a candlelit quiz, galloping through the steppe, and the best breakfast ever.

Over the last couple of weeks I have had a right old time of it.  The days after the music festival I took very easy, as I was so tired after the excitement of having Kate to visit, and staying up late so much.  I went with my good friend (now sadly departed, back tot he USA, sad face) to see "Salt" - I think my discernment about films is eroding out here, I just love going to the cinema so much that even this utter drivel I was entertained by, it was a fun watch, but ultimately frivolous, convoluted, and ridiculous.  Sorry Angelina, but I dont rate you one bit as an actress.

Anyway, so for the following week I was just staying in, eating healthy, going to bed early and generally being very quiet.  Went to the pub quiz on thursday and lost at the TIE BREAKER! Such a disappointment.

I even had a quiet weekend!  Although on the sunday I went to play scrabble and have dinner with my elderly friend George, and then I went off to the airport to meet the new VSO vols.

Then from Monday things got fun again..... My friend Naomi came over from JApan where she lives, and we had a really fun week together, all the phots that illustrate this fun time were taken by her.  I have given up on my camera.

So, she arrived on the monday evening, and as part of her travel package, she had a free night in the Byangol hotel, so we decided to sneak me in too.  She arived on Monday evening, and we went for a slap up meal and cocktails before trundling home to chat until we fell asleep.  The next morning I was so super excited to go and have a BUFFET BREAKFAST.  Surely one of the most amazing things imaginable.  OK, so breakfast is my favourite meal, taking time over breakfast, and eating a lot for breakfast is totally my bag.  I also like a varied breakfast. I was in seventh heaven.  Omlette, sausage, rice, fruit, rolls, jam, chilli sauce, mushrooms, coffee, juice, stir fried vegetables, ham, cheese, I had it all. 

the week was spent wandering round the city, looking at museums, markets, finding authentic mongolian cuisine and me making my debut as co-presenter on "strolling through the decades", a radio show that was sadly cancelled last week, helping film for voice box tv, the english language tv show shown on mongolian national television (which i have been on 3 times now, ahem).  We then spent the weekend at a riding camp in the countryside, galloping through the rolling steppe, stopping for a bowl of yoghurt in an old lady's ger, chasing the cows when they tried ot eat her washing, eating hearty grub and watching marmots bounce around.  All of this activity is now documented below in picture form.....

in the museum, we later saw one of these birds on the steppe!

owls in the museum, they make me think of me and my sister when we were young.

a display ger in a shopping centre....

me standing atmospherically by window in shopping centre

Some modern/traditional mongolians

Zolo and I running to lunch through thte rainGerUs riding through the steppe!Me "filming" (nb, this consisted of pressing a button.sleeping in the ger, i am not a "morning person"..my living room...me the radio star, video killed me....

inside old lady's gernewly wedsfilming from a different angle..ger campmy kitchenyou can see a couple of my students this time!laundry munching cooscanteen we often go for lunch intuftel, one of my favourite mongolian meals

the old lady in the ger

Sorry the photos are all out of order, it was an absolute nightmare trying to upload them, for some reason.

Anyway, Naomi left at 4am on the mondya morning, and i had ot go back to work - then my other friends came back from their travels in Urhangei, for some hastily put together supper, as I had to dash out for a leaving do.

We managed to have a quiet night in watching "Rachel getting married" which we took great pleasure in making fun of pretty much all the over inflated characters.  But all agreed that even thought the characters and actors were pretty wack, the film itself was well made and told an interesting story.

Weds another leaving do.  Thursday the PUB QUIZ, the last one for my dear friend Michelle (she who has recently returned to the USA).  It was a special one, as there was a power cut, so we did the quiz in candle light.  very atmospheric.  And then we WON!  Such a glorious victory.

This weekend, I went with two friends to Terelj, just to hang out in the countryside.  I got sunburned, and climbed some rocks.  I also got an early night, but was not impressed to be woken early early but kids playing football, kicking the ball against the side of our ger.

It is getting cold at nights now, and despite the warmish weather, we all know that Winter is on its way.  I have got so much new stuff for my flat, what with all these people leaving and donating stuf they cant/dont want to take with them, but because of the incessant leaving do's and welcome parties i am barely in my flat!

So - as August ends, I look forward to a quieter September, although I have a friend coming for 2 weeks at the end of september, so who knows when I shall manage to catch up on my beauty sleep.....