Following a night of lodging, in an actual town and not in a wayward Ger hundreds of kilometers from anything else, we decided to stock up on supplies before leaving civilization again.

We hit up a pharmacy (there were some tummy/digestive issues within the group that needed to be addressed), a grocery store and an outdoor market.

The market had everything; rolls of linoleum flooring, spare motorbike parts, clothes, toys. It also had an open-air pool hall where we watched children and men battle each other to clear the tables.

I was meandering the stalls when I noticed an old man approaching my brother, Conor. Suddenly, the man was running his hands over Conor’s chest, back, arms and hands.  Was inspecting his neck, ears and mouth; all without saying a word.

I was transfixed and highly entertained at Conor’s clear confusion and (polite) discomfort.

Turns out our new friend was a mute medicine man, who routinely examines foreigners for health ailments and then, naturally, expects to be paid for it.

Our guide Deegii came by during the examination and burst out laughing, “You must pay him now. Never let him touch you!” Like a good unknowing foreigner, Conor handed over a few tögrög and we all had a good laugh.

As a reward?/further punishment?/continued cultural immersion? Deegii took us to a vendor selling Airag.  A traditional and popular alcoholic beverage, Airag is fermented mares milk.

Personally, I’d read about the libation before getting to Mongolia and was stoked to be able to try it.  The others were not so enthusiastic. Especially when they saw how it was served…from large, uncovered, unrefrigerated, plastic vats and then poured into a semi-clean metal bowl.

Obviously the sanitation was questionable at best, but sometimes you just have to look the other way (when in Rome). The Airag didn’t smell awful per say, but it didn’t smell particularly appetizing either.

The taste? Very yeasty. And foamy – almost thick. It didn’t taste anything like milk.

Everyone gave it a try, though tolerances for the drink varied widely. I didn’t think it was horrible, but I’m not sure I could have downed a whole bowl by myself.

After this very enlightening market visit, it was back into the van and back out into the open steppe.