UB, Tuesday

We had a couple of major tasks today: review my clothes, cash travelers checks, and meet to discuss various aspects of the trip ahead.

Clothes. Badmaa's parents said if my layers looked OK for her to wear, it wouldn't be enough, because I'm not used to the weather in Khovsgol. Well, after a quick review, Badmaa thought things looked OK. I will probably be wearing a winter deel over everything I brought with me. A deel is an ankle-length over-robe that buttons on the side and has a sash that ties around the middle.

T-checks. A recent problem here with some $10k in fraudulent checks caused the cashier to be overly cautious. Then when verifying the numbers on my checks, this gal read "S" instead of "C" (reading momentarily in Mongolian), and told me the serial numbers were invalid. We then trooped over to the main bank branch, got the checks (now all signed) duly verified, but not without waiting for a while. Once all was settled, Bataa (Badmaa's fiance) went to buy our air tickets and wire funds to Magi in Murun for food.

The Trip. It is quite clear that there's genuine enthusiasm for this trip and fieldwork among the Mongolians involved in the project. We will be visiting families in the Darhad valley, to record their songs and the history of those songs. This will involve driving from Murun north-northwest toward Bayanzurkh, then north toward Ulaan Uul, Renchinlhumbe, and Tsaagan Nuur. We will take 2 weeks to do this.

My big aha! moment was in realizing that we will return via Lake Khovsgol to Hatgal and from there back to Murun. In the summer, that route would require a boat. In winter, the lake becomes a road. (For those on the horseback trek last summer/fall, this is essentially the same route we followed, but in reverse.)

Visiting. Badmaa's parents invited me over for lunch, which was very kind. Her mom served dumplings (yum!) and milk tea. I got to see the new deel her mom is making for the new year - an incredible blue.

Tsagaan Sar - White Moon - is the lunar new year celebration, coming up the weekend of February 8. It's a huge celebration here, a time to visit with family. Somehow everyone is already getting geared up, making thousands of dumplings, sewing new clothes, and genuinely upbeat about life. It's a happy time here. This ought to make for some wonderful music recordings...