Yak Festival

This was one of the highlights of the trip. We went horse trekking in order to reach a yak festival. This was the first time it was held so I got to attend the inaugural game of yak polo. It was very exciting and very amusing. Yaks are more agile than I would have expected but I think polo is probably best left to horses. At the festival there was also yak racing, yak showing and several singing and dancing performances.

Also, the most important thing is that I got to ride a yak.

The Rest of the Trip to Khovsgol

My trip to Lake Khovsgol was fantastic and it allowed me to do a few things that I have never done before. I am also happy to report that most of these activities were much better than eating blowtorched marmot. They included camel riding, attending a yak festival (this will get its own post), playing with reindeer (this one too) and hiking a volcano.

Blogging

I have been very bad about keeping up with my blogging responsibilities. In order to remedy this I will try to post an overview of what I have been up to the last month.

Marmots

So on the trip, Cormac acquired a blowtorched marmot's paw. He had been giving me a hard time about being a fussy eater and I make an effort to try everything once so I had a piece. Needless to say it was not tasty. I didn't think much of this experience until I got back to UB and was reading my Lonely Planet guide.

"Got a hankerin' for blowtorched rodent? Pop into a ger and ask around for some boodog, the authentic Mongolian barbeque. The summer delight first involves pulling the innards out of the neck of a goat or marmot. The carcass is then stuffed full of scalding rocks and the neck cinced up with wire. The bloated animal is then thrown upon a fire (or blowtorched) to burn the fur off the outside while the meat is cooked from within. The finished product vaguely resembles a balloon with paws.
Like most things involving a blowtorch, preparing boodog is true men's work. Furthering the adventure it is worth noting that the Bubonic plague, or Black Death as it was known to medieval Europe, can be passed by handling marmot skins."

After reading this I decided I would expand my knowledge of the Bubonic plague. So I read this,
"The untreated disease has a 60% death rate, but if you can get to a doctor you can be quickly treated. The best drug is the antibiotic streptomycin, which must be injected intramuscularly, but it is not available in Mongolia."

I haven't gotten sick, I am pretty sure the marmot was fine but I think it will be my first and last piece.

The Trip to Khovsgol

I had a great time on the trip to Khovsgol. The Mongolian countryside is amazing and I had a lot of fun with the group I went with. I went with another American, two Germans, a Swiss and a Brit. We traveled quite a way over 10 days in the Russian minibus, we visited Kharakhorum (the ancient capital), the Great White Lake, Khovsgol Lake and Amarbayasgalant Khiid (a monastery).