horses, sheep, cats, .......... eagles

it's pretty cold at night. freezing in fact. but the fire is fueled and our beds are warm. the sheep's wool lining of the ger holds the warmth from the day and it's always bearable at night. soon after dawn, about 04:45, the sun crashes into the sky and begins heating everything up to crazy temperatures again. by 9 o'clock it's usually the same as a hot summer noon in london. soon after dawn the mongol farm girl with the pretty, dirt-streaked face brings us bread and tea for breakfast. at ten, when the sun is in full fan-oven mode we jump on horses and trek around the lake. it is a mind-blowingly stunning backdrop to our slow trot.

after a couple of hours we leave the lake and trek back to camp over the mountains. the scene here is equally as spectacular, as the burning sun threatens to melt us away.

as we approach the camp, about 4 hours later i can see the mongolian host family standing over a sheep. it's on its back with its legs up in the air. they appear to be treating it in some way, clipping its hooves or shearing its wool or something. i wonder what's wrong with it, then as i get closer i see one of the kids lift up a knife to plunge it into the sheep's belly and pull back a big section of skin.

it is dinner.

i decide to name it hilary as i can't tell what gender it is. no clue what i'm looking for with a sheep to be honest.

this afternoon we trekked on foot around the lake. it is unbelievably peaceful here. apart from the occasional motorbike or van driving past (think we saw two today) the only sounds are our feet through grass and gravel, the whispered lapping of the lake against the shore and the low hum of a gerzillion mosquitoes trying to eat us alive.

eagles dive-bomb the camp in an attempt to score a piece of hilary. they scare a bejeezus out of an unsuspecting cat. eagles soar exactly like you expect them to, huge wingspans and stretched out finger-like feathers. it'd be nice to see one successfully hunt a few of the hundreds of marmots that skip and skim across the grass plains. but i haven't yet.

i'm also hoping for some amazing scenes of wildlife as we pass through vulture country in the next couple of days.

i have been burnt to a cinder. i have discoverd a very distinct pattern of 4 different shades of pink on my arms where i have been wearing different length sleeves. i look like a neopolitan ice-cream, with a perfect rendition of my watch strap at one end.

the lake is deathly still, the reflection of the mountains on the other side look like someone has left a watercolour painting out in the rain.

the whole setting is idyllic, one of those scenes you only read about in fantasy novels. i could happily stay here for weeks. i'd love to swim in the lake, it looks so inviting, but it's still frozen in places so it might be a tad too chilly.