“Great! So you two will work great! So let’s go and have a chat in the conference room first.”
Bert said as he ushered them to the conference room.
“So,” Bert said, as he plopped on a chair. “Both of you know that you will be going to
Mongolia tomorrow.” He paused and took a breath. “I think both you know that you are going to
be photographing images of the animals, I think that’s just about it! Go pack your bags now, and
see you a week later!”
As Stella and Millie un-packed their things in the Mongolian yurt, a villager knocked on the
door of the yurt.
“ Sain Baina! Dinner is here.” The villager spoke in influent English.
“Ok, thanks. You can put it over here.” Millie pointed over to a place in the middle of the yurt.
“So, tomorrow, a local tour guide will bring you around the Gobi desert, on a camel. So see
your tomorrow Morning.” The villager nodded goodbye and left the yurt.
“This is exciting! Have you ever ridden on a camel before?” Stella asked Millie, as she bit into
buuz, a type of Mongolian food, something like steamed ravioli.
“Nope! Looking forward to it!” Millie replied, her eyes a glint of excitement, as she curled up
on her bed.
The next morning, Stella and Millie ate breakfast and headed out to the village, it was really
hot at first, but it cooled down again. The tour guide introduced himself the Bactrian camels they
were going to ride on and what are they going to do on the day. When suddenly, a marbled polecat
appeared in front of their eyes. The polecat’s fur was gorgeous, it reminded Stella and Mollie of a
miniature leopard. Awed, Stella and Millie both took pictures of the marbled polecat.
As they rode through the desert on the camels, the weather began to change, first cold, than
hot. As the tour guide rambled on about the route they were taking, the history of the Desert,
the Silk Road, the animals they were going to see, Gobi desert’s desertification…… As Stella
dozed through the information, Millie was taking in everything, asking questions, soaking the
information like a sponge. The gentle breeze blew warm sand into their face, and they all went off
the camels, when the tour guide signaled the camels to a stop.
“This will be the area were we might see the Gobi bear, be careful tough, Gobi bears can kill
each other if there is a shortage for food. Oh, they also eat camels too, so we are going to walk
over there. Don’t eat your food here now, or the Gobi bear might smell it and will attack us, as
they are pretty aggressive.” The tour guide informed them, nodding to the direction where some
paw prints are.
Stella nodded and took a picture of the paw prints.
“Here!” The tour guide beckoned to Stella and Millie over to a bush.
“Oh my gosh! Aren’t they the cutest things ever!” Millie said as she pointed to two Gobi
bear cubs behind a clump of grass. The cubs fur color, were golden brown, and they were play-
wrestling with each other.
“Shhh…… don’t go near, the cub’s mother might be coming! Come on, take a few pictures and
* * *
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