A trip to the countryside

We hired a driver and went to the countryside today. What an experience! There were no fences and the expanse of the land is endless. The landscapes touch both ends of the sky, with peaks and valleys filling in the canvas. You just drive. Although there are some tire tracks, you can pretty much drive anywhere. We first went to Sagsoi to see a "stone man." It is a three foot stone memorial dating to the Turkic period, about 500 years ago. Near him and along the way, there were several large mounds of earth and rocks, which are Turkic burial sites. It was tempting to go dig it up but completely inappropriate. We had lunch in Tsengal. It's the first meal I couldn't choke down. Goat liver, or something hideous like that, on rice and pasta. I couldn't get the taste out of my mouth. Yuck. I picked off as much of the meat as I could and had several bites of rice and pasta.

We came home via Ulaanhuus. It is in a green valley surrounded on all sides by hills. The yurts dot the valley floor, which is speckled with yak, sheep, goat, and horses. We drove out to a family's property to see their wool camels. Max got in the pen with them, but I stayed outside of the pen. They were freakin' me out. They were hairless, and their little humps hung to one side. Their gray skin was wrinkly and rubbery looking. Apparently when they shed in the summer, they shed it all. I'm so glad my dog doesn't!

Once we got back in to town, we had dinner at the Turkish restaurant. I had a terrific lamb kebab, which made me forget the awful lunch experience. Tomorrow we will be going to a Kazakh wedding. I knew I should have packed a decent headdress.Læs mere