Communist Stars in Western Mongolia

Communist iconography still abounds in the architecture and monuments of Mongolian provincial capitals like Olgii. The centerpiece of the town square is this silver star of Communism.

This was my favorite of all.

Most of the stars had been subtly incorporated into the designs of the buildings, as with this one [at the topmost part of the decorations].
A hillside visible from the town has had a white star painted or chiseled into the rock face. It may be a bit hard to make out on this smaller picture.

This tombstone was a bit of a mystery; no one seemed to know the story behind it. The script is all in Chinese, with the dates of 1963 - 1968 inscribed at the bottom. Of course, the ubiquitous Communist star crowns the cement inlay.

Portraits of Western Mongolians

It is often a challenge in Mongolia to take pictures of the people. Mongolians are a bit shy when it comes to pictures, and are protective of their privacy. Like in many places, no one likes to have a random camera shoved in their face! Doors for portrait photography only open after you've built up a bit of a relationship with someone.


Here is an 'official'-style portrait of the lama of Khovd Sum.





The lama and his niece have a special relationship. She hasn't learned to talk yet, but follows him around and asks for sugar cube handouts when he's drinking tea. Here's a picture of her in the small Tibetan Buddhist temple.

The following two pictures were taken by Mongolians who wanted to have a hand at using my camera. This is the interior of a ger in Khovd Sum.

This is the portrait taken by a young boy of his two friends.

The town of Ulaangom has only one pub - Gold Pub. The bartender is a charismatic girl named Soyoloo, who speaks a bit of English.