Back in the big city, bidding a fond farewell to my fellow travellers who are now homeward bound while I gear myself up for the next leg of my journey – Vladivostok.

Its good to have the extra day here before moving on and a chance to visit a couple of museums, art galleries, that sort of thing. Never be tempted to think of Mongolia as a poor backward country – its art and history are stunning and distinctive and they are rightly proud of their culture and traditions. Everything is big and solid and square and beautifully presented. Very few beggars. Pretty clean. People live in gers because they want to not because they are poor and most have a car (and a house) sitting outside.

But goodness I love this country. I came for the landscape and the horse culture and have been overwhelmed by it.

What will I take with me? Standing outside my ger gazing up at the stars……..seeing a shooting star…….the flowers – a totally unexpected delight – whole mountainsides of wild flowers of every shape and colour and herbs, smelling gorgeous.

Oh yes. And the boots. Mongolians and their gorgeous boots! They dance in them, ride horses in them, soldiers do their soldierly drills in them, singers sing in them, Nadaam visitors hang out in them, monks pray in them, you sport them with your Sunday best, your every day clothes just for the hell of it and absolutely whenever you want to impress……..they are softish leather, shaped like a long riding boot and may be different colours, may be combinations of different leathers in patterns, may have simple or fancy stitching or may be elegantly plain or stylish. Some of the women can carry off wearing them with stilleto heels. They are fab and I am sternly keeping myself OUT of shoe shops!

Yes that’s our ger camp – isn’t it fab!