Mongolia. A coffee break with the guys…

Uri Peleg here, in the snow-covered Altai Mountains near the Chinese border. The horses are standing quietly, tied to a rope stretched along—yes!—the ground. The guys are drinking coffee, Israeli trail-ride style.

David Ben Hamo – a true horseman and the master of the ceremony, a gifted trainer and rider.

Moish Franco – a highly experienced and knowledgeable horseman, rider, navigator, and leader of the well-known “Hermanos” riders’ group—“the brothers” in Spanish. Moish taught me to look at the horse culture here in Mongolia from a different perspective and not to form an automatic judgment based solely on my own professional and personal point of view.

Zohar Avtalion – another highly experienced rider, whose heart is as big as he is. Anyone who knows him appreciates him greatly—and also knows to be a little careful around him… 🤣

Yaron Binyamini – like me, he is from Moshav Ramot. With Yaron, it is always: “No problem.” And somehow, in the end, there really is no problem.

Uri and Miki Reshef – Uri is extremely knowledgeable—and I truly mean that—about almost everything. Miki is logical, efficient, and always looking for a way to help.

Omer Frienta – sweet, quiet, innocent, kind-hearted, a paratrooper, and an absolute gem of a person.

Dudu Frienta – “the Asian”… 😂🤣😂🤣 Omer’s father, a man with a huge heart, a professional in his field—carpentry—and someone who gives his all wherever he is needed. A true Zionist, even when his opinions differ from mine.

Nir Hamami – deeply human, cynical, funny, handsome, and always perfectly groomed, with every hair in place and a clean shave. He is responsible for our communication with the One Above, because he has a great talent for communication. He also rescues me every time I struggle unsuccessfully with digital communication problems.

Moshe Lahmi – a colorful character with a wealth of life experience. He knows every joke, and when he connects with the right music—with vodka and orange juice, of course—he can make us laugh until we cry. The same is true when he wears his ridiculous Mongolian robe and matching hat.

And almost last, Tomer Lahmi.

Tomer, I am a very loyal person. If Musa Rapoport, whose reputation precedes him and with whom I have traveled in four countries, had told me that he was organizing a trip through the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, I would have traveled with him.

But Musa does not organize riding trips in the Altai Mountains.

Then I began to get to know you a little, Tomer. I discovered the enormous amount of preparation you had put in over two years—for the trip that was canceled because of the war with Iran, and for this current journey.

I discovered that you are caring, compassionate, practical, and logical—but also quite a gambler. Fortunately for me, and for all of us, you made the right bet in a country where nothing is ever precise.

You are a wonderful person and a bit of a gambler. You succeeded tremendously with our group, and I pray that you will succeed just as much with the next group and with every group in the future.

And finally, the Ukrainian woman… Alexandra.

You are the only woman on this journey. We all admire your courage and your quiet leadership. You immediately took charge in a calm and sensible way, creating those positive evening conversations around the question: “What good thing happened to me during today’s ride?”

So, on behalf of twelve men, I will tell you what good thing happened to us: you joined the journey.

Your contribution, your remarkable personality, and the calm way you led those conversations were a major part of the experience.

During the ride to the waterfalls, we all lay on our backs and meditated while you stood above us and guided us. I was the only one who could not quite manage it—especially when Dudu Frienta whispered that he did not know how to do things like this because he was a “chakh-chakh”… 😂😂🤣😂

And all our hearts broke when you choked back tears on the final day, sitting with us at the table and telling us how deeply moved you were by your encounter with the incredible nature and culture surrounding us.

We all love you and appreciate you very, very much, Alexandra.

That is all from our final evening in Ulaanbaatar.