elusiveworld

The axe is heated over the fire which was lit at dawn. Heating the axe prevents brittleness and fracture when used.  It was -10 degrees last night and the air temperature will continue to drop out here as winter approaches.

With the axe we slice the frozen bread for breakfast.

The camp is at an elevation of 2000m and 10 km from the Russian border. Twelve horses ridden by nine men make up the caravan. They are sourcing a transparent stone in the rock fields near Yellow Mountain on the Russian Border. This stone is purchased by the Chinese who will craft medicinal jewellery from it.

It is a restricted area and we have ridden in under the radar, attached to this crew of locals as a kind of renegade Yeti tracking posse.   Ten days on horse back, sleeping rough and telling tales by firelight beneath the huge open Mongolian skies in late October, at risk of being snowed in, the feeling is one of absolute remoteness from civilisation and a deep sense of peace and strength generated by living in these primitive conditions.

Last night’s temperature of -10 was mild, compared to the -50 which these men will sleep out in come January/February. They will huddle together beneath riding pelts, sheepskin blankets and tarps. Shivering in search of these precious stones which can buy them a little hard currency to purchase items which a herder may otherwise go without.

Sleeping out in the open, I woke at 5am. Moisture on the tarp had turned into frost. Those without wool lined boots had some seriously cold toes last night. Orosvoi wakes up and gathers some wood fuel.  Tea is heated in pots suspended from a spit fashioned from nearby pines.

I learn that a wolf approached our camp in the night and disturbed the horses causing several of them to bolt up the valley. Luckily no harm was done and we round up the horses as Orosvoi prepares the tea.

After tea we throw some frozen fish on the fire and cook in rapid thaw style. A delicious touch of protein in the morning which makes a change to the mutton we have been having twice a day. As all we carried from the Lkhagvaa family ger was a slaughtered sheep and noodles.

This is reindeer country. The home of the elusive Tsataan – One of the last truly nomadic herder people on the planet. We passed three of them at the entrance to the forest four days back. But so far on the path up the valley we only saw remains of their camps – ten foot pine poles used for teepee construction and spits. They have gone down to a valley at lower altitude where their deer can find grass available through the winter snows.

Orosvoi tells me If you eat deer semen, you will become a raving sex maniac. Let’s hope none of these men have had any today.

Please refer to ‘Precious Stones’ for further information on the stone trade.