Been through the desert on a horse with no name!

OK, so technically we were out of the desert at that point, but it was very flat and dry, and the Mongolians don't give their horses names.

We decided we wanted a diversion from the original plan for our trip, and decided to spend 2 nights in Khognor Khan National Park.  We arrived there in hot sunshine at about 4pm, there ger we were stopping in was on a slight hill in a vast plain, with a lake and sand dunes to one side and the foot of the Altai mountains to the other.  We chilled out in the sun for a while before asking the local family  (who owned the ger we were staying in) if we could take their horses out.  We agreed to an hour across the plains.

We started with a slow walk down the hill, but it was clear our horses were  itching to go and when we hit the flat plains we doug our heels in and gave them a 'Choo!'.  They were off, they were much faster than the horses we had been on up north and we were having to hold on but it was brilliant.  We felt like something out of a film with the sun setting behind the mountains and and the wind in our hair. 

That night, the old man of the family (Ber - 72) joined us in our Ger as we drank beer and vodka.  We managed to communicate surprisingly well, and he sang us some Mongolian Folk songs after which he gestured for us to sing.  Between the five of us we managed some slightly dubious renditions of Old Macdonald, House of the Rising Sun, and the Dutch National Anthem (we didn't know the words to that one).  It was a really nice night, and Ber was a little unsteady on his feet as he bid us goodnight.

The following day we set out on foot for the mountains, just the 5 of us walking through the silent plain accompanied by a dog that joined us for the entire 5 and a half hour climb.  The mountains and rock formations were stunning as we climbed higher, passing petrified wood and the ruin of an old monestary.  We had lunch at the top where we could see for miles across the plains, and walked back down the other side with giant vultures perched on the cliffs and circling above us.

Once we were back in UB the next day, we sorted a bed for the night and headed to a performance of Monglian Dance and Music.  The dancing was beautiful, and although maybe not beautiful, the throat singing was certainly impressive and almost enchanting.  The show included a fast bird dance when the dancers came out into the crowd, a mask dance to promote buddhism and an entire orchestra made up of different sized horse head fiddles.  It was a great show and good way to end our time in Mongolia, a place and people we have come to love.

Onto China.