Mongolia - Part 3

Before we get on to the festival, I need to tell you about the gers. We stayed in about 12 different camps, all with shared bathrooms, immaculately clean, meals included and generally very comfortable.

Some had electricity, none have wi-fi, most have beer.

Most beds are really hard but have great blankets

Even the restaurants at the camp were sometimes a ger - check out those gold chairs!

You need to duck to get through the door.

     

The lady in traditional dress came out to greet us with sugared curd (then whipped out of her costume, popped on rubber gloves and started cleaning!). She also 'blessed' the wheels of our vehicle with milk on departure - for a safe journey. They used to bless horses' hoofs.

On our last night we stayed at a camp that had hot springs so we booked a massage after a soak in the pools. What we didn’t expect from the mostly pleasant event was a full-on boob massage and some vigorous head rubbing that wasn’t actually nice L Being in higher, mountainous country, it was quite a bit cooler so our guide offered to light our ger stoves. These are used to warm nomad families in temperatures that get as low as -40C. Seemed like a good idea but I swear our ger went from a coolish 17C to a sauna-esque 47C in about 15 minutes!! We had to leave the door open and stay low to the floor to remain in there. I don’t know how they cope with such extremes.

The frighteningly effective stove.

We also saw a few inappropriate T-shirt, like a 12 year old girl in a village with ‘Shameless’ emblazoned across her chest. At one of the camps, a shy, bespectacled teenager working there was wearing an oversized black T-shirt that had large white letters that said: CUROSITD [sic] KILLED YOUR VIRGINITY. Say what?? It was just so wrong. She was wearing it again the next day and we hoped to get a photo so our guide approached and explained her T-shirt was kind of funny and could we take a photo? She crossed her arms and said she’d bought it at a market and didn’t know what it said. Wisely, our guide decided not to tell her and nor did we take a photo – but you get the visual.

We didn’t meet many other travellers – most were in their 60s or 70s and from Europe, some were from Asia – most kept to themselves. We did meet a lovely family from Scotland who were taking a break from the trans-Siberian rail trip and we encountered the same posse of bikers from Vietnam at a couple of camps.

The driving can be as long as 8 hours a day, on tracks that can be extremely rough and frankly, the ‘sealed’ roads that can be rougher – but the scenery was spectacular, the sites varied and I don’t get car sick so can read – even if it is a tad bumpy!

Next up; The Naadam Festival

The Fancy Pants Day Spa

For my last birthday, Geoff gave me a voucher to the fabulous day spa I love but venture to infrequently.

As my birthday will be here again in just a few short months, I thought it was well time to book it in.

The chick at reception assured me most people take a year to redeem vouchers. Her theory is because you didn't buy it yourself, you don't make the time. That makes no sense to me whatsoever. I think it's because the anticipation of such indulgence is almost as good as the event itself. You just look at that thick, crisp, white package on your desk and sigh in the smug satisfaction of knowing it's there whenever you feel like it.

And now it's not. Which is a bit sad and just a reminder that I should book myself in more than annually.

Anyway... I had the Kitya Karnu signature treatment last Monday. Divine. Ensconced in a personal steam room, you're lathered up with delectable smelling oil, then sprinkled with some seemingly heated exfoliating salty mud and vigorously scrubbed down. Unfortunately at that point, as much as I was enjoying the experience, I had two images in my mind:

1. Preparing a slab of pork belly for the oven
2. Reapplying sunscreen after you've laid in the sand

Neither really conjuring up the euphoric state I was hoping for.

They then wash it all off with high-pressure water, run some refrigerated river stones over you then flip you like a sausage (or maybe that's just me??) to do the other side.

Anyway, in addition they apply a hair mask, which includes a head massage (an absolute highlight) and a bit of a mini facial.

After, they settle you back into their plush lounge with soothing music, books full of inspiring quotes and lifestyles that I'll never attain, chilled water and a glass of herbal tea. You can then avail yourself of their heavy-rain-like showers using all their fabulous products - shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion - in the bathroom with combs, hairdryers, loads of fluffy white towels you don't have to wash -  so make sure you're not in a rush.

Hopefully the Zen will last a few weeks.