The overnight rain lets up and after breakfast we go to meet our horses and the two 'wranglers' who will be with us the rest of the trip. I shouldn't be surprised, but they are young kids, maybe 11 and 13 years old. So, after a couple minutes of instructions from their boss (be careful), we head off to the local village's Naadam, with the kids keeping a practiced eye on our riding. Riding about 10 kilometers from our camp we are joining up with dozens of other horsemen on the way to the festivity site which is on a slope above this broad valley.
The scene is like a county fair with people cooking, selling, and milling about. On foot, I have to keep my head on a swivel, watching out for horsemen galloping here and there. Before long, a cold rain starts up and I pitty the wrestlers who are bare chested, wearing bikini briefs. Those watching are cold and wet too, and the wrestling bouts are speeded up to get them done early. Two horse races come to the finish line while we are there. The riders are all young kids - most less than ten, to keep the weight at a minimum. The races are long - maybe 30 kilometers - and the crowd rushes forward on foot or horseback to see them approach. By evening we have gone through another cycle of weather, and right now the rain is gone and there is a beautiful sunset starting.
No comments:
Post a Comment