After a night of discoing in Moren, we thankfully made it out alive, and on time, for breakfast the next morning. Once we finished our last meal in our "dreamy" hotel, we packed up the van and headed to the infamous Uushig Deer Stones. These Deer Stones, generally made from granite or greenstone, are said to be approximately 3000 years old, and in association with burial mounds. From what I gathered, very little is known about the deer stones' exact age, function and meaning.
In one sense, my first-world mind was thinking as walking throughout the site, "How can something this valuable and full of history be outside without any sort of protection against erosion, or sun-damage!?" Then the other part of me, the one getting used to all this adventure, couldn't imagine these stones to be anywhere else. It was beautiful to admire these historical stones amid the natural Mongolian scenery, at the original location site rather than a museum.
After admiring the deer stones, and snapping a few pictures, we made our way to Toilogt Camp on Lake Huvsgul.
I honestly, don't even know where to begin when describing this camp site. First of all...the teepees. Like, whaaaat?! They were amazing, inside and out. Ours even had a little prairie dog who lived below our floor. (I know, sounds cute... at first. Then once it was bedtime, and we turned the lights off I could hear it scurrying all around. Truth be told, I have no idea if it was scurrying around inside or underneath our teepee. Either way I was not a fan. Not only do I have terrible night vision, but I also have a vivid imagination. I just imagined waking up with this thing right next to my face, or underneath my covers. Thankfully neither happened)
After getting settled into our teepee, we put on our tennis shoes and went out to explore what all the camp grounds had to offer. First stop...the lake!
My very own Cairn, built by yours truly
Lake Huvsgul is the second largest lake in Mongolia, and the world's 14th largest source of fresh water. Not to mention it was COLD! It was so cold that we actually used it as a freezer, as we put a few of our beers and cola's in there to chill before drinking.
Mother Nature's Freezer
As it started getting later into the evening, we decided to walk around the little trails to get some fresh Mongolian air. Each day I found myself falling more and more in love with nature. Which was kind of surprising because I never really considered myself to be an "outdoorsy type".
Snapshot from our evening walk among the forest
Another thing I loved about this campsite besides all the activities, (and the hot showers) were the people. Not only were the camp staff amazing, but all the people traveling through were so awesome. I loved hearing everyone's travel stories, and how they ended up in Mongolia. The reason behind people's travels are all so intimate and personal. I loved being able to connect with people I literally just met, on such a deep level.
After a nice long, hot shower, I ran back to my teepee and snuggled up in the covers. You know those moments in life where you take a still shot in your mind, and tell yourself "don't ever forget this moment." This was one of them.
As I went to bed that night, I was smiling from ear to ear. I first of all still couldn't believe I was in Mongolia, and secondly sleeping in a freakin' teepee. I was surrounded by the most beautiful scenery I had ever seen in my life, and people who I had grown to deeply love and care for. What could be better? All my wildest dreams had come true.
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