“Why We Travel”

If you’ve set up your New York Times pay account already, you might have come across this article by Paul Theroux. It’s a pretty interesting examination and justification for “hard travel.” I’m not drawing parallels between the places he mentions in the article and Mongolia–his travels take him to dangerous spots: war zones, battlefields, and countries in the grip of civil unrest. Mongolia is stable, and very safe, but it’s certainly a far cry from ambling along the Champs-Élysées or lying on the beach in the Bahamas.

I’m visiting friends this weekend, and it’s been nice to be among some fellow volunteers for a little while; they’ve been extremely generous in hosting me–lots of fancy cooking and trading stories. Here’s their blog for a slightly different look at Mongolia.