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Is this thing pointed toward Samarkand? Rolf gets a taste of the equestrian life near Erdensant, Mongolia.

Friends and vagabonders,

Well, I never thought I'd come to the point where I'd willingly display a photo of myself astride a horse.

Maybe this is because I grew up so near the prairie, yet never learned how to properly ride a horse. Or perhaps this is due to lingering resentment over the fact that I failed to buy a donkey in Egypt last year. Or maybe it's just because, when you're 6'3", posing for a photo on a low-slung Mongolian racing horse screams "Look at me! I'm a tourist dork!"

Nonetheless, there I am on a horse (see above) — and I swear the circumstances were much more dignified than they appear in the photo.

The horse incident arose during a three-week adventure in China and Mongolia this summer. What made this trip especially interesting was that — instead of striking out solo (as is my preferred style) — I ventured onto the Asian steppe with a couple of crusty Kansans named Alice and George Potts (who, as many of you know, are my parents).

Eventually, the tale of this Mongolia adventure (and its quirky reversal of the parental role) will debut on NPR's "Savvy Traveler" radio program. But for those interested in seeing a few select scenes from Mom and Dad Potts' trip (which — I must warn my weaker-hearted readers — include images of both dinosaurs and foreplay), click here for an on-line slideshow.

In addition to family follies and the awesome grandeur of the Mongolian steppe, many of our most memorable moments came from meeting Mongolian nomads en route to Karakorum from Ulan Bator — particularly at a horserace near the town of Erdensant. I've assembled a striking collection of nomad photos in a Faces of Mongolia gallery, which can be found on my Images page.

In other personal news, I'll admit that I still have no publication date to announce for the debut of my Laos story in Conde Nast Traveler. I've been told that the November issue is a possibility, but nothing is set in stone yet. Unlike my Internet stories, it seems, lead-time for glossy print magazines can be quite long.

In the meantime, be sure to click over to the Writers page, which features monthly interviews with intriguing figures from the world of travel writing. This month features a conversation with Asia-based Time magazine correspondent Ron Gluckman. In October, we will talk to travel documentary filmmaker Holly Morris — just in time for the debut of her "Adventure Divas" travel specials on PBS. And, if you didn't get the chance to drop in last month, our featured personality for August was award-winning writer and editor Jason Wilson.

Finally, I have a couple of entertaining new missives to share on my Letters page. First, Chris Milton of Salt Lake City shares an interesting theory in response to my "Up Cambodia Without a Phrasebook" story (wherein an elderly Cambodian lady walks up and licks my flesh while I'm taking a bath). Apparently, Milton posits, Cambodians think white people taste like dairy products. Also in Letters, our irrepressible Midwestern vagabonder Bill Jenkins sends in an anthropological report from his recent holiday in Arkansas.

If you have any observations or stories to share, just send me a message to the address below.

Till next time, cheers — and happy vagabonding!

Rolf
rolf@rolfpotts.com