8-10 of the better shots. After some basic editing, with the addition of a couple more photos, I had a nice digital portfolio album to submit. The thing I found interesting was that about half of the photos were taken with either my old Nikon or my iPhone cameras, rather than my Sony a6000!

Here's the link to the Photography Portfolio album:
Photography Portfolio

Unfortunately it took a few days to get the album lined up, and then I didn't hear anything for a few more days - so I started to wonder. Saturday evening, and due to the added of possible plot twist, I emailed Nathalie again to ensure that she was able to access the photos (and make note of the plot twist). Shortly afterwards, I received the email back that yes, she received the link and could view the photos. She was simply waiting for the owners to get back to her on how to proceed. Well, at least I knew that she got the email but back to waiting - attempting to do so patiently.

Then, late Sunday evening I got another email from Nathalie officially asking me to be a volunteer photographer! They actually are going to start me off running, so to speak, as I told them I will be in Ulaanbaatar by July 8, and their Naadam Festival trek starts on the 9th! As this is Mongolia's largest national festival, they want me to go along to take photographs. After that, they are hoping to send me on as many treks as they're able to various locations around Mongolia.

Logistically, she noted they will try to get me into their Ulaanbaator office once a week to do the sorting and editing as there is no power in the actual camp (or on the treks). Which means I definitely need a solar-panel charger good enough to recharge my camera batteries (along with a few extra batteries and memory cards!) I need to make the initial deposit and will be starting off as a regular volunteer, but they will reassess and determine to continue with the plan of using me as an assistant volunteer.

I'm glad that this extended portion of my trek is now confirmed, and am sending the deposit out asap. I now need to brush up and learn some better photo editing skills, along with some extra equipment, but I am already thinking that this has now turned into one of the major highlights of the entire trip!

Lastly, here's a link to their website: Stepperiders

My Current To-Do List

Time is flying - and before long, so will I!

This post is mainly one for myself, however I think many of you might also enjoy a snippet into the crazied, multi-tabbed browser of my mind. This is a generalized, yet significant, to-do list for my upcoming Trans-Mongolasia Trek. (New term, just came to me while typing this!)

Itinerary Specific:
- book transport to New York (either overnight MegaBus or train)
- finalize Russian itinerary (needed for visa application)
- book accommodations in Russia
- book trains for within Russia (don't go on sale until 45 days before departure...)
- book international train from Ulan Ude, Russia to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
- book basic accommodations in China (possibly needed for visa application)
- apply for Russian and Chinese visa (currently gathering paperwork to get in the mail)
- continue finalizing details regarding my volunteering position in Mongolia
- look into highlights and attraction costs in cities
-


Moving Home/Personal:
- rent U-Haul truck to move large items home (already booked and planned for this Sat!)
- actually move and return living at home!
- sort through my trailer and decide which items I want/must keep
- pack up the items that my family wishes to keep (most preparing for Steph to move back out)
- sell the items we don't want to keep
- donate/throw out the rest
- open bank account with Charles Schwabb (refunds ATM fees each month and reported great bank for international travel!)
- advise current bank of my upcoming travel itinerary
- create a living will and authorize
- establish needed paperwork for my father to handle my affairs in lieu of my absence and authorize
- determine which sibling will "manage/drive/pay" for my car during my leave


General Travel:
- research and buy a new travel backpack (my current trekking one is way too big)
- buy SSD external hard drive
- possibly buy an internal SSD hard drive (still checking into whether my Mac's drive will be OK in Tibet)
- buy a couple additional memory cards
- buy a solar-powered charger (need for Mongolia due to no power in ger camp or out on treks)
- buy a second power bank, possibly laptop battery backup
- confirm and obtain the needed vaccinations
- buy travel insurance for this trip
- decide what clothing/items I will be packing
- pack my backpack


Things to do while on the road:
- book/update accommodations if needed
- buy international train from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Beijing, China
- confirm/rebook accommodations in China
- confim/pay for Tibet trek
- pay for train ticket into Lhasa
- buy plane ticket from Lhasa to Chengdu
- finalize details for Giant Panda volunteering
- plan and finalize post-Tibetan leg from Chengdu
- decide from which East coast Chinese city I will fly home from
- book ticket home (using frequent flyer miles!)


I'm sure I'm still missing items from my list, but wowzers! And remember, I leave June 6. T minus

Planning updates - post show

Hi! - to those still following along in the madness, and to those who have just joined in for the fun! My last show is now over, and while I have to put away costumes and return the rented ones to Buffalo on Tuesday, my time should hopefully open up more - only to be filled with the actual packing, cleaning out, and moving home elements. Oh boy! Things are finally starting to sink in, which is both exciting yet part terrifying at the same time.

I'm just touching on a few things with this post. First, I apparently was slightly off on the timeline of exiting Russia on a single-entry visa. Instead of the 20 business days, I have up to 30 days (if I'm still understanding things correctly!) This means that as long as I leave before July 8, then I will be fine on the single-entry visa. (I had noted July 5 as that final date previously - not a huge difference.) As either of these dates are just before Mongolia's Naadam Festival, it does not change the plans significantly. I do think though, that I can save some money and apply just for the single-entry Russian visa. In my overall arch of plans, I do not foresee returning to Russia again during this trip nor during the year I'm probably spending in New Zealand - thus, the extra cost wouldn't be worth it.

I have also reached out to two Tibetan companies to try and hop on with a group tour into Tibet. The trek I'm eyeing is as previously noted, hitting the highlights in Lhasa, making my way into western Tibet to do a 3-day trek around Mount Kailash, and seeing the Everest Base Camp on the way back. All in all, that leg would be 15-18 days depending which company I settle with. I'm leaning towards one as they have been much quicker to respond, with both options being similar priced. The one downside is that the treks are either the beginning of August or in mid to late September. Early August would mean cutting time in Mongolia to 1-2 weeks, in order to explore the beginnings of China before the trek. However, the treks in September mean that I would have all of July AND August to explore Mongolia and the beginning parts of the China leg - which is almost too much! Or is it...?

As luck would have it, I stumbled upon two options to volunteer in Mongolia! The one program is primarily for teaching English and based out of Ulaanbatar, lasting at least 1 month with additional weekly/monthly increments and becoming quite affordable the more weeks I stay! ($699 for 1 month, $799 for 2 months!) I'd be staying with a local family, but still in the capital region and my duties would be more spread out through the day.

The other option, and the one I truly am leaning towards, would be to volunteer with a small family horse trek business. Now, the last time I was near or rode a horse was when I was a kid - however, in talking with them via email, there are many things I could do to help out around their camp, assisting even on some of their shorter treks. At $200/week for food and housing, with a real Mongolian ger experience - it's hard to pass this opportunity up. Mongolians are known for their horses and treks! Except, that's not even the best part - if I can stay at least a month or more, then I could potentially volunteer as an assistant manager where my room and board would be free! (Instead of payment, the two break even.) I would have more duties including helping to plan and prepare treks and assist on some business aspects, but otherwise I'd still be working with the horses and going on smaller treks. I think this option not only would be amazing, but the price is hard to beat for 1-2 months! Even better, depending on which treks I assist on, I might be able to see many of the sights I want to without having to arrange on my own, or pay for a pricier tour!

As I am looking into volunteering, I also discovered a site that helps to fundraise for trips abroad. While I'm not a fan of asking for financial support for this overall trip, I'm feel that having a strong purpose such as volunteering would be a worthy cause people might consider donating. I'm still toying with the idea, but you might see something more on that note coming up.

I also realized that parts of my travels might actually appeal to others to join. So, if anyone is interested in any leg of my planned trip, let me know quickly and we can discuss things!

Till then, adieu!

Trains, Yurts, Pandas - Oh My!

Sorry for the lack of updates since dropping the huge announcement about me upending things to travel. This post also turned into more of a personal thoughts-page, as I try and sort through the multitudes running through my mind in the planning process.

Image by David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As the title hints at, I'm currently being swamped with so many options in trying to plan that I almost feel like I'm losing my mind! In addition, I am going into Tech Week for the high school musical so much of my time has gone towards prepping the show. [Plus there's work, sleep (hah!), eating, etc] Thankfully, the show will be done and wrapped up in a little over a week and I can focus solely between work and preparing/planning for my trip. Unfortunately, D-Day (aka Departure date) is quickly approaching so many things need to be resolved quickly.

For example, I will need a visa for both Russia and China. (Both will require a mid-week trip down to D.C., which I hope to arrange over 2-3 days.) But in order to apply for the Russian visa, I need to know at least the exact days I arrive and leave the country, in addition to a rough list of the cities I plan to visit - I'm still trying to sort that out, in addition to figuring how long I'd like to stay in each city to explore without feeling rushed through. I will have to exit the country on or before July 5, so timeline feels snug. In addition, tickets become available for sale 60 days before departure - which means in the next few weeks I need to know what days I plan to pre-book travel, if I want to make any legs "on-the-fly," and whether or not I want to gamble trying to purchase the tickets myself or through a known company who can also help arrange other relevant details. And that's only for Russia! This is on the top of the planning list - because not only does my Visa application need some of the information, but because it's my first stop.

Thankfully, my timeline in Mongolia is NOT at all limited - I can stay up to 90 days without a visa. What IS limiting is the wide, and often empty, expanses between locations. More distance to travel means either needing more time to go slowly (think bus or even personal driver), or more cost in order to travel faster (i.e. flying). I have looked at a couple tour packages for Mongolia but they all tend to be on the pricier side, between $2-3k! My timing is also a bit wonky - most of the longer tours start a couple days before I would arrive in country (thus eliminated because I don't want to cut my time in Russia any shorter), and a few start when I'm potentially eyeing on continuing into China which prolongs my entire trip. I will also be arriving about a week before the country's Naadam Festival which looks to be quite an experience!

I finally stumbled upon an actual backpacker's guide to Mongolia and a trove of options, including significantly cheaper ones - but it also appears that I can make a lot of plans once I'm there. One example I found is a site that lets you join other small groups trying to fill out a tour or advertise for one you'd like to start. I also don't know much about Mongolia other than it's home to the Gobi Desert and two-humped camels, they live mainly in yurts, and Mongolians are quite nomadic still. I could list many things I'd like to see as I learn about the country but I also needed to realize that I probably won't be able to see all, or possibly even half of that. I actually want to experience their culture more than just travel around sight-seeing.

And if Mongolia seems very loosely planned, China is an even larger hurdler (quite literally too!). Imagine you were a foreigner trying to visit the US but only had 60 days to do so - that's what I'm trying to plan. I know that I will be arriving in Beijing via the Trans-Mongolian Railroad, but after that it's entirely unplanned. I'm trying to make a list and determine what areas or experiences I'd like to pursue, but frankly there are so many. Beijing itself has a lot to explore, but the list is growing to include eating food in the Sichuan province, seeing (or possibly volunteering!) with the Giant Pandas around Chengdu, Mount Huashan and the rumored "dangerous hike in the world", the Terra Cotta army in Xi'an, and more. Again, I've looked into some extended country tours but the price is a tad on the higher side. Other places don't quite appeal to me, or at least not yet, such as Shanghai or Hong Kong. Much more rough planning needed for China, that's for sure!

I have made at least one decision that was bothering me, thankfully, after sitting down and examining my overall plans for the rest of the year. The dilemma was regarding visiting Tibet, part of China AND whether or not I need to include Nepal on the expedition. I've had a fascination with Tibet that stems back to Brad Pitt, paired with an equal fascination with Mt. Everest and the Himalayas. Mt. Everest is on the border between Tibet and Nepal, with each side having its own Everest Base Camp. I will wholeheartedly admit that actually climbing Everest is not only out of my price range but leagues from realistic physical activity - but getting to the base camp IS on my lifelong bucket list. As  I will already be in China, it is not that difficult to get into Tibet (although some large caveats) and the northern base camp, as there is a road built right to it! In contrast, getting to the south base camp in Nepal is a 10-14 day trek with the actual peak not visible from the southern base camp (it is fully visible from the north.) There are also other places in Nepal I would want to visit so I honestly would need almost a month in Nepal alone, which does not work well with the overall plans.

As I mentioned above, getting into Tibet or rather the central Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) of China which includes Lhasa, is not difficult - but has other hurdles. I can take a 2-day train ride up along the Tibetan Plateau to Lhasa from Beijing for decent price. Or, as I think I will end up doing, I can also grab the Tibetan train from Xining after making a detour in Xi'an to see the Terra Cotta warriors. This route is definitely the safer and slower route due to the significant altitude difference alone, plus it allows views of the Tibetan Plateau along the way. Once in Lhasa, I will still need to slow down to mitigate the altitude sickness which has the unfortunate aspect of extending any trip into the TAR.

The major hurdle for Tibet is that all foreigners are required to have permits - which are only available through organized tour agencies. There is absolutely no way to visit Tibet via any other fashion. Also included is the requirement to have a local guide with you during your stay. By factoring these into the larger picture, the organized tour groups are really the best way to go if I'm trying to save money as well. I could arrange something individually, but the cost would skyrocket what will already be an expensive leg of my travels (but ENTIRELY worth it!). I also want to ensure that my visit into Tibet will leave me with no regrets in case I don't have the chance to return. Most of what I wish to see are around Lhasa itself, such as the Potala Palace, but also on my list is the already noted Everest base camp and a trek around Mount Kailash, which is not only holy to Tibetans but one of the major holiest sites in the world. All in all, a trek through Nepal might take me 20 days and I'm currently looking into the options, specifically with Tibetan tour companies to be ethical.

As writing this was a lot to think and process, perhaps it helps explain where my mind is going in the quite periods between posts. Also, in putting my thoughts and rough plans into words here, I think I have answered a few of my dilemmas!