Photos

The morning after the Shaman had performed his ritual to free us from all our worries and woes in life, he asked us if we would accompany him to his parents home. 'Of course we don't mind, it would be our pleasure' we replied. The reason for our invitation; he had seen me taking many photos the night before and wanted me to take some of his parents - how could I refuse the offer!

En route to his home we passed numerous piles of dead cattle being picked clean by vultures lining the still ice strewn roads; scars from the vicious winter not long passed.

He is 77 years old - an amazing feat in such a forbidding landscape where winter drops the temperature below -40C for weeks at a time - and yet he shows no sign of slowing yet! He still lives a semi-nomadic lifestyle, moving their entire home every month or so with his 80 year old wife and lives a working life as a nomadic cattle farmer herding cows, yaks, sheep and horses from the back of his own well groomed horse.

Inside his ger he had a collection of photos dating back to the soviet days of him and his wife, from being dressed as a fellow comrade wearing a soviet army 'ushanka' in his youth up to some more modern pictures - all taken over the last 50 years or so.

I agreed I will post the photos I shot that day to a friend who has an address in town, and I only hope my photos are good enough to take a small place in their collection!