From the Countryside to UB

A group of us (Allie, Melissa, Michael and I) went on a trip to the countryside in Bulgan Aimag with Ger to Ger. After a 5 hours on the "road" (really just a maze of dirt paths) on the packed public bus and about a half an hour in a Russian jeep, we arrived at our first families ger. We were greeted with smiles and steaming milk tea. After a quick snack, we went outside to help the family herd some of their animals (500 goat and sheep, 4 camels, and 20 horses) and to soak in the scenery. Mongolia is beautiful. With a population of under three million, and an area of two times the size of Texas, there is a vast landscape of open space. The 360 degree view of snow capped mountains, rolling hills and steppe with little more obstructing it than the occasional ger or animal herd, is truly a sight to behold. No pictures can do it justice. After a dinner of rice and mutton, and a good nights rest, we embarked on a 21km horse trek to the next families ger.

I have rode horses before , in fact , I have worked for many years on a horse farm, but the horses (an more importantly the saddles) in Mongolia are very different from those in the states. After about ten minuets on the horse, I already had sore knees (the stirrups are high... not many Mongolians are over 6 feet tall) and a bruised butt (there is no padding... just a wooden seat). We arrived at the second ger only to find that we were going to hop on a second set of horses and go for another ride! We rode to a sand dune and swan lake. Both worth the ride to go see! That night we were in for a surprise. Despite being in a very arid climate in the 'summer' months, we went to sleep with heavy winds blowing outside, and woke up to a new landscape... the steppe and hills covered in snow! We proceeded to do what any logical group of people would do... initiate a full on snow ball fight with the 10 year old twin brothers of the family! I had a wonderful time on this trip. Despite the language barrier and drastic differences in culture, both families were incredibly kind and shared with us their homes. Next thing we know, we are back in the jeep, then back in a bus, and pulling into the bus depot back in...

our (semi) final destination, the wonderful capitol city of UlaanBaatar! It's a nice feeling to have moved into our apartment and have a stable residence for a while instead of jumping from hotel, to train, to hostel, to ger! Despite the temporary lack of hot water and therefore hot showers (a pipe broke, so half the city is left without it), the apartment is really nice. We have started classes at the National University. We have language classes every morning (split into basic and conversational Mongolian language sections). Intermixed are lectures concerning different aspects of Mongolian culture, history, environment and politics. In the afternoons, the University has arranged outing to museums, cashmere factories, historical monuments, etc.
Everyone seems pretty excited about our classes and 'field trips', I know I am!
Love, Emily