âAnd this also,â says Marlow, the narrator of Joseph Conradâs
Heart of Darkness, âhas been one of the dark places of the Earth.â Heâs talking about the stretch of the Thames estuary near Tilbury in Essex, that is now bookended by the imposing pylons of the cable-stayed Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and the bulk liquid storage facilities of Canvey Island. Itâs a little downstream from Purfleet, which Dracula found a handy place to keep his 50 boxes of Transylvanian earth. Itâs just off the A13 â a road, according to Iain Sinclair, of âmemory, mess, corruption, dying industries, political scams, satellite shopping citiesâ.
Oyunaa in Mongolia’s Tavan Bogd mountains. Photograph: Ruth Wiggins
Oyunaa in Mongolia’s Tavan Bogd mountains. Photograph: Ruth Wiggins
From crossing Ulaanbaatar’s chaotic streets to hiking sacred mountains, Oyunaa had an infectious love of her country – and a determination to succeed
RuthWiggins
Fri 5 Mar 2021 01.30 EST
Last modified on Tue 16 Mar 2021 09.34 EDT
Iain Sinclair’s phrase, “space expresses itself through the person you choose as a guide”, was in my mind as I stepped off the train in Ulaanbaatar. I’d never travelled with a tour guide but was about to spend two months hiking with someone I’d never met.
My Mongolian guide: walking with her was a joy newsoneplace.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsoneplace.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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