The trip started somewhat haphazardly being told we could take bags outside, meeting our guide and driver in the process of throwing the bags in the back of a desert-coloured Russian Jeep and leaving, all within the space of about two minutes.
Excited to be on our way we could overlook the chaos on the roads which really require a whole post of their own, but for now let's just say if there is a driving test, cutting people up, swerving between lanes/sides of the road and heavy horn usage must all be key skills to be learnt before passing.
Eventually we made it out of the city and bounced our way to Terejl, which was slightly more developed than we had pictured, clearly ,making the most of being a little more than an hour and a half from the city centre. After paying our entry fee, we were free to explore the park. First stop was a cave, which from the outside was a large rock much like the other large rocks surrounding us, however this one had a secret in that it was used as a hiding place for 100 religious leaders in the 1930's when communism was heading their way. Incredibly impressive when you realise that you can't even stand up for the majority of the inside.
The next stop of the day was 'Turtle Rock', a rock, which you've guessed it, looks like a turtle. At least from two sides, from the other one, it looks well, like a 24m high rock. Obligatory photo taking completed, we swung round to the other side of the rock to find our base for the rest of the day and night. We stayed with a family in their spare Ger, and as such were welcomed into the main Ger initially with sour cream (fortunately not too sour) and milk tea (which I'm not sure has tea in it in the British sense of the drink).
The rest if the afternoon was allocated to free time, so we spent it hiking, sketching and generally enjoying the surroundings, though this did include being eyed up by an eagle for dinner, which was only slightly intimidating,
The evening offered an incredible dinner both in terms of portion variety and taste. The horse meat was good, even prompting a comment of 'it's good but no horse' regarding the American chicken from one of the German guests we shared the meal with. The horse stomach we tried beforehand (at least we think it was stomach) wasn't quite as tasty, through Rhys seemed to enjoy it.
After a filling meal, and a splash of Vodka courtesy of the Swiss, we headed in to enjoy our first night in a Ger and look forward to the rest of the week.
Clearly a turtle...
More turtle-y from here....
Views of our Ger...
The eagle that was eyeing us up for dinner
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