monday june 16

Mom and Pop,

I've made it into Ondorhaan safe and ahead of schedule (10 vs. 15 days). Travel so far has been monotonous. Each day I walk along the open steppe with the Kherlen Gol, a meandering river, on my left. I usually pick a point on the distant horizon and spend the next few hours walking towards it. It is very hot and the lack of clouds is upsetting. All around me is green with specks of brown, black, and white (horses or cows).

The Mongolians have been polite and inquisitive. The 6 or 7 I run into a day are usually able to understand that my names is Jack, I am 20 years old, I am Canadian (I lie to them to avoid prevent robbery which has been more of a threat than I thought, ill tell you the story when i get home), and that I am walking from Choibalsan to Ondorhaan. At this point they tell me to get a motorcycle... Some are on foot, others on motorcycles, but most are on horseback. The horses are small in stature but large in spirit.

One boy who led me to clean water one day regaled me with a billowing Mongolian song I didn't understand a word of. I in turn confused him equally with a lyrical rendition of Pearl Jam's "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town". That's all i do all day mostly, sing and think. I think about back home, about how lonely I am, and about how stupid it was to come to Mongolia in the first place. The country I hoped would be filled with adventure and excitement instead is filled with poop, garbage, and rotting animal carcasses.

In the last day I have covered 25 miles in 14 hours in order to get into Ondorhaan early for some much needed food and relaxation. I had to fight some strong winds which quickly became a sandstorm. The situation reminded me a lot of that day on the pier in grand haven when Ashley lost her camera. Winds at ~45 mph that were knocking me off balance. The day turned to night as the sun became blocked by the dust and visibility was about half a mile. I wasn't really sure what to do so I just kept walking, relying heavily on the GPS. Sure enough after a few hours struggle the town materialized in front of me. Needless to say I was relieved.

Anyways I hope all is well at home. I will be in touch. On to Ulaan Bataar.

JC

47 19.416 N
110 39.775 E