Mutton overdose

We managed to tear ourselves away from English language TV for an overnight trip to Terelj national park, an hour's drive from Ulaan Baatar. We had decided on a short trip so that the three of us could spend a night in a ger with a Mongolian family before Hig's departure to Beijing. Our decision proved to be a good one. We were welcomed warmly into the ger (the traditional Mongolian dwelling which is a semi-solid tent with felt lined walls and a log burning stove for warmth and cooking) and must have observed entiquette sufficiently as we were served tradition milk tea and nibbles. The milk tea was a bit of a shock to the system given the added ingredients of salt, flour and mutton fat but we put as brave a face on it as possible.

While lunch was prepared we went for a walk in the woods and marvelled at the beauty of the surrounding tree-lined mountains and rocky slopes. We mucked around in the snow, saw a woodpecker and returned for a lunch of mutton while the horses were prepared. Hig had never ridden a horse before and I'm strictly a novice but Victoria is a bit more competent. Our linguistic skills meant that we couldn't explain this to our hosts so Vic and Hig were led on the tranquil horses while I was left to roam free. Actually, I was left to stroll 50 metres behind the others despite my attempts to coax a trot from my nag with a series of friendly words and the liberal application of heels to ribs (mine to his although we both knew these roles could be reversed at any time). Hig was thrilled to be aboard but Victoria wasn't getting much from being walked through the snow.

After my horse had stalled in a nibble filled area I was handed a twig of encouragement which got the nag to speed up a little and got me ut in front to explore. Our explorations led us, as if by magic, to a very unexpected venue, namely a model dinosaur park. Our first inkling something was in store was the sight of a T-Rex staring us out from behind a fence. We had the chance to pay the gun-toting guard 500 togrog (25p) to view the models. Up close they were a bit scabby but it was enjoyable posing with the huge reptiles for comedy photos. Vic used the opportunity to show off her horse skills because afterwards she was allowd off the leash. Hig confirmed his amateur status in the remount. Earlier he had under applied the leaping power so decided not to make the same mistake twice. He managed this by catapulting himself righ tover the other side. He stayed on the leash.

We returned to the ger after 2 fun hours to find our evening mutton all but ready to go. After eating we had a happy evening throwing logs on the fire and playing cards. Vic turned in early and Hig and I stayed up talking. We'd been advised not to open the door to any Mongolian speakers but at 11:30 we heard tyres creaking through the snow, boots crunching on the ice, knuckles rapping on the door and Mongolian unintelligibles issued from without. We looked at each other and noiselessly made a variety of 'keep quiet' signs. Despite the fact our talking must have been overheard from miles away and the light was on and the fire was lit, they went away. The steps receded, the voices died down and then suddenly they were back, and in increased numbers. This time we thought we recognised our hostess and, although she was speaking Mongolian, we let her in. There was a simple explanation for this late-night visit: they had come for the guns and ammunition. There was, however, no explanation for what they needed them for but we were sure it was something innocent. The look on Victoria's face as I woke her to explain that Mongolians were here and they needed the gun hidden in her bed was a picture...

The following day Hig and I explored the hills, tried to invent a new extreme sport called "ice belly sledging" and succeeded in inventing a new crap sport called "snow belly flopping".

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Our 10 day trip into the Gobi interior taught us a couple of things: Mongolia is an incredibly beautiful and varied country, you don't need roads to get from A to B and you can have too much mutton.

Our trip from UB started when Sumuya, our driver, and Ayunga, our interpretor/cook/guide, turned up at the hostel in the the khaki jeep and marvelled at the amount of water we were taking. Once again we were taking our fluid responsibilities seriously when faced with a desert, unaware that we'd be visiting a shop every couple of days.

Our driving started inauspiciously with a snow bogging but after this Sumuya didn't put a foot, or wheel, wrong be it on snow, ice, sand, dust or mud. Often these five elements were combined in a sort of thick soup which passes for roads outside the capital.

Our first day's drive was more like a safari than anything with us excitedly spotting camels, sheep, goats, cattle, gazelle, vultures and eagles. The Gobi is incredibly flat so it's possible to spot a camel on the horizon or a horse 5 kilometres away.

The highlights of our trip were...

1) The Flaming Cliffs, a series of towering red rockfaces which are straight out of Indiana Jones. We found strange objects embedded in the stony walls which could have been dinosaur eggs. Or round rocks.

2) Bumping over rocks for 4 hours to see a waterfall. Which was frozen.

3) Climbing an extinct volcano and exploring the Great White Lake.

4) Horse riding (Vic) and horse clinging to (me) with a Mongolian family. My unruly mount had to be lassoed, snorting and pawing the ground, before I could climb up. I tentatively tried to control him but things didn't pan out.

And now we are in Beijing, trying to find a decent web cafe where we can view the Big Trip website, but enjoying everything else.

More to follow...!