Sunday, October 3, 2010

Gobi Desert Diaries: Bugin Tsav





Most of my time in Mongolia this year was spent at Camp Bugin Tsav, to the west of Nemegt and Altan Ula. The landscape is lower here, which makes for slightly easier prospecting – there’s no ridge-hopping when you find yourself in the next canyon over from where you need to be.


The weather was a little bit finicky for a few days, but rains off in the distance meant we got a great rainbow near the old Russian camp. (Sadly, it was not a
double rainbow.)



To give you a sense of scale and distance involved when prospecting, here’s Premji for scale. Can’t see her? Look closely in the middle of the photo.

This particular day marked a relatively dry stretch of prospecting for me – I had not found anything particularly interesting in two or three days. As such, to amuse myself and appease the prospecting gods, I created a song to the tune of “Somebody to Love.” I am not the best prospecting partner if you do not like music.

“Each morning I wake up in Bugin Tsav,
Can’t hardly wait to go out!
I put on my boots and my hat,
And then I give a great shout,
But lately I can’t find a single thing,
I just can’t hardly believe -
OOOOOHHHHH (<-- this is Premji’s favourite part) Somebody, oh somebody, Can anybody find me A fossil to dig?” *with apologies to Freddie Mercury.

3 comments:

  1. Julia and I played "Where's Premji?" It was fun! We also really like your song!

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  2. Did you see a sauropod skeleton at Bugin Tsav or has it been collcted already?

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  3. Still can't find Premji in the photo.
    I really liked the song and can imagine you singing it. If no fossils are to be found, keep up on the song writing, and maybe a skeleton will "jump up" to sing along with you!

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