The Road to Dariganga
After a very nice sleep in and use of hotel wifi we head east towards the town of Dariganga. Here the landscape changes from desert to green hills. This begins the part of the trip where precarious roads and the rampant use of satellite navigation dominate. At midday we come across a car stuck for a day. We drag them out only to then become stuck ourselves. Several hours later, with the help of the saved car occupants and others, we escape, share lunch with our aids and head off. This seems a common occurrence in this part of the world. On these roads you often see no one for hours or days. As we experienced, It is part of the nomadic culture to help others and welcome a fellow traveler into your home for shelter.
We spend the night with a nomadic family in one of their brightly decorated three gers. We watch as teenage boys show us their horse riding and lassoing skills. Later the family make fried meat dumplings to sell at the local Nadam festival the next day. We play with the children into the night. Sleeping in the ger is cosy and sheltered from the sun and wind.
By Ourania Bolis
