STORY OF THE WEEK
“It’s strange, but I feel at home,” says Julia. “It’s bewitching not to know anything that’s been said and be this happy.”		Hollywood’s highest-paid actress JULIA ROBERTS chops mutton, milks mares and survives on dried horse curd in Mongolia
Julia Roberts stands awestruck. Framed against a backdrop of arid plains and wide blue sky stretching into infinity, she watches a herd of Asiatic wild horses - a rare breed once close to extinction - feed on the tundra vegetation. “I’ve known how to ride horses since I was a little kid,” she says. “I have a great respect and appreciation for horses. The Mongolians know how I feel - their love affair is far older than mine.” Julia was filming a documentary, Going Wild: Horsemen Of Mongolia, for which she travelled across the central Asian steppe that is Mongolia. Her task was to spend time with a nomadic Mongolian family to discover more about the relationship between the Mongolian people and their horses, in a land where the animals are still integral to man’s existence. It was a far cry from the comforts of a Hollywood studio but, despite the harsh conditions, the 32-year-old actress - currently being heaped with praise for her performance in Erin Brockovich - jumped at the chance of taking part. Enjoy 15 pages of stunning photos and hear Julia’s own commentary on this amazing adventure in this week’s Hello! Main Menu		The women of the family she stayed with decided Julia’s first step in learning about their way of life was to dress in traditional clothes Crossing the vast snowy landscape of the Mongolian steppe, Julia commented, “I could walk for miles and miles and still feel I was in the same place.”