Ferry Service

The obnoxious sound of a Russian vans horn could be heard echoing through the valley as we rounded a bend in the river. Believing that the racket was intended for us, which is often the case, we stopped to exchange greetings with three locals. While doing so a congregation of Mongolians amassed on the far bank apparently waiting. The driver of the van and his two friends seemed especially interested in our canoes, and it soon became apparent that he wanted us to act as a ferry service. We obliged and upon crossing realized that we were not the only ones with a formidable watercraft; and theirs was something indeed. It was made from two hollowed out logs, the cavity spacious enough to sit between the gunnels, leaving 2 inches of wood to act as the hull. Each hull was separated in such a way that they formed a v-shape. With its heavy wood construction the craft was sturdy, it could carry 5 people and a motorbike per crossing, and it was captained by a single man who stood at the back and propelled the craft with a long pine pole. Despite being crude, the craft was decorated with colorful ribbons and the front of both logs were carved to resemble two horse heads.

After helping several locals cross the river, and many hand gestures later we were able to piece together the following story. The driver had brought two doctors to a small village, and there they had diagnosed their patient, an older man with abdominal pain and had decided that his situation would be better dealt with back at the nearest hospital, hence why himself, his family and the two doctors needed to be ferried across the river, with the help of our canoes and their ferry craft. We wished him good health as they drove off towards the nearest town.

By Eric McNair-Landry

Map check!
Latitude:49.45894

Longitude:103.99268
GPS location Date/Time:07/27/2010 22:40:58 ULAT

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