The Ultimate Kazakh Mongolian 8-hour Dance Party [Videos]

Dancing with Kazakh Nomads in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia

I’m not that much for big crazy parties. Don’t get me wrong I have my moments. But normally I’m pretty low-key, preferring an intimate dinner to a raucous evening out on the town. But on a trip to Asia, I  gleefully indulged in one of those aforementioned “moments” with a group of Kazakh Mongolians.  And when […]

Why Kazakh Nomad Women in Mongolia Can Spend All Day Milking

Old Kazakh Woman milking sheep and goats in the Altai Mountains, Mongolia

It’s milking time. Again. All hands on deck. The women of the Kazakh nomad community in Western Mongolia are in all-out commando mode. Their tongues click and arms wave as they chase their herds of goats and sheep into a pen. Hundreds of hooves dart this way and that, swirling and spinning, trying to avoid what’s […]

Why a Mongolian Kazakh Wedding is so Much More Fun

Scenes from a Kazakh wedding in Mongolia

I remember musing that an American wedding planner would think I’d lost my mind. Wrestling? You want wrestling at your wedding?! Her shock giving way to complete bewilderment and horror when I followed up with…..and, we’ll want a horse race too. A Kazakh Wedding Tradition: The Wrestling Begins I scanned the celebration and grinned.  This […]

Kazakh Nomads and the Importance of Tea

This Kazakh woman cut huge bricks of cheese Photographing Kazakh Nomads in Mongolia

We sit on the ground around a low wooden table waiting for the day to begin. It’s overcast, threatening rain, and the ger is dim, throwing everything into monochrome. A pot of boiling milk sits on top of a battered wood-burning stove in the center of the room, and I watch as steam rises into […]

Camping and Kazakhs: My Amazing Mongolian Adventure

Three Wrestlers: Scenes from a Kazakh wedding in Mongolia -

It’s been a while since my adventure in western Mongolia with photographer Timothy Allen and seven fellow photography lovers, and yet I still think of it all the time. We camped in the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, a vast and profoundly beautiful and pristine expanse where we met the world’s most tolerant and gracious […]

Amita Thai Cooking Class in Bangkok, Thailand: A Delicious Culinary Adventure

Cooking chicken Satay

If you’re looking for something a little different and delicious, try Amita Thai Cooking Class in Bangkok—a few hours in a garden kitchen is a perfect way to spend a few yummy hours. A couple of years ago I was in a bit of a quandary over a 24-hour layover in Bangkok on my way […]