I GREW MY BOOBS IN CHINA
Chapter #31 “Where Nomads Roam”

“You must always go around clockwise three times,” Baagii explained as he jumped out, shaking his wet hands to dry them. “For a safe journey. It’s like a shrine and it is symbolic of the open sky and Tengger, the sky spirit Genghis Khan prayed to before he came to power. Also makes good reference point,” he added, admitting that he knew this ovoo.
Chapter #32 “From Sheep To Mutton”

Baagii explained the procedure as the man went about his chore, completely unfazed by our presence. He pressed a small, sharp knife into the skin just below the sternum and sliced it downwards. Reaching in halfway to his elbow, he ‘unplugged’ the heart artery so the sheep would slowly bled to death.

An older daughter in the Mongol family, probably around thirteen or so, was preparing noodles for dinner in the squishy kitchen. She kneaded the pale dough and then sliced and rolled it into very lumpy, uneven strips. It was not about presentation as much as it was about just getting it shaped into pieces that could be thrown into the soup.
Chapter #33 “Mongol Ferrari “

We’d woken to see horses outside our ger munching away on the short, tough grass. Their hides twitched and their tails flicked the few flies away.

I’d be worried, too, with all these six year olds riding around like pros. Mongolians must learn to ride before they can walk, and it’s obvious that they really love their horses,I thought, thinking back on twenty-odd mounted kids between the ages of six and ten we’d seen practising for the Nadaam Festival.

Bree shouted happily and laughed as we both broke from a walk into a canter and rode side by side. I couldn’t believe these creatures’ speed and strength!

Once again, history was coming to life, this time with the wind gripping my hair. Suddenly I felt like I could’ve been part of Genghis Khan’s Mongolian Horde, shaking the earth as it stampeded across Asia on horseback in the thirteenth century. It didn’t surprise me that the Mongols ventured so far west if their horses were anything like these.
Chapter #34 ” “Recharge”
Chapter #35 “Sand Traps and Good Samaritans”

I gazed out the window at the vastness of the land, my attention diverted by my fears about having no GPS or experienced guide.

Ducking to avoid the drying meat strung up from the poles supporting the wood ceiling had become so routine that I barely even flinched at the sight, but the odour always got to me. Each day, I disliked it more and more. “Sheep” was present in clothing, shelter, and food, overwhelming the rest of my senses.

…with a simple fire stove in the centre, a tiny sink, a table surrounded by four small stools, and a small shrine for worship on one of two dressers. I consciously remembered to honour their custom of not turning my back to the sacred shrine except when exiting the ger. Despite the fact that we had essentially taken over their home for the night and were both unexpected and unannounced, we couldn’t have been more warmly welcomed.

“No, no, Future. You know what? I think we’re good. We can live without seeing the canyon,” Ammon had finally said to prevent Future from venturing further and further off course and wasting more fuel hunting for it. Even when we were finally heading in a direction that was more likely to lead to a town, my heart fluttered with the same rhythm as the blinking, red fuel light.
Wow! I never would have thought that Mongolia was this stunning.
I know!!!! It’s still one of my favorite countries. Such wonderful people too.
So beautiful to read you and remember those times in Mongolia… I was there in late October in 2010, no festival then but dropping temperatures and great times meeting up with people.
Glad to finally read your happiness at traveling 😉