— I live in a city, I saw camels in the zoo and yaks — only in the form of socks. Thus, started my journey to the Altai and Tuva…

We drove along the Chuysky tract. We asked a guide if we could see camels. He said it was unlikely. There weren’t many herders here on the road this season, and people usually met them only a couple of times a journey. Lo and behold a herd was trotting softly right at us us!

And then we rode through the Tuvan steppes. A beautiful jade-green sea of grass, horses, cows, and among them large shaggy creatures with horns … I could not believe my own eyes, that voice in my head was sceptical – “Come on, real yaks?” They look a bit stern. But then you see this Dulux-dog looking cow roll side to side on the riverbank and can’t help to exclaim “oh how cute!”

There are countless herds of goats and sheep (real ones) on the mountain slopes. The handsome black one on the photo lost his mother, then saw me and came to chew my fingers. I was so touched that I couldn’t not even focus my camera properly.

Tuvan groundhogs were out and about but for their fatness they run to shelter quickly. So much so that I wasn’t able to take a photo.

And nature, it turned out, was real! Alive, running, screaming!

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