I woke up at a decent hour today, ate breakfast, showered and set out to see the Winter Palace of one of the important Mongolian Buddhist temples, the current Buddhist temple complex and the Natural History Museum.
I decided to go to the Winter Palace first. I got on the bus indicated by the guidebook as going to the Palace and some nice Mongolian girl saw me reading the book and asked if she could help. She told me what stop to get off on and even offered to walk with me to find it. I said thank you very much, but I didn't want to interrupt her day and I would be okay I thought. She said it was very far to walk - maybe 1/2 mile. I said that I am a tourist and it's okay for me to walk, I like to see the city.
So I got off the bus and started walking. I saw some interesting buildings and took some photos, then continued walking looking for the "6 temples with a large white one on the right", as the guidebook indicted. I walked for what seemed 1/2 a mile, but then I came to the second river, which was not indicated in the guidebook so I stopped some women and asked. They chattered amongst themselves and then pointed ... in both directions! I retraced my steps and went into a supermarket to ask. Again the man was very nice and walked outside with me and pointed in the direction I had just come from. When he went back inside I asked a different man if he spoke English and told him what I was looking for. He seemed very sure of his directions and pointed me in the opposite direction of the store clerk.
This is the conclusion I have drawn about Mongolians... they want to practice English with you, and I think they really want to be helpful, but they also don't want to admit if they don't know something. This is sweet, but very frustrating as you end up wasting a lot of time walking in circles. This also happened to me yesterday when I was looking for a restaurant. A woman saw me looking at the book and the streets and offered to take me to the restaurant, only she started walking in the direction I was sure it was not. After 2 blocks I said I thought it was the other way, so she stopped someone in the street and asked and they said yes, the other way. She offered to walk with me, but I told her thank you, she didn't need to. Eventually I found it about 1/2 block past where she had offered to help in the first place. Ugh! If you ask 5 Mongolians directions, you will get 7 different answers!
So for the Palace... I walk back the way I had come, almost to the bus stop again! But this time I'm on the other side of the street and I see those buildings I took a picture of closer up. I see they kind of look like temples and one is white. Then I see this little gold plaque that says 'Winter Palace'. Yup, it's the place I took pictures of about 35 min ago! Ugh!
So I walk up and everything looks closed. I snap some photos and then push on the door by the closed ticket counter. I figured, hell I came this far, I'm not giving up without seriously trying to see this place! Miracles upon miracles, the door opens! I walk in and there are a couple of guys mowing the grass but no one seems to pay me much attention, so I waltz in and start taking photos. Only, I didn't get far before a guy came up and told me they're closed. I pointed to the sign that says they are open 10-6 but he points to the winter timetable that says closed on Wed and Thurs. Evidently the Winter Palace people decided that winter had come early this year. So I didn't get to see the Palace I had gone on such a search to find. Ugh.
I was still miserable with a stuffed up head and really tired so I decided I would go to the doctor. I got on a bus that I knew at least went to the main square, which would put me closer to the SOS International Medica, and I figured I would catch a cab from there. Only the bus turned at the square, and instead of stopping at the corner, went another 4 blocks before stopping. Double ugh! At this point I was close to the other temple I wanted to see so decided to just go there before the doctor.
I walked around shooting photos and even got some bootleg video of Buddhist ceremonies! It said no photos but it didn't say no videos so I covertly held my camera on my arm and recorded. Shame on me, I know. Then I went to the main temple where there is a Buddha statue that is 87 feet tall!! That' 3 stories! It's gilded gold and is quite imposing. It's only 2.50 to enter the temple but it's 5 to take pictures. This is the case with everything in Mongolia! (Sorry, I am using a wacky keyboard that won't type the dollar sign. It also has the y where the z should be and vice versa. Ugh!) There are hundreds of these round, gold ... pots for lack of a better word, and people walk around the Buddha and spin every single one of them. This is supposed to bring you luck. I twirled a few on them, but not all. But maybe I should have, or the Universe was getting me back for the bootleg video, because as I was standing there looking at this crazy huge Buddha, a pigeon crapped on my shoulder. Guess I better spin some more pots!
After the temple I FINALLY went to the doctor. It did look kind of far on the map, but the traffic also looked bad, and I didn't want to get stuck on the wrong bus again. So I walked. And walked. And walked. And Walked. I swear it must have been 2 miles! That's a beef I have with the Lonely Planet books - their map scale is a load of crap! I was so tired when I got there I just wanted to sleep. The receptionist asked which doctor I wanted to see and I said the American one. She said the ex-pat doctor on staff was actually from South Africa, but he obviously spoke English. I was in and out in maybe 30-40 mins. $147, a shot in the butt and some pills later and I feel much better! :) The antibiotics I took a week plus ago had cleared up the sinus infection, but my sinuses were still really inflamed and clogged. He gave me a steroid shot (prednisone) for the inflammation, and sudafed for the congestion. I had tried like crazy to get sudafed here in UB before leaving for the Gobi, but that's when I came away with just the TheraFlu stuff. Perhaps pseudoephedrine is only available by prescription here? They are worth their weight in gold to me anyhow! Within 20-30 mins of the shot and 1 pill, I was already feeling better. My head unclogged, my headache went away and my drippy nose finally stopped! Of course the drippy and headache comes back when the sudafed wears off, but it's SO much better than it was.
Feeling better, I was able to enjoy UB's other saving grace - the National Academy Dance and Singing Troup. It was only an hour and 15 min but was really good. There were a number of dance acts with beautiful costumes, some awesome throat singers, contortionists, regular singers and an orchestra. I got some amazing video, but now I'm starting to worry I won't have enough GB for the Great Wall and Beijing. I've got 5GB more of memory cards and about 80 pictures on the card I have in now. I may have to buy another in Beijing. Since I came with 17GB that sounds a little crazy, I know.
After the performance I really wanted to buy a CD of the throat singers but I had zero cash. I had to pay to take photos and I didn't even have enough to cover that. The lady just took all the cash I had and said ok. I asked the woman selling CDs if I could run to an ATM and she would wait. She said yes, 10 mins. So I ran 2 blocks to the nearest ATM and ran back just in time. Then I needed to use the restroom and as I was coming out an artist was selling his paintings and seemed like he really wanted me to buy one. They were actually nice and I selected a small one I can carry easily. It was only 5,000 togrogs, which is only about 3.50, but he seemed super excited to sell it and get the money.
After this I went to the grocery store to get food for tomorrow's train. The cashier gave me my change but it was 1 togrog short. I read in the book that almost no one uses the 1 and in fact I know I hadn't received a few before. As 1 togrog is equal to 0.0007 cents, I'm not too worried, but I did want to have one for a souvenir so I asked holding up one finger and said 'souvenir' so she didn't think I was just being a ridiculous tightwad tourist. lol
After that it was back to the guest house, eat leftover pizza and type this blog post. Now I will take a shower since I have to get up at 6.40 already to get the train. (Also can't find the colon sign. lol)
Night night!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Ulaanbaatar is Disgusting!
After spending 5 glorious days in the sand, sun and wide open desert with clean, fresh air and no annoying insects, UB is a huge disappointment. The air is visibly dirty and there are these annoying little gnats everywhere that make it almost impossible to breathe. I really wish I was going to Beijing tomorrow, but I will make the best of it. I got back at 3.00 and emailed and blog posted until 6 so have only a few hours left in the day anyway.
I bought a ticket to see the National Academy Dance and Singing Troup tomorrow night because it came highly recommended by the American woman on the bus and a Dutch girl staying in my hostel (called guest houses in Mongolia).
After 5 days of eating Tol's delicious Mongolian food, i decided it was time for a change and went to an Italian restaurant and had minestrone and pizza... and Coca Cola Light! Ahhh,the little pleasures in life. :) I was going to have Mongolian/Irish pub food but there was nowhere to sit that wasn't inundated with a smoky haze. The Italian place let me sit in the back room where there was no one else and near the open back door.
After eating I went to the supermarket and got food for breakfast. Then I took a much needed shower and went to sleep. Pretty dull day.
I bought a ticket to see the National Academy Dance and Singing Troup tomorrow night because it came highly recommended by the American woman on the bus and a Dutch girl staying in my hostel (called guest houses in Mongolia).
After 5 days of eating Tol's delicious Mongolian food, i decided it was time for a change and went to an Italian restaurant and had minestrone and pizza... and Coca Cola Light! Ahhh,the little pleasures in life. :) I was going to have Mongolian/Irish pub food but there was nowhere to sit that wasn't inundated with a smoky haze. The Italian place let me sit in the back room where there was no one else and near the open back door.
After eating I went to the supermarket and got food for breakfast. Then I took a much needed shower and went to sleep. Pretty dull day.
The Gobi Desert - Day 5, Sept 15 - Goodbye Arburd Sands
Today is the day I leave Arburd Sands and head back to UB. On one hand I am ready to be on my way and continue my next destination, but on the other I am a little sad to leave the people with whom I have spent the last 5 days with and grown fond of. After breakfast I went and packed ever thing and then went to the library to get a wall hanging I had admired the first day. I also saw a pair of Mongolian wool slippers that were only $14 so i got them as well. I would really have liked to have bought one of the super warm cashmere blankets that say 'Arburd Sands' but they weren't advertised as for sale and it would be so bulky it would be hard to carry for another 9 days. Yes, it's hard to believe I only have 9 more days! But I do feel like I've had quite an adventure, and also quite a relaxing time. And I still have a whole other country (and the Great Wall!!) to go!
It's quite cold today with the wind really whipping. It seems like I've picked the perfect time to leave as it's been getting progressively cooler the last 3 days or so. In fact, next weekend is the final of the season for the camp, and then it closes until next year, opening again in May or June. It was so cold this morning that when I squeezed my tube of Vaseline (for my lizard scale dry lips), it was so hard from the cold that it actually popped the seam of the tube! Good thing I brought along some duct tape!
Before I left I gave each person in camp - the guides, cook and waitress - a small tip and had one of the Norwegians take a group photo of us. I asked Badrakh to tell them I felt like I was leaving family. Then I kissed each one on the cheek and they stood and waved until we were out of sight.
Badrakh was driving me back (in his good 4x that is a *much* smoother ride than the mini bus I came in) and said we would stop at his father's ger. First we stopped at the ger of a family of one of the guides and they gave us curds and aairaig. Then we stopped at Badrakh's father's and he explained that his father was actually coming with us as Badrakh was taking him to the hospital to have a heart condition checked.
His father is 79 and small boned, but when he put on his brightly colored maroon silk robe with black embroidery and a medal pinned to the breast, his large decorative belt and traditional Mongolian wool boots curved up at the toes, he looked like royalty. Then he put on a white straw western cowboy hat and he became a mix of Mongolian and western.
At Badrakh's father's they gave me a bowl of warm milk and I had drunk almost all of it before I remembered that even at home, when I have too much dairy without carbohydrates to help digest it, I get a bad tummy. So on the drive all the way to UB I had the worst gas and Badrakh and his father would always roll the window down for a few min every time I let one. I imagined Badrakh's father saying to him, 'Son, what are you feeding these tourists!?' LOL
I'm now sitting in the Nomadic Journey office posting all these blogs so you are up-to-date on what's going on here in Mongolia! I am feeling better today so have decided to wait until tomorrow to go to the doctor, if I feel crummy again. I don't leave for Beijing until Thursday so I have all day tomorrow. The plan is to sight see in UB and then I will take an 8am train on Thurs.
Will send more post cards (hopefully those of you that I have mailing addresses for have received some already) and will update the blog as more fun things happen! Don't forget to write me!!! :)
It's quite cold today with the wind really whipping. It seems like I've picked the perfect time to leave as it's been getting progressively cooler the last 3 days or so. In fact, next weekend is the final of the season for the camp, and then it closes until next year, opening again in May or June. It was so cold this morning that when I squeezed my tube of Vaseline (for my lizard scale dry lips), it was so hard from the cold that it actually popped the seam of the tube! Good thing I brought along some duct tape!
Before I left I gave each person in camp - the guides, cook and waitress - a small tip and had one of the Norwegians take a group photo of us. I asked Badrakh to tell them I felt like I was leaving family. Then I kissed each one on the cheek and they stood and waved until we were out of sight.
Badrakh was driving me back (in his good 4x that is a *much* smoother ride than the mini bus I came in) and said we would stop at his father's ger. First we stopped at the ger of a family of one of the guides and they gave us curds and aairaig. Then we stopped at Badrakh's father's and he explained that his father was actually coming with us as Badrakh was taking him to the hospital to have a heart condition checked.
His father is 79 and small boned, but when he put on his brightly colored maroon silk robe with black embroidery and a medal pinned to the breast, his large decorative belt and traditional Mongolian wool boots curved up at the toes, he looked like royalty. Then he put on a white straw western cowboy hat and he became a mix of Mongolian and western.
At Badrakh's father's they gave me a bowl of warm milk and I had drunk almost all of it before I remembered that even at home, when I have too much dairy without carbohydrates to help digest it, I get a bad tummy. So on the drive all the way to UB I had the worst gas and Badrakh and his father would always roll the window down for a few min every time I let one. I imagined Badrakh's father saying to him, 'Son, what are you feeding these tourists!?' LOL
I'm now sitting in the Nomadic Journey office posting all these blogs so you are up-to-date on what's going on here in Mongolia! I am feeling better today so have decided to wait until tomorrow to go to the doctor, if I feel crummy again. I don't leave for Beijing until Thursday so I have all day tomorrow. The plan is to sight see in UB and then I will take an 8am train on Thurs.
Will send more post cards (hopefully those of you that I have mailing addresses for have received some already) and will update the blog as more fun things happen! Don't forget to write me!!! :)
The Gobi Desert - Day 4, Sept 14 - Horse Riding, Mare Milking and Yogurt Vodka
I think I have more than a sinus infection because I slept over 12 hours again last night and feel crummy again. I think it's time to see a doctor and there is a clinic in UB staffed with western doctors, so I will go there when I return tomorrow. Thank goodness for health insurance and travel insurance because the book says office visits START at $195!
I didn't wake up until 10:30, but wonderful Tol still made me breakfast. She made a pancake, but to be honest, I prefer the Mongolian yogurt and granola with the yummy jam, and the dark Mongolian bread also with the jam.
I decided that even though I feel crummy I would still go for a horse ride because I leave tomorrow before lunch and won't have another opportunity. The Mongolian horse lives completely in the wild. There are no barns or stables. They sleep in huddled circles with the outermost ones protecting the inner circle from wolves by kicking. They take turns throughout the night shifting from the outer circle to the inner circle.
Badrakh said I would ride to a family's ger and he and two Norwegian tourists who had arrived at lunch would meet us there by car. He said we would be making vodka from yogurt!
They gave me chaps and a helmet and I got on with no trouble. As the Mongolian horse is much shorter than our domestic horse, I didn't need a boost or step. The horses walked pretty slowly across the desert and I wanted to ask if we could go faster but i thought I would wait until the ride back, after I had gotten a feel for the horse's temperament.
We crossed desert with lots of little hills, akin to ski moguls. Every once in awhile the horses would sink into a hole and stumble a bit. The guide indicated that these mounds and holes are made by a desert mouse (which I've seen hundreds of here!) that burrow tunnels and weaken the sand. I think they are more like gophers or prairie dogs, but as small as mice. They burrow and can stand up on their hind legs, and look more like gophers than mice.
We arrived at the family's ger and Badrakh and Tol began making the vodka. They take yogurt that is 3 weeks old and put it in a pan over a fire. Then they put a huge metal container over it and suspend a bucket in it. Then they cover this with another pan and gradually add cold water. As the steam rises through the cooking yogurt and hits the cold water in the metal pan, it produces condensation that drips (or distills) into the suspended bucket and that is the vodka. I'm still not sure how you get alcohol from yogurt, but maybe because it's been fermenting for 3 weeks...? He made the fire the traditional Mongolian way - with dung instead of wood. It said it didn't smell at all (he said the dung they burn is 1-2 years old!) and asked why we didn't use it in camp? Badrakh said tourists don't like it. Although i didn't say it, I think he should use dung and tell the tourists it's both traditional and eco-friendly!
While the vodka was distilling we got an opportunity to witness 'milking of the mares'. This is when they milk the mother horses - and they do it every hour and a half!! They gather all the foals and tie them up and then bring one over to the mare and let it suckle for a couple of minutes to get the mother's milk flowing. Then they take the foal away and milk the mare. (Before I left home I had been talking about milking camels, but evidently I was mistaken since I never saw them milk camels, just the mares.)
I asked if I might try and after a bit they called me over and said I could! I asked the Norwegian guy if he would take a video for me and I have the most awesome video of me milking a mare!! I've already watched it 3 times! Lol
We had goats growing up and I used to milk them, so I kind of knew the process, but mare teats are much smaller than goat's and it's really hard to control where the milk goes. I got it all over my hands and sprayed my jacket a couple of times too. When I was finished I thanked them and then tasted the milk that had run down my hands. It was surprisingly sweet! And as it dried it was very sticky. I have to say that milking a mare has probably been the highlight of my trip so far!
We had the vodka and then started back to camp. After a bit I indicated that I would like to go a little faster and the guide said to get the horses to go you say 'tshu' (pronounced like 'shoe' but starting with your tongue pressed to your two front teeth.) They began to move a little faster. I know Amos will kill me if I get it wrong but I think it was a trot. ;) After a bit more time I was comfortable with this pace and wanted to go faster. I could also see the camp in the distance and knew we were getting close. The guide told me to stand up when the horse galloped and off we went. I have to say that standing up in the saddle was much easier at a faster pace! I didn't bounce around and it was much easier to keep my balance.
We only got to gallop for a short time before the guide indicated we needed to stop because we were close to camp. I still wanted to ride fast so I asked if we could go for awhile more. We turned around and rode at a good galloping pace for maybe another 15 min and then he indicated we should go back because the horses were working up a sweat. We slowed them to a walk for the last few min back to camp. I asked Badrakh if I could give them a sugar cube and he said he didn't think they would take it, but I could try. I took 4 sugar cubes (2 for each horse) and offered one to the horse I had ridden. He kept turning his head away but I opened his mouth and placed the sugar cube in thinking as soon as he tasted it he'd understand. But Badrakh was right, the horse just spit it out. Lol
I gave wash to Tol and then took a shower. Since I was leaving the next day and knew I wouldn't have an opportunity to properly wash again until I got home, I gave her just about everything, including all my warm clothes except my wind breaker and nylon pants. After dinner I asked if the clothes were dry but she said 'tomorrow'. I explained that I needed the warm clothes to sleep in so she at least went and got those, but there was no way the cotton tights were going to dry in time. So, Badrakh had them bring me another set of blankets and I was very warm!
I didn't wake up until 10:30, but wonderful Tol still made me breakfast. She made a pancake, but to be honest, I prefer the Mongolian yogurt and granola with the yummy jam, and the dark Mongolian bread also with the jam.
I decided that even though I feel crummy I would still go for a horse ride because I leave tomorrow before lunch and won't have another opportunity. The Mongolian horse lives completely in the wild. There are no barns or stables. They sleep in huddled circles with the outermost ones protecting the inner circle from wolves by kicking. They take turns throughout the night shifting from the outer circle to the inner circle.
Badrakh said I would ride to a family's ger and he and two Norwegian tourists who had arrived at lunch would meet us there by car. He said we would be making vodka from yogurt!
They gave me chaps and a helmet and I got on with no trouble. As the Mongolian horse is much shorter than our domestic horse, I didn't need a boost or step. The horses walked pretty slowly across the desert and I wanted to ask if we could go faster but i thought I would wait until the ride back, after I had gotten a feel for the horse's temperament.
We crossed desert with lots of little hills, akin to ski moguls. Every once in awhile the horses would sink into a hole and stumble a bit. The guide indicated that these mounds and holes are made by a desert mouse (which I've seen hundreds of here!) that burrow tunnels and weaken the sand. I think they are more like gophers or prairie dogs, but as small as mice. They burrow and can stand up on their hind legs, and look more like gophers than mice.
We arrived at the family's ger and Badrakh and Tol began making the vodka. They take yogurt that is 3 weeks old and put it in a pan over a fire. Then they put a huge metal container over it and suspend a bucket in it. Then they cover this with another pan and gradually add cold water. As the steam rises through the cooking yogurt and hits the cold water in the metal pan, it produces condensation that drips (or distills) into the suspended bucket and that is the vodka. I'm still not sure how you get alcohol from yogurt, but maybe because it's been fermenting for 3 weeks...? He made the fire the traditional Mongolian way - with dung instead of wood. It said it didn't smell at all (he said the dung they burn is 1-2 years old!) and asked why we didn't use it in camp? Badrakh said tourists don't like it. Although i didn't say it, I think he should use dung and tell the tourists it's both traditional and eco-friendly!
While the vodka was distilling we got an opportunity to witness 'milking of the mares'. This is when they milk the mother horses - and they do it every hour and a half!! They gather all the foals and tie them up and then bring one over to the mare and let it suckle for a couple of minutes to get the mother's milk flowing. Then they take the foal away and milk the mare. (Before I left home I had been talking about milking camels, but evidently I was mistaken since I never saw them milk camels, just the mares.)
I asked if I might try and after a bit they called me over and said I could! I asked the Norwegian guy if he would take a video for me and I have the most awesome video of me milking a mare!! I've already watched it 3 times! Lol
We had goats growing up and I used to milk them, so I kind of knew the process, but mare teats are much smaller than goat's and it's really hard to control where the milk goes. I got it all over my hands and sprayed my jacket a couple of times too. When I was finished I thanked them and then tasted the milk that had run down my hands. It was surprisingly sweet! And as it dried it was very sticky. I have to say that milking a mare has probably been the highlight of my trip so far!
We had the vodka and then started back to camp. After a bit I indicated that I would like to go a little faster and the guide said to get the horses to go you say 'tshu' (pronounced like 'shoe' but starting with your tongue pressed to your two front teeth.) They began to move a little faster. I know Amos will kill me if I get it wrong but I think it was a trot. ;) After a bit more time I was comfortable with this pace and wanted to go faster. I could also see the camp in the distance and knew we were getting close. The guide told me to stand up when the horse galloped and off we went. I have to say that standing up in the saddle was much easier at a faster pace! I didn't bounce around and it was much easier to keep my balance.
We only got to gallop for a short time before the guide indicated we needed to stop because we were close to camp. I still wanted to ride fast so I asked if we could go for awhile more. We turned around and rode at a good galloping pace for maybe another 15 min and then he indicated we should go back because the horses were working up a sweat. We slowed them to a walk for the last few min back to camp. I asked Badrakh if I could give them a sugar cube and he said he didn't think they would take it, but I could try. I took 4 sugar cubes (2 for each horse) and offered one to the horse I had ridden. He kept turning his head away but I opened his mouth and placed the sugar cube in thinking as soon as he tasted it he'd understand. But Badrakh was right, the horse just spit it out. Lol
I gave wash to Tol and then took a shower. Since I was leaving the next day and knew I wouldn't have an opportunity to properly wash again until I got home, I gave her just about everything, including all my warm clothes except my wind breaker and nylon pants. After dinner I asked if the clothes were dry but she said 'tomorrow'. I explained that I needed the warm clothes to sleep in so she at least went and got those, but there was no way the cotton tights were going to dry in time. So, Badrakh had them bring me another set of blankets and I was very warm!
The Gobi Desert - Day 3, Sept 13 - Searching for Ibex and Knuckle Bone Championships
Ahhh, there is nothing like waking up to the crackle of a warm fire and the sun shining brightly!
After breakfast I set off with a driver to look for ibex and mountain sheep. He stopped several times and took out the telescope but we didn't spot any. It would have been nice, but the scenery was so beautiful I really didn't care. One of the places we stopped was Sacred Mountain and I tried to indicate to him I wanted to climb it. I don't think he was understanding so I took my hiking boots out of my backpack and pointed to he mountain. He pulled over and indicated that it was very steep. I tried to say I was only going to go part way but I don't think he understood.
I scaled the steep slope quite rapidly and turned around to take photos of the spectacular views. I was about to start back down when I spotted a lake over another mountain ridge, so I continued up a little further. I got a nice shot of an oasis-like lake in the middle of the desert!
As I was coming down I put my hand on a prickly plant and quickly pulled my hand away and pulled the stickers out. But it really stung and I hoped it wasn't something poisonous. I even took a picture of it in case it was and I had to show someone what got me. Now, even hours later, it still stings pretty good but it's not swelling and I can still breathe, so I guess I'll be ok. :)
I knew we were also headed to the knuckle bone shooting championships, which were being held that day, and after another 30 min or so of driving we arrived at a make-shift camp where the games were going on. Badrakh was there and took me around to the different tents and the different games going on. He said it was ok to take pictures so I took many and also videos. I can't wait to share them with you. Essentially, they flick a piece of deer antler at other pieces of deer antler from 8-10 feet away and whomever hits the most pieces wins. To get down to the final champion, the target piece gets smaller and smaller, and at one point they were aiming for a coin the size of a dime.
After a time I asked Badrakh if women cold play too and he said yes, one of the people who would be playing for the championship this year was a woman. So I asked if I could try it and a middle aged Mongolian man indicated to Badrakh that he would like to teach me. Only he wasn't really teaching me, it turned out we were playing a game and whoever lost had to give the winner a bottle of vodka. I'll give you one guess who the winner was.
After I lost Badrakh took us to a jeep that must have been his and gave me a bottle of vodka to present to the man I had lost to. Then we all sat cross-legged in a circle and he poured a shot. Badrakh interpreted that the first shot is thrown into the wind as a gift to the mountains. The next shot the man gave to me and told Badrakh to tell me he was honored as I was the first foreigner he had ever played knuckle bone with. I said I too was honored and asked the Mongolian word for 'cheers' and then drank the entire shot. They all cheered and passed shots around the circle. Most of them put their fingers in it and flicked it onto the air before drinking half and Badrakh told me it was also a gift to the mountains. So I made sure to do this each time I had vodka for the rest of the day - and I did have more vodka the rest of the day! It seems to be the Mongolian drink of choice, which makes sense I guess seeing that they are so close to Russia, and used to be ruled by Russians.
This guy I lost to seemed to take a liking to me and wanted Badrakh to take our picture. He was also kissing my cheek. Badrakh said he told the man he would send the picture to his wife if he didn't behave, and the man replied back please don't send the picture to his wife or she might not let him come to the games next year, and the whole circle roared with laughter.
I wandered around watching different matches and taking photos. I found some kids that had a pet bunny and he let me hold it. The kids were following me around and one spoke decent English. I ended up teaching them to play American baseball and they loved it! We played with an empty water bottle in place of the ball and fashioned bases from something that looked like old roofing tiles and bats from sticks. I was the pitcher for a long time and then one of the boys wanted me to hit so he pitched. It really was fun, and quite a heartwarming experience. I also got a couple of good videos.
I was getting a little bored and ready to go (I had been there probably 4 or 5 hours at that point) but Badrakh told me there was going to be a closing ceremony where they presented medals and drank aairag, which is the fermented mare's milk I'd read about and was determined to try! They had already set-up for the ceremony and the aairag was sitting there in a pot and Badrakh asked if i wanted to try it, but I didn't want to be rude so I told him I would wait for the ceremony. Turns out the ceremony was still a couple of hours away!
I climbed some rocks with the boys I had played baseball with as they wanted to show me some water. They had these small sticks they had sharpened and showed me how they used hem to climb the rocks with. I tried it, but I couldn't keep my balance using the stick, so I told them I would use my fingers. They looked at me a little unbelievably, but when I scaled the rocks with ease they seemed to be somewhat impressed.
We made it to the water and it turned out to be a little tide pool of sorts. They indicated there were 'baby fish' and sure enough, there were. I scooped one up in my hand and offered it to one of the boys who took it, but the other one seemed afraid to hold it. Eventually he did and I think they enjoyed it.
Then I took their picture and they each wanted a picture with me. They really were the sweetest kids. Then they got intrigued by my camera and wanted to take pictures of their families far below with my zoom. I knew I could erase them later so I let them play with it. Each time they took a photo, the one little boy who spoke some English would say "It's good!" and hold his thumb up. Lol
Finally it was time for he closing ceremony and I took some photos of the men getting their medals. After they received their medals they went around the entire circle and shook hands with everyone, including me. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised how warm and welcoming everyone was of me, a foreigner, at a tournament of a game of such national importance. Everyone constantly invited me into their tent for food and into their circles for vodka. The Mongolian people are quite hospitable and warm.
Oh, a side story. All the people shooting knuckle bone sit on these little stools with one knee on a little rug for balance. I really liked the stool and asked Badrakh where I could buy one - if it was collapsible or portable enough to carry home with me. After a time the son of the woman in the championships came up to me and handed me one of the stools that comes apart into 3 pieces so is fully portable. He didn't ask for money or anything, but I asked Badrakh what an appropriate amount was. He said maybe 20, which meant 20,000 tögrög, which is about $14. That's probably a little pricey for a beat-up stool, but I was happy to pay it because I now have a genuine knucle bone chair used by a woman in the championships!
After the ceremony I finally got to taste aairag! It's tart, but I liked it. Actually, I like it more than I do the warm whole cows milk they serve for breakfast, which I think tastes kind of gamey. I find that surprising, thinking milk from a horse would taste more gamey, but maybe it's because it's fermented and therefore tart. They said it was about 4-5% alcohol, and I suppose if you drank bowl after bowl you'd get drunk, but it didn't taste alcoholic at all to me. They also let the littlest children drink it so it can't be that strong.
I'm pretty proud of myself on the food front on this trip. In Irkutsk I had beef tongue and that local fish I told you about. And at the games when I looked at the pot of aairag, it had dust, a couple of gnats and some horse hair floating in it, but I still drank it right down! Anytime anyone asks me if I'd like "x" i say yes, even if I have no idea what it is. I always ask Tol 'is this Mongolian?' so I think she knows I want to try all Mongolian food.
Finally, it was time to go back to camp. It had been 9 hours since we had left that morning and I was quite tired. I took a lovely, and much needed, hot shower, had dinner, visited with the 4 Australian tourists that had come the day before and collapsed into bed before 10pm. Quite a day!
After breakfast I set off with a driver to look for ibex and mountain sheep. He stopped several times and took out the telescope but we didn't spot any. It would have been nice, but the scenery was so beautiful I really didn't care. One of the places we stopped was Sacred Mountain and I tried to indicate to him I wanted to climb it. I don't think he was understanding so I took my hiking boots out of my backpack and pointed to he mountain. He pulled over and indicated that it was very steep. I tried to say I was only going to go part way but I don't think he understood.
I scaled the steep slope quite rapidly and turned around to take photos of the spectacular views. I was about to start back down when I spotted a lake over another mountain ridge, so I continued up a little further. I got a nice shot of an oasis-like lake in the middle of the desert!
As I was coming down I put my hand on a prickly plant and quickly pulled my hand away and pulled the stickers out. But it really stung and I hoped it wasn't something poisonous. I even took a picture of it in case it was and I had to show someone what got me. Now, even hours later, it still stings pretty good but it's not swelling and I can still breathe, so I guess I'll be ok. :)
I knew we were also headed to the knuckle bone shooting championships, which were being held that day, and after another 30 min or so of driving we arrived at a make-shift camp where the games were going on. Badrakh was there and took me around to the different tents and the different games going on. He said it was ok to take pictures so I took many and also videos. I can't wait to share them with you. Essentially, they flick a piece of deer antler at other pieces of deer antler from 8-10 feet away and whomever hits the most pieces wins. To get down to the final champion, the target piece gets smaller and smaller, and at one point they were aiming for a coin the size of a dime.
After a time I asked Badrakh if women cold play too and he said yes, one of the people who would be playing for the championship this year was a woman. So I asked if I could try it and a middle aged Mongolian man indicated to Badrakh that he would like to teach me. Only he wasn't really teaching me, it turned out we were playing a game and whoever lost had to give the winner a bottle of vodka. I'll give you one guess who the winner was.
After I lost Badrakh took us to a jeep that must have been his and gave me a bottle of vodka to present to the man I had lost to. Then we all sat cross-legged in a circle and he poured a shot. Badrakh interpreted that the first shot is thrown into the wind as a gift to the mountains. The next shot the man gave to me and told Badrakh to tell me he was honored as I was the first foreigner he had ever played knuckle bone with. I said I too was honored and asked the Mongolian word for 'cheers' and then drank the entire shot. They all cheered and passed shots around the circle. Most of them put their fingers in it and flicked it onto the air before drinking half and Badrakh told me it was also a gift to the mountains. So I made sure to do this each time I had vodka for the rest of the day - and I did have more vodka the rest of the day! It seems to be the Mongolian drink of choice, which makes sense I guess seeing that they are so close to Russia, and used to be ruled by Russians.
This guy I lost to seemed to take a liking to me and wanted Badrakh to take our picture. He was also kissing my cheek. Badrakh said he told the man he would send the picture to his wife if he didn't behave, and the man replied back please don't send the picture to his wife or she might not let him come to the games next year, and the whole circle roared with laughter.
I wandered around watching different matches and taking photos. I found some kids that had a pet bunny and he let me hold it. The kids were following me around and one spoke decent English. I ended up teaching them to play American baseball and they loved it! We played with an empty water bottle in place of the ball and fashioned bases from something that looked like old roofing tiles and bats from sticks. I was the pitcher for a long time and then one of the boys wanted me to hit so he pitched. It really was fun, and quite a heartwarming experience. I also got a couple of good videos.
I was getting a little bored and ready to go (I had been there probably 4 or 5 hours at that point) but Badrakh told me there was going to be a closing ceremony where they presented medals and drank aairag, which is the fermented mare's milk I'd read about and was determined to try! They had already set-up for the ceremony and the aairag was sitting there in a pot and Badrakh asked if i wanted to try it, but I didn't want to be rude so I told him I would wait for the ceremony. Turns out the ceremony was still a couple of hours away!
I climbed some rocks with the boys I had played baseball with as they wanted to show me some water. They had these small sticks they had sharpened and showed me how they used hem to climb the rocks with. I tried it, but I couldn't keep my balance using the stick, so I told them I would use my fingers. They looked at me a little unbelievably, but when I scaled the rocks with ease they seemed to be somewhat impressed.
We made it to the water and it turned out to be a little tide pool of sorts. They indicated there were 'baby fish' and sure enough, there were. I scooped one up in my hand and offered it to one of the boys who took it, but the other one seemed afraid to hold it. Eventually he did and I think they enjoyed it.
Then I took their picture and they each wanted a picture with me. They really were the sweetest kids. Then they got intrigued by my camera and wanted to take pictures of their families far below with my zoom. I knew I could erase them later so I let them play with it. Each time they took a photo, the one little boy who spoke some English would say "It's good!" and hold his thumb up. Lol
Finally it was time for he closing ceremony and I took some photos of the men getting their medals. After they received their medals they went around the entire circle and shook hands with everyone, including me. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised how warm and welcoming everyone was of me, a foreigner, at a tournament of a game of such national importance. Everyone constantly invited me into their tent for food and into their circles for vodka. The Mongolian people are quite hospitable and warm.
Oh, a side story. All the people shooting knuckle bone sit on these little stools with one knee on a little rug for balance. I really liked the stool and asked Badrakh where I could buy one - if it was collapsible or portable enough to carry home with me. After a time the son of the woman in the championships came up to me and handed me one of the stools that comes apart into 3 pieces so is fully portable. He didn't ask for money or anything, but I asked Badrakh what an appropriate amount was. He said maybe 20, which meant 20,000 tögrög, which is about $14. That's probably a little pricey for a beat-up stool, but I was happy to pay it because I now have a genuine knucle bone chair used by a woman in the championships!
After the ceremony I finally got to taste aairag! It's tart, but I liked it. Actually, I like it more than I do the warm whole cows milk they serve for breakfast, which I think tastes kind of gamey. I find that surprising, thinking milk from a horse would taste more gamey, but maybe it's because it's fermented and therefore tart. They said it was about 4-5% alcohol, and I suppose if you drank bowl after bowl you'd get drunk, but it didn't taste alcoholic at all to me. They also let the littlest children drink it so it can't be that strong.
I'm pretty proud of myself on the food front on this trip. In Irkutsk I had beef tongue and that local fish I told you about. And at the games when I looked at the pot of aairag, it had dust, a couple of gnats and some horse hair floating in it, but I still drank it right down! Anytime anyone asks me if I'd like "x" i say yes, even if I have no idea what it is. I always ask Tol 'is this Mongolian?' so I think she knows I want to try all Mongolian food.
Finally, it was time to go back to camp. It had been 9 hours since we had left that morning and I was quite tired. I took a lovely, and much needed, hot shower, had dinner, visited with the 4 Australian tourists that had come the day before and collapsed into bed before 10pm. Quite a day!
Gobi Desert - Day 2, Sept 12 - Camel Riding
After a good 11.5 hour sleep I feel much better. My ears are still plugged and I'm draining loads of yuckiness, but I'm feeling more rested. It was pretty cold all night but they have these wonderful quilted blankets that kind of conform to you and snug up against you to keep the cold air out, and a wonderfully warm camel hair cashmere blanket on top of that. I also was wearing some wonderful knitted wool socks i bought from a local vendor on the train a couple days before. (I got them for only $1.50!)
At 6am someone came in and started the fire, although I pretty much slept through it all. Twice in the night I had to pee but there was no way I was going outside and freeze and wake up completely. I had already thought of this before going to bed and had decided I would use the sink catch bucket and just empty it into the outhouse in the morning - and that's exactly what I did! I tried not to let them see me taking the bucket to the outhouse in case it was offensive, but there was no way I was going to walk 75 yards to pee when it was probably 35 degrees out!
When I finally got up at 9:30 I had a yummy breakfast of an omelet and breads with a chocolate spread, cheese spread and delicious jam made from a Mongolian berry that grows in the mountains. And always tea. Russians and Mongolians drink more tea than I've ever seen! I have yet to see anyone drink a glass of pure water!
At breakfast I told Badrakh that I would like to take a camel ride after lunch. I decided to go for just two hours because I thought that's all my tush and inner thighs would be able to take the first time around. (Boy was I right!)
Between breakfast and the camel ride I sat in the sun and read and wrote a blog post on my iPhone, and took a short walk and took more photos. I also asked the cook Tol (toll like a road or Toll House cookies) if I could do some wash. They got it out and dug a hole in the sand for the water to drain into. When it was finished spinning she laid everything on the shrubs to dry. I was a little worried that my cotton/spandex tights that I wear to bed and my thick wool socks wouldn't dry lying down like that, but I figured I'd let them do it their way and I would check to be sure they were dry before the sun went down. After my walk I checked them and though it had been only 30 min or so, *everything* was bone dry! The Gobi sun is HOT!
While we were waiting for the camels to be rounded up I got a awesome video of two young Mongolian men in a spontaneous wrestling match. Wrestling is one of Mongolia's national sports, with horsemanship, archery and a game called knuckle bone (more on that tomorrow) being the others.
When the camels were saddled up I watched with awe as they go the camel to kneel on it's front legs, then its back legs and then lay down all together so that I could easily get on. They achieve this by means of an apparatus made from a twig that is inserted into the camel's nostril and then secured, so that when they pull on it the camel submits pretty easily. I know it sounds inhumane, and that was also my first thought, but you have to realize that these animals are a livelihood for the nomads, they are not pets. Their treatment may appear harsh to us outsiders, but I do not think it is for us to judge how another culture lives. They also do care for the animals, like administering veterinary care as I mentioned earlier.
Once I was on the camel and he stood up I had Tol take a photo of me. I think it's going to be a great one! Then we were off! Since the guide spoke no English it was a very quite ride with time to just soak in the beauty of the Gobi Desert. I couldn't help but think 'I am riding a camel across the Gobi Desert! How flipping cool is this?! And how many people - how many Americans - can say that?!'
I took lots of photos, probably too many, but it was so beautiful. As we rode further to what felt like the south, the scenery changed and became less green and more rolling sound dunes. I was surprised not to see any animals, but I saw loads of animal tracks in the sand of all different shapes and sizes. It was almost 3:00 and the sun was quite hot so I imagine all the animals were waiting out the heat of the day.
As we were heading back towards camp I did start to see the nomad's herds of horses, goats and sheep. And sheep! I swear I have never seen so many sheep in one place. They must have literally 400-500 head! As we approached camp the camels knew we were close to home and began to pick up the pace. I'm not sure if 'trot' is an appropriate term for camels, but that's what it felt like.
Up til then I think i was doing pretty good in the saddle. I kept a straight back and loose thighs, and tried to move in rhythm with the camel. But once he started trotting I kind of couldn't help but bounce up and down in the saddle.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the lead camel seemed to have some gastrointestinal issues. He pooped and farted a lot the entire way! And Nicole, I hate to break it to ya, but camel farts smell WAY better than Rocko farts! There is something wrong with Rocko's ass. LOL Camel farts smell about as you would expect - like fermented grass.
I took my first shower at camp and it was surprisingly nice. The whole ger is the shower with shower curtains hung in the middle and a linoleum floor slanted to a hole at the back for drainage. There is a wood burning stove to heat water and a pail of cold water so you can mix boiling and cold to get your desired temperature. You mix it in a pump action bucket that has a shower nozzle attached to it.
Amos, you will be happy to know that even in the Gobi desert, I shaved my legs. :)
At 6am someone came in and started the fire, although I pretty much slept through it all. Twice in the night I had to pee but there was no way I was going outside and freeze and wake up completely. I had already thought of this before going to bed and had decided I would use the sink catch bucket and just empty it into the outhouse in the morning - and that's exactly what I did! I tried not to let them see me taking the bucket to the outhouse in case it was offensive, but there was no way I was going to walk 75 yards to pee when it was probably 35 degrees out!
When I finally got up at 9:30 I had a yummy breakfast of an omelet and breads with a chocolate spread, cheese spread and delicious jam made from a Mongolian berry that grows in the mountains. And always tea. Russians and Mongolians drink more tea than I've ever seen! I have yet to see anyone drink a glass of pure water!
At breakfast I told Badrakh that I would like to take a camel ride after lunch. I decided to go for just two hours because I thought that's all my tush and inner thighs would be able to take the first time around. (Boy was I right!)
Between breakfast and the camel ride I sat in the sun and read and wrote a blog post on my iPhone, and took a short walk and took more photos. I also asked the cook Tol (toll like a road or Toll House cookies) if I could do some wash. They got it out and dug a hole in the sand for the water to drain into. When it was finished spinning she laid everything on the shrubs to dry. I was a little worried that my cotton/spandex tights that I wear to bed and my thick wool socks wouldn't dry lying down like that, but I figured I'd let them do it their way and I would check to be sure they were dry before the sun went down. After my walk I checked them and though it had been only 30 min or so, *everything* was bone dry! The Gobi sun is HOT!
While we were waiting for the camels to be rounded up I got a awesome video of two young Mongolian men in a spontaneous wrestling match. Wrestling is one of Mongolia's national sports, with horsemanship, archery and a game called knuckle bone (more on that tomorrow) being the others.
When the camels were saddled up I watched with awe as they go the camel to kneel on it's front legs, then its back legs and then lay down all together so that I could easily get on. They achieve this by means of an apparatus made from a twig that is inserted into the camel's nostril and then secured, so that when they pull on it the camel submits pretty easily. I know it sounds inhumane, and that was also my first thought, but you have to realize that these animals are a livelihood for the nomads, they are not pets. Their treatment may appear harsh to us outsiders, but I do not think it is for us to judge how another culture lives. They also do care for the animals, like administering veterinary care as I mentioned earlier.
Once I was on the camel and he stood up I had Tol take a photo of me. I think it's going to be a great one! Then we were off! Since the guide spoke no English it was a very quite ride with time to just soak in the beauty of the Gobi Desert. I couldn't help but think 'I am riding a camel across the Gobi Desert! How flipping cool is this?! And how many people - how many Americans - can say that?!'
I took lots of photos, probably too many, but it was so beautiful. As we rode further to what felt like the south, the scenery changed and became less green and more rolling sound dunes. I was surprised not to see any animals, but I saw loads of animal tracks in the sand of all different shapes and sizes. It was almost 3:00 and the sun was quite hot so I imagine all the animals were waiting out the heat of the day.
As we were heading back towards camp I did start to see the nomad's herds of horses, goats and sheep. And sheep! I swear I have never seen so many sheep in one place. They must have literally 400-500 head! As we approached camp the camels knew we were close to home and began to pick up the pace. I'm not sure if 'trot' is an appropriate term for camels, but that's what it felt like.
Up til then I think i was doing pretty good in the saddle. I kept a straight back and loose thighs, and tried to move in rhythm with the camel. But once he started trotting I kind of couldn't help but bounce up and down in the saddle.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the lead camel seemed to have some gastrointestinal issues. He pooped and farted a lot the entire way! And Nicole, I hate to break it to ya, but camel farts smell WAY better than Rocko farts! There is something wrong with Rocko's ass. LOL Camel farts smell about as you would expect - like fermented grass.
I took my first shower at camp and it was surprisingly nice. The whole ger is the shower with shower curtains hung in the middle and a linoleum floor slanted to a hole at the back for drainage. There is a wood burning stove to heat water and a pail of cold water so you can mix boiling and cold to get your desired temperature. You mix it in a pump action bucket that has a shower nozzle attached to it.
Amos, you will be happy to know that even in the Gobi desert, I shaved my legs. :)
The Gobi Desert - Day 1, Sept 11
I found the office of the tour company quite easily and was there 15 min early. They offered me tea and I was able to connect to the wi-fi and post my blog updates. At 9:30 we were on our way, but made 3 stops first so really got going about 9:50. I didn't think driving conditions could be worse than Moscow... until I arrived in UB. It is nothing less than sheer madness. As in Russia, pedestrians take their life into their own hands when crossing streets or even walking on 'sidewalks'. I put sidewalks in quotes because you can think you're walking on a sidewalk until a car roars up behind you out of nowhere!
But, the drivers in UB are even crazier. If you are making a left turn, no one stops to let you through, you just look for a small opening and gun it, hoping the car coming directly at you will at least slow enough not to t-bone you. This is especially scary when you are in the passenger seat on the side that would be the point of impact!
Then there is the issue of passing. On the way out of UB on the way to the ger (pronounced 'gare' with a rolled r) camp the road was only one lane in each direction. Mini buses and cars would pull out to pass, even on blind corners and hills, and if a car was coming they would swerve back behind the car they were passing, or in some cases just keep passing. More than once I saw the oncoming car steer onto the shoulder because the passing car was completely in his lane! My driver even had to slow down once because an oncoming car was not going to complete his pass before hitting us head on!
Once we got out of the city the traffic became more sparse and he scenery more rural and beautiful. I was still very tired and tried to lay across the seat with my head on my backpack and sleep (with my seat belt on of course!), but the ride was so bumpy I really couldn't sleep. Then we got off the 'road' and began the *really* bumpy part. When I say bumpy I mean that every 20 mins or so I would be lying there and all of a sudden my entire torso and butt would become airborne, with just my feet and shoulders still in contact with the seat! I can't imagine what it would have been like if i didn't have the seat belt on! I took some video to show just how insane of a ride it was. We had been on the 'road' for maybe an hour to an hour and a half, and we went on like this on the roller coaster road for another 3 hours!
Along the way the Gobi desert scenery was just beautiful. Many horses, sheep, goats, cows and hawks were everywhere. The mountains and steppes were also gorgeous. I took LOADS of photos!
When we finally reached the camp (called Arburd Sands) it was a relief. They had a wonderful lunch ready for me and the owner, Badrakh (Baad-rah with a clearing your throat sound on the r) showed me a chapter in a book called 'Horse People' that was written about his father, his brothers and him. He asked if I would like to go on a walk but I explained that I was sick and really wanted to sleep. He told me tea and cake were at 4:00 if I would like it. I slept for about an hour and then did have tea and cake. When I woke up I heard an unfamiliar noise and stepped out to see what it was. There, at the end of camp, was an entire herd of camels! I wandered over and they were spraying something purple into the anus of one of the camels. Badrakh showed me on the can that it was a cure for a parasite. Then I got a video of them roping a camel to the ground in order to administer more medical care. It's pretty dramatic because the camel was not happy and screeches the entire time.
The gers are really nice. They are completely collapsible and portable, but inside are warm and comfortable. It has a double bed and a twin bed, although I am staying by myself. It also has a little table and chairs, a shoe rack and a little sink for washing your face and hands, and brushing your teeth. It has a push spout and bucket enclosed in a cabinet underneath to catch the water. It also has a small wood burning stove for the nighttime when it gets very cold. Because this is a tourist camp they also have a light bulb, but it is run entirely off solar power. In fact everything except the washing machine (yes, they have a washing machine!!) is run off wind and solar power. The refrigerators are completely wind powered! The washing machine is a little portable thing that washes on one side and spin dries on the other, and it runs off a generator.
One thing you have to be careful of though, is that the doors of the gers are really short. I'm only 5'5" and I smacked my head good once. The doors are seriously only 3' tall!
They have a dining ger connected to the kitchen ger, 4 outhouses but with nice toilet seats, 2 shower gers and even a library! It's quite a nice little set-up!
After tea and cake I laid around and read a book. This is the first time in my journey - 2 weeks in - that I feel like I'm truly on vacation. Up til now it's been 'get on a train at 2am, figure out where I'm going to stay that night, lug around 70 lbs of crap, spend just 20 hours in one place, worry that I'm taking the bus the wrong direction, get off a train at 3am, barter with the taxi driver over price' and sick and exhausted the whole time. Now that I am finally doing absolutely nothing I am beginning to feel truly relaxed.
Dinner was again delicious and the dining ger was set up for many people. Badrakh explained that a member of the Mongolian Parliament was coming later that night. It was quite cold and I was wearing 4 layers on top and 3 layers on the bottom, a wool hat and scarf! They started the fire in my ger so it was nice and toasty when I went to bed.
But, the drivers in UB are even crazier. If you are making a left turn, no one stops to let you through, you just look for a small opening and gun it, hoping the car coming directly at you will at least slow enough not to t-bone you. This is especially scary when you are in the passenger seat on the side that would be the point of impact!
Then there is the issue of passing. On the way out of UB on the way to the ger (pronounced 'gare' with a rolled r) camp the road was only one lane in each direction. Mini buses and cars would pull out to pass, even on blind corners and hills, and if a car was coming they would swerve back behind the car they were passing, or in some cases just keep passing. More than once I saw the oncoming car steer onto the shoulder because the passing car was completely in his lane! My driver even had to slow down once because an oncoming car was not going to complete his pass before hitting us head on!
Once we got out of the city the traffic became more sparse and he scenery more rural and beautiful. I was still very tired and tried to lay across the seat with my head on my backpack and sleep (with my seat belt on of course!), but the ride was so bumpy I really couldn't sleep. Then we got off the 'road' and began the *really* bumpy part. When I say bumpy I mean that every 20 mins or so I would be lying there and all of a sudden my entire torso and butt would become airborne, with just my feet and shoulders still in contact with the seat! I can't imagine what it would have been like if i didn't have the seat belt on! I took some video to show just how insane of a ride it was. We had been on the 'road' for maybe an hour to an hour and a half, and we went on like this on the roller coaster road for another 3 hours!
Along the way the Gobi desert scenery was just beautiful. Many horses, sheep, goats, cows and hawks were everywhere. The mountains and steppes were also gorgeous. I took LOADS of photos!
When we finally reached the camp (called Arburd Sands) it was a relief. They had a wonderful lunch ready for me and the owner, Badrakh (Baad-rah with a clearing your throat sound on the r) showed me a chapter in a book called 'Horse People' that was written about his father, his brothers and him. He asked if I would like to go on a walk but I explained that I was sick and really wanted to sleep. He told me tea and cake were at 4:00 if I would like it. I slept for about an hour and then did have tea and cake. When I woke up I heard an unfamiliar noise and stepped out to see what it was. There, at the end of camp, was an entire herd of camels! I wandered over and they were spraying something purple into the anus of one of the camels. Badrakh showed me on the can that it was a cure for a parasite. Then I got a video of them roping a camel to the ground in order to administer more medical care. It's pretty dramatic because the camel was not happy and screeches the entire time.
The gers are really nice. They are completely collapsible and portable, but inside are warm and comfortable. It has a double bed and a twin bed, although I am staying by myself. It also has a little table and chairs, a shoe rack and a little sink for washing your face and hands, and brushing your teeth. It has a push spout and bucket enclosed in a cabinet underneath to catch the water. It also has a small wood burning stove for the nighttime when it gets very cold. Because this is a tourist camp they also have a light bulb, but it is run entirely off solar power. In fact everything except the washing machine (yes, they have a washing machine!!) is run off wind and solar power. The refrigerators are completely wind powered! The washing machine is a little portable thing that washes on one side and spin dries on the other, and it runs off a generator.
One thing you have to be careful of though, is that the doors of the gers are really short. I'm only 5'5" and I smacked my head good once. The doors are seriously only 3' tall!
They have a dining ger connected to the kitchen ger, 4 outhouses but with nice toilet seats, 2 shower gers and even a library! It's quite a nice little set-up!
After tea and cake I laid around and read a book. This is the first time in my journey - 2 weeks in - that I feel like I'm truly on vacation. Up til now it's been 'get on a train at 2am, figure out where I'm going to stay that night, lug around 70 lbs of crap, spend just 20 hours in one place, worry that I'm taking the bus the wrong direction, get off a train at 3am, barter with the taxi driver over price' and sick and exhausted the whole time. Now that I am finally doing absolutely nothing I am beginning to feel truly relaxed.
Dinner was again delicious and the dining ger was set up for many people. Badrakh explained that a member of the Mongolian Parliament was coming later that night. It was quite cold and I was wearing 4 layers on top and 3 layers on the bottom, a wool hat and scarf! They started the fire in my ger so it was nice and toasty when I went to bed.
Ulaanbaatar - Sept 10
I arrived in Ulaanbaatar (or UB as most people call it) and shared a cab with an American couple from the bus. Turns out we were staying at the same hostel. UB is much easier to get along in because almost everyone speaks some English. This was very welcome as I was too exhausted to try and learn a new language.
This sinus infection is still hanging on and I'm becoming quite miserable and sick of being sick. I arrived in UB at a decent hour and had visions of making a quick grocery run and getting to bed by 9:00. Oh the best laid plans...
First I went the wrong way to find the grocery store and walked around for probably 30-40 min before giving up and going back to consult the guidebook. Then I tried to get some money (Mongolians use the 'tögrög') but the first ATM I found wouldn't give me any cash. This was a problem as all I had in local currency was about $1.85 that I picked up from a money changer on the bus after we crossed the border.
Oh, that's a funny side story. As soon as we crossed Russian-Mongolian border some money changers came on board looking to sell Mongolian currency. I had gotten rid of almost all of my rubles thinking I would just hit an ATM for Mongolian currency. But I figured it would be good to have at least some local currency so I offered my 170 rubles (about $5) to the changer but he didn't seem to notice me. He took 1000 rubles from the guy sitting next to me though and went to move on. I tugged his sleeve and offered my rubles again and he made a face and waved me off and continued on. Seems he didn't want my paltry sum of rubles. Lol The next changer came down the aisle and did the same thing to me. But, when they were finished with the rest of the bus they came back to me and bought my pittance. I think I got something like 5800 tögrög and the American woman who had already spent 3 weeks in Mongolia said it was a pretty good deal.
So, back in UB... On the way to finding the big shopping mall with the grocery store I saw a restaurant that advertised free wi-fi. I stepped inside and was very thankful to get a good strong signal. I checked my bank balance and saw I was down to $80 in the travel debit account I had set up, so I transferred some money from my regular checking. Thank god for the Internet! I went on to the mall/grocery store and asked for the ATM. It was on the 5th floor and of COURSE the escalators weren't working. I was so zapped with this sinus infection that by the time I got to the 5th floor I wanted to lay down and sleep. But, I had no choice but to soldier on. This ATM gave me money thank goodness and even gave my balance in tögrögs. As it's 1415 tögrögs to $1 my balance showed something close to two million. I'm keeping that one for the scrapbook! Lol
I got groceries, but of course with everything being so new and foreign I had to wander and look at everything, despite being so tired. I did need to find some sinus decongestant and that proved more difficult and time consuming. I asked a store employee, showing her the two tablets I had left and the name 'pseudoepedrine' written on the back, but she didn't seem to understand. I pointed to my nose and made sniffing sounds and she led me to an aisle and handed me pore cleansing nose strips. Not what I was after, but it was a reasonable interpretation I suppose. I shook my head no and made louder sniffing sounds. She handed me a pack of pocket tissue and I shook my head no and mimed taking a pill and made more sniffing sounds and put my hand to my head to indicate fever or illness. Her eyes widened in recognition and she pointed out of the store and down the stairs. So it looked like I needed to go to the pharmacy.
I paid for my groceries - $19 for 2 bags of about the same size that in Russia cost me $40! - and went to the pharmacy. The woman spoke no English so I was having a hard time. Then a nice man came up and started translating and I left with something I think is akin to TheraFlu. Not exactly what I was after, but better than nothing I concluded.
On the way back to the hostel I stopped at the free wi-fi again and wrote an email to the nomad tour guy asking if it was at all possible to delay the departure by 1 day so I could rest and try to kick this sinus thing. I gave him my Russian cell and asked him to text since I didn't have email at the hostel.
I went back hoping against all hope he would say no problem and I could sleep all day. I had to shower because if I did have to leave for the tour at 8am, I knew it would not be good to have wet hair when it was cold and windy outside. I showered, repacked everything and collapsed into bed at 11:30- well past my original plan of 9:00 - but slept like a rock until my alarm went off at 7:30. I didn't have a text from him so I got up and on my way.
This sinus infection is still hanging on and I'm becoming quite miserable and sick of being sick. I arrived in UB at a decent hour and had visions of making a quick grocery run and getting to bed by 9:00. Oh the best laid plans...
First I went the wrong way to find the grocery store and walked around for probably 30-40 min before giving up and going back to consult the guidebook. Then I tried to get some money (Mongolians use the 'tögrög') but the first ATM I found wouldn't give me any cash. This was a problem as all I had in local currency was about $1.85 that I picked up from a money changer on the bus after we crossed the border.
Oh, that's a funny side story. As soon as we crossed Russian-Mongolian border some money changers came on board looking to sell Mongolian currency. I had gotten rid of almost all of my rubles thinking I would just hit an ATM for Mongolian currency. But I figured it would be good to have at least some local currency so I offered my 170 rubles (about $5) to the changer but he didn't seem to notice me. He took 1000 rubles from the guy sitting next to me though and went to move on. I tugged his sleeve and offered my rubles again and he made a face and waved me off and continued on. Seems he didn't want my paltry sum of rubles. Lol The next changer came down the aisle and did the same thing to me. But, when they were finished with the rest of the bus they came back to me and bought my pittance. I think I got something like 5800 tögrög and the American woman who had already spent 3 weeks in Mongolia said it was a pretty good deal.
So, back in UB... On the way to finding the big shopping mall with the grocery store I saw a restaurant that advertised free wi-fi. I stepped inside and was very thankful to get a good strong signal. I checked my bank balance and saw I was down to $80 in the travel debit account I had set up, so I transferred some money from my regular checking. Thank god for the Internet! I went on to the mall/grocery store and asked for the ATM. It was on the 5th floor and of COURSE the escalators weren't working. I was so zapped with this sinus infection that by the time I got to the 5th floor I wanted to lay down and sleep. But, I had no choice but to soldier on. This ATM gave me money thank goodness and even gave my balance in tögrögs. As it's 1415 tögrögs to $1 my balance showed something close to two million. I'm keeping that one for the scrapbook! Lol
I got groceries, but of course with everything being so new and foreign I had to wander and look at everything, despite being so tired. I did need to find some sinus decongestant and that proved more difficult and time consuming. I asked a store employee, showing her the two tablets I had left and the name 'pseudoepedrine' written on the back, but she didn't seem to understand. I pointed to my nose and made sniffing sounds and she led me to an aisle and handed me pore cleansing nose strips. Not what I was after, but it was a reasonable interpretation I suppose. I shook my head no and made louder sniffing sounds. She handed me a pack of pocket tissue and I shook my head no and mimed taking a pill and made more sniffing sounds and put my hand to my head to indicate fever or illness. Her eyes widened in recognition and she pointed out of the store and down the stairs. So it looked like I needed to go to the pharmacy.
I paid for my groceries - $19 for 2 bags of about the same size that in Russia cost me $40! - and went to the pharmacy. The woman spoke no English so I was having a hard time. Then a nice man came up and started translating and I left with something I think is akin to TheraFlu. Not exactly what I was after, but better than nothing I concluded.
On the way back to the hostel I stopped at the free wi-fi again and wrote an email to the nomad tour guy asking if it was at all possible to delay the departure by 1 day so I could rest and try to kick this sinus thing. I gave him my Russian cell and asked him to text since I didn't have email at the hostel.
I went back hoping against all hope he would say no problem and I could sleep all day. I had to shower because if I did have to leave for the tour at 8am, I knew it would not be good to have wet hair when it was cold and windy outside. I showered, repacked everything and collapsed into bed at 11:30- well past my original plan of 9:00 - but slept like a rock until my alarm went off at 7:30. I didn't have a text from him so I got up and on my way.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The 90s
Ever wish you could re-live the 90's? Do you miss seeing music videos from bands like Cheap Trick, Warrant and INXS? How about seeing Cher half naked riding a cannon? (Remember the video 'If I Could Turn Back Time'?) Well, all you have to do is visit Russia as these are the only songs played on trains and music videos played on buses. (Oh, they do like ABBA too.)
It seems that the iron curtain went back up in the 90s. In addition to the music, the tour guide I had at the 'Natural History Museum' talked all about the Seattle Supersonics from the 90s. He talked about Gary Payton and Sean Kemp. He also knew Karl Malone and Shaquille O'Neal. He asked me who the stars were now and I was sorry to have to break the news to him that the Sonics no longer exist - at least not in Seattle - and that I don't follow basketball so couldn't tell him any other of the star players.
It seems that the iron curtain went back up in the 90s. In addition to the music, the tour guide I had at the 'Natural History Museum' talked all about the Seattle Supersonics from the 90s. He talked about Gary Payton and Sean Kemp. He also knew Karl Malone and Shaquille O'Neal. He asked me who the stars were now and I was sorry to have to break the news to him that the Sonics no longer exist - at least not in Seattle - and that I don't follow basketball so couldn't tell him any other of the star players.
The Joys of Border Crossing
I decided to take the bus across the Russian-Mongolian border instead of the train because I had read it was faster. If that's true I feel *really* sorry for people on the trains.
To cross the border by bus first a Russian official comes on board and looks at your passport and visa. Then we had to get off with all our luggage, have it x-rayed, have a border official stamp our visa and collect our immigration card and then load everything back on the bus. We also had to walk through a metal detector but no one was watching it so no one seemed to care that it went off for almost everyone. That was to leave Russia.
To enter Mongolia you had to fill out a health declaration form with a '+' sign next to various symptoms if you had them: cough, fever, diarrhea, hepatitis, etc. There I was with a runny and simultaneously stuffy nose and cough from this sinus infection but do you think I marked '+' to any of them? Hell no! When I got up there the official called me forward and asked 'niet?' to each one. I said 'niet' thinking maybe I had been caught but she just wanted me to mark a '-' sign next to each one.
When I got back on the bus I asked another American woman and she said they hadn't made her make any minus marks. So, I concluded that I must look sicker than her, or there is just no rhyme or reason to the way things work here. Yeah, I'm going with the latter. Especially since there was no control check getting on or off the bus to do the health inspection, it seemed to be on the honor system.
So then were on to customs to enter Mongolia. We have to unload all our baggage again, stand in line for the immigration questions and put the bags through x-Ray again. When it was my turn the guy looked through my passport, asked me whereIi was going, what was my purpose, etc. Then he studied my picture intently, looking back and forth at it and me. Then he said 'smile'. I cannot overstate the irony of this stone faced Mongolian official in his starched uniform with no hint of kindness or humor on his face, telling me curtly to smile. Evidently he couldn't be sure i was who my passport claimed unless he could match the shape of my teeth... Or something.
There was a little cocker spaniel running around and at first I didn't think anything of it. But when we boarded the bus a Mongolian official came on board with it and it darted between people's feet sniffing everything. It seems a German Shepard would Be more likely, but this little guy could get in between people's feet and sniff everything.
So then it looks like we're ready to finally get out of there and be on our way! It had been about 2 hours and 15 min at this point and there was nothing for sale - no food, water, pop, nothing- and I'm feening for a diet coke and my nose is completely stuffed on one side and I can't sleep on the bus because the roads (if you can call them that) are SO bad. So I'm getting a little grumpy, but hope this is the end of the torture and we can be on our way to stop for lunch.
We sit there for a bit and I'm talking to the American woman. Then we sit, and sit, and sit. Half an hour goes by and we're wondering what the problem is. We look around and realize that one guy isn't on the bus - and he's the dude that was carrying a case that looked like it held a Samurai sword. Great! So we sit some more and finally about 45 min or an hour later he finally comes out and we're on our way... Or so I think. Turns out there's one more check but at least this time we get to stay on the bus. A Mongolian official comes around and wants to see everyone's immigration stamp or visa. Like we didn't just do this an hour ago!
The whole process took a little over three hours and now I *really* need a diet coke! Hopefully they'll be easier to find in Mongolia than Russia.
To cross the border by bus first a Russian official comes on board and looks at your passport and visa. Then we had to get off with all our luggage, have it x-rayed, have a border official stamp our visa and collect our immigration card and then load everything back on the bus. We also had to walk through a metal detector but no one was watching it so no one seemed to care that it went off for almost everyone. That was to leave Russia.
To enter Mongolia you had to fill out a health declaration form with a '+' sign next to various symptoms if you had them: cough, fever, diarrhea, hepatitis, etc. There I was with a runny and simultaneously stuffy nose and cough from this sinus infection but do you think I marked '+' to any of them? Hell no! When I got up there the official called me forward and asked 'niet?' to each one. I said 'niet' thinking maybe I had been caught but she just wanted me to mark a '-' sign next to each one.
When I got back on the bus I asked another American woman and she said they hadn't made her make any minus marks. So, I concluded that I must look sicker than her, or there is just no rhyme or reason to the way things work here. Yeah, I'm going with the latter. Especially since there was no control check getting on or off the bus to do the health inspection, it seemed to be on the honor system.
So then were on to customs to enter Mongolia. We have to unload all our baggage again, stand in line for the immigration questions and put the bags through x-Ray again. When it was my turn the guy looked through my passport, asked me whereIi was going, what was my purpose, etc. Then he studied my picture intently, looking back and forth at it and me. Then he said 'smile'. I cannot overstate the irony of this stone faced Mongolian official in his starched uniform with no hint of kindness or humor on his face, telling me curtly to smile. Evidently he couldn't be sure i was who my passport claimed unless he could match the shape of my teeth... Or something.
There was a little cocker spaniel running around and at first I didn't think anything of it. But when we boarded the bus a Mongolian official came on board with it and it darted between people's feet sniffing everything. It seems a German Shepard would Be more likely, but this little guy could get in between people's feet and sniff everything.
So then it looks like we're ready to finally get out of there and be on our way! It had been about 2 hours and 15 min at this point and there was nothing for sale - no food, water, pop, nothing- and I'm feening for a diet coke and my nose is completely stuffed on one side and I can't sleep on the bus because the roads (if you can call them that) are SO bad. So I'm getting a little grumpy, but hope this is the end of the torture and we can be on our way to stop for lunch.
We sit there for a bit and I'm talking to the American woman. Then we sit, and sit, and sit. Half an hour goes by and we're wondering what the problem is. We look around and realize that one guy isn't on the bus - and he's the dude that was carrying a case that looked like it held a Samurai sword. Great! So we sit some more and finally about 45 min or an hour later he finally comes out and we're on our way... Or so I think. Turns out there's one more check but at least this time we get to stay on the bus. A Mongolian official comes around and wants to see everyone's immigration stamp or visa. Like we didn't just do this an hour ago!
The whole process took a little over three hours and now I *really* need a diet coke! Hopefully they'll be easier to find in Mongolia than Russia.
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