Today was an day trip out into nomadic Mongolia. Our first stop was at Hustai National Park - containing a wealth of wild life and some very strange creepy crawlies (see picture).
However, the main
event for us was looking out for the "Takhi" horses (Przewalski horses). They
are the only remaining ancestors to the domesticated horse that live in the
wild, and can only be seen wild in Mongolia. We were very excited when we
spotted some in the distance... so Neils and I powered up over hills in their
general direction, and were rewarded with seeing them close up. I managed to
take a beautiful video of them, which unfortunately, I can't upload right now
(need my Sony Camera stuff!).I also spotted Marmots (though too fleetingingly for photos), and others in the group spotted red deer. Then it started - the absolutely torrential rain. It was so bad, that we should probably have turned back from continuing to the nomadic home-stay that we were going to be doing. But the driver was raring for action - I am sure he almost tipped the minivan over a couple of times. He was keen to put his foot down, and shout what sounded like the Mongolian equivalent of "to infinity and beyond!" and power his way through streaming "rivers" of flood water. But he got us there!
The home-stay with the nomadic family
in a Ger Tent was great. For supper, we were fed a bowl (more like trough!) of
seasoned boiled goat meat (no vegetables, carbs or sides!). The salty milky tea
was interesting but nice. The curds (look like fudge) were another story -
yuck!! After this we a gift and cultural exchange. After this, we played some
games using sheep ankle bones.It also appears that the Tibetan permits may no be available at all after all, so I may need to start looking at a Plan B.
