7:30am – Realize that the van has a flat tire. Driver Jackie fixes it like a champ!
7:45am – Get in the van. Its an icebox – as in, the whole thing is frozen. Think, “Ahhh, when will I be warm again!?!” As we drive away, our host family flings a cup of milk at the van for good luck.
10:30am – Stop at a temple to take a break and have a look around. Monk shows us the sacred scrolls of the temple. Think it might actually be warmer outside than in the van.
11:45am – Camel spotting!!!!
1pm – Stop to see a Chinese copper mine.
1:45pm – Lunch! Milk tea, followed by a soup of fatty mutton, rice, onion and celery, all topped with sour cream. Finally feeling warm – I can feel my feet again (minor victory)!
4pm – Pit stop in a tiny town to buy water and snacks. Run into some kids and have an epic dance-off in the middle of a dirt road. They had me doing handstands and the Running Man! Leave a few packets of sour patch kids in their capable hands.
6pm – Arrive at our Ger for the evening, unload the van and enjoy milk tea with the family.
6:30pm – Conor, Denis and Murtaza play Frisbee while Lara, Jacqueline and I check out the nearby hills. The area is known for “having trees,” (!?!) which are really more like tall shrubs. Collect firewood on our way back to the Ger.
7:30pm – Lovely sunset! Conor helps Jackie fix a second flat tire.
8pm – Dinner is rice and mutton with pickled carrots and peppers. It tastes delish (or I’m just that hungry).
8:20pm – Share a bottle of vodka with out hosts, followed by another bottle in our Ger.
10:30pm – Bed time. Pile on the layers and curl up into a ball in my sleeping bag. Pray that its not as cold as last night.
please protect me from the cold!
For more glorious Photo Friday, Delicious Baby is calling!
