Ulzibat's nomadic family

We stayed the last two days with a nomadic family. We shared meals cooked by them, and this afternoon, we spent two hours asking Ulzibat about life here. (The conversation was facilitated with Google translate)

Throughout the year, they live in three locations. They farm 60 camels 🐫, 200 sheep ànd goats, and as a side business, they have 3 yurts for travellers.

Despite the extra earnings from tourists, the work here remains hard. Today, for example, Ulziibat's wife left to go look after the sheep and goats for 3 days. She sleeps wherever they are.

The school here for 200 children is 50km away over dirt track roads or no roads at all. In winter, when temperatures reach -40C, the people here and the school move to one of their other locations.

The supermarket is 250km away. Ulzibat goes there 2 or 3 times a year. Locally, there is a tiny shop that sells a very narrow range of goods.

The food is good and tasty, but always the same. Savoury donought bread and sugar lumps for breakfast, local tea, lamb soup or goat soup for lunch, rice or noodles with lamb or goat, potatoes, carrots and cabbage for dinner.

The food seems to be unchanged since the time of Chingis Kahn. The clothes, at least in warmer months, have changed, with western clothes the normal for 95% of the people. Ulziibat's tells us that in winter, they do use traditional lamb skin coats.

The discussion, like the hospitality, was open and warm. The kids loved to play with Suka and learn from him the basics of setting a stove and cleaning floors . Our final dinner was prepared by Lola and Nora, whilst Ulzibat gave them the quantities and the tasks.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and great learning for adults and children alike.Read more