IN THE GENGISKHAN STEPPEN
"Ocean of barren steppes and deserts of the winds,
Forests and snowy mountains,
Mongolia offers unspoiled the eye of the traveler
On this land of boundless horizons,
The wind of the plains is mixed with blue sky
To create impressionistic paintings
Fugitive as the light is the passage of the rider on the track,
Ephemeral is the stability of iurta in the heart of the hill
Mongolia deserves ... leaves and discover its splendor ...
Slowly ... step by step
According to the meetings and the vagaries of its climate "
THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE STEPPE Genghis Khan
Through all addresses found 'association of independent travelers from which we are members, we decided to rent a jeep already from Switzerland, because of the arrival in Ulaan Bataar provided for the first day of Nadaan, there was an opportunity to search the place.
After having enjoyed three days of Nadan (the Mongols can be found at the national holiday to watch the three manly games and bookmarks: archery, fighting, racing on horseback) was the time of the shell for the steppe on footsteps of Genghis Khan.
Proprieteria of the guest house, which among other things he had given his apartment due to lack of space, had recommended to be ready for 7.00. At 6:00 the window already spiavamo the arrival of the Jeep, but all was quiet in that neighborhood of pure Soviet mold of Ulaan Bataar. Around 7:30 came to warn of problems at the jeep, and the departure was delayed for several hours. Time flowed, had 16.00 and made the risk of late for 'appointment with Genghis Khan ... Appearance, we decided to reconfirm the return flights, still visit the capital, and converse with the passengers of the guest house, some veterans of long journeys by bicycle from France.
All of a sudden, the driver and appears to have no time left to make the capital a few kilometers after the steppe extends to infinity paessagi with breathtaking and beautiful, it almost dusk gave an even more mysterious to the steppe .
Mejet, the chauffeur, spoke little the language of Shakespeare, and Knowing late osavamo not ask to stop at every step to take photographs. Our eyes were trying to record each landscape, each face meeting, every animal that grazed ... The beauty of the steppe we had already won, he beat stronger our hearts and put on alert all of our senses.
One stop to observe and photograph a ovoo (the ovoo, symbols of good fortune are votive burial to which travelers bind strips of blue cloth or money, or lay a stone or other objects requiring protection; the practice to erect the ovoo was banned during communism, and today is reviving) asked where we slept and response under one iurta understood to have found a driver suitable for our needs and our desire to share the local life, in fact we experienced travelers have reported ever having had the opportunity to sleep in the ger, just in tourist camp.
Towards 21.00 all'improviso Mejet change direction, and that 'ocean where the grass is only rasa queen asked us where we were directed ... About ten minutes later he appeared before us a iurta, the only living form in the desert immeasurable. The Mongols have an exceptional sense of direction, you drive by observing the different shapes of mountains, dunes, plains and rii encountered.
We were greeted by a nice young family with two young children. We offered a sign of welcome to a great bowl of fermented mare's milk, the famous airak from which they feed mostly the Mongols, can drink up to five liters a day. After a Mongolian dinner made with cheese and their excellent soup, the hostess showed us where
could settle for the night, that opposite the entrance, the place of honor for visits like. A little lost, clothes lying there on our sleeping bags over my head a tray filled with various cheeses made in order to form dry winter stores.
Slowly, life started in iurta quiet, the children fell asleep in the beds placed in the East and West of the ger, the mistress of the house took care of the milking of the mares and then turn the milk airak. Later her husband came from the steppe tired and threw the saddle in a corner of iurta, like us the keys to the car, kissed her and saw Lady of us, greeted us with the eyes from all surprised that we are not there, in his dwelling. This is the Mongolian hospitality ...
After a while began to rain, and through the opening in the top of iurta, which serves as a window, s'intravvedevano the zebrature of lightning in the sky, the sparkle of the stars and the rain fall, without a single drop came in the ger. .. Mongolian spell ...
and hand in hand, the mind filled with magic and fantastic memories and emotions, dreaming of our future meeting with Genghis Khan, the sleep we took into his arms ...
Graziella (angy8@bluewin.ch)
The driver can be contacted in English to: mejet69@yahoo.com or www.mongoliatours.org
practical information to: http://xoomer.alice.it/gengiskhan