Bridge Crossing - One day west of R town

Batmong, the woman owner of the guesthouse has laid wolf's tongue on my swollen hand. She soaked the leaves in water for a couple minutes before applying them. Wolf's tongue may be dandelion. I wrap my hand with a bandage and after a couple hours the swelling has diminished.

Everyone has been warning us of how cold it will be in the taiga, where we hope to find the Tsaatan people with their reindeer and shaman. So I am considering buying a deel, one of the traditional Mongolian overcoats. It is double-breasted, with extra long sleeves to cover the hands, and hangs to mid-shin. But no pockets. Batmong has called her husband to see if he is willing to sell one of his, which is made with an outer shell of suede. High quality. Most are made of cotton. It is like wearing a bedspread. I buy it.

Giving directions to Tsaatan

Before heading out to the taiga, I decide to leave some items behind at the guesthouse: my netbook, an external hard drive, and a couple other items, in order to lighten the load and so we might ride faster. The Tsaatan are nomadic and we have to find them basically by asking locals where they have moved to. But word now has it they are closer than we had originally heard.

I take the saddle off my horse without asking E. He gets upset with me. A power thing, I guess. He says you just can't take the saddle off the horse if the animal is sweaty. You have to lift the saddle and pads a couple times to let the air circulate and dry the sweat. I guess that is the idea. But E.'s English is too poor to communicate what the deal is.

Bridge one day west of R town

We are at the bridge crossing. Next to the bridge is a ger with an attendant, who charges a nominal fee to cross. He also serves up tea, and puts us up for the night. Bamba makes a kind of fried rice with onions and garlic.

Back in R town, Batmong and I discuss the seasons. I point to the calendar and ask which months are warm. She quickly narrows it down to three: June, July and August. All others are cold, with temperatures reaching minus 30 or more in January, she says.