Teacher's tales from around the world

Catching a moment Samantha Hodges

Stopping still in Mongolia – A tour leader’s adventure

Watching the rainbow jut out of Khovsgol Lake I was silenced for a moment. The lake before me was so crystal clear and the position of the rainbow draped perfectly still in what seemed like the center of the Universe.

Flashes of our trip flickered through my mind as if I were flipping through a photo album. The bumpy journey across the Mongolian steppes had stirred the memories of my past and forced me to a place in my mind I hadn’t visited for many years. Childhood memories, romantic memories and thoughts of home were just some of the visions that entranced me.

The Gobi desert had been so quiet, so calm. The color of its sand was a perfect orange. Local children buried each other in the dunes and only their weathered heads could be seen, like crabs in holes. These smiley faces didn’t disappear as I got closer though. They beamed with excitement and embraced the interest and curiosity offered by the strange, weary traveler.

I could still taste the chewy goat’s meat from the supper that night and the sharp flavor of vodka sporadically tantalizing my tongue. Blood sausages had been prepared by the local ladies; skilled in their art, not a drop of blood was spilled.
A buried skull lay not far from where we were camped. This was the only remains of the feasted on animal. The skins we would take to the local market to sell tomorrow. Nothing was wasted here in the Mongolian outback.

As I reclined in the door of my tent I spotted an abundance of Yaks, filling the scenery like black clouds in the sky. The rest of the group were all sleeping as I sat and watched the rainbow appear and then disappear behind a blanket of cotton wool. It was my moment, a message for me.