Travels with Kathryn

We set off at 7.30am to make a start on our long drive to the Gobi, however, after a stop at the bakery (its a packed lunch today), the supermarket (more water) and the petrol station (for each van to fill both tanks and a spare can) we didn’t roll out of Karakorim until 8.45am.

I have had a good night sleep (I was clean, I had a bed) but I suspect the long journeys are going to be quite hard going. We turned off the main road (which was hardly smooth tarmac) and are now offroading – well, there is a sort of track, so we are having a bit of a bumpy ride. It is also currently raining which meant a choice between getting wet with the windows open, or closed and being gased by the spare can of petrol (we went windows open).

I have been surprised by the scenery, particularly today, no signs of the steppe/big sky, and right now (with the rain) I could be in Wales…

As previously written, Mongolia really is its own place. Although it was a Russian satellite state, it was never part of the USSR. Therefore, it never got the roads (and probably other infrastructural developments) or large scale food production other countries in Central Asia did. Also, by retaining its nomadic lifestyle there is probably less interest in building roads when people know where they like to drive to, and just drive there… I do get the sense things are changing, so far we have seen two roads being built alongside/near routes we were driving along.

After a couple of hours, we stopped for lunch of provided sandwiches, a banana, and a biscuit. The sandwhich was just a regular some kind of pork product sandwhich, but the biscuit was a special Mongolian chocolate biscuit with an image of a musical instrument which you should all now recognse?

From then on the scenery started to change, leaving the rolling green hills and heading into the steppe:

And then after another hour or so, the terrain changed yet again and it was clear we were now on the edges of the Gobi:

At 3.30pm we reached today’s site – Ongiin Khiid. I am pleased to say that it had clouded over today, as it was forecast to be 36 degrees, and I had been worried this would be another crisping session, but the clouds were much appreciated as we expolored the ruins. The ruins today are actually two monestaries, Bari Lam Khiid (built in 1810) on the north side of the Ongiin Gol river, and Khutagt Lam Khiid (built in 1760) on the south side. At the peak, the monestaries included 28 temples and four universities. However, this was yet another victim of the soviet purges and in 1937 all 200 lamas were killed, and the entire compex was destroyed. After China were every ruin has been re-built, I appreciated that this site has been left as it was which gives the whole place an air of something lost.

Today, a few monks have returned and live here full time so one temple has been rebuilt, so perhaps in another 20 years it will all have been rebuilt, but I think this is unlikely.

Now, you know me and my love of walking uphill. I promise I did start walking up to the highest point to get a view over the river, and I even went up the first ridge, and then decided that I did not want to have to climb all the way up and down. I was actually more worried about the down as there was a lot of loose gravel – asking for trouble given my current fall count of the trip… I therefore did a bit more exploring, and then photographed the people coming down by which time it was raining, so I felt I had made the correct decision. 

It was then a short trip to tonight’s ger which is in the river valley. Another step up in my view, as we have furniture including a mirror (luxury). I have had a happy hour of downtime writing this in my ger before dinner. Due to the bumpiness of the driving, typing and/or cross stitching is just not an option when travelling, so it is nice to have a relax with both feet on the ground.

Dinner tonight was most interesting. My first Mongolian buffet, well, buffet in Mongolia – it included in the salad section: cucmber, tomato, potato wedges, mixed beans, and the largest mountain of egg mayonaise I have ever seen in my life. For mains, there was chicken, chicken pasta, beef stew, and Mongolian noodles (with lamb). It was incredibly busy, with a big German group as well as a number of other smaller tourist groups, so obviously they are catering to the palate of the Western tourist.

Another early night after a glorious showering (one must never forget the miracle that is running water to clean oneself with) as tomorrow we have another long drive to Bayanzag. I cannot believe I am nearly half way through my trip, but much still to see.