Arbulag - Day 12 Solo

Departure: 10:45
Arrival: 4 pm.
Tea break: 12:45 to 2:15
Riding time: 3:45

B. and her mother

The second person I talk to in Arbulag invites me to her family home. She is B., 21 years old. She tells me that I am the first foreigner they have had as a guest. What is more, they have grass for Max. Incredible. I asked her for a hotel. She brought me to it, but then invited me to her home.

Her mother has just returned from Moron with a new computer. I helped them set it up but a fuse blew. The uncle in the house was able to get it repaired (I knew my electrical tape would come in handy).

But guess what? The computer isn't new! There are games and documents stored on it from last year! So they called the store and the sales clerk turned off his phone. They called a second time and arranged to go see them tomorrow. I will go with them.

Boy comes to invite me to his ger

Today's ride included a boy riding across my path. He rode south towards a few distant gers, and I continued on the trail to Arbulag. O's father pointed over a hill. That is the direction of Arbulag. I followed his finger and rode up a low pass which gave me a grand view of the valley. An hour into the valley I met the boy.

A half hour later the boy, maybe 10 years old, returns. He beckons me to come with him to his ger. I hesitate. A storm is brewing behind me and I want to get to Arbulag before the downpour. But he persists, and after thirty minutes riding I find myself in his family ger.

Mother with phone

His mom had summoned me. Why? She can't figure out how to send a text message on her cell phone in Mongolian. She wants me to show her how! She has a written code that deciphers the Roman alphabet on the keys into Cyrillic. I look at it for a moment. Though I know the Cyrillic alphabet, it looks a bit confusing, . But then a stroke of luck - her battery runs out! So I am relieved of my duty. And after filling up on biscuits and tea, I am back on my horse.
As I find myself back where the boy met me, another man approaches on horseback. He rides up to me and I say hello. But he is silent. We ride together for only a few moments before he turns and heads back towards the pass. What was that all about? Safety is a big concern here, especially with all the talk of horse thievery. So far I have been lucky, but I wonder how close I have come to danger.