Mongolia: the Robin Experience

Trip Start May 25, 2005

Trip End Jul 28, 2005

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Flag of Mongolia Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia
Thursday, June 16, 2005

Hello One and All,
I am sorry about the group email, I know their a bit annoying,
but it's the best I can do right now.
SO.....I have been in Mongolia 10 days now, and tomorrow we leave for
Russia, and Lake Bikal. UlannBaatar is an incredible city, and
although it has changed much (lots of restaurants, bars, shops, ect.)
it is still very much the town I saw five years ago. I have been
having a great time. We went Ger camping this past weekend with a
Swedish guy we met named Richard

buddhist temple

. It was really fun to have a fourth
person. The ger camp was in the Terelj national park. There were
three Gers for tourists and two for the family that we stayed with.
It was unbelivebly beautiful. With rolling green hills, rock
formations that resembled turtles and phalluses and turtle phalluses.
Both days I went horse back riding. The second day just Richard
and I went with the Mongolian dude who we became quick friends with
the first day by giving him a pack of smokes and quite a few swigs of
Mongolian vodka. He took us to a Disco/Cafe in the middle of nowhere
to party. Neither of us felt like drinking, since the night before
we sat on top of this 100 foot rock formation for sunset. It was
cold so we could justify bringing the bottle of vodka. It was three
of us Richard, myself, and a very full puppy who followed us from the
camp after finishing up the can meat product that was given to me at
dinner. The puppy promptly fell asleep in my lap, and we, deep in
conversation and sunset watching, polished off the bottle

ger

. So, we
ordered coffees and a beer for the guide who was already very
inbreated from helping himself to a full teacup of vodka, upon
entering our ger to tell us the horses were ready. At some point the
guide decided that he liked me, and to his credit, tried to hit on me
in Mongolian for quite a while (and goosed me), until I said that I
had a big boyfriend in Ulannbaatar who was a very jealous man.
Riding back to camp was a remarkable experience- the horses, who on
the way to the cafe' could not be inspired past a slow canter,
galloped pretty much the entire way home. The weather had been quite
rainy, and overcast, but as we galloped over the last hill to the
camp,the sun broke through and we rode straight into a double
rainbow. It was beyond beautiful

our ger camp

. We came back to UB two days ago,
and I finally ran into Dave Edwards (he is who I came to Mongolia
with before.) I had lunch and dinner with him, and five of his
friends. What a great guy. I wish I had more time here, I would
really love to go out into the Gobi desert, and just ride horses from
camp to camp, but there are many more adventures to come. It's just
a damn charming country. Oh! and I know I have told many of you my
rule against getting hair cuts when you don't speak the language, but
I am going to have to revise this rule and add two amendments, since
I just got the best hair cut I think I have ever had, for about $5.
Amendment one- send someone in before you, and see their results.
Amendment two-(this is the most important)- only ever get your hair
cut by effeminate men, they care.

This is a wonderful journey and adventure, and I will keep on
updating y'all. Thanks for taking the time to read this. all my
love- Robin

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