TOLBO NUUR – HOVD

Sain baina uu! 
Hello in Mongolia! 

However, trying from the shore there is no result. Maybe we need a boat? It’s not easy to find our way following the map and even locals not always know the right direction. A rocky desert is rutted all across, all directions and none of the paths reminds the East-West highway which is supposed to be here, at least the map says so. There are also very few cars, mostly Russian ones: UAZ, KAMAZ and IZ. If someone expects to cross Mongolia by car, one should know there is no way to do so. There are some rumors about a big route getting built in few years, but so far it’s not evident at all. Often, our way goes across mountain passes on 2,000-2,500 meters above the sea level. It’s very cold here, and rainclouds appear again. Sometimes we have to cross tiny rivers with no bridges, however it’s easy: water level is never higher than our wheel axes. Every now and then we see yurts in the valleys. These are called “ger” here, and these are nomads’ dwellings. Their animals tread out the grass in the valley, not letting it grow for even a bit. 

Everytime we pass by a yurt, locals come out, greet and wave at us. When we stop by one of them, the hosts invite us in for tea, and the invitation is the entire ceremony. First of all, we should stop some fifty meters away from yurt and wait for a host to fasten the dogs, which is the sign of him being ready to communicate. One is not allowed to step on the threshold when entering the yurt: it is considered a bad luck. Then a visitor has to wait until the host shows the seats. The highest place is in the Northern corner of the yurt, right in front of the door; this is where guests mostly sit. Then they begin to serve tea, to exchange tobacco blends and to smoke it. All the things should be taken or given with the right hand or both, it’s not good to use left hand alone. People are very hospitable. We mostly communicate with gestures and some words from the dictionary, and it seems to be quite comfortable. At 6PM we reach Hovd, one of the biggest towns in West Mongolia: they even have one traffic-light there. We stay at the central hotel, it’s $15 each and even expect hot water from 7 to 8PM. Accidentally, we stumble onto professor Muldashev’s expedition team and exchange few words with them.