I flew to Ulaan Bataar from Berlin to join a tour. I went with Tucan this time as I got a very good deal. I met my roommate and 4 others from the group and my guide who I found to be very quiet. Then we all met Boris, our little Russian military truck. I have no idea how those big Russian dudes fitted in this truck with its tiny seats and nonexistent windows. This was how we were going to travel around Mongolia for the next two weeks.
Our first day was a very long drive to Amarbayasgalant Monastery. It was 6 hours away so I hoped this was a bloody great monastery. It was just an ordinary one, just miles away. It was an eventful drive as I was attacked by a wasp that flew into the truck via our very small window. After that embarrassment we headed to my very first night in a Ger camp. It’s just like camping but in a round permanent tent made of animal skins but with lots of bugs. At least the site had a flushing western toilet and hot showers. In my very first Ger camp I nearly died by electrocution. As I held the plug which was hanging off the wall. I failed to notice the screw at the back which I touched and bam, I got zapped and it hurt like hell. For the rest of the night I had the mark of the screw on my finger. Another close call.
The next morning we drove to Selenge River. 10 hours later we still didn’t find it. There are no proper roads in this area and our driver was just driving along many dirt roads stopping occasionally and asking for directions. Eventually it got so late we camped by a lake we found. It was basic camping in the middle of nowhere with no facilities whatsoever. Off I went in search of a bush to call my own for the night. This night our guide made us some spaghetti Mongolian style which I loved and what was even better was a huge jar of Polish pickles that she got out for us. That was when the pickle addiction started. After this night we always wanted pickles for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it had to be the Polish ones not the very sweet German ones which we didn’t like. We are now very particular about our pickles. After dinner, in the distance we could see other campers and even had a herd of cows come barging through their camp. After a very windy night we packed up camp to try and find this river again. Just before that we saw 2 Bactrian camels and they had very floppy humps and very furry.
It was much colder and wetter this day and instead of camping again the guide said we could stay in another Ger instead. This site had no facilities except for a hut with a hole in the ground and no door. So I avoided this toilet and opted to pee near some logs. Oh and we finally found the river and we were close to the white lake so the next day it was guaranteed a short drive. I am sick of 9 hour drives on very bumpy roads in a very small truck. The only good thing about today was lunch at the Fairfield Guesthouse and Café near the hot springs. They have the best toilets in Mongolia and it was like heaven. We ordered lunch and we all went to the toilet at least 5 times before we left.
We go to white lake after the worse drive for me ever as I avoided using the toilet my bladder was pretty much full and I felt every bump. At one point I thought my bladder was going to burst. Once we arrived at our Ger I headed for the toilets first and had the longest pee ever. The guide also gave me my own Ger for the night as I had a bad night sharing with the Polish mother and son. The son snored really loudly and I couldn’t get to sleep. So this night I had a good night’s sleep.
The horse riding to the crater didn’t go quite as I planned. With the bad weather we left it till after lunch and I tried 2 horses before I gave up. The first one didn’t listen and kept wandering off and I was not in control of it so I got off it. They gave me another horse which was worse. He started a fight with another horse which bit by right knee and my left knee got shoved up another horses’ arse. I had enough of this stressful situation and opted for a quiet day in my Ger. It rained all day so I don’t think I missed much of I did at least I didn’t get wet.
The next wet and cold morning we had an even longer drive to the hot springs camp but thankfully via Fairfield Guesthouse so we can use their facilities and have my very first chicken meal in Mongolia. On our very long drive we came across tougher roads to cross especially after all the rain. We even helped out some other cars that got stuck in the mud. We got stuck a little and had to get out and walk a bit and catch up with Boris, our truck. At least we got to see some yaks on the way.
We finally got to the hot springs camp and I was so excited to see we had pets near our Gers. There were ground squirrels everywhere and the cheeky little guys would come into the Gers looking for food. They were friendly and came close to you and even posed for photos. They definitely are my favourite Mongolian animal. As for the hot springs, it wasn’t much to write about as it was just a very small pool with hot water in it. It was full because it was small and the showers at least were hot which also came from the hot springs. Guaranteed hot shower!
The rain pretty much came down overnight and then also in the morning, so we had more muddy roads and suddenly deeper rivers to cross. Boris handled them like a pro and crossed every river and bank without any hassle even though we were a little concerned when water came into the truck but only for a second. We had a very productive day today and visited Karakorum’s ancient city and museum. I liked the locals dressing up as warriors and princesses to have their photos taken outside the city walls. They even had the big eagles for you to hold while they took your picture. I’m not sure how well the eagles were treated but they were tied to a small resting stump and they didn’t make a sound.
After lunch and a quick stop at a monument and another weird drive wandering around asking for directions, we arrived to another Ger camp. We were ecstatic about this as we were supposed to stay in a guesthouse with no showers and outside hole as a toilet. So even with the flies surrounding our Gers, this was a definite upgrade especially with their lovely clean toilets and on demand hot shower and electricity. Basically all the things I take for granted back home or when I’m staying in hotels and not even the posh ones.
It was the earliest we set off for the day during the whole trip but I guess as the drives were getting longer we really had to leave earlier or we would arrive at our destination in the dark. This drive has to be the longest so far and I cannot get how anyone knows where they are going here especially our driver. When we come off the main roads he drives in all directions on dirt roads with no signs or gps to tell him where he is going. The guide occasionally brings out a map but I don’t see how it matches to the so called roads we are on. We drove literally for 5 hours only stopping to ask for directions. There was nothing around except for the herds of goats and cows and sheep. Occasionally we would see one lone Ger but no towns and definitely no cities. Suddenly on the horizon we see some kind of civilization. If you were to do this independently it must be impossible to drive around yourself.
We stopped at a local family living in a Ger and they made us dumplings for lunch. It was way too meaty for me so I just ate the pastry with some kimchi. I had the same problem again trying to find a toilet, don’t get me wrong they had one but it was outside in a tin can and just a hole in the ground. So I waited until we reached our camp for the night near the Ongi River. It had lovely clean toilets and hot showers with a beautiful view of the river and the mountains alongside it. I even took a walk to the local monastery. This was my favourite Ger yet.
On the way to our next destination we came across some gold prospectors who had broken down. You couldn’t tell their profession as they looked pretty beat up and so did their car. I was guessing that if you found gold you would invest it in good transportation. They obviously weren’t very successful. But it was exciting to be in the vicinity of possible gold mines.
We also came across a well which I had a go at bringing up some water for the cows. There were troughs by the side and it was a hot day so it was empty. As the driver was filling up our tank the cows kept barging into the well for water as the trough was dry. They were so excited when I tipped the well water into their troughs.
We finally arrived in the Gobi desert to have our camel trek into the dunes. Our Ger was basic with the usual lack of facilities. I loved my camel ride and my camel lumpy. Their 2 humps were very comfortable as you could lean back and use their second hump as a back rest. We didn’t get all the way into the dunes but that would come tomorrow. Before that we had camels silhouetting in the sunset which was pretty damn cool.
The next morning we took Boris to get to the dunes. The guide and I managed to climb all the way to the top. It was very hard and walking in sand is very difficult and walking bare feet up the dunes is even harder. It was beautiful and we had lots of fun. Eventually we got back to Boris to head to north and out of the Gobi when we realised sand and Boris don’t mix. We were stuck for an hour in the hot sun while our driver fixed and unclogged the sand from Boris. He even used one of my old torn shirts to fix it.
With Boris finally fixed we drove through Dunganee Gorge which was spectacular and some parts very narrow where Boris had to breathe in to drive through it. We ditched Boris and walked the rest of the way out of the gorge. I walked through the cold spring water and enjoyed the scenery and furry creatures we came across. We reached Yol Valley just before the sunset and took a 5km walk. This was dinosaur valley where apparently all those millions of years ago, the dinosaurs roamed the earth in this valley. Many bones and fossils were found here and is now in museums. One set of skeletons was actually stolen and taken to America which was then brought back but not before those bones were incarcerated and then came home to Ulaan Bataar.
For now the only things roaming this valley are tiny little furry creatures, not quite rat, marmot, squirrel or gerbil. They are funny and squeaky nonetheless. I even got a video of one doing his little dance. That is going on YouTube as soon as I get back. After another Ger with no facilities again we headed for the local museum the following morning. It was filled with very badly stuffed animals; the wild Asiatic cats were hilarious. But I got to see some dinosaur bones and eggs.
On our way to our lunch stop the guide informed us of a bath house providing hot showers. As we hadn’t had a shower in 3 days the Polish mum, son and me jumped at the chance of shower obviously not together of course. To be clean and fresh again for £1.50 was so worth it. Not sure why the other 3 girls didn’t bother. They are not my favourite people on the trip especially the Scottish one from Italy as she took a dislike to me soon after the trip started. After a shower and lunch with my hot sauce, which everybody, even the one that hates me shared, we got to Flaming Cliffs. It was bloody fantastic. It was red and very windy and I had my first slip of the trip and thankfully the last. The guide and I climbed all over it but she was braver even reaching the far out parts of the cliffs. As I get older my sense of danger has increased and my fear level rises so quickly that I don’t bother doing my usual stunts anymore. Only because I don’t want to suddenly panic and get scared in the middle of a jump of climb, so I give it a miss. The guide jumped from rock to rock in her flip flops until she reached the edge and I was there to take all the photos.
After the cliffs we found a Ger camp with the most beautiful children. They were so friendly in particular the 9 year old girl who I was completely smitten with. I gave her one of my bracelets and I don’t do that very lightly. In return she gave me two tiny handmade Gers. For the duration of my stay we became best of buddies, playing together and trying to communicate using my very bad phrase/guide book. Her little sister and brother were pretty awesome too and we had fun chasing the goats around their camp. Although this camp had no facilities either it is still a favourite because of those great kids. I promised the little girl to send her the photos I took of her family and hopefully some goodies too. I just hope their very basic address gets it to them. The next morning the little girl was up early to say goodbye, I will miss her and her beautiful smile.
This was the last night in a Ger and thankfully the guide took pity on us and found a camp with hot showers and western toilets, although the electricity was out. We reached here just in time for a lovely sunset. Before that we found some very large sacred stones and climbed them. They put offerings on these rocks and most times its vodka. They even leave it for the Buddha in the monasteries.
The final drive home took an age but we finally arrived in Ulaan Bataar by 3pm. I shared a room with the other Scottish lady as I was going to share her cab. I offered to pay her half of the cost but she refused and suggested I buy her a drink at the farewell dinner instead. Still no clue as to why she disliked me but sharing her cab may have been it. I rushed around the city and found a hairdresser to cut off my long hair. After a lot of sign language we settled on a price of £3 and she cut off almost 4 inches of my hair. I just let her get on with it and was happy with the results. My head also felt a lot lighter. Then I rushed around Sukhbataar Square taking in a wedding and the mini dinosaur exhibition and the rest of the locals just hanging around the square. I headed back to pack for the final time and went off to the very expensive farewell dinner at a posh French restaurant. I would normally skip these but as I had money to burn now as I didn’t need to pay for a cab, I even bought some souvenirs.
I will remember Mongolia for its weird so called roads with no signs or any clue what direction the driver was going in or even how he knew which dirt road to take. I won’t ever forget the bumpy rides and the 3100kms we covered. I really want to forget the food which wasn’t good and if it wasn’t for my hot sauce would have been inedible. I can’t get out of my mind looking for a toilet in the bushes or behind rocks just so that I wouldn’t have to use the local holes in boxes. Most of all I will remember the fun I had with a very nice Polish mum and her funny son. They kept me sane amongst the bitchy snide comments from the Scottish twins and the nice but very slow almost walking backwards American Chinese girl, who kept pinching my toilet spots. But I enjoyed watching her walk, it was like watching a baby elephant, almost mesmerising like a lava lamp.
