A Journey Through Mongolia
In Shinji Tanimura's song “Tenrō” (Heavenly Wolf), there is a verse:
Splitting the sky, the Sirius shines
Ah— the aged, white wolf
Cast away your rest and cry out into the night sky
If you still have your spirit, cry out once more
That journey through Mongolia, which lasted just over ten days, now feels to me like it may have been only a dream.
At the very first dinner in the restaurant, I heard that “Gamba,” who attended to us, was a distant relative of Tsubekuma-san.It felt as though a missing piece of a circular puzzle had finally clicked into place—and with that, my journey reached a perfect conclusion.
I had thought the rest would be a mere bonus.But then came the endless drive through the dusty plains, the 16-kilometer trek, the scree-covered climb up a 4000-meter peak.At high camp, en route to the highest summit, we waited in a sunlit daze for the load-carrying team to arrive. What was all of that, really?Something dark seemed to pass by…Someone seemed to scream…When I snapped back to awareness and looked around, a vast wall of snow loomed before us, leading to the final summit.
In the service industry, CS (Customer Satisfaction) is always emphasized,Yet here, time is elusive, the subjects are animals, the skills of the group members are unknown, and the weather, of course, is unpredictable.
To the Mongolian leader and staff who brought this challenging schedule to completion, I offer my deepest respect.And to the companions who accepted an eccentric like myself, I extend my heartfelt gratitude.
If the chance ever comes again,Would I be able to cry out once more…?
— Written by Sasada