The promise of a hot shower

Day 6, 8th August, Friday.

Ulan Uul, on the way to Tsagaannuur

I've been having condensed milk in my tea in the morning - it's white and sweet and with no means of refrigeration I have found it to make a passable tasty cup of tea. The tents were wet this morning, but the rain had stopped, and we packed up camp to head further north to Tsagaannuur village where I registered with the Border Police. The trip will take me to within 30km of the Russian border. While I wait for the forms to be completed, one of the police men is leaning under the raised bonnet of his car. Bayaraa joins him, and they both lean and twiddle, but without any luck. Looks like he'll be stuck there a while. Fortunately, my paperwork passes smoothly and it is time to head further north, this time to Khogorog - a collection of ger families sparsely spread around the Khosogog river.

Preparing our shower

There is the promise of a hot shower when we arrive, and I am glad of it. My hair is matted and dry and my fingernails are filthy. To take a shower here requires some preparation. First the water is to be fetched from the river and carried up wooden steps to two containers above the shower - one for cold, one for hot. This takes several journeys. After that a fire is lit under the hot water tank and kept stoked for and hour until the water is hot. The shower is gravity fed, and it took some practise to get the right temperature mix. It was more of a dripple than a shower, but it was warm and I felt very clean again.

The open land around Khogorog

The river levels are very low. 'Last time the river was so high,' said Namuul. 'It was at the bonnet of the car. Now there is nothing.' It is very warm for a Mongolian summer, and very dry as it always is here. At night the temperature drops and there is a stove in the ger for warmth.

Children play bareback on horses and across the grass lands. People more from ger to ger. There is such freedom here.