Mongolian Permaculture: Day 34 - Preparing for the Gobi Desert

AMAZING WHAT TREASURES YOU FIND
DUMPSTER-DIVING IN ULAANBAATAR...

Rest days in UB starting to blur together. Grateful for time off my feet to relax and heal, but getting itchy to move again…

We are each getting restless, and while we have been enjoying the variety of food available in the city [Korean last night, German yesterday, Vegetarian café the day before that, French café tomorrow morning].

We each share a common love of the thrill, the deeper connection, the rich experience of traveling with a purpose and something to contribute to the people and places we visit.

We’d much rather head out to the Gobi Desert for two weeks and teach a short course, or two ...pro-bono... for co-operatives that are struggling with even harsher growing conditions than we have seen so far.

This is so much more fulfilling than indulging in the cheap thrills of the standard tourist experience in Mongolia …or anywhere else in the world, for that matter.

Rick has extensive experience helping in dryland and desert areas, having worked in Africa, Mexico, Israel, and the Gaza Strip, and is particularly keen to get out there to see what he can contribute.

The Aid Agency is happy to support and organize this impromptu trip and training since we have fulfilled the original contract and deliverables. Still working on compiling the written report, and will deliver the verbal report The Program Director upon return to UB, three days before we fly home.

An impromptu training for Urban Design, and another short workshop on Sustainable Aid, open to all Aid Agencies working in Mongolia, are somehow also planned somewhere in those last 3 days.

Kat has taught us The Best Card Game in the World [according to Tichu players]: Tichu. An addictive kind of hybrid between poker, trumps, and 500, we played until the early morning hours last night before, and have unfinished business tonight.

Our new German friend Stefan is a seasoned 500 player, he and Rick partner up and provide for hours of hilarious entertainment as they analyze the game to pieces and rapid-fire hundreds of questions at Kat in their attempts to thrash us [as any serious card player would rightly do to a pair of We’re-playing-for-fun-why-can’t-we-all-just-get-along players].

I won’t waste valuable text space on this blog with uncouth trash-talk, especially since we were far too busy winning to waste time trash-talking…

…suffice to say that we had to let Rick win the 2nd game lest he be unbearably grumpy for the next two weeks on the road in the desert.

Competitive, what?!

Tomorrow we catch the train to the Gobi Desert.

!Section 8 Bar!

Theme Songs of the Day:

1. "Warriors", by Kymani Marley
2. "Remind Me", by Royksopp

I'M IN A MF'ING SHIPPING CONTAINER!!

Recycled doesn't have to mean shitty.

Section 8 Bar is hidden down a discreet ninja alley leading into Melbourne's Chinatown.  Made entirely from a pair of shipping containers, old shipping pallets, and a bunch of old boots, the open air bar is a grungy-sexy-chic watering hole that attracts businessmen, students, and dreadlocked bohemian types all at the same time.  

A tiny, decrepit parking lot between some of Melbourne's oldest brick buildings has been recaptured and transformed into a completely funk-tional gathering spot.  It's the kind of place that makes you feel all that much cooler just because you know about it.

Shipping pallets are stacked and bolted together to form a maze of wooden counter tops and benches with balinese style cushions.  A couple of 500 gallon drums make for very sturdy bartops, with upended packing crates making up your barstools.

There are heaters to keep you toasty in the colder months, but bring a jacket because the roof is great at letting in sunlight, not so great at keeping out the rain.  Still, there is something about sipping hot totties and warm mulled wine while your breath vaporizes to a house-dub-reggae soundtrack.  I'm sure the bar would be great in summer months, though I've never been in Melbourne to check it out around that time of year...

The Drinklist?  Any beer list that goes from Melbourne Bitter to Guinness to Budvar to Tiger -with a honey spiced ale from New Zealand for good measure - can't go wrong...  And a cocktail list that includes creations like Passage to India [gin, drambuie, earl grey tea, lemon and a splash of tonic], Your Mama's Cheesecake [vodka, liquor 43, lemon, sugar and cream], and Grand High Chai [vodka, grand manier, chai tea, mint, orange and lemon] is enough to keep you wonderfully distracted until closing time.

Resident DJ Rintrah spins a moody blend of reggae, trip-hop, dance, and reggae every Thursday night, often featuring special guests.  The weekly lineup of DJs and events is often varied, always dope ...and don't be surprised if you walk in on live graffiti, or a random bike dance-off.

If someone doesn't do a version of this back in Honolulu, I am going to bring a couple shipping containers when I come home and find a parking lot in Chinatown to open up shop in!

PARKING LOT

SECTION 8 BY NIGHT

TOASTY MON

BACK OF THE BAR

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