THE FOG WAS SO HEAVY YESTERDAY MORNING that we couldn’t see to the outhouse. The planned transect walk was cancelled — you can’t count what you can’t see — and we crowded around the kitchen stove drinking tea and reading. No one was really keen on going out tracking in the afternoon either. I guess we are all running out of steam. We have already run out of coal and are burning horse poop in the stoves. It’s fragrant - not unpleasantly - and produces a lot of heat but requires regular tending to keep it going.
Scott gave a slide presentation on his work with ring-tailed lemurs in Madagascar, bringing us warm memories of sunnier climes. Then Sumbee showed us about his ongoing snow leopard studies in southern Mongolia. Both lemurs and snow leopards are in danger of extinction and it’s nice to know some folks who are concerned with their well-being.
Dismantiling the gers, Ikh Nart
They started disassembling the gers even before we were packed. It’s like Labor Day at a seaside resort when the tourists have departed and everything is shutting down. By tomorrow only the caretaker’s ger and the kitchen will be left for the long Mongolian winter.
Two-humpers are supposed to be more comfortable
We took a last excursion to see some of the cultural sites in Ikh Nart and stumbled on a herd of feral bactrian camels. Then we stopped to see some rock art, a Buddhist monastery and a “hibernaculum.” Don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with the term. It’s a place where snakes gather to while away the cold winter months, their bodies packed together tighter than sardines providing a modicum of warmth. The serpents in this case were small but poisonous Asian pit vipers, one of the reptile species studied on earlier Earthwatch trips this season.
Asian pit viper outside hibernaculum
All good things come to an end. We said our farewells to the cooks and caretakers and headed off for a nameless town and the train to UB. We hung out at Amgaa’s freezing cold office until the 11:30 departure whistle. I like overnight trains and I slept like a baby. We re-checked into Zaya’s, showered, turned in our very soiled laundry and took advantage of the wi-fi. The students presented us with scarves and Ikh Nard mousepads at our final dinner at the Mongolian barbeque restaurant and we hugged good-byes. The EW group has mostly departed and we are treating ourselves to a room in the Ulaanbaatar Best Western hotel, complete with TV, private bathroom and soft beds. Heaven!
