Since the food poisoning incident, Ellen has had a bout with stomach problems for the last few days. When she left food poisoning town, she ended up only riding for 40 or so kms before having to stop. Stomach issues trumped her will to put in more kms. So she found a house (with a nice family) in the middle nowhere to was willing to let her stay in one of their rooms for 15 kuai a night. She says that there isn’t a town for 100kms in either direction. The house has no shower, and the bathroom is a hole in the ground behind the house. Ellen has been there for 2 nights already and is almost ready to leave. When I asked her if she feels dirty from not showering, she just said “Naw, I’m so used to it by now. Always dirty.” So tomorrow morning, she should be going to Manzhouli.
The family she is staying with speaks Chinese with such a thick Russian accent that Ellen has difficulty understanding them. So there is a lot of pantomiming going back and forth. During family dinner yesterday, the old man of the house picked up a porcelain lamb and pretended to eat it. Ellen took this as the man really liked Lamb. But she said it’s odd, because she’s only seen wild cows near this house. The cows are just wandering around the prairie, grazing. She says these are the happiest cows shes ever seen.
Jason has done a great job updating my website from my SMS on the road. It turned out that this family did not have a Russian accent Chinese – it’s Mongolian. My first authentic Mongolian family.
I believe the older man was Russian. At dinner he showed me an old photograph dated 1931 that was his grandfather. His grandfather had studied in America.
And…well, it turns out, it was more than food poisioning…I’d been battling with dysentery for nearly a week. I’m finally getting my bowels in working order but still dehydrated. My lips look like white sandpaper.
I had to go to the doctor in this village. He was quite the hip and attractive doctor with his clean denim jean jacket. I love the rural Mongolian look – you’ll catch the cowboy hat and boots too.
Jason has done a great job updating my website from my SMS on the road. It turned out that this family did not have a Russian accent Chinese – it’s Mongolian. My first authentic Mongolian family.
I believe the older man was Russian. At dinner he showed me an old photograph dated 1931 that was his grandfather. His grandfather had studied in America.
And…well, it turns out, it was more than food poisioning…I’d been battling with dysentery for nearly a week. I’m finally getting my bowels in working order but still dehydrated. My lips look like white sandpaper.
I had to go to the doctor in this village. He was quite the hip and attractive doctor with his clean denim jean jacket. I love the rural Mongolian look – you’ll catch the cowboy hat and boots too.