Roll the Sheep Knuckles

As I sat in a Mongolian Ger in my shorts, with the raging blizzard whirring outside, sipping vodka neat and wondering on my clothing choice, knowing I would soon need to use the facilities and would have to brave -45 temperatures, I did wonder how I had got to this point? And also why there was a board game with Sheeps Knuckles in front of me?

But I've jumped ahead a little too far, let me roll back a few weeks.

Myself and my girlfriend (now wife) had decided that our first holiday after leaving university was to be something predictable, something mainstream, something which involved learning Cyrillic and travelling across the largest country on earth. Yup, we were off on the Trans Mongolian railway adventure....in winter!

I'd always been fascinated in Russian history and after finishing various courses at University on the subject I could not wait to go and visit the country to make real in my mind the stories and accounts I'd learnt about over the previous four years. Walking down Nevsky Prospekt in St Petersburg, to gazing across Red Square at the magnificence of St Basil's, to wandering into the eery quiet of the church in Yekateringburg where the last Tsars were buried were all unique experiences and ones I revelled in.

But the real memories that we made on that trip revolved around the wonderful Russian and Mongolian people and the bizarre activities that we were involved in almost on a daily basis.

One morning in Yekateringburg on the border of Europe and Asia, we were picked up by our guide Anatoly in a 1970s Russian army 4x4 vehicle. Within the vehicle sat Anatoly his driver friend Grigor and 6 blue eyed huskies, who stared at us hungrily. Now when I'd booked this "additional activity" in the travel agents I'd thought how romantic it will be to be whisked around a snowy Russian forest by huskies with images of Dr Zhivago running through my mind. As Anatoly sat my girlfriend on the front of the sledge and motioned for me to shout "hack" at the dogs to get them going, it soon sank in that I was the one steering the sled. He walked back to the vehicle shut the door and drove off down the forest track ahead of us.

What followed was one of the most knackering 30 minutes of my life, desperately shouting at the huskies to get them going while pushing the sled through 6ft snow drifts, when they did actually go for it I had to balance on one leg while depressing the metal bar at the back which was the break, it was on one of these moments that I fell off! As my girlfriend careered off around a corner only being powered by out of control huskies I did fear for the worst. Luckilly the lazy beasts slowed and didn't mutilate her around one of the numerous pine trees.

We travelled on to the magnificent Lake Baikal which given the time of year was frozen over with 5m of ice. Trucks were driving over the new motorway which would thaw and disappear in a few month's time, better them than me.

Onwards over the border to the Mongolian Capital of Ulaan Bator, I climbed down onto the icy station to be greeted by a digital display stating minus 45 degrees! Yikes! My eyelids began to freeze shut.

We were taken from the city to a definite contender for middle of nowhere top spot in the Gobi Desert. Four Ger tents were erected, one for food preparation and the others for us, the guests. We rode ponies the next day to visit some locally camped nomads, that night the Vodka drinking began, by this point I was somewhat of a connoisseur of the potato juice.

Out came the Sheeps' Knuckles, well to be honest obviously sheep don't have knuckles as the concept of a sheep with hands is a bit terrifying. Anyway, they are actually discs from the sheep's spine, which is a lot better? You roll the "knuckles" and depending on how they fall you get a score. I never understood the scoring system and after the third bottle of vodka between the 6 of us I don't think my fellow travellers did either but I remember that night in the roasting hot Ger tent, with the raging snowstorm outside billowing at the tent pegs. What an experience and what a place to visit, still one of the best adventures I ever took part in and even better as it was the first trip I took with my wife.

I can highly recommend it in winter, though make sure you take your thermals and gloves, and maybe some de-icer for your eyelids!

Sundowners offer group tours as well as bespoke tailormade touring all of which I can ably help to get arranged. The Trans Siberian is the classic, but a Mongolian side trip and finishing in Beijing is highly recommended or why not do the last place on my bucket list - the Silk Route?

Give me a buzz or email to discuss what you are into so I can make it the best trip you'll ever experience and if it's the Silk Route I may even see you out there!

Dasvidanya, David