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a common occurrence on many occasions , a mysterious figure slipping from ger to ger stoking fires and creating warmth and safety , often in the middle of the night with the occupants away in a land of slumber .
Looking about the round construction it was similar to all before , a latticed wooden frame , covered with blankets and rugs on the inside and a polyurethane membrane as the outer , not traditional , yet still able to provide protection from the elements . These contemporary versions used modern materials , with a bright white exterior to reflect the harsh Mongolian summer sun . Internally , most had linoleum floors , with razed , albeit small , beds . And of course , some form of electric lighting and power outlets .
My husband had told me about his experience with more traditional dwellings in Kyrgyzstan where they are known as yurts . He ' d mentioned that they always used animal felt skins , both external and internal , with a floor that was rugs on the grass or timber at best . Yet the premise was the same .
The realisation that the nomadic people of Mongolia were being forced into a world of modernity saddened me a little , yet I understood
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