We had a great day yesterday travelling out to the west of Ulaanbaatar to visit a family living in their ger in the countryside. There was a van load of newbie volunteers and the family put on a spread of Mongolian food for us all. There was dried milk curds - think of chewing on a piece of strong dry parmesan (definitely an acquired taste ), some great little sweet fry-breads and the traditional buuz which is a steamed dumpling filled with minced mutton. All washed down with milky tea. It was all good eating although I did end up with that feeling in my mouth similar to eating a big plate of fish and chips.
We got to see the farmers milking their mares - this needs to be done every 2 hours. I missed out on tasting the airag (fermented mares milk) but Steve gave it a go - apparently very tangy/vinegary but strangely refreshing and 'kind of pleasant' he says.
The kids had a great time running around playing soccer and catching crickets. It was a really hot day and it made me realise the harshness of the environment that these families survive in. There are no trees or any kind of shelter from the sun apart from inside the ger which can be quite stuffy especially if you get a few bodies squeezed inside. The watering holes are few and far between. I understand now why the people have such a dependency and close bond with their livestock.
We got home yesterday evening quite exhausted but then had the wonderful suprise of the hot water being on which was perfect timing fr our sweaty, dusty bodies.
Steve starts language lessons tommorow and I am going to try to go along too with Justus and Riley, not sure if it will work out, but I'm really needing to get some more Mongolian sorted.
Love to all of you
b
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