Saturday, September 03, 2005

26th August



Have spent four nights with a lovely family in the middle of nowhere...........there is one other ger close by, where I was invited just after they had killed a goat to go and eat the intestines - considered a delicacy. Just as well my stomach isn't easily turned!!

Most of the food is goat in some form or another, either that or it's dried curd, or a milk product. Together with rice, noodles or a few potatoes if I am lucky. Haven't seen sight of fruit or vegetables since I arrived in Mongolia!

Learns so far:
Don't worry - Que sera sera
Accept - rather than judge (the nomads have a very relaxed attitude, no big goodbyes or hellos, just come & go as you please)
Do everything purposefully
Take pleasure in the smallest things..........like clean teeth!!

22nd August

I wrote in my diary whilst sitting on a sand dune by some "big water"........we have travelled to a National Park in the Gobi dessert, several hours drive south from Bayangobi. The aim of coming here is to look for dinasaur fossils.........but this is not our destianation! So far the experience has been one of "wait and see", patience is definately needed and adopting a que sera sera attitude, as I certainly don't know what is happening!

Having endured a rain storm and spent two nights by the water we make our way to the fossil sight - found some small fossils and then on my way to stay with a Nomad family out in the countryside somewhere.

18th August

Arrived at 1am outside a Ger on the edge of Bayanlig after a 36 hour cramped and bumpy ride down from UB across the Steppes. Transport was in a Russian VW Combi style van, with most of the seats removed to take luggage. There were more passengers than seats, and at times quite a few knees were being sat upon!

The Mongolian Steppes are an amazing mass of cross-crossed tracks through rolling grassy slopes, with the occasional yak, horse or goat visible, dotted with a Ger here & there. We spent one night "sleeping" in the jeep with the stars shining brightly above - could nearly have been daylight the moon was that bright.

We made several stops at Gers along the way which was all very confusing as I had no idea where we were, whether I was supposed to enter the Ger or how long we were to stay. One family fed us brunch (rice & goat) and the rest of the Mongolians in the Jeep watched a DVD for 3 hours before we continued on our way!

This morning I find that the Ger belongs to the mother-in-law of one of the sons of the family I am to be staying with near Bayangobi..........confused? Not half as much as I have been with all the inter-related connections!!

Bayangobi was a further one hour drive, and I eventually arrived at my final destination at 3pm, where I find two other English guys staying as well as me.