Day #64: Cabin fever

---

Travelling in Mongolia is not easy. Many hours a day in a van, driving on difficult roads, only a short amount of time our in the open air, and not always a good night's sleep in a tent or ger. I am mostly philosophical about all of this and generally enjoying the adventure, but today was marked by a spectacular falling out between one of our party (the Italian) and our tour guide. The actual row was over (what seems to me) a petty matter and has been brewing over the past couple of days; I think the real reason is the stress of this kind of travel. It was strange and ridiculous, to be watching this heated argument in the middle of nowhere, where neither party has anywhere else to go or hope of escape (I have to say, the argument was mostly provoked by my fellow traveller, rather than the guide, but she made the mistake of also losing her temper).

We still had some way to drive so after everyone had calmed down somewhat we all got back in the van in straitened silence. It was a relief to arrive at our destination near the sand dunes (in the Gobi proper!) and breathe some fresh air. The skies are very clear in the desert, so later in the evening I shared a beer with the guide under the stars and we discussed perspective and felt like we cleared the air, at least. Fortunately the German and I are also companionable enough and both quite calm people, so I think the tour will continue positively.

---