Saturday, July 25, 2015

Mongolian Journey - A Horseback Rider's Dream





It's an unlikely love story. A Norwegian girl traveling through Mongolia meets a Mongolian horse whisperer, marries him, sells everything, and moves to the countryside to open a small tourist camp.



But it's the kind of scenario you'd expect to find in a wide-open country where anything seems possible.

Dream Adventure Mongolia, two guest gers with four double beds each, is rustic – no electricity, no plumbing, and an outhouse, but it's extremely comfortable and romantic.




It's a place to get lost on long hikes in the woods or go horseback riding for hours, which is included in the price. Alexandra and I have little experience with the animals, but after a short lesson, we headed out into the vast landscape, under the constant supervision of our horse whisperer, Puujee.


                


These aren't your typical, pampered horses locked up in stables. They live in the wild, getting rounded up each morning. One of the guests said she's ridden horses all over the world but had never been given such freedom to ride at will without a long list of restrictions. In America, the lawyers would never let that happen.


We spent two days at the horse camp admiring the scenery and savoring the gourmet food. Did I mention the Norwegian girl Jeanett worked in the restaurant industry for years. We both would highly recommend a visit, if alone to meet the couple's horse whisperer in training, Storm, a real handful.



Afterward, we headed back to the capital for the country's biggest yearly party – the Nadaam Festival, three days of horse racing, wrestling, archery, and merriment.



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