THE TRANS SIBERIAN EXPRESS (PART 4) MONGOLIA

Once we were settled into our ger we assembled for dinner which was presented in a larger, communal ger. All of the food was prepared in the traditional Mongolian way of cast iron pots over flame and hot stones. We were served by local people who dressed in traditional garb. All the while our guide Nemo kept up a running commentary of what we were eating and how it was prepared.



Most Mongolian dishes are centered around meats as vegetables are hard to come by. During our stay we ate beef, yak, horse, camel, goat and sheep, quiet a variety. These meats were usually cooked as a stew, in soups or as dumplings (buuz). Some of the passengers didn’t want to know what they were eating as they had qualms about eating horse or camel.

Pity any poor vegetarian that turns up on the doorstep of a Mongolian ger looking for a meal.

Hospitality is very important to Mongolian people and they go out of their way to make guests feel relaxed and comfortable. You can’t sit down to a meal in Mongolia without being offered airag, fermented mares milk. Now if the thought of drinking fermented mares milk doesn’t turn you off then the smell often will. It smells horrible! It is considered rude not to drink airag when offered to you, though you can escape offending your hosts by taking but a sip. That is what most of us did but some of the die-hards in the group set out to get drunk on the stuff. Later that night they paid the penalty by constant trips to the bathroom.

The highlight of the visit to the village was several group rides on local Mongolian ponies. Now these beasts look docile and weary but underneath their shaggy exterior they have a big motor that will keep running day in and day out. Don’t forget that the ancestors of these horses helped Genghis Khan conquer a large chunk of the world.

 Local horseman rounded up horses for our group and each person chose a horse. As with all things on such a trip the paying passengers got first choice and I was left with whatever was leftover which in this instance was a small and scrawny looking pony, who I doubted could carry me out of sight of the camp let alone on a long ride. As I mounted the horse Nemo came up to me and said I had made a good selection as it was the best horse in the group.

 I looked at him doubtfully.

We set off at a leisurely pace as the horses appeared to know the way. We passed the dinosaur park and headed off to a local landmark to have a picnic lunch. As soon as we hit the flat, unobstructed plain several of the group kicked their horses into a gallop.

I looked at my shabby beast and wondered if it was worth the effort. I thought why the hell not and gave the pony a little bit of heel and a tug on the reins. Be buggered if the pony didn’t take off like Seabiscuit. In no time at all we had passed the three horses in front of us and we were now scorching across the plain at warp speed. I hung on like a limpet expecting at any moment to be thrown off.

I saw the camp area ahead where we were to have lunch and as the pony and I entered the cleared area I pulled back tight on the reins, dug my heels into the horses side and hoped for the best. In reality I expected either the horse wouldn't stop and just keep going until it reached Siberia or I would ignominiously fall off.

To my delight and suprise the pony skidded to a stop rearing a little as it did so.

Nemo rushed forward to greet me.

“See I told you that this was a very good horse.” I could only nod back at him as I was still trying to recover from my fear.

“You ride like a Mongolian,” he said with a broad smile on his face.

I wasn’t sure if he was taking the mickey or not and it didn’t matter a jot as it was the pony who controlled me not the other way around. I just hung on out of fear.

The group was very impressed with my riding prowess, especially when Nemo told them about how hard that particular pony was to ride………if only they knew!

The next few days were spent riding and wandering the hills. We visited a monastery that was set on a hillside where the monks greeted us with warm tea and smiles. On another occasion I topped a hill only to be confronted by a herd of shaggy yaks. I am still not sure who got the biggest fright as we both ran off in different directions.

It was a great four days and the passengers raved about the experience and the friendliness and warmth of the people. We said our heartfelt farewells and headed back to Ulaanbaatar.