What did we see on the Mongol Rally?
Our car needs some help, Mongol Rally
I know that Dave always does the Photo Stories on the travel blog, but I had a few gems that I took during our 5 weeks on the road in Mongolia. I ran out ahead of the car a lot to take some video and every so often I would snap a few shots with my Lumix. I don't take a lot of photos because if I did, Dave and I would end up sifting through thousands of duplicate shots. We decided early on that he would take the photos (since he is the professional and is AMAZING at photography) and I would concentrate on the videos. It has worked out well.
Role Reversals
However, on the Mongol Rally, We split up jobs more than usual. When Dave was driving, I snapped some shots and when I was driving, he took care of the video. It ended up being a lot of fun changing roles for 5 weeks. One can't be married to a fantastic professional photographer like Dave and not learn a trick or two. While I won't be ditching my day job as a travel writer any time soon, I did enjoy getting behind the lens every once in a while to snap a few moments in the Mongol Rally.
So here it is, the first photostory by Debra (me) on ThePlanetD
Mongol Rally – Photos from Road
Camels
Read: Tips for Driving from England to Mongolia
Horses
Characters
Rickety Bridges
Check out Car Mishaps of the mongol Rally
Tender Moments
Oversized Trucks
Crazy Roads
Have a laugh at: Mongol Rally, Punctures are Part of the Game
A Lotta Ladas
Mother Russia
Massive Monuments
Smashed Up Cars
Making new Friends
Oovoos
Enjoy: Outdoor Living on the Mongol Rally
Charity
Visiting the Christina Noble Foundation in Mongolia. Thank you for all your contributions!
Gas Stations
Read: How to Fill Up a Car on the Mongol Rally
Horse Carts
Visitors at our Camp
By Mongol Rally River Crossings and Bridges.mp4 | budgethotel.us May 13, 2013 - 7:31 pm
[…] driving in the Mongol Rally in Mongolia has not only tough roads to deal with, but river crossings and crazy bridges to get over them. Want to see more about the Mongol Rally? View our favourite photos from our time driving from England to Mongolia. http://www.theplanetd.com/mongol-rally-moments-on-the-road […]
By The Best Dining Experience Ever | Travel Blog | ThePlanetD March 28, 2013 - 5:08 am
[…] the chance to taste four different types of vodkas from around the world. Since we had done the Mongol Rally and drove our way through Russian Siberia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, we felt like we were vodka […]
By Picture Perfect Portraits: Children of the World August 2, 2012 - 2:17 pm
[…] Traveling through Mongolia was one of the most welcoming experiences we’ve ever had. Everyone was happy to stop by our camps and say hello. They were excited to have us visit their country and they were interested in knowing why we were there and where we were going. It was the children on horseback that really caught our attention. As young as five or six years old these kids can ride a horse like nobody. They would look after hundreds of heads of cattle and goats while sitting high upon their steed. Whenever we stopped to say hello, they sat proudly to post for a picture. It really makes the perfect portrait. A picture perfect look of mischief in Burma […]
By umair December 21, 2011 - 7:13 am
…very very beautiful style.. i like u soo much .. thanks for sharings friends …
By Melissa October 26, 2011 - 2:12 pm
Oh wow… stunning shots! They’re so amazing! And it’s awesome to see the different perspectives!
Thanks for sharing
By debndave October 26, 2011 - 5:13 pm
Thank you Melissa. It was an amazing place to photograph. I couldn’t go wrong with a subject matter like Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It’s beautiful!
By Live Simply, Life's Better That Way October 7, 2011 - 9:50 pm
[…] was exciting to witness packs of camels and yaks running across the great plains of Western Mongolia as we did nothing but drive on the open road […]
By Live Simply, Life’s Better That Way | The Planet D October 1, 2011 - 4:47 am
[…] was exciting to witness packs of camels and yaks running across the great plains of Western Mongolia as we did nothing but drive on the open road […]
By Mark Wiens September 27, 2011 - 11:23 pm
Fantastic job Deb, great to see your photos too!
By Georgie Mathew September 27, 2011 - 9:00 am
Hi Deb,
Great essay.. love the mother Russia image and “tender moments”
Bon voyage in Gengis Khan’s footsteps!
Georgie
By Nomadic Samuel September 19, 2011 - 11:55 am
The rugged beauty of Mongolia reminds me of my time in South America. It’s a high priority for me to visit Mongolia on my next tour around Asia. Thanks for sharing this diverse photo essay.
By Janna September 16, 2011 - 11:43 am
Hi Deb. With the dipping temperatures, were you able to camp at night?
By davendeb September 18, 2011 - 3:16 pm
Hi Janna, yes we camped most nights in Kazakhstan and Mongolia. It was cold, but we had down jackets and sleeping bags. If you decide to do it, make sure to bring a hat and some long johns as well. We stayed pretty comfortable in our tents I must say even when the temperature plummeted.
By Christina (Jandal Road) September 14, 2011 - 8:27 am
I love your photos! I’m a sucker for landscape photography, and your pictures are awesome. I especially love the character picture though – the wild blonde hair, ski mask, bandana and double scarves against the desert backdrop is fab!
By davendeb September 18, 2011 - 9:09 pm
Thanks Christina. I’m a sucker for landscapes too!
By The Triptastic 10: Recommended Reading Right Now | Chicky Bus September 13, 2011 - 12:50 am
[…] Mongol Rally Moments […]
By Janna September 11, 2011 - 1:46 pm
Great photos and captions, Deb. I love the first image of the lone car, surrounded by camels and blue sky. What an adventure! What were the temperatures like?
By davendeb September 12, 2011 - 2:46 am
Hi Janna, the temperatures were extreme. In the desert they were very hot, especially in Kazakhstan but at other times it was cold in the desert. Nights were mostly cold all the time, but days fluctuated in temperatures.
By Christy @ Technosyncratic September 11, 2011 - 11:17 am
These are such great shots, Deb!! I particularly love the first one – the hazy (dusty?) lighting is awesome. Also the “Tender Moments” shot is so, well, tender. =)
By Sherry Ott September 11, 2011 - 4:21 am
Great shots Deb!! The horse cart one cracks me up as Dave and the guy look so serious…but all I can remember from that experience is smiles and laughter!
By davendeb September 11, 2011 - 4:25 am
So true, good times, good times!
By Cam September 10, 2011 - 7:28 pm
Nice one Deb! Your photos tell a great story. Is the rally over then? How was (is) it?!
By davendeb September 11, 2011 - 1:10 am
Hi Cam, yep the rally is over. It felt like it barely began. It was in Mongolia that we were really getting into it. I could have driven for another month!
By Stephanie - The Travel Chica September 10, 2011 - 2:06 pm
Great photo essay! Love the Tender Moments shot.
By davendeb September 11, 2011 - 1:11 am
Thanks Stephanie, I really liked the tender moments too. Steve was a great guy from the Sign Up Team. We ended up running into them quite a bit and enjoyed their company through Mongolia.
By Anis Salvesen September 10, 2011 - 2:01 pm
Deb,
You’ve clearly managed to soak up some great knowledge from years of travel with Dave! I feel like I experienced Mongolia in 30 seconds (before going back and looking at the photos over and over trying to figure out which I liked best). My favorites are ‘Tender Moments,’ ‘Camels’ and ‘Gas Stations.’ This is a beautiful photostory! Congratulations Deb!
By davendeb September 11, 2011 - 1:13 am
Thanks Anis. I am still always picking Dave’s brain though. For some reason the technical aspects of photography don’t stick with me. I think it is because I can get very lazy since Dave is the photographer in the family. But I have decided to work a little harder on it over the winter. We’re slowing down for a couple of months to catch up on 2 years of falling behind on work, so hopefully Dave can take me out to work on my photography too!
By Lisa @chickybus September 10, 2011 - 12:01 pm
Love this photo essay, Deb. Great job! It really puts the reader there with you…and that means a vicarious adventure, which is always a pleasure. Looks like a blast! PS: The oovoos are trippy… What are they?
By davendeb September 11, 2011 - 1:15 am
The Oovoos are stone monuments paying gratitude to the spirits protecting the surrounding area. They are all along the roads in Mongolia and people stop to circle them 3 times to bring luck.
By Lash September 10, 2011 - 9:59 am
Those are some great shots, Deb! I especially love the first one, characters, and the crazy missile thingy. Wow- some roads out there, eh?! yikes. Quite an adventure! I just read that Sherry returned to NYC- I just cannot imagine going to NYC after this!
By davendeb September 11, 2011 - 1:34 am
Thanks Lash, and so true. New York is definitely a change from Mongolia. Here it is wide open spaces and 1 horse towns. It is only in Ulaanbaatar that there is any sort of population in Mongolia.
By Gillian @OneGiantStep September 10, 2011 - 9:56 am
Wow! You guys should switch roles more often! Amazing Deb!
By davendeb September 11, 2011 - 1:35 am
Thanks Gillian, Wait until you see Dave’s editing of video it is going to be amazing. Maybe we’ll keep up the role reversals for a while:-)
By Denise September 10, 2011 - 6:04 am
Beautiful in a raw way…just the way I like it 🙂
By davendeb September 11, 2011 - 1:36 am
Thanks Denise. That’s how I like it too.