Tight Pants and More Riding #9/9

25 July 2015

After a quick 12 hours on dirt roads, smashed in a land rover with 9 other people, I found myself back in Ulaanbator. I decided to go to Naraan Tuul, the black market and buy new pants and boots so I didn't look quite so homeless. You can buy anything imaginable in the market; cooking stoves, jewlery, fishing poles and boats, puppies, school uniforms, saddles, and of course knock off Armani jeans. 

I pointed to a pair I liked and I was handed a wrap around skirt  for modesty and a small carpet to stand on. With hundreds of people winding their way through the market, I shimmied out of my pants and smashed my thighs into some very tight jeans. I asked if I could have a bigger size. The lady holding the mirror cocked her head to the side, looked me up and down, and said, "no, those pants good." And how can you argue with that. So we cut the tags off and I left market looking far more stylish than when I entered.

To go to the Gobi would be days of driving each direction, so what the heck, I decided to go horse back riding for three more days.

My horse was a sweet little paint and my saddle was wooden slats and iron bars with a scrap of leather over the top. Thank goodness I had been riding, otherwise I would still be walking funny. We could have ridden in circles for all I cared, but our first night out we camped at the Monastery in the national park. The Monastery has been rebuilt and us now a museum, but the valley gave it a spectacular setting.

The guides, dressed in their beautiful dels and tall leather boots, would sing out spontaneously as we rode. It always made us break into smiles and the music fit the landscape perfectly. Every night the setting sun made the hills look like velvet and I fell asleep to the sound of horses munching the grass. Every morning I was the first one up and felt like I had the whole steppe to myself.

The three days flew by and before I knew it I was back at the riding camp for one last night. We stayed up late in the big ger singing songs, impersonating Mongolian rappers, and teaching each other games. I taught the mongolian guides a game where you stand on chairs facing each other holding the end of a rope. On the count of three, both people have the pull in all the slack and try to pull the other person off the chair. We were all laughing so hard by the end and we collapsed at the table to finish off the night with chess and cards.

My head is swimming with happy memories and I cannot believe I am going to be sitting on a plane in a mere 10 hours. Pictures can hardly do this country justice and the warmth of the people is truly inspiring. I feel as though I have been back in time and I will find myself abruptly thrown back into the present day when my plane lands tomorrow.

Thank you for reading and happy travels!