Road to Emt, Darch - Day 10

Departure: 1 pm
Arrival 6 pm

It is evening in Emt. Jaya shows me a foto album of her family. Foto albums are a big thing in the countryside.

Tomor, with Max in background

One hour out of Bayanzurkh a man on a motorcycle stopped to say hi. So I ask him which is the road to Emt, the left or right bank of the river.Tomor invites me to tea. He is my age. He gives me a deerskin pouch as a gift. And a box of matches.

Max was shy this morning about being saddled; that was the first time that has happened.

I stop today for tea. Inside the ger a child is making cookies from aaryyl.

Aaryyl cookies

At 6 pm I was ready to stop. I saw a ger to my right and headed for it. But it did not work out. Instead, we sat outside in the cold wind while no one had much to say and the two younger women were too shy to speak. So I left.

On I rode in view of other gers and soon I stopped and was warmly welcomed by Darch and Jaya (brother and sister). It took a couple askings from Jaya of "Where you going to sleep?" before things turnee in my favor. I told her Max needs to eat, so we went out to stake it. Darch took over and rode off with Max to the valley, where the grass was longer.


Darch and his medals

 Though it is dinner time they offer me only barsocks - those chunky unsweetened cookie like edibles. But that is OK with me. I am happy to have a place to sleep.

Darch is the local wrestling champion. His medals hang proudly in his ger, 10 or so. Wrestling is one of the most popular sports in Mongolia, and occupies a key spot in the Naadam festival. Some Mongols immigrate to Japan to compete in sumo - and do very well.
Back in Bayanzurkh, Baigalmaa called my friend in UB. I will visit my friend's family 17 km outside of Arbulag. Baigalmaa writes down in Mongolian a message: I am looking for this family. Here is the address. Which way should I go?