Still No Luck

Two weeks ago, we commenced upon our second trek in an attemp to get to the elusive Manzushir Khiid. Now, you are probably expecting a tale of dramatic failure, and I will not disappoint.

We left at 8:30 am. Now, it has become illegal to climb the mountains to the east of our school, which posed a small problem, since it is necessary to do so to get to our destination. Through a little cunning and stealth, we made our way through the forest to avoid the less than overwhelming guard. once we were at the top of the mountain, the thick forestry was a plesant change of pace to the wide open plains that the majority of the country is comprised of. We continued on until noon, when we stopped for a nice lunch, protected by a large rock formation. After lunch we continued along our planned route, when dilemma struck. There is a single pass between two valleys that is essential to take. This pass, however, is covered with gigantic boulders and the pile is about 100 m wide, 200 m across and about 70 m high. After a brief attempt, we decided that it wasn't worth crossing, and we would try to go around. Unfotunately, "around" resulted in going down the mountainside.

Where do you think we ended up? The exact same valley as the last time. Not willing to climg back up the mountain, we followed the valley right to the same ger camp where our last trip ended. It seems that this ger camp is located in the gravitational centre of the universe, unknowingly pulling us toward it, despite taking a completely different route than the first time. As for the elk, there was no attack this time, but there were signs of them everywhere. We did see one in the distance, but it took off before any of us could even get a camera out.

To conclude, Manzushir Khiid cannot be reached on foot from Zaisan.

Disease Outbreaks and Weekend Plans

Mongolia has apparently been stricken by a contagious disease outbreak. Hand, foot and mouth disease has forced all classes up to and including grade 5 to be cancelled for at least this whole week. While this means that I have no students for the week, there is no shortage of work to be done.

To clear up a couple of misconceptions, allow me to provide a small amount of knowledge.
1. Hand, foot and mouth disease is NOT the same thing as foot and mouth disease. Foot and mouth disease affect livestock, and not people.

2. I am in little to no danger. Hand foot and mouth disease is passed easily amongst people who do not wash their hands regularly. Thankfully, this is a habit I am glad to say that I practice regularly. Also HFMD, while it can be carried by older people, tends to strike young children (usually younger than 10) as they have not developed a strong enough immune system. By chance, and, I think, through a little skill, I have survive to a ripe old age that is nearly three times that which is commonly stricken.

On a completely unrelated note, this weekend Dan, Andrew, Terry and I have decided to make an overnight hike to Manzushir Khiid. Okay, so this may sound a little familiar (see September posting), but we are determined to make it there. We have taken some additional precautions this time. To begin with, we will be bringing a compass and topographical maps. We have also made the decision to avoid any type of antlered animals. Finally, we have our "wonderful" experience to draw upon, and we know that we should, under no circumstance, go to the bottom of any mountain. Now, I realize we did not plan to get attacked by elk, go to the bottom of the mountain and get lost last time, but I believe that our combined 21 months of worldly experience will prevent such things from happening. In any event, expect a post next week informing you of how we got attacked by elk, ran downhill, and became utterly lost.