more happenings

I'm really not updating as much as I probally should, then I wouldn't have to do all these massive posts.
Okay I'm really loosing track of time over here, all the days semm to blur into each other, I'm so busy. Okay starting from where I left off last time (I think) the next major 'event' on Wednesday was a lovely spicy Indian with a bunch of folk who ran the Gobi marathon, so alot of crazy but very interesting people. I was there because Ann knows Scott (from Detroit I think) who drove to Mongolia in a rally from London (his car broke down along the way and he had to find other methods to get here), he arrived and heard that there was a marathon in the Gobi desert, thought "why not" (as you do!) so he invited Ann along for the dinner and I came since I'm her roomie! There where some very inspiring individuals there, one guy in his 50's who had run 180 marathons! I was sitting next to a German lady called Brigitte (Scotts staying with her) who had run and walked part of the marathon (and i think she's in her 70's!). She invited me and Ann along to a little party at the British Embassy on the Friday. Afterwards Ann and Scott and I went to the 'Great Khan Irish Pub' and discovered to our horror that last orders where at 11 and closing time was 12 and that it was the same with every establishment in the city after we wandered round in vain. So we eventually found a 24 hour Korean and Chinese and had a lovely second meal at 2am.
The next evening we called it quits at closing time and the next day there was a stuffy 2 hour car ride in the blazing heat into the countryside with Linda, Ann, Chimge and Chimge's brother to the Nomads festival. On the way we saw camels, goats, ghers etc and a massive shining steel statue of Chinguis in the empty wilderness (it seems the Mongolians do random very very well). It took us a while to find the festival as it was in the apsolute middle of nowhere and was suprisingly small. This turned out to be because a large portion of the participants where engaged in a 15km horse race. The festival was a food tent where there was some curds and fermented mares milk which I had a bowl of (its not as bad as people say but I definately wouldn't ask for it again!) two tents in which to shelter from the blazing sun, a gher were food was being cooked and a toilet about five minutes walk away and was simply a hole in the ground surrounded by a little screen (I decided to wait). The current competition was what seemed to be a 'best couples' event. They were dressed in the most beautiful finery and rode and sang (my camera was glued to my eye), before it was finished a huge dust cloud was spotted in the distance; the racers where coming back, and we watched them gallop back into the camp; all the jockeys where small children and simply fantastic riders. Then there was the archery and wrestling. Ann and I made it back in time for the little embassy party (6:30 till 9:30) which was very exclusive so we felt special haha! Then it was back to the Irish Pub and the 24 hour Korean to celebrate on Ann's 'last night' before she flew to Moscow to see her cousin. She got to the airport for her flight then next morning to find it was delayed because of weather till 6pm, then 4am, then 1pm today (I think she has actually gone now), her airline put her up in a nice hotel with free food.

Yesterday we had snow for the first time! And I had my first attempted mugging! I had just left a bank and was waiting to cross the road when some bugger grabbed my rucksack which was filled with my camera and some travellers cheques. Was not happy so I wrestled it back and screamed abuse at him till he ran away. But I learnt my lesson and am now using the smaller banks, making sure my hair is covered (I'm so blatently foreign here). Then I met up with Linda and we visited the natural history museum which was filled with the most shocking english (I really wanted to photograph the "NO FOTOS" sign), specimens which were too big for the glass cases and were stitched together quite badly. It was still very much worth the visit and the entry fee however, the dinosaur room was quite spectacular.
Then we met up with Scott and went to a theatre for some traditional Mongolian performances which was fantastic, then Irish Pub then home in desperate need of more than 3 hours sleep.
All the snow is slush today so my feet are soaking (didnt think to use my walking boots) but I've wandered round for a while with Linda and we might meet up with Scott later since its his last night.

Sorry again for the spelling haha!