Thankfully, the road had been snow ploughed so we could get to Songkol lake in the middle of a grassy plain surrounded by mountains at about 3300m high. It was really pretty but there wasn't an opportunity for much walking in the mountains as they were deceptively far away, so there was a lot of lounging around camp and avoiding the evening storms. All good fun though!
Playing goat polo is a treat for the locals here so Pete organised a match. The aim is to get a goat carcass with no head from one end of the 'pitch' to the side and place on a mat scoring points each time. There are 2 teams of 2. We sponsored the game by buying the goat ( I didn't expect it to turn up at our camp still alive!) and the prizes of cash and vodka. Despite the distressing slaughter at the start, the game was really enjoyable to watch and the locals had a great time as the horses raced around camp and we darted out the way.
I decided that due to the huge expanse of the plains, hiring a horse was a good idea. I went out on a lovely grey horse which loved to gallop and was so easy to handle. It was great to have the freedom, but it was a shame that it wasn’t for a couple of days around the lake. In the evening we had our fancy dress party. There were some brilliant looks as people revealed what had been chosen for them. I made a bumble bee outfit for Kylie and Nick dressed me in the worst taste clothes ever, with a very nice traditional man's hat. Rain didn't spoil our fun as we partied in the truck but no one could brave the cold to stay up past 10pm!
One more night with a bush camp on the Touragat pass enroute to the Chinese border.
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