Arrival for transit in Seoul
Mason and his dumplings They cost him four grand in Korea
Mason's new friend doesn't talk much
Seoul looks like SimCity
Seoul to Ulaan-Baatar by Miat Airlines
Arrival in Mongolia
First sight of the Mongolian landscape
The airport
Cows crossing at the worst possible time
After a long day G wipes out at the Zaluuchuud Hotel
The next morning I argue a statement as I brush my teeth
Walking to the church for the first time Mason and Ben look awfully cheery today
First time at the church
Dembee sits down I wonder what he's looking at
We play that ridiculous winking game That's Tseegi in the middle
Conversing a bit
I stare as we enter the town square
Statue of some guy on a horse It's in the very center of the square
Walking through an alley
Exchanging American green for Mongolian cash
They have boy bands too??
Our first meal in Mongolia Spicy ramen noodles
Stuck in the middle of treacherous streets
Still trying to cross
Are they going to let them through or not?
They're not letting 'em get a word in edgewise
This is getting old
The middle of the street is starting to get boring
Maybe we should just set up camp right here
You're going to give me a heart attack! Ralph is worrying the whole time
I think I'm missing some good TV shows right now
Don't these people obey traffic lights?
Is that an open path I see?
Dang it! Cut off
Aha! YES!
Another statue of some guy
Get off before you insult somebody An off-camera Ben warns Wayne
Lugging loads of stuff up to the fourth floor No elevators here
Rehearsing "The Family"
Wayne does his thing
And now Crystal does her thing
And then I do my thing
Gerald finishes it off Clap clap clap!
Victor has power in "Redeemer"
Ben goes psycho As Leon gets high
Mason fakes Leon out
Leon gets sucked in by Shirley
Doh! Now look what you've done
It's okay, Victor still wins
Hooray! The good guys win and the bad guys lose
A building It looks like it came straight out of "Bladerunner"
Dinner at the Hotel Ulaan-Baatar Wow, talk about high class
Waiting for our chow And waiting...and waiting
Victor on the porcelain as Leon plays with his mind
Victor gets his revenge on Leon
Our pathetic excuse for a boy band photo Victor, Wayne, me, Ben, and Leon
Ben stares at me on the bus to the retreat
Okay, why does this always seem to happen?
Gerald is about to take a chomp out of this brick It's just that this brick happens to be cheese
Victor relaxes with his guitar
Ah, we finally arrive at the retreat Pastor Batbold calls the shots (and the room assignments)
Our lovely cabins for the retreat...
...And our spacious restrooms
Leon's bloated hand Thanks to those mosquitoes
Some kid whose name I don't know
Ralph obliterates a large insect
Dembee and the mime guy at lunchtime The mime guy is Ganaa's younger brother
I grin again Wendy's holding the camera
Batbold preaches it out
Why do cows always have to ruin everything? They just wander around at will
Gametime
Wendy freaks over Peter's disembodied head Leon anticipates the Kodak moment
Saruul's mom sends Victor flying
Mason is actually losing in a competition!
Wendy knows what she's talking about
Aw, how cute This unbelievably lovable pose makes Crystal go nuts
Shirley doesn't believe me
Wayne is scared of a cow
Gerald has no idea what he's getting into
I hope this isn't their regular behavior
This isn't exactly a three-legged race It's more of a everybody-on-the-team-legged race
Leon gets with the gang
I wish I knew these kids' names
Taking a rest and a snack
Happy Birthday to Ralph And he was getting on our backs the whole day on how we forgot
Shirley sprorts my beautiful poinsetta Although the lighting isn't too good
And Frances is sporting my masterful rainbow But the lighting isn't good here either
The Mongolia Bathroom Project Gerald and I don't live to tell the tale
Caught talking about farting
Shirley decorates a face
And I kind of do
Victor also joins in the artistry
Victor speaks forth
Group photo!
Three's company Victor, me, and a friend's behind. You decide who's who
Leon does another photo with the gang With Saruul, Ganaa, and some of his other pals
Shirley with two other kids
Frances and Saruul Along with three others whose names I wish I could remember
That jumpy gift-exchanging game
Sing of His glory and...
It feels good to be back in the city again
All them girls take a picture
The Three Musketeers Three days at the retreat without needing to reach for the toilet paper once! Beat that!
They finally get me back Since I was always taping them pooping
And more cows blocking our van For some reason the cows keep coming back to bug us
Dinosaurs are real! You can see them!
Frances weaves through the gers
Horseback riding My horse didn't seem to want to move very much
The top of the hill and us tough guys Although our rear ends were a bit soft after all that horseback riding
Ralph right after a fit of hysterical laughter
Ralph, Tuul, and the Mongolian "White House" Complete with no guards, snipers, or fences, and open windows
Walking through the rain to the church
Ralph preaches at the Holy Spirit Conference The translator is from Iowa
Our prayer-walk team Thuul, me, Ralph, Shirley, and Gerald who's holding the camera
The "dove" *Cough* Albino pidgeon *Cough*
Nyambaa and Tuul check out the "dove" While for some reason I'm staring at my hands
Lunch at that Italian cafe... That's me, Wendy, Ralph, and Victor
...Was so darn good that we had to return There's Frances, Leon, Crystal, and that one girl that kept throwing salt at me
This time Ralph sees an "eagle" *Cough* Vulture *Cough*
Shirley watches Tuul go on a roll Man, she's good
These signs are everywhere
Teaching them "The Family"
More of "The Family"
Who, me? Saruul does Wendy's part
Ganaa puts up a mean front
Gasp! He's killed her!
Ganbaa puts in the finishing touch
Ralph back again at the Conference
I need a flash camera Our evangelism team: Tuul, Nyambaa, Shirley, Ralph, Gerald, and me
Nyambaa and Tuul lay out the battle plan
This is the most crowded taxi I've ever been in
Trying to steal a shot of the American ambassador He's the portly guy to the right of the waitress
I like to yabber at the camera Mason is off-camera scripting me
What are they running from?
Talking about each other Tradit-i-o-n! Tradition!
Waiting for Ganbaa before cell group And watching dubbed Tom & Jerry to pass the time
Some of our blindfolded drawings My "abstract" man is on the left
Worship at the cell group
Saruul sticks her tongue out at me
Chow time!
Ganbaa is so "sad" We're going to leave tomorrow
Him?? Here?? Aauugh!
They wave in the taxi
Feel free to slow down Those drivers are bonkers!
One last look at our hotel
Packing up our stuff
One last time on the roof of the church
Hugging and photo frenzy at the airport...
...As you can see
Ganaa and Victor pose for a photo op
And they're still waving We've been on the other side of the gate for ten minutes already!
Arrival for transit in Beijing And immediately splashed with don't-have-kids propaganda
Wandering aimlessly in the airport
Long, long lines Crystal and I are totally bombed out and getting sick
Top security restroom
Waiting for our damaged plane And they finally tell us the flight's cancelled
Ah, look at all the angry people! Where do they all come from? Our reporter, Frances, gives an update
More lines??
Pass the time by working out
Douglas gets groovy
We enter the glorious Harbor Plaza Compliments of United Airlines
Needless to say, it's top class
I am myself in the mirror
Mason orders up a sake
Wow And that's breakfast
A glimpse of our hotel before we leave
Ben rants as we encounter yet more lines
Sporting our new "Chinese" garb It's all airport tourist stuff, but we make anything look good
Waiting at the gate Power walk and moving wall!
On our way back to San Francisco...
...And our arrival at the SFO...
...And we're home Not to mention terribly ill