Naadam - horse race and concert

Eventually we found our car and headed out of town to where the horse race was ending. We stayed up on the hill and out of the crush — the other spectators were interesting enough to watch. Did you know that it's perfectly possible to ride a horse wearing stiletto high heels? And I ran into Patti, by herself after sending her new tour group down into the spectator throng.

It was a dramatic finish with three horses in contention, though we lost sight of the actual finish behind the wall of spectators.

We visited a group of horce-racing familes from eastern Mongolia. They invited us into a ger for refreshments (including airag) and showed us their medals; we met a young boy who'd just ridden in the race, an old grandmother, and the heads of the families. Outside a group was clustered around one of the horses which was recovering from the race — and while we were watching another exhausted horse lay down.

There was dust, dust, dust everywhere and not much shade.

After being dropped off back at Gabi's we washed and headed into town for a Naadam concert, preceded by dinner nearby (chicken curry). The concert was a mix, with Western classical vocal and orchestral works - ok Mozart, appalling Bizet (Carmen) - khoomei, and a strange short film about an elephant boy accompanied by a live singer.

We ran into Chinzo again - he was off to the Altai with a group of 25 hikers. In the square outside the concert hall there was a rock concert, fireworks, and lots of people. There was a hot dry wind.

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