The Universal Migrator

On June 16th, 2007, a grand adventure began. It began with the flight of two wayward individuals, known to the world as Ross Pepping and Christian Jones, from the Los Angeles International Airport. Destination, Beijing—duration, unknown. Knowing these two individuals might give you the idea that such an expedition could only end in bloodshed or a likely imprisonment. Yet against all odds Chris returned home safely after five months in the orient. He was originally to return home after only two and a half months of travel, but certain developments—namely a run in with a band of wild Mongolians who placed him under the powerful, savage influence of the horde, causing him to feel a great need to live (and if necessary, die) among the Horse People of the Steppe, learn their customs, and become versed in the allure and mysteries of their women—required him to prolong his wanderings significantly.

Click the links below to see photos.

Монгол улс—Confessions of a Mongolian Summer . . .

• Улаанбаатар Ulaanbaatar
• Jarmag
• Destination Gobi
• English Storm Summer Camp
• Final Adventure in Mongolia
• Miscellaneous Images

中国—The China Syndrome . . .

• 北京 Beijing
• The Great Wall
• 西安 Xi’an

The story of Mr. Pepping runs a different course, as he is still wandering the asian continent as we speak—or as I type, as it were. His current whereabouts are known to be Vietnam, where he is believed to be squandering his moneys on 10-cent beers and the purchasing of small villages in the Mekong River Basin for the purpose of forming a unionized confederacy of riverboat pirates, to whom he is known as Admiral Bia Hoi.

UPDATE: Ross has now returned from his odyssey in the orient. After relinquishing his command of the Vietnamese riverboat pirates, Ross journeyed onward through the wilds of Vietnam to end up in neighboring Cambodia, where he ran a successful venture of black market goods trafficking using the people-powered bamboo train as a means of transport. After being “bought out” by local “business men,” Ross decided it would be pragmatic to move on from Khmer lands and enter into what in ancient times was called the Kingdom of Lan Xang, or Land of a Million Elephants. Officially known as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Laos is both a former vassal of Siam (Thailand) and a former protectorate of France. While in Laos Ross decided not to take up any business opportunities, and instead devoted his time to a little rest and relaxation. In order to maintain a high level of enjoyment, Ross partook in the consumption of the local refreshment known to foreigners as Happy Shakes, or the Super Happy Shake for those of a more daring ilk. I’ll leave it up to your own powers of perception to deduce just what those happy shakes do to one’s perception of reality. After completing his time of reflection in the Land of a Million Elephants, Ross traveled by rail to Bangkok, Thailand, where he began his final leg of his seven-month long odyssey in the orient, which would take him through Hong Kong on his way back to the city we call home, Los Angeles, City of Angles.

These pages will attempt to provide an accurate portrayal of events occurring between the dates of June 16th and November 16th of the year 2007. Please note that while most of the photos have been taken by Christian Jones, many were shot by Mr. Ross Pepping and some by a girl who will simply be known here as Ania. Further commentary will soon be added to the individual photo pages.