trip to the Tsaatan people

At Thursday 28th April, Nora and I started our trip to the Tsaatan
people. Nora is a German girl who gives English lessons too in Murun,
but to other students. We started at 9 in the morning and drove to
Ulan Uul. The Tsaatan live in the far north, so I took us two days to
get there and two days to get back. We first drove on a highway to the
north but then suddenly went left, in the middle of a big open field
covered in snow. The driver knew where he was going, but it seemed he
was trying to find the dirt road which laid somewhere under the snow.
Anyway, he went left and just drove through the rocky landscape with
us in the van going up and down, and me hitting my head several times
to the ceiling of the car. It was a cool and big landscape and the car
just went maybe 30 km per hour, often less, and drove through small
brooks and over big 50 cm rocks. This was a experienced driver. After
7 hours of bumpyness we arrived in Ulan Uul where we staid at a little
guesthouse in a house on poles. A bit tired from the ride we took a
rest, and ate a nice noodle soup the owner made for us. When we walked
through the city, we went to the lake which was still frozen. We
walked there and saw the ice being molten at the parts where a river
was already flowing. At the other side of the lake were two gers, and
when we walked further on the lake, the people at one of the gers
waved at us to come. We walked over and at first stood there in frond
of the ger with the people standing in frond of us and we and them had
nothing to say actually, because they didn't really seemed able to
speak English. Then when we looked at a woman in de doorway, they
invited us to get in. So we sat on the couch at the left side (because
the left side is always for guests) and got milk tea and home made
bread with sugar offered. We sat there while there were two
grandparents, two parents and a little kid. The father appeared to be
able to peak German, because he had learned that in Ulan Bator. Nora,
who was really surprised, talkjed with him in GErman, about his
occupation and home etc. When, after a while, we went out of the ger,
we walked further up the hill, at which the ger laid. This was my
first idea, because then we could have a view over the city. There up
the hill a group of girls came to us, 15 years old, giggling all the
way, and tried to communicate a bit. Of course this didn't really
worked out because there ENglish was bad and we had no clue where to
talk about after we explained what we were doing there. WE went home
and missed our diner and I had a cold night, because the guesthouse
was heated with one big Iron oven (like almost every mongolian house)
which caused the room to bve very warm first, me thinking it would be
a warm night, and hen in the night the room was cooled down a lot,
which gave me, lying on a militairy bed, a really cold back and but.
The next morning we drove further to Tsaaganuur, Which was laid
further noth in the "darkhad depression" a big flat and hilly area in
the middel of high mountains. Because of the big steppe the driver
could drive fast and we where around the afternoon at Tsaganuur, and
then drove a little further to the ger of the guide who would lead us
to the Tsaatan. There we got again milk tea and bread with sugar, and
later a really fatty bowl with rice potatos and Mutton. Whe plaid a
little with the children over there, four on a row, and had some
confusing bussiness to discuss with Tugsuu, our employer and the
person who arranged this trip for us. She told us we woul stay the
second night in Tsaganuur, but now it seemed theat we went straight to
the Tsaatan. THe horses were prepaired and we drove off. Nora had 2
years experience with horse riding and for me it was the first time. I
had the youngest horse, and often I couldn't really control it, It
went slower then the others and I tried to get it in draft but got
behind. Then it went left and right wich i dind't want and it had to
go on a line dragged by the horse of the guide. The guide didn't speak
Eglishg by the way, so tried to explain us stuff about the horse with
gestures. When my horxe could walk free after a while and then
disobeyed for the second time he told me to scream Tsu and hit it with
the line at his but. While kicking and hitting it whith that line i
went in draft and walked to the others. So this trick worked. After
passing some nice brooks and bushes in the landscape we went up hill.
Up mountain actually this time. Bercdause the Tsaatan lived three or
two mountains further he told us.
This was a exciting trip up the mountains, where i really had to watch
for my horse en drag it in the right directions, as we rode through
bushes, up steep rocks and nasty holes. My horse left behing all the
time so in this rocky mountain path i had to "Tsu" him all the time
which tired him and me. But at the end it listend very well to me.
When we arrived at the Staatan, there was just one family in a tipi, a
mother and a little boy, and next to that tipi a tipi for tourists,
where we met two french guys. I allready met them at my hostel in Ulan
Bator, so it was a surprise to see them again. The mother couldn't
speak english and had not really much to say. Our guide seemed to be a
friend of hers and they talked a lot. After a while some other tsaatan
came over with a big herd of reindeers. About 30 of them. So we could
look at them and furthermore there was not really much to do. It felt
as really touristic in some way. We could just be there with that one
lady and some herders and there were some reindeers walking around,
and the rest of the tribe was somewhere hidden on some other mountain.
We talked with the friench guys about there travels, they had been
away for two years now and when on their way back home. They staid a
long time in australia and made a lot of money for their trip there.
We had to cut down a tree, then this tree was again cut down in little
pieces by a chain saw and then we split those pieces. We had to have a
lot of wood for the night to keep our tipi warm with the iron oven in
the middle. Unfortunatly Tugsuu told nora and me there would be beds
and we just had to take our sleeping bags. But the french had brought
al their stuff themselves and there was just no bed or wathever for
us. So we had to lay on the ground for the night. It was very cold up
that mountain, and in the night it started ti freeze harshly, I think
it was -5 or lower and sadly my sleeping bag was by far not warm
enough for that. (nora borrowed a bigger one from tugsuu) When it went
dark we made such a big fire that the pile of wood stapled 15 cm aside
the oven started to burn when we where allready sleeping for 30 min
(except me because of the cold) one of the french woke up because of
some burning sound or something and we saw then that the wood was
burning. We where laying with our feets to the over so we had to watch
out for our sleeping bags catching fire. Although i laid with my
pullover, pants and socks on in the sleeping bag it was so cold
(except my feet) that i was shivering all the time and simply unable
to sleep. While the others were sleeping already i made a new fire for
5 times during the night and tried to warm myself everytime a bit. A
horrible night.
The next afternoon we went back on our horses and my horse obeyed me
perfectly this time. Even when I kicked it the first time it went in
galope for a split second. This time we took a longer route because
descending the steep route we took before was unsafe for the horses.
So we more or less rode around the whole mountain. The three of us
riding on that mountain with the deepness at our left and a high part
at our right made me really feel like in a knights movie. Could be
lord of the rings or something else where three advangeres were riding
in the mountains and then suddenly were atacked by a wave of arrows
coming from the right high end of the mountain. Anyway, cool
experience.
After a second lunch around five with the rice, potatos, mutton and
oil and a goodbye to the horse guide and his family, we drove to
nearby tsaganuur. There we staid at a family for some reason with a
house on poles too, which wss really cosy and a bit english decorated.
They had two very cute kids (really every home I have been till now
there were little kids) and one of them was learning english a bit.
But before the family came in, we and the driver were waiting for them
in there home. I bought some vodka as a present for the Tsaatan, but
as they had a lack of hospitality and the whole stay was a bit
touristic, i didn't gave it to them. After Nora, me and the driver
shared two half litres of beer, I took the vodka and offered the
driver some. We tried to explain him cross and zero's, if you can call
it that in english, but he didn't understand. We were all a bit
levelled and the driver loved about a lot of stuff and made a fire in
the oven with some show. We just loved about it all and tried to
"talk" a bit to him. The next day we had a quite short ride to Ulan
Uul and arrived there we both took some walks and just relaxed. I did
a fancy sheep-photoshoot and found a condom at the side of a very wide
vally lik street, wondered how it came there. After we had dinner, a
buddistic friend of the driver offered me a snif of his snore tabacco,
so I offered him and the driver and Nora a glass of vodka. He took it
from me but didn't drink it, because of his buddism probably. Then to
do something with the time I started a photoshoot with the driver and
the buddist man wanted to go on a picture with Nora. I took some, he
was very critical, I took some more, and promised him and the driver
to print them out in Murun. Which I did today actually. The last ride
back to Murun the next day was first interrupted because of a flat
tire. Somewhere (ofcourse) in the middle of nowhere with a wide vally,
some hills and a big group of Yaks and horses. Nora and I took the
waiting time to go to those yaks and horses to take some pictures, and
I actually took some nice ones of the view. When after a while we were
able to drive again, and when we had driven a little, the way was
blocked by a motorcycle. The owner was laying behind a little hill.
Nora and I went the to wake him up. NExt to him laid a big gun, so I
was a little concerned about what would happen when he would scared
awake from the random view of a tall blond boy in frond of him. But I
pull at his leg, screamed in his face, shook him up at his chest,
screamed more, and he only just lit up his eyelashes little, but
nothing more. When the driver come he told us to stop when he saw the
gun, he made the shooting gesture to us. I was a bit happy de man
actually didn't wake up. The driver just moved the motorcycle and we
went on to Murun. This was a very inspiring and interesting trip. To
see the nomadic families and al the different landscapes. To drink
vodka with the driver and to go up a mountain with a horse. I write
this trip now instead of the days in Irkutsk and UB and Murun (3 weeks
ago) because I know I already have forgotten some stuff of that and
don't want to let that happen to this trip too. The rest of the blog,
about that last part of Russia and the first 3 weeks of mongolia, I
will write later, as soon as possible.