We had to gun it through a small river to enter Eebee’s valley.

When Erin first met Eebee’s family they sat and had their custom cheese treats and tea.

Anil, Jeff and I snapping a photo after a rain storm.

Practicing the ancient art of collecting cow dung and chucking it into the poop basket on your back.

Getting Eebee’s contact information and finding out how she’s feeling.

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To Learn More Visit:

Mongolia Tourism Online:
http://www.thisismongolia.com/

Street Children
Nearly 4,000 children between the ages of 5 to 18 live on the streets of Mongolia. The children, who live on the streets permanently, are called "lifers" and have been on the street since the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Mongolia’s transition to a free-market economy. Thousands lost their jobs, and the social welfare system was unable to support families in need. Many of these children ran away from home to escape abuse; others were abandoned by their families, who could no longer support them.

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When we think of Mongolia, we immediately recall the image of the warrior Genghis Khan on horseback. Located in Central Asia, Mongolia is a landlocked country between China and Russia with the lowest population density in the world. In the 13th century, Chinggis Khaan, united warring tribes and conquered a huge empire. Under the Manchurian Empire since the 17th century, Mongolia gained its independence in 1921. Three years after independence, the Communist regime was installed in 1924. In 1990, Mongolia adopted a new constitution and abandoned its one-party system.

While one-third of the population lives in the capital of Ulaanbaatar, many people still live a nomadic existence. The Mongolian nomads typically move to at least four different areas during the year. Like their ancestors, they travel throughout the steppes and mountainous regions in the north or the Gobi Desert in the south in search for the best pasture for their livestock.

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  The Kuikuro live in three main villages in the eastern region of upper Xingu National Park. Easily spotted from the sky, a typical Kuikuro village is built in a circular clearing in the forest, the center of which is left open while homes are built around the edge. Though there are many special aspects to their culture, the Kuikuro are best known for the advanced architecture of their homes and their basket weaving. They also have 17 formal ceremonies, each one dedicated to a specific spirit. The most important ceremony is the “Feast of the Dead,” the highlight of which is intertribal wrestling. The Kuikuro are able to live entirely off of what the rainforest and the nearby river provide, which includes eating unusual foods like turtle eggs and leafcutter ants. However, the Kuikuro’s livelihood is threatened by the current government’s proposal to construct a massive dam called Belo Monte...

Deforestation

Between the years 2000 and 2006, 150,000 square kilometers of forest, an area larger than the country of Greece was destroyed in Brazil. Deforestation in the Amazon Basin in Brazil is damaging the habitat and endangering the plants and animal species indigenous to the area. The rate of Amazon deforestation in 2008 is once again on the rise after three consecutive years of decline. Preserving the beautiful Amazonian rainforest is a critical environmental issue as the world faces global warming., because the world’s forests absorb so much carbon dioxide.  Cutting down trees is just the same as burning coal or gasoline.

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Brazil has both the fifth largest land area and population in the world.  Much of Brazil’s population lives along its coastline, which is almost 3,000 miles long, creating a vision of Brazil as the ultimate beach country. However, almost half of Brazil is a jungle and the country is known for its beautiful Amazon rainforests. The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest, and Brazil is home to one-third of the world’s remaining rainforests.

Portuguese explorers, who landed in 1500, were the first contact Brazil had with the outside world. For th...

 Alex and the chief of the Kuikuro rockin’ it indigenous style.

When people need to clean their trucks they simply drive them into the shallows of the Amazon and scrub them down.

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A Quechua woman weaving a traditional rug.

The view from the Mountain village of Tastayoc. The purple flowers are from potato plants.

Helen’s aunt in her home wearing her traditional clothes.

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Peru is the homeland of the mighty Incan Empire whose power and splendor impressed all who witnessed it. The Incan capital was the richest city of the Americas.  Their wealth was so vast that often religious temples were covered in sheets of pure gold. Today, the ruins of the ancient Incan city Machu Picchu, is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. World Heritage sites are places around the world that have been internationally recognized for their outstanding value as natural and cultural treasures. These sites are sources of inspiration for travelers, and sources of pride and economic opportunity for local communities.  With its ancient temples and ritual structures, Machu Picchu was not only a cultur