The home for an Aussie and three Americans for the night. Very comfortable,apart for the low doorway, until the fire went out. Beanies, gloves and coats were all back on by 5 AM. Rolls of felt blankets wrapped around a frame that comes apart really easily to be able to travel to better pastures.
Can't believe the comments. tsk tsk The title photo on this article(when I find an internt connection that I can download photos from) is of the ger (rhymes with bear) that we stayed in in the Terelj National Park. There was about 12 of us travellers got off the train on sunday that made it to the UB Guesthouse. Eight of us decided to go out to the national park to have a look and go horse riding. Can you hear the excitement in my voice here? We got a cheap ride with a heap of us going so I loaded up too. We got out there in an hour or so and it is just a completely different world to the hustle, bustle, dirt, smog and pickpockets of the capital.
When we arrived we had a coule of hours to kill so most of us just went for a walk through the snow, over the hills following a kid herding goats, or climbing rocks to get a better view. Stunning comes to mind here. And cold!! The temps are still below zero, so there are still no clothes left in my pack. Once the two Irishmen had returned from there ride in the hills it was our turn to saddle up. I went out with three Americans, who had never spent any time on a horse they hadn't hired, and our guide. Less than five minutes into our journey our guides' (I wouldn't have a clue how to spell his name even if I could remember it) horse put his foot in a big hole in the defrosting ground and went down on his side and would not get up. It took the two of us to get underneath him and lift to pusuade the horse to get to his feet and all the while the americans are wondering what they had got themselves in for. When we had had a heap of laughs and seen Turtle Rock we swapped ends and headed for home. This was the only time I didn't have to kick, slap and swear at the hardy little ponies these guys ride to get him going. And just as well too because all I wanted to do was get out of the cold. Apparently it went down to -23 last night, so it would've been at -15 by the time we rode back into camp a half hour before dark.
We spent the night in a Mongolian Ger (felt hut) that is bloody cold when the fire goes out and nobody volunteers to go for more wood. Not that we knew where it was, and remember this is a national park. The cavalry arrived around 5 AM and all was good again.
Back in Ulaan Baatar and going to do the sites in and around for a few days before heading up into Siberia. And that is meant to be warmer than here. UB has a Natural History Museum with the only dinosaur eggs ever found as well as complete skeletons. Their National History Museum is meant to be worth a look too. Then there is the huge monastery on the edge of town too. Give me something to do anyway.
'til next time
