In the steppes

Time to start the great adventure !

First contact with the nomadic breeders, with whom we will stay during the next 10 days. It is purely amazing to be here, it hardly seems real.

And also first contact with the horses. They have no name, it will give us the opportunity to chose how we want to call them. Mine will be Sheitan, “devil” in Arabic language : generally speaking, the Mongolian horses are more wild than tame, and this little buddy is a 4 year old stallion. It looks like those holidays are going to be eventful !

After a first 8 hour day of riding (including 4 hours of trot and lope, now I understand why people say that Mongolian horses lope like the wind in the steppes) full of emotions and a night more than useful to recover from the previous day, we leave family campground and start heading towards the Orkhon falls, then a bit further every day.

There is no word to describe what we are going to live during the following 8 days, but just to give you an idea :

• welcoming sanitaries

• fully equipped kitchens (and an amazing cook, thanks for everything Oyona !)

• one million star campgrounds
  

• awesome sceneries and millions of flowers everywhere
  

• cattle drives (mmhh, this reminds me something, but I cannot remember what...)

• long, non stop, exhausting days ;)

• learning how to load and unload a yak (not sure that I will have the opportunity to practice very often in Paris) with the 150 kg they can handle, or to ride it

• watching women milk the mares, and practicing on yaks afterwards (it just took me about 2 minutes to get 5 drops, fortunately I don't do it as a living...)
  

• learning how they kill sheep (!!! if you want to learn it, you can have a look at the video below, otherwise do not try and view it !!!). Poor Dudule, before, during and after...

• trying to find solutions to fight against all the insects of the universe in the evenings

• hailstones starting to fall where there is not a single tree within miles and miles

• unforgettable moments spent with the families we will meet on the road, tasting the mare milk, the yak cheese and the salted tea they offer to anybody who enters their home

• wonderful evenings spent with everybody around the fire, playing cards or listening to Mongolian songs during hours, laughing out loud and doing our best to communicate in spite of the language

Those days flew away like seconds, we didn't want to leave Puruwe, Timbe, Badra, Boldaa, Gana and Bor.... For sure, we will never forget you guys, nor your families. Thank you so much for everything you shared with us day after day.

(Thank you Laura for the group pictures)