Here are a few words on what is happening over this way as a change from amalgamation. Bit annoyed I was over here when Robert Plant was over there! I am a big Fan!
 
Winter is just about finished in Mongolia with lovely sunny days that have been getting up to about 5 degrees! Nights are still well below zero but change is in the air. There is a definite psychological change in people as the weather warms up, It’s a bit like the troppo season in reverse.
 
My wife and I had another first last weekend when we attended an annual Camel Polo tournament in the countryside about an hour out of Ulaanbaatar.
 
Basically the same rules as the Polo that Kerry Packer's crowd play, but instead of the crowd sipping champagne and nibbling on hors d'oeuvres, it was salty tea and Khuushuur which is sort of like mutton wrapped in pastry and deep fried in mutton fat.
 
The Polo itself was great to watch. The jockeys are fearless and the camels are not real fast and they take a while to get going, but once they are moving they don’t stop very well and cannot turn particularly quickly so there was lots of collisions and a few camels falling over.



The jockey would usually be back in the saddle before the camel even regained its feet and play did not even slow down when the camels were down.
 
Competition was fierce and goals were celebrated almost as much as you see watching the Premier League soccer (without pulling your shirt off 'cause it is still too cold).
 
The penalty shoots outs were an eye opener with pitch invasion encouraged leaving just enough room for the camel to gallop (if that’s what camels do?) straight at the goal being guarded by another camel.
 
The Polo field was a bit rough with a few potholes and bumps as well as some nasty patches of ice but that just added to the atmosphere not knowing which way the ball would bounce.
 
There is a definite hierarchy with the camels with a “White” Camel being a lot more sort after than the standard brown version. The Camel Polo is obviously the place for all respectable camel riders to be seen even if they are not participating in the actual Polo.

The riders dress in traditional Mongolian Deel and the camels get to wear their “bling” from previous awards and walk around looking far superior to the working man camels actually on the field.
 


I also caught up with one of the traditional Bird Men with his hunting eagles and a massive big Vulture who fortunately had been fed before he arrived. He was very proud of his birds and gave me a detailed run down on how he hunts with them and what they have killed (rabbits hare, foxes, marmots and a few names I didn’t recognise).
 
All and all another great day out in the country for another glimpse at the Mongolian lifestyle.