Lake Khovsgol

I've been at Toilogt Camp on the shores of Lake Khovsgol for 2 days; the camp has more amenities than what I had expected. There are toilets, sinks, and showers. While these are nice, I get a headache when I wash my face because the water is so cold. As I had expected, the nights are very cold and the days are very warm (as long as you're in the sunlight). I'm not at a very high altitude (4000 ft.), but the sun reminds me of Peru. It's intense enough to give you sunburn, but it's not warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt.

Toilogt Camp


I haven't' been able to settle into a rhythm yet; and I'm longing to find it. The days are structured by meals, which have been enjoyable enough. I find myself with a lot of free time to think and relax; something that I'm not used to. My life back in Milwaukee is very busy, and I'm experiencing the exact opposite of that here. Without all of the structure and endless activities to pursue, I feel like I've lost my direction. For example, yesterday we went out on the horses for about 4 hours. The remainder of the day was spent lounging around, taking photos, eating, reading, and writing in my journal.

On the horse trek, we stopped by a small family of reindeer herders. It was great to see reindeer - I had only seen them in movies related to Christmas! The people served us salted reindeer milk tea, which was bland but very warming. We sat outside their tee pee and chatted for a while. Photographs were 3000 togrog (the equivalent of $3USD), which offended me. It made me feel as though I was at Disney World; I was distraught by the idea of paying to take photos of people. I would have been OK with making a donation on my own free will, but they presented the opportunity like a business deal. I've thought alot of this over the past day, and it was stupid of me not to give them money. These people are living on relatively nothing - money is the least that I could offer them.

We climbed a small foothill and stopped for lunch. The food has been how I expected it to be - some meals are good while most are bearable. Breakfast seems to be the best meal of the day, with lunch as runner-up and dinner taking last place. The dinners have consisted of a veggie salad and an entree, followed by fruit that has been soaking in syrup for a few years. My appetite is longing for more vegetables & fruits, and much less grain. The cook seems to favor pickles, as they've crept into every dish that I've eaten - even my pasta. On a good note, I'm eating loganberry jam, which has been wonderful. Rice boiled in milk and slightly sweetened with sugar has also been a favorite of mine.

This country is a land of extremes - the periods bordering the sun are frigid. The cold gnaws are your core bit by bit, until the warmth of the ger has dissipated from your body. The only way to fend off the cold seems to be to wait for the sun. A fire for hot tea will provide warm for a period, but the warmth is quickly fleeting. I have sunburn on my hands, face, and neck. My face has been windburn and I'm starting to develop the rosy cheeks of the Mongolian youth.

While my body has been barraged by cold water, freezing winds, and scorching sun rays, my palate has been a bit refined. My diet has consisted mostly of bread, rice, milk, butter, jam and pasta. I can now taste the subtleties of the milk; I believe it's my tongue longing for some sensation of taste. I haven't had the chance to taste fresh cheese or yogurt, but both of these items are out of season. I also haven't had airag; the local brew made by fermenting mare's milk. I am fervently looking forward to these items, and I want my chance to indulge.