Time to leave. It seemed a nonsensical question at the time, but I asked the young man the way to Ulan Bator. He nimbly leapt onto his horse and went off ahead of me. Astride a horse the Mongolians are very handsome. It’s a noble sight. When we reached the crossroads on the grassy plain, he turned and flew like the wind back to the ger. It had been a full-blown introduction to ger life. Completely naturally from beginning to end, I was treated with kindness and hospitality as a matter of course. Being travellers themselves, looking after another traveller was as natural as breathing air for the people who live in them. If people who live in the wilderness did not support one another, life would be unsustainable. These people have lived like this for thousands of years. (from "Against the Wind" - Poolbeg Press)