Geir Camp

Last weekend my employer hosted a camping trip to one of the many geir camps that abound in this area. For those of you who don't know, a geir is the traditional nomadic Mongolian tent/house. Most of you in the west would probably call them yurts but you would be wrong. Its a geir! And roll that R dammit!

An hour of rough riding over washed out country roads brought us to an old soviet recreation center. I guess the government used to be able to dictate when and where and how you could spend your vacation. This was such a place. At one end of the camp sat a dilapidated building which served as some kind of hotel/vacation quarters. It was all run down and falling apart and there were all these corny landscape pictures hanging around an otherwise sparsely furnished compound. I've been here long enough not to be shocked but it was appalling non-the-less.

I caught wind of a lamb roast and b-lined for the camp fire grounds. The president of my school was preparing a fire for a slow roast so I lent a hand. I rarely get to spend time in the outdoors any more so when there's a fire I'm generally there. Entreaties to join a game of volleyball fell on deaf ears as this kid set about gathering wood and building the rotisserie fire, which required hot coals and low flames. We built a second "feeder" fire with the intention of transferring coals to the cook fire just to keep the thing alive. We had to keep the roast fire going for a full five hours to get this mutton done.

By and by I was lured away by the promise of food. I felt that I was neglecting the rest of the group so I took my leave with the promise of returning before the roast was finished. The entire staff of Santis sat about on the grass picking at meat with greasy hands. Mongolian women are rather good looking. It is bizarre indeed to see a bunch of attractive women sitting in the dirt and pulling meat off of bone with greasy fingers and gnashing teeth. What a group of barbarians. Outstanding.

After that unimpressive meal I returned to the real action. Lamb roast. Apparently in my absence a herd of cows roamed through the camp and , wouldn't you know it, ATE THE DAMN FEEDER FIRE! WTF??!! I have never heard of animals eating hot coals but unless I'm the victim of a bald faced lie we lost ours to the bowels of a bovine. Will the wonders never cease?

Well after dark the roast was finished and we were finally able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. I was quite hungry and it was delicious. The rest packed up quickly to stumble home, while I stayed behind to watch the embers die. The rest of the Santis staff were in the weird recreation compound having disco night but I couldn't bring myself to indulge in such lameness. I can go out to the disco any night of the week in UB but right now I'm in the country dammit! I'm gonna hang out with the fire even if I have to do so alone. By the time the coals died to a minimal glow it became quite chilly. I wandered back to the geir I was staying in for one the coldest nights sleep of my life. I didn't wake up until long after the sun arose. I can't sleep unless I'm warm.