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Recently featured in: Conde Nast Traveler National Geographic Reader's Digest Outside Magazine BBC Television
Boojum Expeditions: 1-800-287-0125
Boojum / KLM Tel. 976-99115929 Fax. 975-11310852 PO Box 902 Central Post Office Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia |
2009 Newsletter Water conservation efforts closer to home Kent Madin's work on the Greater Gallatin Toilet Tradeout in Bozeman during the summer of 2008 is highlighted in the most recent issue of the EPA's WaterSense Current. Read the full article here: Concerned Citizen Brings Smaller Flush to Big Sky Country Boojum Charitable Fund Webpage: BCF now has a webpage here BCF HOME with details of the MonEcoSan toilet project and the Mobile Ger Clinic in the Darhat Valley.
2008 Newsletter Boojum Builds EcoSan Toilets in Mongolia Boojum Expeditions and KLM staff are pioneering the introduction of EcoSan toilets, the first such implementation in a northern climate. EcoSan (www.ecosan.org) is a type of waterless toilet which has no odor or flies, does not pollute groundwater and can be a source of fertilizer for crops of various kinds. In 2007, the first EcoSan toilet was installed at the Khovsgol Inn and has generated great interest amongst private individuals, schools, hospitals and government agencies. In 2008, with a grants to Boojum Charitable Fund from several clients, Boojum will build 4-5 more EcoSan toilets at monasteries, visitor's centers, schools and tourist camps. For more information download our presentation (Mongolian and English) here:EcoSan Toilet in Mongolia
It says something about your toilet when people sit comfortably (no odor, no flies) on the front steps to fill in user surveys! Shaman's Association Forms in Khovsgol The first meeting of shamans in Khovsgol was organized at the Saridag Inn, just before Naadam, by Kent Madin and Mishig Jigjidsuren. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss ways that tourism could help to sustain the practice of shamanism in Mongolia, without commercializing the practice. All agreed that an "organized" religion like Buddhism or Christianity is much easier to support financially since there is an organizational structure which can accept and distribute donations and other income. The group discussed how to involve local shamans in workshops at the schools, to keep the practice vibrant and alive in the eyes of young people. It was finally decided that the group would collectively make one new set of shaman "gear" (coat, drum, boots, hat, etc.) each year so that the set could be displayed for education and periodically auctioned to raise funds for the shaman society.
The first Board of Directors of the Darhat Shaman Society A Winner at Last! For as long as Boojum has run horseback treks in the Darhat Valley our head wrangler, Niamhu, has been wrestling in Naadam. 2007 was his year when he took top honors and took home both tugrogs and a foal. Niamhu came back from a badly broken leg two years before and a nasty face plant off a motorcycle just a few weeks before the competition. He is now a "falcon" ranking and everyone at Boojum and KLM is proud of his big win.
Niamhu, winner of the 2007 Renchinlhumbe Naadam and pride of the Mongolian staff of KLM and Boojum! 2007 Newsletter Kent Madin becomes an Honorary Consul of Mongolia. Early in 2007 the Mongolian Government confirmed Kent Madin, co-owner of Boojum Expeditions, as the first Honorary Consul of Mongolia for the Northern Rockies (Montana, Wyoming, Idaho). In addition to the perks of being able to fly the Mongolian flag on his car and obtain special consul license plates, Kent's main responsibilities are to facilitate exchange and cooperation between Mongolia and the Northern Rockies. With native speaking Mongolians working in the Boojum office, Kent's appointment creates a strong link for Americans from the region with interest in Mongolia and provides a point of contact for Mongolian nationals in the region. Bozeman Chronicle Article on "Mr. Mongolia". Boojum Charitable Fund (BCF) receives non-profit status. BCF received it's letter of determination from the IRS making it a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt corporation. BCF works to facilitate exchanges between Montana and Mongolia and supports a variety of community development projects in specific areas of Mongolia, with donations from Boojum Expeditions' clients who seek a targeted way to give back to the people and communities who have welcomed them. Among current and planned projects are: Introduction of new toilet systems which improve sanitation and water quality. Support for Renchinlhumbe School's English Language Program including
recruitment of volunteer English teachers. Dr. Miklos Salgo's contributions through BCF are specifically funding a mobile clinic in the Darhat Valley and providing individual first aid kits and training in their use to families with young children. For more information on BCF or to make a donation, please call Bobo at 800-287-0125 Partnering with the Western Folklife Center Building on Linda Svendsen's decade-long attendance at the National
Cowboy
2006 Newsletter Mongolian Ambassador visits Montana; Bozeman, Montana and Muren, Khovsgol become Sister Cities In June 2006 Ambassador Bold of Mongolia visited Montana to further
the growing connection between his country and the State of Montana.
One highlight of the visit was a proclamation by the city of Bozeman,
declaring Bozeman and Muren, capitol of Khovsgol province, to be Sister
Cities (or Sibling Cities for the Politically Correct). While largely
symbolic at this point, the relationship gives new impetus to local
organzations already working in the Khovsgol region. Kent Madin of Boojum
Expeditions played a key role in sheparding the process forward. Pictured at the signing ceremony were City Manger Chris Kukulski, Mayor Jeff Krauss, Ambassador Bold, Kent Madin and J. Mendee.
2005 Newsletter Our Uruguay
Beach Ride got lots of press this year. Outside Magazine included
it in "Best Trips 2005", National Geographic Adventure called it one
of the "World's 25 Wildest New Trips" Tibet 2005 is full!: Clients' Photo albums:
Madin and Mishig get Mongolian Government
Awards: Mongolian Language Newspaper Published!
Ed Sawyer volunteers to teach English
in 'Lhumbe
Saridag Inn's Caretaker Steps Out: Uganji, our caretaker in Renchinlhumbe, is a remarkable guy, having lost his legs to frostbite when just a boy. For decades he has managed to ride horses, build houses and do the daily chores of life on homemade prosthetics. He demonstrates a kind of personal grit and good nature to which we should all aspire. In summer of 2004, with the help of friends at Bioregions International, Boojum Expeditions brought Uganji to Ulaan Baatar to be fitted with brand new, state of the art prosthetic legs. The only problem is that he's now several centimeters taller and keeps hitting his head on the ger door!
Onyuka Chinbat
to represent Mongolia at Asian Skating Championships:
Mongolia Cowboys Meet American Cowboys in Elko In 2003 Boojum Expeditions was instrumental in bringing a group of five Mongolian performers to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Read about it here: Mongols take Elko by storm, sing songs instead of sacking and pillage.
We specialize in Mongolia travel but we also offer adventure travel to Patagonia, Uruguay, Tibet. Horseback riding was our original interest when we pioneered travel adventures to China and Inner Mongolia and Tibet. We now offer tours and travel packages of all kinds in Mongolia (formerly Outer Mongolia) including camel riding, trekking, photography, fishing, horseback riding, culture, visiting Naadam, the Gobi, Lake Hovsgol (Lake Khovsgol) and the nomadic herders of Mongolia. In Ulaan Baatar we have our own offices though we are not really a travel agent, but an outfitter of travel and adventure in Mongolia. If want a riding vacation; whether a horseback riding vacation, a camel riding vacation or a jeep riding vacation, we'll be glad to create a travel adventure across Mongolia for you. In Patagonia and Uruguay remember you can combine two
adventures and do both horseback riding trips in just two weeks of travel.
A Patagonia horseback riding vacation or a Uruguay horseback riding
vacation is just the thing for beginners or experienced equestrian travelers.
An equestrain vacation, horseback riding in Patagonia, Agentina or Uruguay
or Mongolia or Tibet is a great way to have a guided adventure. Those of you who have endured reading the awful prose just preceding are probably wondering what kind of idiot wrote it. We must confess to both a capacity for better prose and an ulterior motive in writing so badly. Search engines look for correlations between your keywords like Mongolia travel, horseback riding, mongolia tour, Patagonia, Uruguay, Tibet, Gobi.. (see there I go again) and the frequency with which they appear on your page. In this everchanging cyber world, we need to keep up, I guess. Have a good riding vacation or adventure and come for Mongolia travel.
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and
Trail Blazer magazine featured Juliet Crump's Uruguay article about
her first foreign horsetrek. Chris Welsch of the Minneapolis Star
Tribune describes his experience in Uruguay 
To their pleasant surprise, Kent Madin, Director of Boojum Expeditions
and J. Mishig (KLM partner) were given awards by the Mongolian government
for contributing to tourism development in Mongolia. Kent is
only the second foreigner in history to receive the "Outstanding Leadership
in Tourism Development" award, given by the Ministry of Infrastructure
(pictured at right). The award recognized not just business
performance but innovation and support for a wide range of local initiatives
in tourism. Among the projects cited were the Darhat News, the
School Ger Camp project in Renchinlhumbe, Khovsgol and distribution
of ski parkas as work uniforms for National Park employees.
(The parkas are donated through a program called SWAG based in Vail,
Colorado which provides clothing from various Colorado ski areas).
J. Mishig (pictured) receives a certificate of appreciation from D.
Ariunaa for his role in Boojum's work in Mongolia. 
about Darhad history, famous people, poetry, environmental
issues, shamanism, Buddhism and development issues. It also
informed people about the potentials and pitfalls of tourism development
and encouraged dialogue and discussion in the local community. Adjra
(chief translator), Kent Madin and Bobo (editor) show off the first
issues hot off the press. We hope to make this an annual or
bi-annual publication and eventually turn over editing responsibilities
to the Renchinlhumbe and Tsagaan Nuur Schools. Send in your trip comments
and photographs to be included in the 2005 edition. 
The daughter of our Mongolian managers, Chinbat and Bobo, has been
asked by the Mongolian Skating Association to be the first EVER
representative of Mongolia in figure skating at the Asian Novice
Skating Championships in Hong Kong, March 27-29 2005. 11 year
old Onyuka's interest in skating was sparked watching the 2002 Olympics
on television. Since then she has won over 31 medals in regional
competitions throughout the Western US. She credits some of
her success to training in contortionism, long practiced in Mongolia.
To read her full story in the Bozeman Chronicle go here:  |
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