19 July - an entire day at Lake Khuvsgvul

19^th July, Tuesday

Lake Khuvsgul is the largest freshwater lake in Mongolia.  It is often referred to as the younger sister of Lake Baikal.  It northern shore is very near to the Mongolia-Russian border.  It contained 70% of Mongolia's fresh water.  It also stands at the border of the Siberian Taiga and the Asian steppe.  It is also one of the 17 ancient lakes of the world that is more than 2m years old

Morning at Lake Khuvsgul

Breakfast that day was scheduled for 8.30 am.  Lee and we had arranged for an early photography date at 6.30 am.  He knocked on the ger door as we were getting dressed.  As we were not dressed warmly enough, we had to quit in an hour.  We went to Lee’s ger to get warm and showed Brian some of the photos we took.  But as we were leaving, we heard all the other birds and saw them chasing each other near the trees so we went after them and forgot about getting back into the ger until it was time for breakfast.

Catching the sun at dawn

Baatar asked what we were doing wandering around so early as part.  He had seen us from the windows of their room.  We explained our photo making efforts.  The Alaskan husky came and posed for us and did some other birds.  

magpie

Lake Khuvsgul - southern end

Breakfast included freshly prepared omelettes the way they did it at 5 star hotels around the world  as well as all the other goodies.  It was delicious breakfast.   This ger camp has the best food thus far.   Dr's birthday cake was brought out after breakfast.  We all had a slice of the delicious birthday cake.

A view of the lake

A butterfly

After breakfast at 9.30 am we started the 4.5 km hike each way to visit a family of reindeer herders who were camped there.  Tem led the way with a stick, walking like Gandolf.  It was a tiring walk there as it was mostly uphill and there were some boggy areas but we managed even though we were carrying our huge lens all the way.  The trek through the forest was beautiful though.  Butterflies, birds, chipmunks, squirrels and biting insects abound.  The whole time we were hiking there, the two females of the two couples were going on and on endlessly about not visiting this reindeer herder as it was unethical that they brought their reindeer this far south.  They hiked with us but they were not visiting with the reindeer family. And they were basically broadcasting their opinions in a quiet forest when the rest of us were trying to enjoy the peace of the forests.  We were all too polite to tell them to shut up as we still had to travel with them for a few more days.  They were really really boorish.

The reindeer herder's family

As we walked silently, we had a light bulb moment.  There is a difference between sharing facts and sharing one’s experience of the facts; the latter could be utterly boorish.

reindeer licking lichens off tree bark

At the reindeer family, we were served reindeer milk tea.  It had an interesting taste.  The couple has a little girl and she was really cute.  Mom and daughter chatted with us.  Dad was somewhere outside.  The reindeer herders live in a tepee rather than a ger.  After visiting for a while, we went to have a look at their reindeer family - a couple with a boy and a girl junior.  The fawns were licking the lichens off the tree barks.  Next to them, the herder burnt the reindeer dungs.  The smoke from these kept the flies off both the reindeers and the herder's families.

Lake Khuvsgul looking north

We collected the travelers who had stayed on the shore of the lake rather than visit the herders before hiking back to the camp for lunch.  The afternoon was open for optional activities.  Some wanted to go paddling on the lake, some to go horse riding again, and others just to chill.  

Just before lunch, we saw the drivers playing a game of pool.  We decided to join.  We played doubles with Ganso partnering Gana,  and Amra partnering us.  Amra gave us shooting directions : where to shoot and which pocket to aim for.  We never got it right a single time.  We touched the balls sometimes but we never sank a single one.  Amra on the other hand was super player, sinking ball after ball.  We did one save by sending their ball into the net.  Finally there was a single ball left for us, the 8 cue ball.  The other team still has one ball.  We took the shot and unbelievably, it went straight in.  We won the game. Amra said we made a great team.  Some luck that was. 

horse riders setting off

After lunch, it was time for horse riding.  Roy did not want to go as he was still hurting from the previous ride.  We had ridden twice already in Mongolia.  All the rest went except for the Canadian couple.  Amra went with them too. Both he and Tem are great riders.  We saw them off and took photos for them as they mounted their horses.  Then we visited some of the itinerant hawkers who had turned up at the lake shores to sell their wares.  We picked up a hand knitted skull cap as well as an imitation moonstone bracelet.  The latter was more to help them.  Jule would regale to us later on how much fun she had with the horses.  Roy tried archery while we processed some of the photos we took that morning.  After horse riding, some of them went kayaking as well.  

Just before dinner, we took our laptop to the recreational room so that we could share with the drivers what we were doing with all our crazy snapping.  They enjoyed the photos.  Gana said that we need to be his teacher for photography.  Baatar said we see the world with a different eye.  We asked him if he thought that our photos were up to par for advertising tourism in Mongolia.  He nodded.  Amra liked one of our photos more than the others.  He like colour collages.  

Dinner was another fantastic feast.  After dinner, we all gathered in the recreational room. We tried to play table tennis with Amra but after only a few minutes, he decided that we had better play with Michelle as we were better matched.  Actually we were terribly bad at the game.  

The horsehead violin musician

The owner came by to announce that there would be a demonstration of horse head violin music.  His nephew would go to the music university in UB soon.  He was decked out in full traditional regalia and played beautifully.  Mongolian music tends to bring about the feeling that one were listening to the haunting music created by the hooves of wild horses running freely out there in pure nature.  It was beautiful.  He played a few songs for us.  Snacks were served.  The owner wished Dr a happy birthday and gave her an art souvenir for her birthday present.  People are so nice here.

After the music show, we got ready for bed as the next day would be yet another long day of travels.

Footnote : Comprehensive picture stories will be published soon on Sylvia's Photos here : https://www.facebook.com/SylviaTanPhotography/

Footnote 2 : We were researching reindeer today because a friend of ours posted that a video that showed reindeer swimming.  Not only can reindeer swim but reindeer used to live much further south too.  In the 19th century, they lived as far south as Nevada in the US. They moved north probably because they could live in harsher conditions where they would face less competition for food and other necessities for survival.  It appeared that our fellow travelers concern about the reindeer's health for being brought this far south was misplaced.