Also the tracks between Mongolia and China are different widths. So as we approached the border the train stopped and each car was individually lifted up with immense jacks, and they had to change the wheels! We weren't allowed to get off the train to watch, but they changed a group of cars right next to ours so we had a good view out of our windows of the whole process. They also processed our visas during this whole time. The Mongolian border guard was a very tall strong looking woman with a very elaborate uniform. Aside from being incredibly intimidating she was helpful though and the border crossing was quite painless. The only real problem was that this whole process took about 3.5 hours, during which the bathrooms were closed. (For good reason, think of the poor workers changing wheels under the train!) Wanda was very relieved however as when the bathrooms were finally opened, the car assistant held back a line of eager men to let Wanda get in first.
So after all was said and done it was 1:00 AM, but we were in Mongolia and on our way. We drifted off blissfully to sleep...
I remember waking up and feeling strangely cold but I pulled the blankets up a little tighter and tried to ignore the small draft coming from the window. Again I woke up but this time the draft had a strange moist feeling. But asleep again. Again awake, about 6:30AM. This time I peeked out the window and saw nothing but fierce blowing snow and an endless stretch of desert. Now there wasn't a lot of snow, but it was blowing hard, and had been sneaking through the window onto my pillow, making a small pile. I decided to get up and get some hot water from the boiler to warm up, so I snuck out of the compartment careful not to wake up Paul, Tamara or Wanda. I found the car a little smokey. I got my water just as the assistant went to put more coal in the boiler, and when we opened the little door, smoke just POURED into the car. The wind was blowing so hard that the coal smoke wouldn't go up the chimney! He waved me to get back into my cabin, which I promptly did to find Tamara and Wanda just waking up. I started to explain all the bizarre things that were happening, but rather than just tell them I decided to show them. So I lifted the curtain over our window, not realizing that 3/4 of an inch of snow had collected around the edges of the window. Raising the curtain had unfortunately knocked off some small chunks of snow onto the face of the sleeping Paul. Paul, in good humor, just moved to the other side of his pillow. I was a little flustered by the absurdity of the snow on the inside of our window and quickly pulled the curtain back down in order to prevent more snow from falling on Paul. This had the unfortunate effect pouring a LARGE amount of snow on the face of Paul.
Now that we were ALL up, we all enjoyed the adventure of being stuck in a storm in the Gobi desert. The coal smoke that would pour by every so often only added to authenticity of our Trans Siberian adventure. The tracks were covered with sand, so some poor workers had to get out and shovel before we could move on. All said and done though we were delayed about 5 hours, which meant after about 35 hours we rolled into UB (Ulan Baator).
We were thrilled to be met by my brother-in-law Jonny. It was VERY nice to have someone who knew the country and the language. It's amazing though how soon you start to rely on someone who knows the language though. One time I wanted to buy a bottle of juice from a vendor, and my first instinct was to find Jonny to have him translate. As though I had never bought something from a vendor the past two months!
One of the first things that we did was leave UB for a Ger camp in National Park. The park was beautiful in a way that is similar but different than Canada. It was early spring, and since they don't get a lot of snow fall in Mongolia, it is a very dry, and bleak time of year. But there is so much space!(like Canada) Especially compared to China, which seemed full of people. I think we read that Mongolia has the lowest person per sq/km ratio in the world. We were able to go on a couple hikes and it was astounding to see the country stretching on and on. Also the rocks and boulders in Mongolia seem so ancient. They have that worn down look. We also got to do some riding (horses and two-humped camels), as well as hold a Gold Eagle, and live in a Ger. Ger's are the traditional homes of the Mongolians. They look kind of like little igloo's, but are made out of felt. Most Mongolians still live in them.
After the nice wind down time at the Ger camp, we left to see as much as UB as we could before we left to go see my sister in another city. The highlights of our time was the very diverse market, and an extremely interesting cultural show. Mongolians have very pleasant traditional music, which mostly centers around a horse-head fiddle, which sits on the lap like a cello, has two strings made of horse hair, and has a carved wooden horse head on the top. (Mongolian culture really centers around the horse, there are 14 horses for every person in Mongolia!) The Mongolians also do something called throat-singing, which is fascinating. There are different ways that it is performed. One is a find of choppy chugging/croaking sound, and another is a high pitched whistle that comes from the chest as much as anything. When I first heard the whistle, I was completely blown away. It sounds like some kind of flute or another instrument more than a human noise.
After this we travelled by bus to Erdenet, to meet up with my sister Marina, and my 20 month old niece Amy. I really enjoyed the wonderful opportunity to get a taste of what their life has been like for the past four years, see there friends and learn about their work. And just to be with family was the best of all.
We enjoyed getting to know the city of Erdenet. It's a very young city, only about 30 years, and was built to support a large copper mine. I think it's the third largest copper mine in the world. While in Erdenet we were able to also experience one of the premier Mongolian experiences, airag! Airag is fermented mare's (horse) milk. I don't know the exact process of how it's made, but most families are able to make it in there own gers. It's a Mongolian favorite, especailly in the summer. Kind of like our lemonade. We weren't sure if we were going to be able to have any since it was out of season, but a barrel came into town full of airag. Our Mongolian friend said that the quality was 'medium good'. I have to agree! I can't say that I'd love to drink it day after day, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed my cup and a half. It kind of tasted like bubbly skimmed milk with sour yogurt mixed in. It is mildly alcoholic. About 2% I think.
I feel like I could go on and on about how interesting Mongolia is. I'm not sure if it was because we finally had a guide who could tell us about the particularities of the culture, but Mongolia seemed extra-interesting. A very neat mix of modernity simple living, kind people, tradition, and bizarre facts.
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