Here are some notes and pictures from my journal when I visited four agricultural projects in Zavkhan province in late August. I was traveling with Gabriella, from ADRA Germany, and other ADRA Mongolia staff. I traveled for 7 days, so more notes and pictures to follow in other posts. Zavkhan is one of the western provinces of Mongolia. We drove from Uliastai north up near the Russian border: Tes, Bayantes, Asgat and Tudevtei soums (see map below)
Michelle
27 August
We arrived at the UB domestic airport to see a scene being shot for a local movie. A girl dressed in hot pink was being escorted by three actors pretending to be bodyguards. Her shoes were hot pink platform stilettos. They redid the scene (pretty tricky one, lots of walking, no talking) over and over until the director was happy and then they moved elsewhere in the airport. A policeman approached Saraa, asking her to carry a package for him to relatives in Zavkhan. We opened it to see if it was safe to carry - it was a cell phone and perfume. I was just amazed to watch a policeman make such a request. Gabriella and I were invited into the VIP lounge. We sat alone on giant wooden chairs, drinking bad coffee.
There were only 8 of us on the flight. The plane is a 30 seater. There are five of us in the ADRA group, two others and a man with his leg in a cast stretched out across the back seat of the plane. We all chose our seats, which takes a while because we have so many options. The announcements are made in Mongolian and English. There are so few of us on the plane I feel I have to pay attention to the flight attendant so she feels valued. We all end up bunched into seats in the back half of the plane, leaving the flight attendant with her own emergency exit and a newspaper up the front.
From the air I can see the "scars" of old socialist time wheat crops, giant rectangles where the surviving vegetation is clearly different. Gers are tiny white dots clustered near rivers. Gerry got out the GPS and held it against the window, maybe checking the pilot's direction?
In Uliastai Gabriella and I are put into the refurbished Uliastai Hotel. It is not officially re-opened yet, and the restaurant is not finished, but the room is lovely - brand new bed and bedding (still with fold creases in the crisp sheets). There is a wonderful toilet (perfectly normal in most cities, but wonderful for out here). They have even had hotel logos printed on disposable slippers. Gabriella and I may be the only guests. The place is huge. Perhaps it will fill up eventually and be noisy, but for us it is silent and dark, perfect for me to sleep. In the foyer at reception they have four clocks showing New York, Paris, London and Mongolian time.
28 August
After morning meetings with government officials we left Uliastai and drove 9 hours north to Tes Soum, about 30 kilometres from the Russian border. The soum is big, 2500 people plus a contingent of border guards. Our group is big also, 11 including the two drivers. We arrived at 9pm and were quickly settled into beds around the soum and then fed a fantastic meal of salads (a benefit of visiting garden projects at harvest time). The snorers in our group were banished to another building. The three expatriates (me, Gabriella and a research student Cornelia) were put together with Saraa, our Health Coordinator. The night was quiet, no wind, half a moon and a smattering of stars.
29 August
Tes Soum is very dry. Even the grazing animals kick up dust when they walk. This probably means a really hard winter and many animals will die because there will be nothing to eat under the snow. There is a tree-lined river and our garden here has used this for irrigation. As I write I am sitting reading Granta (thanks Adam) while 10 women fuss around me making breakfast. They are cooking in the cooperative office, some wearing big plastic apron-dress things that look like hospital gowns. I find out later that ADRA has distributed these gowns as part of a hygiene training. Clearly I have poor hygiene at home, because I don't own one. They are chattering and giggling. Finally the spread is set out for us and someone goes to find the rest of the group.
After breakfast we are taken out of town to the cooperative vegetable garden - lots of potatoes and cabbage, some beets, cucumbers and carrots. As it was Saturday we spent the early afternoon hanging out by the garden. Some of the men went hunting, some of the women went for a swim in the river. Gabriella and I leant on the shady side of a ger and read or helped two local girl's practice their English (my mother's name is....my father's name is....my brother's name is...). From our seat by the ger we had a view of the river, the trees lining the lower slopes of the hills and the mountains beyond. There was a gentle breeze. We could hear animals and the voices of the others. The clouds floated by....
Eventually preparations were complete for a meal I will call Mongolian hot pot. We all sat together on old carpets under the shade of a makeshift canopy made of old sheets. After everyone stuffed themselves with the meat some impromptu wrestling matches commenced. For me the highlight of the meal was three guys putting on the hygienic uniforms and washing their hands in the river before serving the food (hot-pot is men's business, except for the clean-up afterwards).
After the food we got into the cars and set off with the local governor as our guide. The afternoon light was fabulous and we kept stopping for photo opportunities (a train of four camels, a large herd of horses standing flank to flank cooling their heels in a little dam). The governor of Tes Soum is a gentle man who loves photography, so he was taking as many photos as I was. We drove on to a high point with an almost 360 degree view. Then we hiked up to an old structure, perhaps an old monastery (the governor is not sure what it is). The walk was an adventure itself, with a few minor river crossings. The light was wonderful and everyone was in a good mood.
While sunning ourselves on top of the ruin we realised it was 7:30pm and we should head back to town. The setting sun made everything look beautiful, but I had to put my camera away to stop taking pictures. I realised I had relaxed completely. With everyone chatting in Mongolian around me, and with no kids to care for, I found myself just absorbing the beauty of the landscape - no plans to keep, no agenda. I know some people are like this all the time, but I rarely let go of busyness and awareness of the time. I felt restored by the beauty, and the friendliness of the people around me. I am really grateful that I spent such a lovely day here.
