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is where the ger is

Do you see Fluffy in this photo?

This is our last night in this beautiful spot.  It is far more green and lush than I ever expected, with big, towering hunks of granite.

Fluffy and I have spent the last two chilly nights sleeping in a ger (rhymes with mare), heated by a wood-fired iron stove with a chimney through a hole in the round roof.  My ger smells faintly like a wet sweater, as it rained the night before we arrived, and the insulation layer stretched over the exterior of the lattices is felted wool. 

Let's take a peek inside.

Pretty fancy for a tent, right?

Gers are the perfect home for nomadic herders.  Within a half hour, a family of four is able to completely disassemble it and pack their entire household for travel to the next spot.  In the market, an average ger can be purchased for $600-$700.

This evening, we were tasked with working together to build our own ger from the ground up!  When we arrived at the assigned spot, we were confronted with a pile of poles, lattice, and wool, ready for us to build.

While some people stood around and scratched their heads,

Fluffy and I got in on the action.
The roof ring or "crown" and its support posts are connected and placed in the ground

while the lattice walls are stretched around the perimeter and attached to each side of the door.  It is the number of lattice walls linked together that determines the size of the ger.

Next poles are inserted into the holes along the outside edge of the crown

and positioned so that the other end of each pole rests in the elbow where two pieces of lattice cross.

Now the skeleton structure is ready for an insulating layer of wool felt to be pulled around the sides

and tied over the top.  This is what keeps the heat in on those very cold winter nights!

Next, a canvas cover is pulled over the structure.

It took us about 45 minutes, which is not a good time according to our guide.  I must confess, we had some expert help or our ger might still be in pieces on the ground.

After building a ger, we needed more appropriate clothes.