I had always had the notion that the Mongolian tundra was a completely flat expanse.  As I quickly found out, the terrain is wildly varied and transitioning from snow-capped mountains to flatlands to sand dunes to cliffs in one day was par for the course.

Aptly named, the red rock Flaming Cliffs (also called Bayanzag) appear to be on fire when the sun hits them just so.

Getting there first thing in the morning gave us the benefit of seeing the area in all its glory.

From the top of the cliffs, we could see for miles and miles in every direction.

And what did we see?  Absolutely nothing.

Talk about feeling isolated and cosmically insignificant.

Though the cliffs are gorgeous, they aren’t famous solely for their aesthetics; they’re the site of many important paleontological discoveries.  In the 1920’s, dinosaur eggs were unearthed here – the first ones ever found anywherein the world!

Such discoveries drew scientists from all over the world and unfortunately left the area stripped of most of its pre-hostoric artifacts and fossils (almost all were taken out of Mongolia by foreign researchers).  Just yet another example of a country being robbed of its natural resources for the benefit of the first world.

*For more lovely Photo Friday, head to Delicious Baby!