Evening on Ballet Bay, Nelson Island BC

Evening on Ballet Bay
As we worked our way up British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, we stopped in for a peaceful overnight anchorage in Ballet Bay, on the north side of Nelson Island.

“Cruising has two pleasures. One is to go out in wider waters from a sheltered place. The other is to go into a sheltered place from wider waters.”

– Howard Bloomfield

I’m not sure which I enjoy more: whipping across windy waters with our 38-foot Graystone on a comfortable low-heel, or being safely anchored or tied-up in one of the glorious spots available to us either side of British Columbia’s Strait of Georgia.

Being somewhat unskilled sailors, my husband and I like to err on the side of caution. When heading into new (for us) waters, we try to check the charts, the cruising guides, and our sailing mentors. We also err on the side of laziness: if our sailing mentors suggest we follow in their wakes, we jump at the chance of not having to do all the thinking ourselves!

And so it was, in beautiful late-June weather, we set out behind our friends’ 32-foot Catalina, Alaunia, to visit harbours and bays new to us, but familiar to them, on the northern end of the Sunshine Coast of southwestern British Columbia

It was our third morning on the water: after crossing the Strait from our home-berth of Nanaimo, and overnighting in Hospital Bay, Pender Harbour and in Ballet Bay on Nelson Island (see: Strait Sailing Part 1), we had our headings set for Cortes Island at the upper limits of the Strait of Georgia. Even when the winds didn’t blow or when the rains fell, the coastal and island beauty we passed was breathtaking.

Join us for a motor-sail north into BC waters:

Sailboat motoring out of Ballet Bay, BC

Alaunia leaving Ballet Bay
Early in the morning, we follow Alaunia as she motors gently out of Ballet Bay, …

Motor cruiser on Ballet Bay, BC

Boat on Ballet Bay
… past anchored cruisers and sleeping houses, …

Sailboat motoring into Malaspina Strait, BC

Alaunia
… and into Malaspina Strait.

Sliammon Lands signboard - Lund, BC

Sliammon Lands – Lund
We stopped into Lund, a small hamlet towards the northern-most end of BC’s Sunshine Coast Highway, for lunch and supplies. The traditional home of the Coast Salish people, this area has been inhabited for thousands of years.

Lund Hotel, BC Canada

Lund Hotel
We loved the charming village so much that we stopped in again on our way back home by sailboat, and once more, when we were making our trip back to the mainland by land (i.e.: by highway and BC Ferries).

Wooden Watermill in Lund, BC

Lund Watermill
The settlement was named for the city of Lund in Sweden by the Thulin brothers, who settled here from Sweden in 1889.

Lund Harbour, BC Canada

Lund Harbour
Today, this unincorporated village provides safe harbour to small crafts, and is home to many shops and services catering to tourists and outdoor adventurers.

Stone Steps at Lund, BC Canada

Stone Steps at Nancy’s Bakery
Nancy’s Bakery is a favourite for locals and tourists alike; we enjoyed our freshly-baked lunch in the sun before continuing north.

Gray skies over Desolation Sound, BC Canada

Into Desolation Sound
As we turn northeast towards Desolation Sound, the weather closes in. The bleak, overcast weather that greeted Captain Vancouver when he first explored this area in 1792 led to him giving it its name:
“Our residence here was truly forelorn; an awful silence pervaded the gloomy forests, whilst animated nature seemed to have deserted the neighbouring country, whose soil afforded only a few small onions, some samphire and here and there bushes bearing a scanty crop of indifferent berries. Nor was the sea more favourable to our wants, the steep rocky shores prevented the use of the seine, and not a fish at the bottom could be tempted to take the hook.”
Captain George Vancouver

Rain on the cockpit enclosure of a sailboat, Strait of Georgia, BC Canada

Rain on the Strait
Fortunately for us, there is diesel in the tank, and our wet-weather gear is handy: inclement weather will not dull our enjoyment of a day on the water!

Rain on the cockpit enclosure of a sailboat, Strait of Georgia, BC Canada

“There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.”
― Ranulph Fiennes

A sailboat o the Strait of Georgia with mountains behind, BC Canada

Mountains all Around
(Three days later, as we are returning south, the Sound shows us how stunningly beautiful it can be …

Islet in the Strait of Georgia, BC Canada

Islets in the Strait of Georgia
… under blue skies in good weather.)

Sailboat motoring into Desolation Sound, BC Canada

In Alaunia’s Wake
On our trip north, however, we are still under motor as we turn right into Desolation Sound …

Motor boat in Desolation Sound, BC Canada

Boat on Desolation Sound
… and motor past the other leisure boats and towards Squirrel Cove.

Seasonal BC Prawns on a white boat deck.

Seasonal Prawns
Once we are safely anchored in Squirrel Cove, we pull out the fresh prawns we bought straight off a fishing boat in Lund. They make a tasty addition to a simple dinner!

Dinghy on Squirrel Cove, BC Canada

Dinghy on Squirrel Cove
In the morning, we – like other visitors – have time to get the dinghies out.

Motor boat anchored on Squirrel Cove, BC Canada

“Nexus”
We sneak past boats at anchor …

Rocky Stream into Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island BC Canada

Stream into Squirrel Cove
… to explore the foreshore of the bay … 

Rocky Stream into Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island BC Canada

Mossy Rocks
… where cool waters tumble over the mossy rocks.

Purple Starfish on the green moss, creek, Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island BC Canada

Starfish on the Moss
Starfish are attached all over the shallow bottom, …

Purple Starfish under water, creek, Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island BC Canada

Waters on Squirrel Cove
… clinging to the rocks in the fast-moving waters.

Rocky Stream into Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island BC Canada

Stream into Squirrel Cove

Two large Motor Cruisers on Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island BC Canada

Motor Cruisers on Squirrel Cove
Somebody always has a bigger boat!

Squirrel Cove community, Cortes Island, BC Canada

Squirrel Cove
Cortes Island is all First Nation territory; the little community of Squirrel Cove includes a trading post and a Christian church.

We watch Squirrel Cove slip into the background as we head across the waters into the Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park.

Text: Safe Sailing

More about that some other time –

Until then, 

Safe Sailing!

Pictures: 24-25June2015 and 03-04July2015

Red Bernina Express train in Alp Grum Station, Switzerland

Bernina Express Train in Alp Grüm Station
Alp Grüm (2,091 m) is the first station south of the Swiss Alps. The sleek Bernina Express trains stop here briefly after (or before) crossing through the Bernina Pass.

Riding the rails is magic!

I love travelling on trains – all trains. There is something special about the rhythmic rattling as you hurtle through a landscape, being both part of the countryside and cocooned from it.

How much more special is the rail experience when you are on a first-class scenic express train, travelling across an engineering marvel, through a UNESCO-World Heritage Listed landscape? The network of privately owned and operated Rhaetian Railway (RhB) lines in the Albula/Bernina area of Switzerland earned a UNESCO listing in 2008 because: “It constitutes an outstanding technical, architectural and environmental ensemble and embodies architectural and civil engineering achievements, in harmony with the landscapes through which [they] pass.”

The Bernina Express is a direct train from Chur in Switzerland, through the Swiss Alps, to Tirano in Italy. From Chur (585 m), the line climbs to an altitude of 2253 metres on the Bernina Pass, before dropping back down to 429 metres at Tirano; this requires countless spiral loops, 55 tunnels and 196 bridges – all build between 1898 and 1910.

My husband and I and our Swiss travelling companions broke our journey in Poschiavo to meet up with family friends. Join us for the first portion of our Bernina Express railway adventure.

Sunrise over railway tracks, Pfäffikon Switzerland.

Morning Rails
We had to get up early to meet our RegionalExpress service from Pfäffikon to Chur, where we would join the Bernina Express.

The inside a Bernina Express rail carriage, Switzerland

Inside the Bernina
The rail carriages are modern and spacious.

Sunburst Sun rising over the mountains near Chur, Switzerland

Rising Sun
As we start off south, the sun rises over the mountains near Chur.

Church on a Hill, canton of Graubünden Switzerland

Church on a Hill
The view from our moving window is impossibly picturesque.

The Tail of the Train over a viaduct, Bernina Express Switzerland

The Tail of the Train
The morning light glints off the trees and makes reflections in the train windows as we watch our tail follow us around one of the many limestone viaducts.

Layered reflections inside a Bernina Express - Trees in the Train carriage, Switzerland.

Almost Abstract – Trees in the Train

Tourists on the platform of Tiefencastel Station, Switzerland

Tiefencastel Station (884 m)
There are a few small stations on the Albula Railway line from Chur to St. Moritz; we stop in Tiefencastel to pick up a tourist group.

Male Conductor checking tickets on the Bernina Express, Switzerland

The Conductor

Reflections of the Bernina Express as it crosses the Landwasser Viaduct, Switzerland.

Almost Abstract – Impossible Bridges
We watch the front of of our train head towards the tunnel on the mountain opposite us. The natural dolomite lime pillars of the Landwasser Viaduct in Graubünden stretch across 142 meters, 65 metres above the rugged Landwasser Valley below. This impressive structure was built between 1901 and 1902, and constructed so well that the first renovations were not performed until 2009.

Bergün, Alpine meadow village, Graubünden Switzerland

“How Green is my Village?”
We come out of the tunnel and drop down to Bergün, a charming town set in impossibly green mountain meadows. This is the town that made international headlines in 2017 when it voted to ban tourist photography because it is “Too beautiful!”, and people seeing the pictures on social media would be jealous and unhappy. Not everyone appreciated the joke, but it certainly generated lots of free publicity!

Bernina stuffed Mountain Goat, Switzerland

Bernina Mountain Goat
I am a Capricorn: I couldn’t resist buying myself an official Bernina mountain goat.

Alpine meadow and mountain backdrop from the Bernina Express, Engadin CH

Scene from the Train
Meanwhile, the beautiful alpine meadows continue to roll past our windows.

Houses in an Engadin alpine meadow, Switzerland

In the Shadow of the Mountains
It is hard to imagine a more sublime location for ordinary housing.

Pontresina and the Inn River from the Bernina Express, Switzerland

Inn River Valley
The mountain village of Pontresina, flanked by the Bernina Massif, is popular for hiking, biking, glacier walks and spa retreats. It is a stone’s throw from the luxury resort town of St. Moritz.

Reflections in the window fittings of the Bernina Express, Switzerland

Almost Abstract – “Selfie” Inside the Bernina

Roadway and mountains in the Bernina Pass, Switzerland

Bernina Pass
Like the road beside us, we climb up again, …

Train in the Bernina Pass
… across the Bernina Pass and towards Ospizio Bernina (2,253 m), the highest station on our route.

Lej Pitschen - Bernina Pass

Lej Pitschen (“Small Lake”) – Bernina Pass

People walking, Bernina Pass, Switzerland

Walking Paths
Well-marked trails lead from Ospizio Bernina station past the tiny Lej Nair,

Lago Bianco - Bernina Pass, Switzerland

Lago Bianco
… along Lago Bianco (“White Lake”), and on to Alp Grüm. You can just see the dam at the other end of the glacial waters; water on this side flows back to the Inn River and empties into the Black Sea, while the water on the other side flows toward the Adriatic.

Train in Alp Grüm Station, Bernina Pass, Switzerland

Alp Grüm Station
We had a chance to alight from the train at the southern-most end of the Bernina Pass: Alp Grüm Station. This marks the southern border of the Romansh speaking part of the country; we will soon be in Italian-speaking territory.

Trains at Alp Grum Station, Bernina Pass, Switzerland

Trains at Alp Grum Station
As high as we are (2,091 m) already, the mountains rise steeply around us.

Trains at Alp Grum Station, Bernina Pass, Switzerland

Dreams of Snow-Dusted Alpine Peaks

Alpine Meadow, Alp Grüm, Bernina Pass Swizerland

Alpine Meadow
Alp Grüm means “Alpine Garden”, which is a pretty accurate description of our beautiful surrounds.

View from Alp Grüm, Bernina Pass Swizerland

View from Alp Grüm

Lago Palü from Alp Grüm, Bernina Pass Swizerland

Lago Palü
We have wonderful views over Lake Palü and towards the Vadret da Palü – the Palü Glacier – behind it.

Bernina Express train in the trees, south of Alp Grum Switzerland

Trains in the Trees
Too soon we are back on the train, as it follows countless curves through the tall trees to descend into the Poschiavo Valley.

Bernina Express train passing, Switzerland.

Trains that Pass
We pass trains heading up hill; the Bernina Express trains run a full schedule in summer.

Poschiavo Valley, Switzerland

Village in a Valley
We drop into the Poschiavo Valley, where lunch and a whole other adventure awaits us.

Riding the Bernina Express through the Swiss Alps is an unbeatable experience. Our jaws were still dropped as we got off the train in Poschiavo where we would overnight before picking up the train again the next day for the last portion of the trip.

Text: Happy TravelsWatch this space!

Until next time,

Happy Travels!

Pictures: 06August2014

Poppies in bloom, with sailboat masts in the background, Garden Bay Pended Harbour BC

Poppies on on Garden Bay
Under an impossibly blue summer sky, boats sit in the protected waters of Hospital Bay, BC.

“Any fool can carry on, but a wise man knows how to shorten sail in time.”

– Joseph Conrad

I’m not a great sailor: my favourite part of sailing is making a safe landfall.

This is especially true when the landfall is somewhere new and different, and when the sailing has been a bit fraught!

But, I do love being on the water, and I do love visiting new ports. (I have quoted Brooks Atkinson before: “Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit,” (see: On the Straits and Narrows).) So, when people who know the British Columbia waters around where our boat Graystone lives, suggest a trip in tandem, I jump at the opportunity.

Our friends and their 32-foot Catalina, Alaunia, were planning to head into the magnificent, but grimly named, Desolation Sound for several weeks of summer cruising. We didn’t have enough time for the whole trip, but organised to piggy-back on the first legs northeast from our home-base of Nanaimo into the Sound. My husband and I would then return home alone, while our companions continued deeper into the wild northern waters.

Our Graystone is a modest, gracefully-ageing 38-foot Hughes sailing sloop. Unlike our friends’ boat, the galley doesn’t run to overhead wine racks and a microwave oven, but she’s comfortable enough – provided I organise simple meals that can be prepared on two burners in minimal space. The beauty of travelling with another boat is that the planning – charting for landfalls, moorages, and anchor-spots – is reduced, and the preparation is almost halved: if we took turns making dinner, I’d only have to cook half as often.

Although we keep all the requisite charts on board, in this day and age of GPS’s, my husband and I both get a little haphazard with our map-reading. We rely (rather more heavily than we should) on the expertise of our friends, and then I turn to my Dreamspeaker Guides – delightfully illustrated cruising books – for detailed advice and information on our planned destinations. 

Usually it works – and barring a few bumps or tears or bruises, we eventually make a safe harbour in one of the many glorious spots available to us along the Strait of Georgia.

Catalina sailboat under motor on the Strait of Georgia, BC

Alaunia on the Strait of Georgia
The Strait of Georgia, between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, provides endless sailing and cruising opportunities. When we first set out from Nanaimo behind our cruising companions in their Catalina, the winds were too light for sails.

Man in a hat helming a Saiboat, Strait of Georgia BC

Setting Course
Before long, however, I have the sails up, and we are whipping across the Strait under wind-power. 

Wreck of a tugboat at the entrance to Pender Harbour, BC

Wreck on the Harbour
Some six hours later, we finally limped into the protection of Pender Harbour. Contrary to Joe Conrad’s advice (above), we had not shortened the sails in time! We had also lost sight of our companions, missed our landmarks, and overshot the harbour entrance considerably in rough winds. As I said, we are not particularly good sailors.
Fortunately, thanks to mobile phone reception, we found our way back, and unlike this wrecked tugboat at the harbour entrance, we had only minor damage to our sails, which I mended before dinner.

Boats at Fishermans Marina, Hospital Bay, Pender Harbour BC

Hospital Bay
It’s still light at eight o’clock on a northern summer evening: we’ve told our tale and shared a meal. Our afternoon squall is soon forgotten, as the warming sun …

Fishermans Marina, Hospital Bay, Pender Harbour BC

Fisherman’s Marina
… and quiet waters of Hospital Bay in Pender Harbour sooth our ruffled feathers.

Sunset over the sailboats on Fisherman

Sunset on Fisherman’s Marina
There is nothing quite as peaceful as watching the sun set from the deck of a boat that is safely moored!

Morning on Fisherman

Morning on Fisherman’s Marina
The sun rises early on the water; …

Fisherman

Fisherman’s Marina
… we take the opportunity to walk up through Fisherman’s Resort and Marina (now known as “John Henry’s”)

LaVerne

LaVerne’s Grill
… and into the Garden Bay area of Pender Harbour.

Poppies on on Garden Bay, Pender Harbour BC.

Poppies on Garden Bay
On the hill, the poppies are starting to bloom, …

Garden Bay, Pender Harbour BC.

Garden Bay
… and quiet waters lie below.

Sailboat under motor, N3N bi-plane docked, Pended Harbour BC

No Wake!
Late in the morning, we motored gently out of Pender Harbour behind Alaunia, …

U.S. Navy 1942 N3N Bi-Plane, Pender Harbour, BC

N3N Bi-Plane
… pausing to admire the bright yellow N3N bi-plane that – until a day after our trip – lived for twenty-five years on these waters.

U.S. Navy 1942 N3N Bi-Plane, Pender Harbour, BC

N3N Bi-Plane
A rare model equipped to land on water, this N3N was originally built in 1942 as a training plane by the U.S. Navy. It was bought by Bill and Wilma Thompson in 1990, and lovingly renovated and flown around Pender Harbour by Bill until his death. Before our visit, the plane had been sold to an operator in Yellowknife NWT, and it made its last flight out of here the very next day (see: The Coast Reporter).

Moss-covered rock at the entrance to the green waters of Ballet Bay, Nelson Island, BC

Ballet Bay
The winds north of Pender Harbour were much more forgiving than they had been the day before, and we managed a smooth and uneventful trip up the rest of the scenic Sunshine Coast, past the opening to Agamemnon Channel, and around to the protected north side of Nelson Island into the pristine and quiet Ballet Bay.

Two sailboats anchored on Ballet Bay, BC

Our Boats on Ballet Bay
With our boats securely anchored, we have plenty of time in the early afternoon to explore the bay in our dinghies.

Dinghy on Ballet Bay, BC

Dinghy on Ballet Bay
It would be almost a crime to break the peacefulness of the bay with a motor; the splash of the oars, on the other hand, just adds to the feeling of calm.

Green waters around the Rocky Foreshore of Ballet Bay, BC

Rocky Foreshore – Ballet Bay
The water is crystal clear, and changes colour dramatically in the afternoon light.

Kayaks on Ballet Bay, BC after dark.

Kayaks on Ballet Bay
As the sun goes down over Nelson Island, people take their kayaks out onto the quiet waters …

Evening on Ballet Bay, Nelson Island BC

Evening on Ballet Bay
… and enjoy one of the prettiest bays you could hope for.

What a beautiful spot! And what a great place to enjoy a quite drink after a successful two days on the water before continuing north …

Text: Safe Sailing

Until next time,

Safe sailing!

Photos: 22-23June2015

  • Tony Dobson - April 28, 2018 - 2:07 pm

    Beautiful details and pictures of your voyage! For some reason, I hadn’t seen this posting before!ReplyCancel

    • Ursula - April 28, 2018 - 4:07 pm

      Hi Tony,
      Thanks for your visit. The pictures might be old but the post is new, which is why you hadn’t seen it. It always takes me a while to get back to all my photo file!
      All the best to you guys! U xReplyCancel

Kazakh musicians in a ger, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

“Kugyershin Family Songs”
It is late in the day. Dinner is finished. We gather in a ger (yurt) in Western Mongolia and admire the beautiful felted and embroidered tapestries as we listen to traditional Kazakh music from Mister Kugyershin and his daughter – both dressed in their best Kazakh clothing.

(Double click for: Elkesh Herself by Kugyershin Family’s Songs)

It is said that if you want to see traditional Kazakh culture, you should go to Bayan-Ölgii province in Mongolia, rather than to Kazakhstan.

In the 1800s, the expanding Russian Empire pushed the semi-nomadic Kazakh tribes into neighboring countries, including Mongolia – where members of the Middle Jüz Kazakhs or Central Hordes (Orta juz) settled in the western-most province of Bayan-Ölgii. Under Stalin’s regime, more Kazakhs fled communist-controlled Kazakhstan. A small number returned to Kazakhstan after the Soviet Union dissolved and democratised, but for most of the 20th century, this pocket high in the Altai Mountains, nestled along the borders of China and Russia, has remained an isolated, tightly knit community.

Mongolian is a second language here, when people speak it at all. The 90,000-or-so ethnic Kazakhs continue to practice their Muslim religion and to speak their own language. With only about 2 people on every square kilometre, they have room to roam on their rugged ponies with their goats and sheep in a pastoral-nomadic lifestyle, and to train their captured golden eagles to hunt for them.

An extended family of eagle-hunters had set up a small ger-camp for us on their vast property. Hospitality is legendary in nomadic households: they say that if you come to a Kazakh home unexpectedly, (as it is across all the Mongolian Steppes), you will be received as if you had been invited. Of course, as “outsiders”, the group of photo-enthusiasts I was traveling with under the eye of local guides G and Segi, were paying for our accommodation, and had brought suitable gifts for our hosts. 

It is a stark, serenely beautiful place, but you have to be pretty rugged to thrive.

Gers on a plain, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Our Ger Camp
Our out-of-season gers were ready for us when we arrived in Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia, after a bumpy six-day drive across half the county. 

Building rubbish, including a toilet seat, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Building a Camp
Gers, being portable, have no fixed facilities. Our organisers have brought in charcoal for our fires and still have to build us a toilet block.

Portable shower built from pressboard, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

The New Shower
It was a few days before we had a generator-operated hot shower hooked up – which we really appreciated when it actually worked.

Kazakh Homestead, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Kazakh Homestead
After a morning of eagle-hunt training (see: Nurguli, Kazakh Eagle Huntress), we crossed the rocky plateau from our gers to the winter home of our Kazakh hosts: flat-roofed white-washed mud-brick rooms set behind fences built from the rocks and pebbles found in abundance all around. They might follow the herds with their ger camps in summer, but this is their permanent base.

Hooded golden eagle on a log, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Golden Eagle
The eagles the Kazakhs chose to train are usually female, because females are much larger and therefore able to manage heavier prey. They are only ever semi-tamed, so that they can be returned to the wild after about ten years, to fend for themselves and reproduce. Therefore, they might be part of the household, but they are not pets. When they are not working, they are hooded to keep them calm and tied up to keep them captive. 

Food on a Kazakh Mongolian table, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Three Kinds of Yogurt
Inside the house, we are welcomed with a hot mares’ milk drink and snacks. With herds of goats, sheep and horses, dairy products are a staple here. Those crispy-looking things in the centre of the table are dried yogurt; the spreads are thickened yogurt-based concoctions; and then there are slices of hard cheese … I can’t say I enjoyed any of it!

A Kazakh man at home with his Hot Milk, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Sarkhad and his Hot Milk
Our host Sarkhad is the patriarch in this extended family complex. He has four sons, two of whom live here in the compound and hunt eagles with him, and two of whom are “in the city” pursuing other interests.

Portrait of a Kazakh Mongolian elder in his embroidered skullcap, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Sarkhad
As a Kazakh Muslim, Sarkhad keeps his head covered. At home, he wears a tobetai, an embroidered, felted skullcap. When we were out with him eagle hunting, he was wearing his magnificent malakai – a fox-fur hat with earflaps (see: Nurguli, Kazakh Eagle Huntress).

Eagle hunters horseback, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Hunters Coming Home
As we are drinking our milk, two of Sarkhad’s sons and his granddaughter – all of whom have been out with their eagles – return to the compound.

Kazakh eagle hunters horseback, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

The Hunters are Home …
“Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.”
Of course, the Robert Louis Stevenson poem is a Requiem, while these hunters are full of life!

Golden Eagle Tethered at Home, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Golden Eagle Tethered at Home
The animals need to be tended before the returning hunters can have their lunch.

Portrait of a Kazakh Mongolian elder in his embroidered skullcap, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Kazakh Host
Using our guide as an interpreter, Sarkhad explains some of the aspects of eagle-capture and training …

Golden eagle and Mongolian man in Eagle-hunting costume, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Tressing the Eagle
… while his sons Jakslak …

Golden eagle and Mongolian man in Eagle-hunting costume, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Looking after the Animals
… and Razdak look after their eagles.

Kazakh Flat-Roofed House with golden eagle and laundry, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Kazakh Flat-Roofed House
We had a generator powering our bare-bulbs on wires and charging our batteries; the Kazakh home (and nomad gers typically) makes do with solar panels. The fox drying on the pole is from yesterday’s hunt.

Smiling Kazakhs and Mongolians in a ger, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Yagaanaa
Fortunately, we didn’t have to survive on horse-milk yogurt: we travelled in style, with our own wonderful chef, Yagaanaa. After another long day, when the meals were cleared away, she joined us in appreciating the local culture: …

Kazakh musicians in a ger, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

“Kugyershin Family Songs”
Kazakh songs, with accompaniment on traditional dombra, plucked lutes with two horsehair strings. Music and songs are a part of a strong tradition of oral history.

Mongolian ger under a starry night sky, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Night Skies
One of the advantages of using an outhouse in the middle of a cold late-Autumn night, is that you have a chance to appreciate the expansive Mongolian skies!
(ISO1600 18mm f/3.2 30sec – tripod + headlamp for “light painting)

Early morning pink sky, Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

Tender Dawn
On our last morning in the camp, I was up early. I had a sense of why the nomads love this wide, open land as I watched the sun rise over the Kazakh homestead in the distance.

Flying over the rugged landscape back to Ulaanbaater – a four hour flight that we had taken six days to drive – I could further appreciate how truly isolated these nomadic tribes are. No wonder their lifestyle has changed little over the centuries!

Text: Happy TravelsUntil next time,

Happy Travels!

Pictures: 28September-03October2016

  • […] Today, most Kazakhs in Western Mongolia maintain a traditional lifestyle, typically moving their animals – and their gers: their round tents – three or four times a year to find new grazing pastures in this high, cold, and windy landscape with rocky soil and minimal rainfall. Warmth and colour in what is otherwise a harsh environment comes from richly embroidered clothing, tapestries, and blankets, sewn together from the lush furs of the hunted winter fox, felted from combed out camel under-coat, or cut and stitched, using the soft skins of sheep slaughtered for food and pelts. Social evenings are spent in blanket-lined gers, around fires of wood and manure, drinking airag (fermented mare’s milk), arkhi (cow’s milk vodka), or straight vodka, and singing songs accompanied by a two-string dombra (see: At Home with the Kazakhs). […]ReplyCancel

Portrait of a Papuan man smoking,Sepic PNG

Smoking Man
Dark eyes, facial tattoos, and a cheeky smile: how could I not make a portrait?

Yuorait?“Yu stap gut?” 

The calls of “How are you?” in Papua New Guinea’s Tok-Pisin were all around us when we stopped at a simple roadside stall just outside Maprik in East Sepik Province. The local people who were gathered in the canopied shade – selling their produce, gossiping and chewing betel –  seemed happy to see us, even though they must have known that we waitpela were unlikely to be in the market for any of the yams, taro, coconut, betel nut, ginger or greens on offer.

The market itself was nothing special: corrugated iron roofing on a simple wooden frame covering a flattened dirt floor. Vendors sat in clumps on plastic sheeting or woven mats, or gathered outside the shelter on logs or grassy patches. The produce for sale included the technically illegal and carcinogenic betel nut palm seeds (Areca catechu): that ubiquitous chew that contributes to dental problems and receding gums, and is in evidence all around the country in the gap-toothed and stained smiles that greet visitors.

The local staples of taro, banana, ginger and sweet potato were also in evidence. This is the region of the Abelam people, known for their yam cult: where the men grow huge yams for special ceremonies. The ones we saw in the market were of the more mundane variety, grown only for food.

My attention, though, was on the people. They met me with a direct, unselfconscious gaze that says “I belong here.” That gaze came with open, betel-stained smiles that said, “You are welcome to visit – and to photograph.” 

So I did.

These are the moments I enjoy most when travelling: when – even without a language in common – there  is a sense of communion between our eyes and across the camera.

You, too, are welcome.

Papuan men with woven palms in the Road, Maprik PNG

Men in the Road
It may be the Sepik Highway, but like most of the roads in Papua New Guinea – when they exist at all – the main road from Wewak to Pagwi is rough, with its shoulders falling away. These men were off to Sunday church choir practice at a nearby school.

Papuan woman Selling vegetables, Maprik PNG

Selling Vegetables
The “market” itself is a corrugated iron roof over a flat dirt floor.

Market Yams, Taro and Ginger for sale, Maprik PNG

Market Yams, Taro and Ginger
Some of the vendors use plastic sheeting to display their produce.

Child Selling Cigarettes and betel nuts, roadside market, Maprik PNG

Child Selling Cigarettes, Areca Catechu and “Snax”
It is not uncommon to see children put to work. It is alarming, however, when they are selling tobacco, betel nut, and junk food.

Papuan girl eating sweets in a market, Maprik PNG

Snacking Girl
Of course, selling things is less arduous when you can snack during your shift.

Old Papuan woman in a hat with two toddlers, roadside market, Maprik PNG

“Have Some Mango!”
It is dark under the market roof, but it is not cool. I can’t help but marvel that Grannie feels the need to wear a hat!

Portrait of young Papuan girl with her laughing brother behind her, Maprik PNG

Toddlers
Young children are always impossible to resist!

Young Papuan man chewing betel nut, Maprik PNG

Chewing Areca Catechu
I find it hard to watch people with their mouths over-full with betel nut chew. I think this young man sensed that, and delighted in showing off.

Mother and Child, market, Maprik PNG

Mother and Child
An infant clings to mum, …

Papuan infant, market, Maprik PNG

Curious Infant
… but braves a look at me over her shoulder.

Women seated in the dirt at the Roadstop market, Maprik PNG

Women at the Roadstop

Portrait of Papuan women with tattooed faces, Maprik PNG

Tattooed Faces
The smudgy, faded tattoos on people’s foreheads and cheeks didn’t seem to follow a set design. I was told they were “just patterns”. In the old days, tribal tattooing was more extensive and took prescribed forms.

Papuan woman smoking a cheroot, Maprik PNG

Smoking Woman
A woman, with her colourful bilum – a traditional woven string bag – at her feet, …

Portrait: Papuan woman smoking a cheroot, Maprik PNG

Smoking Woman
… enjoys her smoke. Tailor made cigarettes, self-rolled tobacco, and cheroots are everywhere. 

Portrait: Papuan woman with a mouth full of chew, Maprik PNG

Tattooed Betel-Chewing Woman
Tobacco is also often combined with betel nuts as a chewing mixture.

Portrait: Smiling Papuan woman, Maprik PNG

Portrait in Purple
Even with the clear betel-damage, …

Portrait: Smiling Papuan woman, Maprik PNG

Portrait in Purple
… these people have beautiful smiles.

Portrait: Smiling Papuan woman in Braids, Maprik PNG

Woman in Braids

A group of foreign photographers under a tree, Maprik PNG

Photographers
The down-side of traveling with a group of photographers is that they can all “clump” in one or two spots! I was on a Jim Cline tour with photographer Karl Grobl.

Thatched house, Maprik PNG

Maprik Buildings
I decided to escape the pack, and wander behind the market where I found a cluster of traditional thatched huts and fibrocement houses.

Portrait: Young Papuan person, Maprik PNG

Young Person
There too, I found people willing to be photographed.

Portrait: Young Papuan woman, Maprik PNG

Young Woman

Elegant Woman

Woman in Front of her House

Portrait of a smiling Papuan man, Maprik PNG

Young Man
One of the last pictures I took at this stop was of the big smile of the young man who opened this set.

I returned to our bus in good spirits.

Text: Keep smilingIt is hard not to feel happy when you have been so warmly welcomed.

Until next time,

Keep Smiling!

Photographs: 13August2017

  • Diane - April 13, 2018 - 11:14 pm

    I love these pictures. I have a couple that are similar, but you have so many! They really flesh out the story.
    How are you?ReplyCancel

    • Ursula - April 16, 2018 - 7:54 am

      Hi Diane,
      Thanks so much, Diane! Glad to see you on line, and hope you are well.
      We are “All at Sea” at the moment – off the coast of Spain and loving it!
      Cheers, UReplyCancel

  • Peter Simon Yehiwambu - June 2, 2019 - 12:52 pm

    Nice PhotosReplyCancel

  • […] Hagen, and take three hours.) The next day, we rode a bumpy bus for five hours (with stops; see: Maprik Market Portraits) to Pagwi before getting into motorised dugout boats for a leisurely two-hour trip up the […]ReplyCancel

  • […] to get one of the few direct flights to Wewak. From there, it was a long, bumpy bus ride (see: Maprik Market Portraits) to Pagwi. The next leg of the journey was a leisurely two-hour trip up the mighty Sepik River in a […]ReplyCancel