It’s a long way from anywhere to
western Mongolia. At almost 2,000
kilometres from the capital of Ulan
Bator, it’s about the same distance
as from Ulaan Bator to Beijing. Never
mind that there are almost no roads out
here, and only a few flight paths that
cross this inhospitable terrain, made up
of the barren Central Asian Steppe and
surrounding glaciated snowy peaks. It
is here the ethnic Kazakhs call home
and where they continue their age-old
tradition of training eagles to be their
companions and confidantes, using
them for hunting and survival through
the harsh winters.
The Kazakhs live in portable gers
throughout this region, yurt type
structures made of wooden poles
covered in animal skins, where they
spend their days tending sheep, goats
and cattle during the summer months,
and then moving to the edges of the
grasslands during the long winters.