We woke up at the respectable hour of 8 and headed up for a breakfast of pancakes, cucumber, tomato and yak milk cheese. After this we boarded our now fixed car and headed out onto the Steppe.
We stopped frequently looking for Marmotts. Marmotts are a small rodent like creature, not unlike a ferret that lives on the Steppe and eats berries, grasses and other plants. Tan’s and our driver, Gumbolt were the best at spotting them, I managed to see around 2. However I did manage to be crowned official marmott whisperer of our group, as I was able to mimic their calls very well after copying Gumbolt.
Marmotts, were nearly hunted to extinction, and are now protected. Imagine an animal that spends its time munching on sage, thyme and other herbs making itself especially tasty, whilst having fur that is pretty much indistinguishable from sable. It wasn’t looking good for the Marmott due to their great taste and saleable skins, however now with the new ban, it seems their numbers are on the increase.
The Steppe is amazing, from a distance its just rolling green hills, but up close it is many thousands of plants that present an astounding biodiversity. Wild onions, Mongolian Sage, Mongolian Thyme, wild rhubarb, spearmint, medicinal plants that prevent diarrhea and wild garlic. Every step releases a strong smell of herby goodness that just makes you feel good. This combined with beautiful sunshine, an azure blue sky, endless solitude in every direction and a gentle cooling breeze make what is effectively a totally inhospitable landscape feel like a paradise on earth.
We stopped for a lunch of mystery meat and cheese sandwiches, meatballs, rice and cooked vegetables, basic, but good and tasty. Numerous Kites (a bird of prey) were circling overhead, attracted by the scent of our lunch.
We saw some gravesites from the Bronze Age in 300 AD and also saw the gravesite of a Turkish Noble that was erected circa 600 AD. This grave had hundreds of stone carvings stretching off into the distance, as if they were all queued up waiting to pay tribute to a great warrior or elder statesman.
We drove on and spotted deer, more marmott, numerous kites and big ugly vultures feasting on carrion. Aside from the animals, the Steppe is in bloom this time of year, with yellow, vivid white, purple, orange and red flowers sprinkled like hundreds and thousands across the entire landscape.
We returned home for a dinner of “beef” stew, vegetables and rice. After dinner we drove off into a rainstorm to look at the wild horses, Tahkis. We saw about 8 Takhis and gave up, as we were all pretty soaked. The rain was being relentlessly driven into us by huge gusts of wind, its strength unchecked by trees, buildings or any other kind of wind break. There was also a fair bit of lightning. Lightning is a big problem in Mongolia as there are no tall buildings or trees to conduct it, it usually zaps a number of people, usually children on horseback, each year.
I was also given my Mongolian name this evening, I am Bat-erdene, named after the 10 time traditional Mongolian wrestling champion and national hero. Apparently this is due to my cool temperament, but mostly due to my size. I don’t think I’m getting out of Mongolia without wrestling someone.
The rainstorm I mentioned before is still going, but our Ger is warm and cozy, parts of it are a little damp, as rain is getting in through the skylight, but it is pouring outside, if we were in a normal tent, we’d be soaked through, cold and miserable.
