Well, I'll be trucked Part 2

This is inside the ger.  Very protected and warm. This is mum, dad and daughter.  The 3 sons were out causing mayhem somewhere. Just after this pic, dad went outside and returned a few minutes later with a just slaughtered goat which he laid on its back and proceeded to skin it.   Once the skin was laid out, he started the butchering.  

He was great with a knife and managed to keep the floor perfectly clean.  I was trying to catch some sleep, but the smell was a little off putting.    The offal was being put into  a big pot of fermenting something and I was starting to worry about the evening meal.  I managed to get to sleep and was awaken a few hours later with CB holding a nice bowl of something.   Fortunately it was a nice meal of dumplings.   Woofed it down with a bowl of goat milk tea and back into the truck.

 Another nap during the night and we drove into the dawn. At dawn he did the white powder thing again with the incense was burnt again.  Clearly a religious thing, I figure Buddhist. Later  I became convinced that CB was not seeing the road too well, so gave him my spare pair of  glasses.  They seemed to help.   

Eventually we arrived at Ulaanbaatar and CB found this mound around a HT tower to unload the car and bike.  As CB couldn't drive his truck into town, he grabbed a taxi and I followed him to Oasis Guest House where I was to meet the guys, or wait for them if they hadn't arrived.

 Oasis seemed a great place.  we had booked for 3 days and we met up with quite a few of the riders that we'd met over the past couple of months.  Dave Peter and Ben were there and I moved into  their ger.    we were then told by the owner that we only had a one night booking.  Clearly not the case, but our theory was that she'd received a big group booking and wanted us out. 

 Dave and I had met an Aussie back in Altay and Dave contacted him and he had some tickets for the Nadaam wrestling finals which sounded great.    John works for VicRoads and actually asked whether I was filling in my log book!

we decided to pack up our bikes and head into town to meet him. We went in, met him and he helped us locate a decent backpackers.  There was a hotel nearby that allowed us to store our bikes in their secure underground carpark.     Dave and I had about an hour and a half to get a taxi back to the ger and grab our bikes and still make the 2:00pm wrestling.  We settled up, said our farewells and tried to leave.  The battery was flat on my bike but managed to kick start it.   I turned it off while I grabbed my jacket and helmet and when I tried to start it again....  no result!    I kicked, Dave kicked on and on until Dave made the correct decision to farewell me and head to the Nadaam.   There was no shortage of suggestions about what was wrong, but Matthew the Pom and Christian the Pole armed with voltmeters waited for me to strip the seat and tank off so they could get at it.    Replaced a few fuses which immediately blew again and then they started to follow the lines until we discovered 2 bare wires where a 12v adapter had been ripped off during one of my offs. Everything got put back un the bike and I headed off to the backpackers.  

A few hours later Dave and John returned and we headed off to John and Helens apartment to watch Adelaide play Collingwood live from the 'G. 

Today, Saturday has been pouring with rain so we've taken it easy.   Ben's bike has a stuffed swing arm bolt and can't start repairs until Tuesday after Nadaam finishes.  Dave and I will head north into Russia tomorrow, weather permitting.  We'll then head to Lake Baykal before heading eastward to Vladivostok.   Hopefully we'll meet Peter and Ben up around Baykal, if not it will be back in Oz.  They're still thinking Magadan which is well outside Dave and I's timelines.