We led the men to where our sheep were grazing, and they quickly began cutting out blades
of grass and shrubs to take back to the camels who were very tired. After the animals had eaten a
little, they even led some of the camels back to the pastures to feed themselves completely, so that
they would be well equipped for the onward journey. They also cut out some grass and shrubs to
take back with them for the way.
While all this was happening, we became very friendly with all the members of the caravan.
They brought out some of their food to share with us and it tasted strange but delicious. There
were tasty meats, cheeses and sweets that we had never tasted before. This was the best adventure
that we had experienced in a long, long time.
When the caravan was ready to move on, the merchants tried to persuade us to go with
them. By now we had become pretty adept in communicating with gestures and exaggerated
expressions. It was a tempting thought to go with them to find the adventures we were dreaming
about, before the caravan stopped by.
But then I thought of my parents and family - they would be distraught if we just vanished
into thin air and I knew I too, would miss them forever, with no chance of finding them again in
the vastness of the Gobi desert.
When we shook our head vigorously and said we could not go with them, the women plied
us with food to take back with us to our family and the merchants gave us a fine necklace with
colourful stones as a gift. How happy my mother would be when she saw that!
As we watched the caravan fading into the distance and waved good bye, we knew it was time
for us to collect our sheep and head back to our yurt.
What a wonderful day we had had in the company of these strange and exotic people! While
we may not have visited the lands that they had seen, interacting with them, made it seem like we
had been to those faraway countries ourselves.
So, believe me when I tell you, you may wake up one morning on a normal day, and have the
most exciting adventure of your life.
