Mongolian Steppes: 12 Things To Do in the Middle of Nowhere

So there’s this thing about being in the desert.

It’s called NO-thing. A no-thing is sometimes fun, often times a challenge, and always unknown. It is an excellent thing to have fun with; a great thing to get creative with. You have to be clever when you’re faced with a no-thing in the middle of no-where.

It’s the desert. And a desert is probably the greatest space on this planet to find lots of no-things. In fact there is so much nothing that it’s actually intoxicating.

So without further ado – here are some tried, tested and true suggestions of things you can do to alleviate boredom if you find yourself, as we did, at the crossroads of Nowhere and Nothing.

1. Take a stroll into Nowhere.

Through no-things, in the hopes of finding some-things, leave your doorstep and go gandering. Maybe you’ll find a something shiny. Maybe you won’t. But you won’t know until you give a gander a go.

2. Find a nomad and ride his horse.

I mean that in the literal sense, you pervert.

3. Learn archery.

You’ll have endless hours to do this, so if by the end you still can’t shoot an arrow, well, with all due respect – you suck.

4. Have tea on the Steppes.

Boil some water over the stove in your yurt and bring a chair outside to soak in the endless nothingness. Wear gloves. It’s bloody cold out here.

5. Help a nomad prepare mutton for supper.

They eat a lot of sheep, okay? Might as well learn how to cook it the proper nomadic way. And when you’ve finished preparing and eating, smile and say, “Thanks for mutton!”

6. Play games with the ankle bones of sheep.

“You have two sheep, a goat, and a drunken horse.” Play games with the bones of dead animals. In a yurt. Because you can.

 

7. Drink fermented mare’s milk.

And try not to vomit.

8. Play cards in a yurt over pints of Mongolian Lager and Chinggis Khan Vodka.

Because you can.

9. Go on a bone hunt.

Like a treasure hunt, but with dead things.

10. Stargaze.

And navigate yourself by moonlight over what I swear is actually the surface of the moon.

11. See how many Chinggis Khaans you can find.

For somewhere that’s nowhere, Chinggis Khaan sure gets around.

12. Make a friend.

Because if you’re anything like us, you’ve probably long-since tired of the company you brought with you. ;)