Ger to Ger in the Terelj

Having had out introductory session with the tour company the day after we arrived in UB, a bit of a waste of time, we headed to the Terelj national park on the 14th by local bus. Having been told to wait till the very last stop, some kids came onto the bus at the penultimate stop, insisting we should get off for the ger-to-ger program. We did, somewhat reluctantly, and were thankfully then taken to our first family by a river in an attractive, flat, grassland valley. We spent the afternoon swimming in the icy river with the children, playing football and volleyball, before pitching the tent and settling down for the evening in the ger, playing various games including ankle bone flicking (called something like Shangi). The following day involved a 24km ride to a monastery and back after doing the exciting job of dung collecting. It was good to be back in the saddle though I am far from ellegent on horseback! The scenery was good, with the monastery occupying a prime spot at the head of a valley with spectacular views (though as usual the afternoon brought light showers!). We returned early evening, somewhat saddle-sore, and a bit apprehensive about the 26km ride to our second family the following day.
Our departure coincided with the slaughter of a goat. A quick blow to the head stunned it and an incision was made just behind the sternum where an artery is apparently squeezed to kill it without wasting any blood. the innards were removed which were then cleaned and boiled up in one big pot. The small intestines were filled with the blood to make a sort of sausage, and we also had some braised liver wrapped in omentum. It was actually all much more tasty than I expected, not being the greatest fan of offal, though Amy struggled a little more having just enough to be polite.
Our subsequent ride was through the Mongolia that I had imagined, valleys filled with wild flowers, butterflies dancing on the breeze with the sun burning a hole in the perfectly blue sky. If it all sounds a bit too good to be true then fear not...there were quite a few horse flies around which kept both us and the horses on our toes! On arrival, our host fed us the traditional fried buter fat with bread and a lovely cup of salty milk tea, a taste we have now aquired after more than our fair share. We had a further 2 meals during the day and while Mongolian food can not be described as the most exciting, it is certainly not unpleasand and does the job of filling you up. We hAd been expecting much worse. The following morning was spent in the ger to shelter from the weather. We were shown how traditional garments and accessories are made, with one of the daughters knocking off a small bag in little over an hour and a half. An ox cart then took us to the 3rd family and we mercifully stayed dry throughout the 9km journey...
...That did not last long though because almost as soon as we arrived the heavens really did open, developing into heavy hail stones. A trickle through the ger soon turned into a torrent with the floor needing to be bailed out. Despite all this we were not allowed to help with every offer resulting in us being told to take a seat to such an extent that it was hampering their efforts. The scene once the rain stopped and we went outside was of devistation with the river swelling to at least twice the size and a number of smaller rivers which had been dry an hour previously. Our good old tent managed to stay dry though, unlike the other person on the trip with us whose tent had become more of a paddling pool.
Our final host the following day was a young couple with a 4 month old baby. It must be hard work but the sence of community is amazing with everyone chipping in if needed which must ease the load a bit. We had a very pleasant day, walking to the top of the nearest peak and playing UNO with the kids. UNO turned out to be one of the best ice-breakers along with photos from home, being good fun and easy to explain without shared language. We caught a late bus, arriving back at our hostel for a much needed shower around 9pm.
Today we have bought our bus ticket to go to Tsetserleg tomorrow. We were going to do a tour but thought it would be more exciting to head out into the wilderness again on our own. We should be back on the 31st...