Heading further into the vastness

We didn't have alot of Mongolian, they didn't have alot of English, so the next day we were able to decipher that we were going on a trip, 10km away in truck. Why was a bit ambiguous. There was cutting involved and the number five and grandma. Were we going to shear sheep? No. Someone's turning 5. Is grandma shearing sheep? Everyone got into there Sunday best and we piled into the back of a big blue truck - 13 adults and 5 children. More blue skies, blaring sun and vastness.

Lots of dust...... and a flat tyre.

We arrived at another few white dots in the landscape and a celebration. It transpires, a little guy had just turned five and as was tradition, his mane had to be chopped off. We sat about inside the ger with an assortment of friends and family. He wept uncontrollably at the indignanty, eyes firmly fixed on the roof of the ger, too proud to look at anyone. The scissors were passed around, he was moved along and each individual chopped a piece of his hair which was then placed in a bag around his neck. In exchange, he received gifts and money. As he went along, these proved to be of interest and the wailing lessened. There was food and fermented milk, which strangely tasted like wine and then we whitey's decided to make room for the steady stream of newcomers and left the ger. Did I mention the sun? We desperately found some shade - in the pitiful shadow of a ger.

We also went for a walk up the hill
And found that birthday boy was a likely direct descendant of Chingis Khan. The terror had no problems hitting with a stick, kicking and battering anything in sight. Including us... The other kids were still cute and surprisingly did more disciplining of him then any of the adults.

When our hosts were done, we piled back into the back of the truck for the journey home. Along the way we stopped so that a lamb could be singled out and captured from within a herd of sheep, as well as to pick up a motorcycle. Somehow we all fit.

It was mental. But, you just had to roll with it. And reapply the sunscreen. On returning, we were told to clean ourselves up as we neededto be taken to our next family. Down to the river for a wash!