On the plane ride here, examining my guidebook map, I noticed in the very north of Mongolia, surrounded (in my mind) by cliffs and pine trees and also maybe desert somehow, a region called “Darkhad Depression.” I immediately wanted to go and see this terrifying and melancholic region for myself. I looked up how to get there, and it just didn’t seem practical given my time and resources, which was almost as depressing as Darkhad itself.
Later I found out that it’s not Dark-Had Depression, which is awesome, but rather “Dar-Khad,” with the Kh being the same as the sound in “Khan,” that is, generally just pronounced as a heavy “H-” sound. (Think chutzpah.) It’s even spelled Darhad in some transliterations. So that’s not quite as Awesome…
But nonetheless, it is still listed in my book as “Darkhad Depression,” and circumstances have come together to take me there. This morning, I’ll be leaving UB (and internet access for a couple weeks) to discover if Darkhad Depression is as Awesome as its ominous name suggests. Till then, bayartai!
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