Bayanzurkh Down Time

Maybe I like this place. Maybe I wake up with a different attitude tomorrow. Maybe I stay another night to rest my horse if I can find grass. The lady who runs this place has a yardfull of grass and a haystack!
Baigalma makes breakfast. I ask if I can do the eggs and she lets me. Oh, boy! Red and black pepper.

Hotel and Max in foreground

I am trying to negotiate grass for Max. i should have let him chow down yesterday while I had the chance. Grass is too short here.

Baigalma speaks Japanese better than English. This facilitates communication. But she gives me only one slice of bread, so I go fetch the bread Otgon had given me a week ago. It has only a couple flecks of mould. Yesterday, before leaving Alana I noticed my butter had gone bad due to the rain. Wrapped in paper it moulded quickly once wet).

I have decided to spend an extra day here. At noon I was able to collect grass by hand from the yard of the hotel lady. She would not let me bring Max to her yard, though. So a couple boys, including the lad from yesterday, helped out - but not much. At least they grabbed a bunch from the hay stack before the older boy told them not to. I carry the sack of hay - 20 kg? - to the hotel and feed Max. In twelve hours he will have finished it and be looking for more.
This horseriding adventure is really cool! Outside of the cities and towns, there is no private land in Mongolia. Get on your horse and go! Unbelievable!

Three women prepare tons of food in the kitchen. Tokobetsu no hi desu ka? A special day? I ask. Tomorrow is the first day of school, a time to celebrate.