cat vinton is in search of the worlds remaining nomadic souls

cat travelled to one of the remotest parts of the south gobi desert, to spend 5 weeks living with a nomadic family.

since earliest times, tribes have moved across the great central asian plains and mountain ranges that cover present day mongolia, a land of horse and herdsmen.

the identity of these ancient tribal peoples has survived for hundreds of years within traditional nomadic practices, 'when the mongol people lose contact with their nomadic lifestyle, they will lose their true identity' (a statement, attributed to genghis khan) 'scratch a mongol and you find a nomad'

the gobi desert is a land that invites exploration - a vast, wild land of undisturbed beauty, sparsely inhabited by some of the last truly nomadic people of the world, how long they will last is questionable.

a few entries' from cat's diary, mongolia, august 2007...

'leaving quite a hard russia behind... i head for mongolia! the plane starts its decent as the sky is full of a rising sun, the most beautiful backdrop to the mongolian landscape i have been longing to see... open land, soft mountains and an early sun peering over the top - warm and strong. my heart is racing, my smile is deep, I am so happy to be here, I feel alive! from here I will be me and my story will unravel'

'I knew the moment we found this 'ger'(a mongolian yurt) and 9 smiling faces greeted me, that this was 'my family' they let me into their world, treated me as one of them and taught me the ways of a nomad... milking, herding, cooking, singing... and how to live in this harsh land'

'there was no sound but the wind, no fences, no cables, no planes in the sky...'

'seven children, full of enthusiasm and a passion for life, showed me the ways of the gobi... their laughter, smiles, generosity, openness, and enormous hospitality, will stay with me forever. I will treasure every special moment I have spent with these people who have touched my heart.'

'our evening's shared their curiosity of my world and my inquisitiveness of their hopes and fears'

mongolians are people of the moment 'come what may, let tomorrow look after itself'

they live a wondrous life - an inspiration to us all in the west!

'life is no rehearsal'