The Tuwa Council votes

Day: 130

Sunrise:
09:04

Sunset:
17:18

Total kilometers:
1211

Soil condition:
Ice, snow

Temperature – Day (maximum):
minus 13°C

Temperature – day (minimum):
minus 18°C

Temperature – Night:
minus 34°C

Latitude:
51°21’785”

Longitude:
099°21’046”

Maximum height:
1475 m above sea level

We were actually supposed to visit the mayor of Tuva again today. Due to the circumstances and a possibly unpleasant conversation, we postpone the visit. “You’d better stay away from her,” Saraa recommends during a phone call. “I’ll talk to the mayor of Mörön first. He is one of the most powerful men in our province. He has offered you his support. I hope he will call the two mayors of Tsagaan Nuur and intercede on your behalf. Then the problem with the yurt would be off the table.” “That’s a fantastic idea. Then we’ll wait and see what happens in the next few days. Maybe then the matter will be resolved,” I reply, pleased with Saraa’s commitment and dedication.

In the evening I call Tsaya to find out how the Tuwa feel about our stay with them. “I don’t have such good news for you Denis. Some of our men don’t want you to live with us. Most of us, however, are in favor of your presence.” “Oh, that’s bad news indeed. How did you have such a sudden change of heart? Everything was clear when we visited you, wasn’t it?” I ask, disappointed. “As you know, our mayor is against you. She doesn’t want you to live with us. And that doesn’t even have anything to do with the yurt. She says you’re writing a book about the Tuwa and that’s a business. She says you can’t make any money from us and has influenced some of our people,” I hear in horror. “But that’s complete nonsense. As a rule, you don’t earn any money with a book. You spend far too much time on a project like this. Our visit is not about the book, but about sharing life with you and, if everything goes according to plan, telling people in the outside world about a wonderful way of life. A way of life that the industrialized world can learn from. In this respect, you are our teachers. And who knows, maybe it will also bring tourists to you, with whom you can earn a living,” I explain. “I know Denis. We’re largely in favor of it. But the tide has turned at the moment. I’ll talk to you again tonight about your concerns. Preferably when all the men are back from the hunt. Maybe we can find a compromise,” she reassures me. “Thank you Tsaya. We’ll keep our fingers crossed,” I end the call.

As we retire to our Wanda in the evening, I think about alternatives, because it makes no sense for us to spend the whole winter behind the log cabin of the miser Ayush. That would also be wintering in the coldest place in Mongolia, but in the long run it might be monotonous and annoying because of the old man. Only yesterday we heard about another Tuwa tribe that lives far away from any civilization in the Western Taiga. “Maybe we should go there?” it goes through my brain. However, the Tuwa of the Western Taiga are even more difficult to reach. As far as we know, not even a four-wheel drive truck goes there. And since our horses are in Mörön, we can’t ride there either. Apart from that, it would be impossible for us to bring our yurt to this region. Much too heavy. And living in a tent at minus 40 °C to minus 55 °C over a period of several months would be life-threatening and certainly no fun. Well, we’ll see what the next few days bring. The fact is, this expedition trip is one of the most difficult we have ever undertaken from a psychological point of view. Certainly on a par with our 7,000-kilometer walk through the Australian outback.

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