Horse Power

I think I forgot to mention our horse riding adventure last week. It seems to be an annual thing with me now (Sarah and I had an unforgettable horse riding experience in Turkey last year). Since this is the country that worships horses so much that they're on all the money, we figured it was necessary to give riding them a try.

Jaspal has ridden horses numerous times (he even has the hat to prove it), but I'm definitely a novice, so I requested the slowest, oldest horse available, and I got my wish. K and MB both wanted a bit more oomph in their horses, but things went awry. MB's horse seemed to do whatever it pleased (sidling up to all the other horses, stopping in front of oncoming cars, turning the wrong way) and K's horse refused to go fast. I think this was because his version of slapping the horse's rump to get it moving was more like a delicate tickle.

I had fun, anyway, because my horse and I had deep conversations (topics included: "Mr. Ed: Pro or Con?," "Unicorns: Heroes or Show-Offs?", and "Peer Pressure: Just Because the Other Horses are Going Fast, You Don't Have To.") and generally went at a leisurely pace. Mongolian horses are considerably smaller than Turkish horses, so that helped, too.

At the halfway point we stopped at a traditional Mongolian ger and had some homemade yogurt with the traditional Mongolian family who just happened to be waiting for us. They were very pleased when we happened to give them some cash to thank them for their hospitality. Just like in Turkey when we happened to come across a cafe halfway through our horse trip. Oh well, either way it was a welcome excuse to get off the horses and give our bums a rest.

I think Jaspal and I might go back with a friend after our trip to China (this weekend through next weekend). Hopefully I'll be able to get my same horse.