I wake up in the middle of the night shivering. The fire in the stove has gone out and it’s become decidedly cooler inside the ger. They keep out the elements for the most part but they’re basically just a large tent made out of felt, so don’t hold in the heat. I don wool socks and my down jacket and since I’m awake anyway, head out with my headlamp into the rain and wind to the outhouse. I’m getting flashbacks again of living in the railway station as a kid in the harsh winters; bundled up in my parka, mucklucks and nightgown walking to the outhouse, with the flashlight beam bouncing off the carved out path in the snow. Nothing like an ice cold toilet seat and arctic air hitting your butt to rid you if your last vestige of sleep in the middle of the night. This toilet is a little different from the usual outhouse. There’s isn’t a raised toilet seat but instead a hole between two wooden planks over a deep hole. The trick is to squat to do your business without falling in the hole.
It’s just after 4am and based on the sound of rain on the rooftop, I don’t think I’ll be getting my sunrise. I can hear the wind whistling around the opening in the roof where the chimney pokes out. I pop outside and it’s just as I feared. The valley is surrounded by clouds that are racing across the sky with a ring of black clouds threatening a rainstorm. John has gotten up early as well and we decide to wait to see what happens with the weather and head back into our gers.
I head out just before 6am. I think the weather is as good as it’s going to get. It’s super windy and spitting rain but I don’t want to miss the opportunity to check out the stupa and golden Buddha. I find a herd of horses just outside of the village and I’m befriended by a large black and white dog who trots ahead of me. As soon as I near the herd, they take one look at me and start to walk away. The foals are especially skittish and they give a little buck and run off.
I climb the stair to the white stupa built on the the hillside. Tibetan prayer flags are flapping in the wind and my hair whips around my face. I’m bundled up but the wind tears through my toque and makes my eyes water. I continue on to the golden Buddha and then make my way back down towards the monastery grounds and there I meet a young man, Omuud. He doesn’t speak English so we converse a bit using Google translate. He isn’t wearing robes so I ask him if he’s a herder and he shakes his head. Oh dear, I think I’ve made an error and perhaps insulted him. I confirm he’s a monk, but just not wearing his robes. He seems to want to ask me something but can’t figure it out on the translation app. I tell him we’re going to visit the monastery later this morning so perhaps my guide can translate then. I wish him a good day and go back to my ger.
Back at the ger I pack up my sleeping pad and bag so I’m ready to go when we need to pack up the van. I climb back up to the stupa and continue upwards to a cairn on the top of the mountain covered in prayer flags. I take my time wandering and it isn’t until I glance at my phone that I realize I’m 15 minutes late for breakfast so I pick up the pace and run back. The others have started without me but have saved me some food and it’s then that I notice that hoofing it around the mountains has given me a big appetite.
After breakfast we walk to the monastery and a young monk shows us around the grounds. He’s very reserved and serious. We end up talking about Tibet and he tells us that it’s his dream to visit the country and to see the Dalai Llama. He’s been a monk since he was nine and has recently turned twenty-two. He rarely sees his family who reside in Ulaanbattar. He loves soccer (football) and his favourite team is Manchester United. His serious demeanour charges and he becomes animated when he talks about the sport. His other dream country to visit is England as he wants to attend a football match.
It’s time to be on our way and we say our goodbyes to Darisuren, thanking her for her hospitality. We bounce our way across the countryside and back onto the paved road before heading southwest to an area that has an inactive volcano. Unuruu has provided us with a Bluetooth speaker so I become Van DJ. I’m playing the 60’s and 70’s playlist and get the thumbs up from John and Padraig. Every once in awhile Padraig comes alive and does a drum solo on his lap and John and I sing along to our favourites.
We stop for a hike up to the extinct volcano, Uran Togoo. Because of the wet weather the Grey Beast can’t navigate the muddy ruts of the road to the trail head so we will have to hop out and walk from here. Padraig is concerned about getting wet so Unuruu provides a red “rain coat” except when he puts it on there isn’t a hole for his head or arm holes. Basically a large piece of plastic has been thrown over him and he’s peering out of clear plastic eye cutouts wondering how he got in this situation when all he asked for was a jacket. We fall over laughing hysterically. Ganbaa finds an actual rain jacket for Padraig and we set out on the trail through a small forest with trees covered in black bark. Horses and cattle graze along the dirt track. It feels good to get a bit of exercise after sitting for so long.
We arrive at our spot for the night and are greeted by Byra. He hosts tourists at his roadside accommodation that consists of a main house and several A-frame buildings. Unuruu begins prepping a stir fry for a dinner while we make up our cots with sleeping bags and blankets. The dinner is delicious and Byra joins us for the meal. He says I’m too thin and I need to have a second helping. I do a bicep pose telling him it’s all muscle. Unuruu tells him that I’m a police officer and he has a dubious look on his face until I put on a serious look and he pulls away. Everyone starts laughing and I jokingly tell him he shouldn’t make me angry. I bring out my photo album and show him an old photo of me in my police uniform. He flips through all the photos, asking questions using Unuruu as the translator.
After we clean up the dinner dishes, Byra brings out ping pong paddles and a net. Padraig and Unuruu have a heated battle and then John joins in. I’m exhausted so I bow out and head to bed after watching for a bit.
