Kharkhorin - A day on the steppe

A bit more relaxing day. John and the group headed off for a bit of horseback riding while I finished up the journal…quiet, non-group time. They met another Mongolian family on their ride--

Then we went off for a picnic at the lake and a taste of their national food (mutton…what else). This time they prepared it a la Genghis Khaan. Genghis and his men used the body of the mutton as their pot- but they used a large pot.

They added a bit of water, some spices and onions and then layered hot rocks and meat to the top. They closed the lid (kind of a pressure cooker effect) and put it on the fire until the meat cooked. Can’t say that we’ll be eating mutton much when we get home.

We also got to stop at one of the countless ovoos and do a traditional walk around. The ovoos are a pyramid shaped collection of stones and rubbish put on top of hills- a shamanistic tradition of offerings to the gods.
Back at the ger and John and Martin took off on Russian motorcycles for an Easy Rider experience on the steppe.

Scenes from the Steppe