Honestly I’ve been at a loss to describe the Gobi. I’ve really been avoiding trying to put any words to it at all. I can think of many individual adjectives that are wholly or partially appropriate. Words like hot, arid, beautiful, stark, colorful, peaceful, remote, dusty, harsh, vast, surprising, ancient, are all words that come to mind. The trouble is when I try and string any 2 or more words together the results only form clichés that you might be able to use for any desert region.

I enjoy deserts and have had the good fortune to spend time in many throughout North and South America. The Gobi is very different, the arid terrain, scorching temperatures (my thermometer reached its limit a 120F/50C in the sun one day) and the nomadic people living their daily lives in the midst of it creates something very unique in modern times. Statements like frozen in time, or mind numbingly hot, vast and open, or even welcoming and charming, all fail to capture the full essence of the Gobi. The harshness of the landscape and climate contrasts with the friendliness and kindness of the people living there. These words are all pieces of a puzzle that I have not been able to put together properly. Maybe time and some distance will help me get my words around it one day.

For now I’ll leave it to someone else, someone with a talent for words, and I’ll stick to pictures.

Gobi Photo Essays