"Ducks, Yaks, Camels and the Vast Mongolian Sky, Oh, My!"
From Mogadore (OH) to Mongolia Via the Trans-Siberian Express
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Sometimes, at night, just before I fall asleep, I think that I hear the soft, melodic rythms of the train as it rolls throught the Siberian night. At other times, even at the most inopportune moments, I have flashbacks, little snippets of sights, sounds, and smells of things that are imbedded in my brain. As Marcel Proust wrote so aptly in "Rememberance of Things Past," our memories are with us always. They are part of the fabric of our lives. They have shaped and will continue to shape who and what we are and what we will become. And, so it was with my train trip across Siberia and into the land that spawned and molded the fierce Mongol horsemen.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
This is the diary of the author as he realizes a life-long dream of riding the fabled Trans-Siberian Express from Moscow across the steppes and taiga of Siberia and into Mongolia, the land of Genghis Khan. In the capital city of Ulan Bator, he is blamed for a fire in his hotel room and is detained by the Mongolian police until payment is arranged. While in the capital, he is flown into the Gobi Desert where he lives in a ger, the home of the nomadic herders. It is a story of exotic people and exotic animals, all of whom contributed to this odyssey.
About the Author
Don Smith is a retired school administrator and university instructor. He holds B.A., M.A. and PhD degrees in Education. He is the author of two previous books: "Travel and the Human Condition" and "When The Muses Came To Call."
He and his wife, Joy, have two children, Kathy and Michael, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He lives in Mogadore, Ohio with his wife and attack-cat Lily.