Today there are about 250 people who capture golden eagles, tame, train and hunt with them. Added to this task is that hunting with eagles is done on horseback.

Knowing that I had spent time in that neck of the woods, he wondered if I had some good leads, and I was able to make some connections for him in Bayan-Olgii, the far western side of Mongolia. Featuring the highest mountains, it shares a border with the Altai region of Russia. For the Kazakh people, who he met, eagle hunting is a way of life. Kids start learning how to train and hunt with eagles at about 13 years of age.

Hans made his way out, and he was fascinated by the experience. More so, he fell in love with the people he met and, after a couple of subsequent trips, found himself a part owner of a small hotel in the capital Olgii, a small city of about 24,000. Many small hotels in that region do not have running water and other necessities that we take for granted. Hans, who has traveled the world, now found himself in the business of helping his new partner Bekbolat Bugibay understand the importance of making upgrades to meet the basic experience of Western travelers. It was soon clear the hotel needed a manager. Who better than is partner’s nephew, Bahu Bagault?

Bahu first needed improvements with his English and some basic business management skills, so Hans sent him off to Holland to live with his relatives and gain some experience and education along those lines. Next it was to learn all aspects of running a hotel. As Hans and his partner, Barbara Tamerin, are often in Lake Placid, bringing the young hotelier here made sense. He discussed the problem one evening (September I recall) at a supper with Kate Fish and me. We suggested a great place to get hands-on experience would be at The Pines hotel. A call to Jill Cardinale, and that was that.

About a month ago, Bahu arrived. I had a chance to chat with him when he first started, and then again when Hans, Jill and her husband Frank Segger, and Bahu all got together to bid adieu and discuss how the experience went.

“In Mongolia, there are only 100,000 Kazakhs,” said Bahu. “Very few. Our traditions are a bit different than the Mongolians, but the actions are the same. We both ride horses as an example, live in yurts, herd goats and similar animals. My uncle Bekbolat has two businesses, a hotel with Hans and his guide and hunting business. He takes people hiking, mountain climbing, riding, and in winter hunting with eagles.”

“I have hunted with eagles, but now I live in the city and I don’t have time,” he said. “The country people have eagles. They are not easy to take care of. They are like a child. They need a lot of attention. In the winter, they catch their own food. The visitors only want the fur, and they get the meat. In the summer, we give them lots of marmots and mice.”

“Our hotel has 11 rooms, each with a double bed. The Pines is very big. They have 35 rooms. Our hotel has indoor plumbing, and we have central heating so we don’t have to heat with wood. We are busiest in the summer. Most of our international tourists come from America, Canada, Japan and Holland. The Canadians like to come in May and climb up the peaks and ski down as well as ski on the glacier.”

Bahu came with hopes of learning how to run a hotel and improve his English. A bit of a challenge is that he likes to eat well-cooked meat three times a day. Back home, that includes yak, horse and goat meat. Here we eat way more vegetables than he is used to and leafy salads are not common in Mongolia. A bit of a shock for him was the size of New York City and how busy everyone was. Another was the amount of choice available in our supermarkets. As he said, in Mongolia there is just one brand of bread and your only choice is having white or black bread, while here there are not only so many kinds of bread, but so many different shapes. He found the number of choices overwhelming.

Bahu loved watching ski jumping, going up a chairlift, and trying cross-country skiing, all a first for him. A month later, we all met at Lisa G’s for a final farewell luncheon.

“The first time I walked through the hotel in Olgii with Bahu in every room, there was something. I made lists and lists of the improvements needed,” said Hans Laverge. “I thought, ‘This is not fair. You have never run a hotel before.’ Then I thought the only way to learn is to do it because running a hotel is in may ways keeping things for going wrong.”

“Guests should always feel there is not a problem,” said Jill Cardinale. “They should feel we can take care of that.”

“And something always happens when the hotel is full,” said Frank Segger. “Here there always was plunging toilets, fixing the shower head, bringing extra towels up. There is always something. He had to learn to make a bed for a stay-over. He went through the whole nine yards.”

“Exactly,” said Hans. “I thought he needs a full immersion into running a hotel, which you provided and I am grateful.”

“We had a lot of fun, and people really enjoyed Bahu,” said Jill. “He even got fan mail from some of our guests.”

“The best part of having Bahu stay with us is that I learned a lot about Mongolia, including where it is,” said Frank.

“He really grasped the concept of looking around and seeing what needed to be done,” said Jill. “We had fun. Our customers really enjoyed him, and we’ll miss him. He invited every one of our customers to come stay with him in Mongolia. He handed out cards like they were water.”

“I want to come back,” said Bahu, “but next time I think as a guest.”