Monday 22nd July 2013

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Chinese visa applications

Tim sleeps fitfully. He always gets shredded about visa applications. We are up at 6.30, check out, order a taxi, have breakfast (full English for good luck), and arrive at Embassy’s visa door just before 8am. First ones there. Tim stands by door, Nd I sit on bench catching up with blog. Very quickly a large crowd gathers. There Re people of many nationalities. There are those who will queue patiently, and those who band on the door and feel themselves to be important. The lovely Canadian family turn up. We chat. Their camper is driving well, but is being shaken apart on the inside, no water, no shower. They were hoping to share the costs of application with another family, but found out yesterday they had dropped out. But, they are in good spirits and it was lovely to see them again.

Punctually at 9.30am the doors open, we don’t have to use elbows to keep our place. The clerk was efficient, read the paperwork, asked pertinent questions. She then asked when we wanted to pick up the visas. Wednesday at 4pm. Went across the road to the bank, paid $100. Done. 9.50am.

Decide to walk back to hotel, quicker than taxi due to one way system. Pavements were atrocious. Road sweeper was clearing gutters, and shovelling mud onto pavement. Just missed our feet. Crossed the river. Small fun fair being uncovered for the day. Sunshine, although rain forecast for later. Tents and cars for sale. Enter the Sky Shopping Mall at the back of hotel. Buy some yoghurt. Order a cup of tea, and contact Atle and Hilde. They are meeting Jeanette and Pugi, who will translate for them at the immigration offices. Their visa for Mongolia was a single entry, although they had asked and paid for double entry. We will drive to airport and hopefully meet them again. Then off to the wilderness for a couple of nights.

Sunday 21st July 2013

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Wake up in a ger in Telej National Park

We hear Pugi opening the roof vents, lighting the fire and setting the table. We gradually gather ourselves and wander outside. The horses are munching grass just the other side of the stream, we can see no other people. A black kite soars overhead. Breakfast is fresh waffles, home made cream, rhubarb jam and yoghurt. Didn’t really take to the salted, milky tea. Tim made fresh coffee. The French woman was intrigued by the Aero Press, was going to buy one for her parents. Jeanette eagerly accepted a cup, and we sat with her in the sunshine drinking. Pugi appeared wearing hi own wrestling hat, and he and Atle posed for pictures.

Pugi took the French people on another horse trek. He had a young local boy who he was training. He was a superb horseman. Atle and Hilde worked on their car, Tim and I filled in documents for the Chinese visas. Jeanette had given us good advice for tomorrow morning. Get there early, it is very busy during the summer, and don’t go to the main entrance. The visa department has a tiny door in the wall round the corner.

Tale and Hilde then yomp up the hill, and Tim and I follow the stream, paddle across and hunt for wild strawberries. We find a dozen, tiny and sweet. It is hot. The wild flowers are varied and colourful. We see two dogs just wandering along.

When we return, Atle and Hilde are sitting in Jeanette’s ger. she is preparing lunch, the baby asleep on their bed. When he wakes, he is fed. Jeanette says the doctors are worried about his weight. Mongolian babies are just balls of fat, to help them survive the winters. But he has European blood in him too, and he looked just fine.

When the riding party return, we have a go around the camp. Atle’s horse is very frisky, and he is juddering around at a pace. Mine is more tranquil, indeed it seems to like stopping and eating grass. Hilde and Tim are doing very well. We all have a great laugh.

Lunch is another pile of fresh vegetables and home made dumplings stuffed with fried veg. We can’t eat even half of them. Jeanette presents us with bronze bracelets, engraved with “A chance to dream again,” the logo of their foundation. We were discussing last night the exciting future Mongolia has. Their little boy should have far more opportunities and a greater chance to go to university than his father.

Tracing our route back, the skies are ominously black, and we hear thunder. People are packing up the camping gear. I had asked to stop for a swim when the river was deep enough. But somehow, we feel we should keep going. As we leave the park, the heavens open. Then it hails and covers the mountains in white. Filthy water and rubbish is cascading down the slopes, flowing over the road and crashing down the other side. Traffic slows. We pass gers on the outskirts of UB which are flooded out, people who have very little are trying to salvage possessions and get to safety. Cars are stranded, either in the mud or up to their windows in water.

Saturday 20th July 2013

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Wake up in Ulaanbaatar

Can’t believe we have made it. Now what? We have a lazy morning, but still not time to download any more pictures. Tim emails Paul and Sally at BG Landrover, giving them an update and asking for advice about the transmission.

We meet Astrid and Olav for lunch. Have more time to enjoy each others company. On the menu was crap soup – it wasn’t. Also, chance to check out their vehicle, swop ideas and technical challenges. They are planning to travel North into Russia, and put the car on a train in Vladivostok. Think they catch the same train as well. We stand outside when the torrential rain has stopped, and have the obligatory photos taken. Two of the bell hops help out, one looking very professional. Sad to say goodbye after so short a time. But great to have met up and know they are safe.

We have booked into a ger for the night in Telej National Park. We thought the traffic was bad last night, but it took us over an hour to clear the city centre. Now we could see it in daylight, we could make more sense of it. Some soviet looking buildings, much western influence and a lot of new buildings going up. The centre is vibrant and modern. As you move to the suburbs, the housing becomes less desirable. Many people sitting on balconies with seemingly nothing to do. Large queues at the bus stops. Further out again, the ger settlements. These seem a better place to live than the area we have just left.

The scenery is unlike anything else we have seen in Mongolia. Grass covered mountains and trees. We turn off the main road, and pass a man with huge eagles tied to posts. Further on there are camels for people to ride. Two men are having a go, looking slightly ungainly. The road worsens. They are again building a new road by the side, but the old tracks are a free for all and we often have vehicles coming straight at us.

We arrive at the double bridges. The old one has wooden supports and is only used by pedestrians now. There are people along the wide riverbank, children playing and swimming, picnics and games. A stall selling smoked fish, shiny and succulent. We wait for our host to collect us. The owners of the ger are Pugi, a Mongolian, and his Norwegian wife Jeanette.

Pugi arrives, a very gentle, quietly spoken man. We follow him far along the riverbank, past organised ger camps, families picnicking and camping. Soon we are leaving civilisation behind. More permanent single ger settlements appear. Pugi stops at one of his neighbours, and collects a large metal bar. We continue to near the source of the river. It is early evening, tranquil and the light is soft.

Jeanette comes to greet us. She is warm and friendly. They have a cute little baby boy, just four months old. We are shown into our ger, large with wooden floors and two double beds. A group of four French people are also at the camp. They are working for organisations in UB, and had just arrived today for a weekend break. Pugi had taken them horse riding, and they were all hobbling about. Dinner is served in our ger, noodles, meat and plenty of veg. It starts to rain. We all sit late into the night, sharing drinks, stories and experiences.

Pugi and Jeanette take turns to join us. Jeanette had travelled widely, came to teach in Mongolia, met Pugi and they married. Pugi was born in the Altay Gobi. His family sold all their animals and moved to UB. They are setting up an organisation to support local children and families. In the winter they will go to Norway, and pay people to look after their animals- 21 horses, three huskies, one cat and several chickens.

It is a shame the young French couple who live just near the Eiffel Tower will not be back at home when we meet up next month Rachel.

The fire is stoked for the night and we crawl into bed. A day of such contrasts, and very emotional.

Friday 19th July 2013

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Realising the dream – UllaanBaatar

Do you finish school today, Claire and Ned? If so, happy holidays.

All night long, the fox circled our camp.

Up early, so the luxury of a cup of tea before breakfast, and a cup of coffee after. Sat for five minutes savouring it. Washing all dry.

Set off. Stop after two minutes. Battery in Hildefender not charging. New fuses, from under my seat. I look at birds around a nearby lake. Think there are two cranes. First eagle of the day flaps away.

We drive for another 10 minutes, then come across a truck stuck in the mud. We stop. Six hours later we are still there. The first 3 were helping them. The next 3 are getting Hildefender mended. Half shafts and gaskets etc…… During this time we send information about the cars to China. Hilde books a hotel for tonight and cancels the ger. The people we helped earlier are eager to help us. Very frustrating though.

Everyone works together for hours. Some of the young men are so eager to help, watch and learn. One was very earnest, methodical and thoughtful. Wipes every tool clean before handing it back. During the six hours we are there, five vehicles pass.

At the time, we are all concerned about the vehicles. The lorry was well overloaded. A crane, generator, three gers, all the fencing, clothing, white goods, cooking utensils. Everything that constitutes home. We managed to help them get righted, and used the new winch to get the lorry part way out. Then we strop ourselves to the Hildefender, which is then attached to the back of the lorry. During this operation, both the lorry and Hildefender have broken axels.

Looking back, the main issue of the day was the people. People from opposite sides of the world. People who had no common spoken language. But before we realised the Hildefender was damaged, the men told us to go, we had tried our best even though they were still stranded. We did not want to leave them by the wayside, but we could do no more. When we drove a few meters, and it was obvious we could go no further, the men stopped digging themselves out. They then spent three hours helping us. We offered them food, but they refused. Everyone shared tools, skills and knowledge. It was a privilege seeing this happen.

When the Hildefender was finally sorted, the Mongolians were thrilled for us, they shook our hands, clapped and cheered. Hilde and I took group photos. Fantastic experience. Thank you.

The rest of the day, Atle was driving a two wheel drive vehicle like a demon, and we had large chunks of the Hildefender in the Beast. We had nearly 300 km to drive, were six hours behind schedule, the roads were atrocious, the rain came and we felt as if we were rally driving. But, we were really looking forward to meeting up with Astrid and Olav, in ULLAANBAATAR!!!!!!!

As we approached the city, it was surreal. We were still in the mountainous countryside. The usual gers and animals were familiar sights. Suddenly we turned a corner, and we looked down on a smog. It was late evening, and we were transported back to the 19th century. It looked liked a scene from Dickens, the pea – souper over London. All the rubbish from the Mongolian capital is brought to the outskirts, and burned. What were we coming into? We had planned this for so long, but neither of us had any vision about what the city would look like.

We drove further in. The asphalt roads were single lanes, and potholed. Traffic was heavy. A new road was under construction, and people were still working on it at 9.30 pm on a Friday night. The smog lifted. We saw the airport, large chimneys, huge buildings, lights. It looked like the opening scene from a Mad Max film.

We were totally awe struck. It was such a culture shock, after living in the wilderness or small towns for so long. We began to see hoardings and adverts for western products. There were police sirens, and car horns, and traffic lights, and pedestrian crossings, and swanky hotels and shopping malls……….

Hilde and I had been taking earlier about walking in UB. Locals do not understand the concept of queuing. So we British will find this difficult. As we approached a left turn, cars squeezed in between our cars. “Use your elbows!” Laughs Hilde. A car at the side of us stops, the affluent young driver leant out of the window and shouts “Your cars are the best”

We arrive at the Chinggis Khaan Hotel. The bell hop rushes to collect our bags. “Please don’t dirty your clean white shirt in our car,” I laugh. We find our room, shower, change and meet in the foyer bar. The restaurant had just closed. We were starving. Look at the room service menu.

Astrid and Olav walk in. They look as changed as I am sure we do. All brown, from sun tans and ingrained dirt. Hair longer, and in Olav’s case, a shaggy beard. We all hug, laugh and spend the next few hours in Atle and Hilde’s suite catching up. Very different journeys, very different experiences, very different people who helped (sometimes hindered) us on the way. But we had all arrived, achieved our goal, realised our dreams. Shame we will be spending such a short time together, but precious all the same. We plan to meet for lunch together tomorrow.

The country and people who touched us all the most? Iran.

Thursday 18th July 2013

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Leaving Dalandzadgad

Enjoy your last day at Bridges, and last ever day at Nursery Esme. Don’t cry too much Mummy. Xx

Woken by lorry trying to start. Thanks. Shower again, just because we can. On way to breakfast, notice the large crane at back of hotel, has tipped and crashed through the railings. Doesn’t look as if anyone was hurt. As the morning progresses, a large group of onlookers appears, the police arrive and cordon off the area, two more cranes are brought in, the the stricken crane up righted. The long arm was well and truly bent however.

Overnight there has been a down pour. We eat the most delicious breakfast – sea weed soup, cooked sausage, omelette with fried veg and rice, yoghurt, bread and honey. We enjoyed it much better than dinner last night. Planned to spend morning working on cars, but too wet. Did some washing, goodness knows when it will dry. Tim and I down loaded some pictures, but still more to do.

Check out at mid day. Buy full sized Twix and Cadbury’s Whispa from minibar. Atle and Hilde could not understand why we bought our first house in Bourneville, when we told them there are still no licensed premises on the estate. Rain has washed great lumps of mud off both cars. Still no yoghurt in supermarket. Get fuel, but problem with cards. Atle and Hilde go off to try and find cash, leaving Tim and I as ransom. We are soon set free.

Tim and Atle discussed whether to pump more air in tyres. Decide to see how long asphalt road will last, suspect not far. Well, even in a sophisticated city, a cow ambles across the road. Drive through city centre, then past gers on the outskirts and back out into the desert in less than a minute. From here to UllaanBaatar the road is state maintained. We will see what that means. A sign says we can do 80kph, the Landy is not shaking and we can hear each other talking.

Guess what? Back to the same old same old. There is a twice weekly bus that travels this route. Wonder how long it takes? These next two days are going to be hard, as it is now muddy and slippery. Even with Diff Lock in we are sliding all over. Oh well. At least the sky ahead is clearing.

Looking on the Internet we discovered a few interesting things. We will not be in UllaanBaatar when the Mongol Rally arrives. That is a shame. But over the coming weekend, when we will be in UllaanBaatar, several storms are forecast. That is also a shame. There is a Landy garage in UllaanBaatar, which we may visit and ask them to look at the transmission. It may be expensive, and that is the biggest shame of all.

Hard to tell how deep the holes are when they are full of water. Camels with green ribbons tied round necks. You all look very fetching girls.

This is dull, and flat and boring. You can’t hear yourself think. We are getting rattled to pieces, then we slide and slip. We wear our fleecies. Tim puts the heating on. There is nothing to see, so nothing to photograph. It is hard to type. Little bit of ballet dancing there, but still pointing in the fight direction when we come to a halt. Mud splattering windscreen. Got cold feet.

They are building a new road. Piles of soil running parallel. No one came to work today. Machinery standing idle. We sneak on. Much better. Is it the Chinese who are building a mile of motorway a day? Quite fancy travelling on their high speed train, the fastest in the world. If we go to Beijing, we will have to use public transport. Want to walk on the Great Wall of China. I know it’s touristy, but we are tourists, as well as travellers.

Rain letting up a little, sky getting lighter. Spirits lifting. Feet now warm. Windscreen wipers off. Stop for technical break. Toilet paper damp, rain came through window. Dark chocolate Whispa bar for lunch. Hildefender is kicking up dust now. Sunglasses go on. Big skies. Actually, the biggest skies ever. Then fleecies come off.

I was really glad of a few creature comforts last night, but I am so looking forward to wild camping again tonight. We were discussing our time in UlllaanBaatar. We may find a hotel for a night. We are booked into a ger two hours out. Will we camp at all? We would love a day or two of down time. Tim and I have so many new books to read. We want to at least start one.

Red sand, not white like yesterday’s dunes. When we veer off track then race across the scrub, we release the smell of herbs. So evocative. Every meal we cook with thyme will transport me back to Mongolia. Need to track 5km to get back on Mandalgov – Dalandzadgad Highway.

We can suddenly smell beer. Maybe another popped can. What a waste. What a disaster. Wonder if the no booze Wednesday is a national ban? Animals, people and gers appearing now. A few hills in the distance which may provide shelter this evening.

Had to stop. A lot of crackling and squelching from radio. They can’t hear us. Have to get out, so Tim can get behind my chair. Several connections have come loose, need tightening. I get outside. It is much warmer than this morning, the temperature has gone up bt 14 degrees. Now we are heading North, only to come back South to get to China. Who planned this route?

Some disturbing headlines as Tim was down loading back copies of the Guardian. National testing for five year olds band proposals to make it more difficult for immigrants to enter Britain. Why? Hilde was saying last night, it feels so liberating not having crossed a border for over a week. Not having to produce the correct paperwork, not having to fill in forms in a foreign language, not having to prove we are good people. This is when we have got valid visas, and are just passing through on holiday.

We decide we need to stop. It is exhilarating, seeing an outcrop or cliffs of rocks in the distance. How far are they? Hoe long will it take us to get there? I guess we will be there before 7.30pm. We pass some ponds, with tall wading birds and others on the water. Maybe look at those in the morning. We choose a place, and park up. Hilde says it smells.

Atle does the required work on the wheel. One of the gaskets has completely disintegrated. It is repaired. We find out information about driving into Hong Kong. Basically we can’t. Will have to crate cars in Shanghai, and get into Hong Kong under our own steam. Another exciting challenge. Hilde tried to contact Astrid and Olav, who text to say they were only an hour away from UllaanBaatar, where were we? A day away. Would love to meet up tomorrow.

We hear a noise, which I recognise immediately. A fox. Hilde and I walk around an outcrop. The noise moves. We hunker down. Then we see it. A fox, calling out. We must be in its territory. We all hide and keep still. Gradually, the calling stops. We will only be here for one night, fox. Can we share your territory? This has been the highlight of the day.

Wonder if Mum’s house was sold today?

Wednesday 17th July 2013

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Singing Sands to Dalandzadgad

Hope you enjoy your last day at Cabin Esme. Lots of love. Xxx

Slept fitfully, in between lashing rain and howling wind. A real storm. When we woke, it was calm and sunny. No damage to tents. A herd of goats munched their way around us as we packed. On our way, we see a large parcel which must have fallen off a load. It is a lot of fleeces. Further along, a truck and trailer have a puncture. We offer help, but people are managing.

We drive towards enormous sand dunes, khongoryn Els, the “singing Sands”. They reach heights of over 800m, and are 150km long. When the wind blows, the dunes sing, and many a traveller has been lost by following these voices. Our route takes us through the dunes, along a dried up river bed. It is a actually muddy in places, because of the recent rain. As we try to climb out our Landy gets stuck in claggy, smelly mud. We have to be towed. Both cars have air let out of their tyres, as we will be driving in sand for a while.

We run parallel to the sand dunes. There are people riding camels towards the opening to the dunes, and we see a large ger settlement. Being nosy, we head in that direction. It is the Gobi Discovery Tourist Camp. If only we had found this last night. Traditional gers, double beds, toilets and hot showers. There are wooden building, for the Information Centre and restaurant. We ask about buying lunch, but it is too early. Dinosaur fossils and rocks are on display, and maps and reference books available to browse. Two kittens are playing together. On the way back to the cars, I realise why the large red camel statue at the entrance looks strange. It is sporting a rather fine pair of antlers.

Atle notices that the locals have been using the riverbed as a road. We do too. Less dips and gullies. Mountains to our left, sand dunes to our right. The desert floor is green, after the rain. Ahead, the sand is being blown right over the valley. Will we hear it singing over the noise of the Landys? The horizon has been obliterated.

Having said we wanted to stop for lunch, it would not be pleasant to stop here. Too exposed and windy. Tim was bemoaning the fact that foodstuffs we had been saving to eat in Mongolia, were still in the drawers untouched. We don’t want to be shipping stuff back home. Fair point. We ate a muesli bar on the go, to make up for the fact we had no yoghurt left, so ate bread for breakfast. Tim found a big, thick slice in the middle of the loaf, and toasted it on the Pocket Rocket. Baden Powell would have been proud.

Seen several vehicles for tourists coming towards us. It would benefit the communities if Eco-tourism was to thrive. Small businesses have been set up locally, wool and felt making. Near the border with China, further south from here, there is a small gold mine.

As we straddle yet another little water course, we agree we have done some serious off-roading on the road this trip. Well, eating on the hoof was charming. The first mackerel jumped out of the tin, rolled down my leg and flopped onto my foot. Tim had honey sandwiches. Coming towards us is something I thought was a motorbike. As we approach, it becomes clear that it is a man walking, and pulling a trailer of possessions behind him. He is wearing a face mask. He waves. We can’t tell if he is a local or tourist on long distance hike. Little towns becoming more sophisticated. One had two storey buildings. The next had street lights. Turned a corner so tight we met our own dust coming back at us. Run out of fuel in main tank, fill from secondary.

40km to go. Everyone really tired. This morning Hilde asked “Has everyone got sand in their ears?” We all have. Not chosen a hotel yet. We decided it was going to take at least three showers to get dust free and clean. Text from Astrid and Olav. They intend to be in UllaanBaatar this weekend. So we may meet up.

Turn off main steppe, and over some hillocks. Bit of variety 1.900m. Road undulates and twists. Grass and flowers. Pile of discarded bottles and cans around flat stone. Skirt round the edge of a mountain range. Very large man grazing horses, stocky and strong. Another man down by the wheels of his truck, sheltering from the wind, talking on mobile.

High telecommunications mast on edge of Dalanzadgad. Largest city we have been to in Mongolia. Tall buildings, airport, diggers and dumper trucks. A real road with asphalt. Road signs. Gers with numbers. Horse parked outside a hotel. Posh houses with railed balcony. Royal Pub. ATM. Bit overwhelming.

We find Hotel Khan Uul, which, according to its co-ordinates, should be another 56km out in the desert. Very new. On street view it is still a building site. Work is going on at the back, men digging out soil by hand. Large crane.

We book in. Ask where bar is. None of the staff have very much English, but it is obvious that the bar is not open. What? Apparently, in order to curb the rampant alcoholism the city has banned the selling of alcohol on Wednesday. That also explains why the alcohol aisle, in the supermarket where we were trying to buy yoghurt, was all under wraps. But we have a cunning plan. We sneak some cold beers from our fridge up to their suite. Sit around drinking and planning the next phase. Realise we don’t have to get out of Mongolia as quickly as we thought, because we have less than 3,000km to drive in China, 36 hours driving. That is a really liberating thought.

Everyone catches up with emails and the blog, now we have Internet. Fantastic photos on Path. Rachel’s neighbour’s disastrous driving session, fire engines, swims, beer and Esme’s last day at Cabin. What a fantastic party. We send a picture and message from Mongolia. Difficult to phone people, especially those who are at work as it is 7pm here and 12 noon at home. May try at weekend. Anyway, a lot of you are on holiday soon.

We go to our room, and shower. Bliss. Haven’t had a proper shower in over a week. Didn’t know my hair was shiny. We really feel we have come in from the wilds, having spent at least three days in the Gobi. All scrubbed up, we meet for dinner. Yuk! But we were polite. Chose a corner table, ordered bottled water with glasses, which Tim filled with red wine from our box.

All shattered. Even Atle admits he is tired of off-roading on road.

Tuesday 16th July 2013.

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Woke up early,The large grasshoppers, the ones with orange wings, were flying about. They sounded like wind up toys. Little birds were trying to catch them, some perched on the new ariel. The sun was shining, and it was getting warm in the tent. We had heavy rain last night, so don’t know what to expect when we have to cross rivers later on.

At a large ger village, we were chased by three dogs, two black and one ginger. They ran along side the car for as long as they could, barking fiercely. Made their morning. Now back on yesterdays track, the one with the large pale stones. Tim knocked Landy out of gear by mistake as we splashed through some rain filled ruts. Very interesting manoeuvre followed.

Suddenly realise we are driving down the road, which was a raging torrent yesterday. Now dry, except for patches of mud. Unrecognisable. We found tracks where we had been towed out of the water. Further along, the banks have eroded greatly since yesterday.
Getting hotter. More difficult trying to phone Claire during the week. She is seldom home by 5pm, which is midnight for us. With early starts and long day’s driving ahead, we will be asleep by then.

Little quails waggling along. Just done over 15,000 kms now. Finally pass the place where we headed off to find the rock sculptures. On new territory now. Gritty sand. Tim closes window as it is blowing up his nose.

Heading first to Sevrei, then Dalandzadgad. We are just entering Gurvansaikhan National Park. Stony sand which crunches when you tread on it. Long mountain ranges, and vast steppes with not a living soul. Think there is a tall white bird standing close to the path. A bleached branch. Bones gleam in the sun. Nothing. Defensive driving required over patch of sand.

Tim declares, before we do another trip, we are getting new chairs. Ones which can hug your body more, and have much better head rests.

High cloud cover, keeping the sun off us and temperature down. Still hot when you step out of the car. We would love to have a proper picnic break today, but need to find more shelter.

Good news about our Chinese guide. He can fly to Inner Mongolia and be waiting at the border for us. We will have to have all the correct documentation prepared. We can take some stuff from Atle and Hilde, so freeing up a seat for him. We can lend him the ground tent, roll mats and sleeping bag. Sounds very promising, and very exciting.

Large bird of prey, first living creature for two hours. Spot a few gers ahead, nestling in the foothills. How do we cross the mountains, through passes or over? The people living here could have been watching our progress for hours. Climbing. Little boy resting on a plastics trike. Are those sliced open tyres to catch rain or dew?

Over the mountains. Turn on heater to help the engine. Stop at top. Hilde and Atle change drivers. Through very narrow gorge, and start descent. Copper in the stones. Very difficult to navigate, large stones litter the path. Turn a sharp bend, can we squeeze between those cliffs? Yes. But then we can’t get round huge fallen boulder. Back up. Tim forgets to take handbrake off, and we judder violently a few meters. Drives a lot better now.

Head towards another mountain range, but will head off East before we reach it. Should be time for lunch soon. Rain racing across towards us. Doesn’t look as ominous as yesterday. Atle says it seems as if the rain has followed use all the way from Europe. That’s why there is a heat wave at home.

It’s raining on us in the Gobi Desert. The woman serving fuel yesterday said they are experiencing unusually wet weather this year. Proper desert sand. No dunes though.

There are moments in your life that you will treasure for ever. We just had one. Actually stopped for lunch, in the Gobi Desert. Set up chairs and a table. We are eating our last tomato, with Marmite on sweet bread. Tim is making a real coffee. I have taken my shoes off, and bury my feet in the sand. A sand worm pops out, wriggles away, and buries itself again. As we start eating a motorbike turns up. A man and woman get off. We welcome them, they smile and shake our hands. I offer them some bread. They accept. Then they see the Marmite. I nod. How do you say in Mongolian, “you are very welcome to try, but you won’t like it”. They smother their bread. I offer them a slice of tomato. They bite in. What polite people. They munch their way through, then the man asks for drink. We give him a bottle of water, he gulps greedily. Next slice of bread has sweet jam on it.

We are travelling in opposite directions. We try to tell them where we are going. They hunker down, the man smokes a cigarette and they happily watch us clear away. I get the camera, and ask if they would like a photo. They smile. Nobody wear a crash helmet. The man has a leather hat on and the woman a tight wrap around face mask which only shows her eyes. She pats her hair down. They stand apart, but I have the big lens on, so motion them to move closer. They giggle. The photo is beautiful. They shake our hands as they are leaving. I give them a hug. I will never see them again, but they will remain in my heart for ever.

We have a mooch around. We are so privileged. The heavy downpour yesterday has drenched the sand. It is wet about 2cms down. Tiny, tiny seedlings are growing. They won’t have sprouted yesterday morning. How long have they been buried, waiting for this? Today’s rain may well bring out flowers. This is amazing. Atle shouts us over. Lying in the sand is the dessicated head of a wolf. It looks angry.

Why is my phone still an hour behind every other device? Set the alarms for this morning. Tim’s went off, mine would have given us another hour. Nobody is sure of what the time is. Come across an abandoned truck, back still full of bricks. Tim eyes up the doors. No good, they wouldn’t fit the Landy.

So far, I haven’t yearned for anything back home. Family and friends are following the blog, we have spoken to some, and we take them all with us everywhere we go. Some of our favourite food we have brought too. The aforementioned Marmite, Tim has his marmalade and we both enjoy the freshly ground coffee beans. I am not missing a deep bubbly bath, as showers, when we get them, are more refreshing and use less precious water. I don’t miss my house, soft furnishings, or posh clothes. I am travelling in my home, my furniture and clothing suit the terrain. I don’t even miss my beloved garden and chickens. The scenery and wildlife here enthral, and we don’t have to cut the grass. But, as we face another 80kms of this spine breaking, dusty, stultifying desert, there is one thing I crave. The salty smell of the sea stinging my nostrils. Aaahhhhh!!!!!

Real live sand dunes. We play. The boys race over in the Landys, one at a time. They both get stuck, have to pull each other out. Hilde and I run bare foot up the dune, sit on the blue plastic mat and try to sand surf. We get stuck, sand too wet underneath. Find a steeper slope. I manage it, but have to wriggle down part of it to get to bottom. Hilarious. We have been in the Gobi for three days now, and seen its changing scenery and witnessed rare weather. It is amazing.

Telegraph poles. Not seen those in over 24 hours. We were so remote last night. Today we have been driving for nearly nine hours, and have see two cars and two motorbikes. Nearly at Sevrie, at last. Wind generators. Many brick built homes and buildings. Not even trying bank. Graffiti. Little girl pushing sibling in buggy. Buddhist elephant statue. Mangy dogs.

Weather closing in, we have seen lightning. Don’t want to be caught on the flat desert floor if this hits. Bit scary. Plan to camp tonight, drive half a day tomorrow and find a hotel in Dalandzadgad. We all need to get clean, and our electrical gear needs a full charge. We have been wild camping in Mongolia for over a week.
On the lookout for shelter. Goats and kids standing in rusty water trough. We soon creep behind some rocks, nothing else available for miles. Set up camp and have dinner. Just as we are finishing, the wind picks up and it starts to rain. We scurry up the ladders just in time.

Monday 15th July 2013

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Bayangovi – Bayanlig

Up early. Late start. Waiting for the clothes to dry. Once again, washed, but not clean. Atle reads a contract, Hilde emails, Tim sorts ariel, I grind coffee beans. Busy, busy, busy. Not so hot in the Gobi yet, all wearing fleecies. Tim walks off with handset, hides behind a hillock. “Can you hear me?”

Hilde takes camera for photo shoot. She comes back with a magnificent pair of hand made, engraved scissors. Stone Age, we decide. Must have been left when people were packing up a ger settlement. Bet they miss them. I unearth a piece of pottery. Maybe from the Ming Dynasty? “Made In Korea.”

We missed the petrified forest by about 40kms, so not going back. Anyway, they don’t let you take any fossils home as a souvenir, so what’s the point. Heading further East. Hope to see rock engravings, Tsagaan Bulaag, but may miss those too.

Downloaded photos last night. Got great sequence of Hildefender splashing through deep, muddy puddles. Wouldn’t know we had the cars cleaned. Watched some of the videos from the muvi. Speeded up it looks awesome, death defying driving.

Tim not happy about transmission, going to keep in 1st gear and not use low range. If necessary, Atle will tow us. He’s been dying to try his new tow bar all holiday. As long as both cars are fit to drive when we reach the Chinese border, then we are ok. If one of us breaks down, the other will tow it to Hong Kong.

Tim wearing sleeveless vest, needs to ensure he doesn’t burn his shoulders. Also, dodgy zip on shorts, but he can keep an eye on that.

We were calculating how much water we have left. Enough to get us to UllaanBaatar on Thursday evening. That includes drinking, cooking, washing ourselves and clothes. If for some reason we get stranded in the desert, then we can survive for two weeks. No showers, hair wash or clean clothes. If desperate, will wash hair in beer – but we would have to be very desperate.

Warming up. Glad it is not in the 40’s though. Little goats herding themselves. A few more gers appearing. Only heard two motorbikes as we were having breakfast. We have nearly finished a pot of the more gorgeous yoghurt. Thick, creamy and only 15% fat. Must be good for us. We cooked for all of us last night, so four more packs of meals used up. Hilde cooking tonight. Guess what?

Bayangovi on plain below. Really hope we can see the rock engravings. Road ahead collapsed, try new track. Steepest angle yet, use feet to brace myself. May have squealed a little, or it could have been the brakes. More water splashing. Very slow progress. Couple on a motorbike. Approach village. We will try to get fuel, and ask about the state of the roads we are planning to drive on. Fear some may have been washed away. Woman coming out of launderette.

First fuel station not manned, but had diesel. Second one (wo)manned, but no diesel. Back to first. Woman with chubby baby sees us, and comes from house. She speaks English, and says roads ok. Hilde excited. Shop sells potatoes. Baby can’t see her mum, she starts crying. The more these strange foreigners try to placate her, the more she screams. Aunty comes to the rescue. We pay in dollars, very little local currency, Turghrik. Need bank or ATM. No change. Two sprouting potatoes.

Difficult to find route to next village, Bayanlig. Head to telegraph poles, but not convinced. Rain threatening. No tracks near poles. Lad on motorbike, not following a track, but following his goats. Back to where we started.

On edge of village large designated parking area, marked out in white stones. We’re off!! Many deep fissures, some we can traverse, others we have to find a way around. Tackled that one square on; feet braced again.

Bit concerned about speed of progress, but suddenly decide that if we don’t make Chinese Embassy on Friday, we can take at least two extra days travelling, and go there Monday morning. So stop worrying.

Put wedding ring back on, now swelling has subsided. We now have sand from the Sahara and Gobi deserts behind the sun visors. Path running parallel to telegraph poles. Didn’t need to go back into village. Twisting, interesting roads, threading in and out of poles. Driving to the left of them now.

Ariel repairs working well. From a distance, the terrain looks fairly flat and featureless. But up close is a different matter. Often we cannot tell where road goes. And we are bouncing every metre of the way. These rocks look like pumice stones. May get some to use on feet. Finally get on to what we now consider to be a main road. At home we would consider it a green lane.

Bayanlig is a large sprawling town. Modern cars, shiny motorbikes, school, bank, shops. Young drivers in shades. Wooden fences mark out property boundaries. Satellite dishes. Right hand drive Land Cruiser. Trendy young things in labels. Workmen in hard hats building prefabricated structure. Some rock engravings and petroglyphs are 40kms from here, at Bayanglin Nuruu. Shall we go?

Tim and Atle go into the bank. Disappear for over half an hour. Hilde goes to find them. No money. Change plans. Don’t like the look of the weather. Now heading to Sevrie in the Gurvansaikhan National Park. Too far to get there today now.

3pm here, 9am at home. Good luck with your last week at school and nurseries – Claire, Esme and Ned.

Off the plains and through steep sided gullies. Jagged rocks. Through and out on sandy plain. Black storm clouds seemed to have passed over. Pale boulders litter floor, smaller stones are black.

So. How do I explain the rest of this amazing day? The huge black clouds that had concerned us earlier, had left flash flooding in their wake. We came to our road, which had turned into a river. It was very fast, frothing, the water was brown and we had no idea how deep it was. A local couple on a motorbike had just sat down, smoking and waiting for the water to subside. We decided to go for it. Atle and Hilde went first. They forded at an angle, slowly, water lapping half way up the Landy. Made it. Now our turn. We go into the raging torrent and gradually creep across. Once on the other side, it is difficult to navigate, as the road has disappeared.

We have to cross a second time. By now, our low range is screaming. We decide we cannot use it any more, for fear of damaging the transmission. So, Atle has two attempts at getting out of the river. Success. We follow, can’t turn out into the river as far as we want, as we don’t know the depth of the water. Try to climb out at a steeper angle. We stall. Back end of Landy still in water. We just hang there. Atle gets a rope out and tows us up the bank. Good fun when it is all over, but bit scary at the time.

We travel on. We really want to see the rock engravings, so try to head there. The sat navs don’t have these roads on, and the paper map is not detailed enough to show contours. Hilde finds the co-ordinates in a book. We follow those. After a while we realise we are heading back towards the first river crossing. No problem.

Stop at a ger, to ask for directions. A little boy playing in the new stream which has suddenly appeared, stands stock still in shock. His two older sisters are inside, with grandparents. Hilde gives the boy a football, and we give some balloons to the girls.

Drive on. Think we are getting closer. A family is building a house. Atle asks if anyone could show us the way. A man and his wife jump on their motorbike and head off. They take us to the start of a gully, then stop, hold up five fingers and point ahead. We believe they are telling us to go that way for 5km. We thank them, and leave. Hilde tells us over the CB that we are getting close, and now only 4km to go.

When we arrive, we get out and look around. Not quite sure what we are looking for. All head off in opposing directions. Suddenly, we spot the engravings. People here 5000 years ago had lived, hunted, and drawn aspects of their life. They were amazing. Bears, deer, horses, men with hunting implements. We all crawled over the cliffs, soaking up the atmosphere and history of the place, wondering what the people would have been like, getting a little insight into their lives. It is difficult finding this treasure, even though it was in guide books and marked on maps. It was a true privilege to have been here. How many other foreigners a year see this amazing place?

We retrace out route for only a minute, and park up for the night. Huge sky overhead, crescent moon, stars and Milky Way. Can’t remember the last meal we cooked or ate
indoors. We have lost another hour today, now on UllaanBaatar time. We need an early start tomorrow. So early night. Brilliant day.

Sunday 14th July 2013

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Near to Ulaan Shand Petrified Forest

Hildefender2

Happy Bastille Day France

So, we are just shaking out the sand which has accumulated in our bedding, when a car drives along the road we are parked on. Glad we weren’t in a tent on the floor. Don’t know who was more surprised, the Mongolian driver or us. He skirts round us and stops, we wave, he blinks and drives on. Within a couple of seconds, his car has completely disappeared from view down the gully. Did he really have a gold plastic trident strapped to the back of his car?

We start morning chores, put the washing on rinse cycle and have breakfast. Suddenly, a motorcycle appears, two men get, off, walk across, stand and stare. We wave and greet them. They don’t move. Watch us for a while, then jump on their bike and head off the way they came. Neptune must be spreading the news.

For the first time this trip, we set up our little porch at the back of the Landy. Actually, we haven’t used it at all before, only tried it at home. If we ever travel on our own, we can use it as a shower tent, or kitchen if the weather is bad. We have a good wash, but when the solar shower is mended, it can hang from the ladders.

I also mend the arm on my reading glasses. Tried to find the little screw, but every grain of dust in the footwell looks like a screw. So I improvised. Good old White Stuff. They always have a little label attached to their clothes by a tiny pin. The Gardners bought me some undergarments for my birthday, especially for this trip. As I was packing, I remember thinking these pins maybe useful. What will the others be used for?

Atle reads information about getting a Chinese visa. It looks hopeful embassy open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. As we are temporary residents in Mongolia, we can apply in person at Ullaanbaatar on Friday 18th, no appointment necessary. We already have a letter of invitation, we can pay for express service, $20 extra, go away for a long weekend and collect them by the middle of next week. Afternoon sessions between 14.00 and 15.00. It is looking very promising. Atle sends a link to Tim, who they down loads some emails. Read one from Claire and Moira. Thank you guys. We may try to phone you later today, as we know you are all going to be at Waveney, under the walnut tree and sharing a picnic. Pick up.

We certainly have the sun today. Drive past what looks like a mining operation, still in use. Russian buildings, large generators, air shafts.

Chandmani. Man standing on roof of house, to get mobile reception. Heading out of the Gobi-Altay region, and into the Bayankhongor region. Flat, rutted surface for hours. The clouds over to our left seemed to be full of sand.

Tim and chat about what to do with the Landy when we get it back home. We couldn’t sell it. We have invested too much time and money into it. There are further changes. Maybe move the fridge to near the back door. Our p,an to be able to use it as we drive just hasn’t worked, and it is too difficult to use when parked up. Tim suggests moving the cooker and gas bottle. But, it may be handy to keep it near the fridge and still under the overhang from the tent. We will have it serviced, change the tyres and undersealed before the winter.

Would be exciting to plan another expedition for a few years time. Then we would have had the three doors replaced, with much better seals, and air con fitted. If it worked, we would get far less dust in the car, eyes and nose, clothes, bags, drawers……… If it was broken, then it was broken.

Bayantsagaan. They are just finishing their Nadaam, vehicles and animals heading home. We are aiming to head south to Shinejinst, then North see the Ulaan Shand – petrified forest. Our route is blocked by locals, so we skirt around, off route. Takes a while to find correct path. Man having a pee at the front of his vehicle.

Still stony ground, not full sand. Once again, a lake which appears on the map is dried up.
Getting so remote, no telegraph poles or pylons here. Try to identify little birds, bit like quails. Bird book got a bit damp in car wash. Another good reason for tightly sealed doors. Wonder if we will have to order a new windscreen to be sent out?

More ruts, slow down, straddle across, up the other side. Why don’t we do what they do in films? Drive at speed, take off, sail smoothly over, land safely and carry on. Because that would be the end of the trip, either the car or we would be broken.

Let a local pass. Soon able to follow his line over really rough terrain. He then races ahead over home turf. Wet weather coming in from right. Newly erected telegraph poles, awaiting their wires. Quite a task digging the holes to plant them in. Progress marches on. What will Mongolia be like in ten year’s time?

Tim hurt his finger this morning. Not a cut, but badly bruised. Will keep an eye on it. Some monstrous crack by side of road. How come, if you dip down just a little bit, whole mountain ranges on the horizon disappear? Deep ruts in road, full of water after downpour. Can’t find forest. Here will do.

Saturday 13th July 2013

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Mongolia – moving on to Biger and beyond

All sleep in, so late start. Weather overcast and we feel spots of rain. Tim and I borrow their shower tent, wash and get into clean clothes. Makes such a difference. If we can mend our solar shower, we will put up our own curtain beneath the tent, and be more self sufficient. We both set up our new washing machines, which get strapped to our roof, as The Beast sways about more than Hildefender!!!! We need to decant more clean water today.

Hilde’s car has a flat battery, so jump leads are needed. Atle straightens awning poles. Some rivets are replaced. Where shall we go today? Last night we were discussing plans. We are so privileged to have seen the Nadaam, and the Saiga Antelopes already. Mongolia is so huge, we cannot possibly go everywhere. We have to choose carefully. Just as Astrid and Olav are catching up, they get caught at the Mongolian border. Not sure whether it was already closed for the night, or shut for the days of Nadaam.

Another email from the British Embassy in Ullaanbaatar. They do not take delivery of parcels, but DHL have a local depot. Thank you. Nothing from the Chinese Embassy. We will have to get there soon.

A lizard scurries out of a hole. Camels wander. We soon get on to main road. Drive in light drizzle, which keeps the dust down. Scenery changes, less arid, more green. Hilde borrowed out fly swat last night, wonder where it is? This road is really agitating the washing. Good. Flock of cranes, just standing forlornly. Altay Airport coming up on our right. ATC tower empty. No planes.

Two boys sheltering under large rainbow coloured umbrella. As we get fuel, I look for pen and paper to note the mileage. The suntan lotion bottle has exploded. Spend a mind numbing half hour cleaning it up.

Atle finds out where he can get the welding done. When we arrive, many of the people we have met on the way, are already here. The Canadians have got a puncture. The convertible nearly tips over, with the children in it. The family may change their plans. Too much driving for the children, they have finished all their books and only one of the Nintendo are working. Bored kids doesn’t make for good times. Ship vehicle home early, they carry on, a faster holiday. The French couple in the blue Landy, some more French from the Mongolian border crossings. Everyone is pleased to meet up again, and catch up whilst having repairs done to their vehicles. This garage was obviously busy during the 2012 Mongol Rally.

As work is being done on the Hildefender, we have the Beast washed. One man comes up to Tim, and snatches the glasses off his nose. Tim laughs. He knows the man thinks they are sunglasses, as the lens is dark. He tries to swop, putting on Tim’s pair, and nearly falls over as he loses all recognisable sight. He tears them off and hands them back, laughing.

Hilde and I find a shop, buy some stuff. The French see we have bread, and squeal!!! They run in and buy up all the remaining stock. Make savoury butties, on sweet bread – again. When will I learn?

The Beast is finished. She looks beautiful, all shiny and blue. I point out one of the back tyres. Puncture. Large nail still embedded. Atle has their car washed, and we have our wheel changed.

Rain has continued, it is now 3pm. Do we head further south, to the Gobi Desert, where the weather may be warmer and drier? It is cold and wet all over Northern Mongolia, and in Ullaan Baatar. To think they are having a heat wave at home. Oh well.

Puddles everywhere. Wheels spin as we try to leave garage. Head to Biger, where the weather should be better. One of the French men told us the Northern Route road has completely disappeared. Glad we were not dependent on that.

Look for ATM. Find bank, but it’s a Saturday. Have dollars if necessary. Crack on windscreen getting bigger. Very different driving conditions now, wet and muddy. Last heavy rain in Bulgaria. Our lovely clean Landy. Heating on, drying wet clothes we are wearing.

This detour is one Jacek recommended. It means we see some famous rock paintings. This part should then take us five days to reach Ullaanbaatar, go to Chinese Embassy on Friday 18th, and hopefully meet up with Astrid and Olav.

Soon off route, should be further left. As we change direction, out of the mist appear the telegraph poles. Now driving in low range with diff lock in. Truck slides downhill towards us, with car on back. Road narrows and visibility worsens. Not many photo opportunities. Hilde tells us our exhaust has shaken loose. Stop and repair.

Colder weather, six degree, gives mossie bites time to cool down. If I get bored, I might try to count them. Have over 100 just below each knee. May be try to put wedding ring back on soon.

2,600ms. We crest a peak, and better weather greets us ahead. Sunshine even. Mountain range after mountain range, getting bigger the further back they go. Notice less puddles, and no rain. Is this good, or does it mean the rain is following us?

Confuse camels, who watch us drive past on their right, wrong side of hill, back again, then pass on their left. 180kms may take a long time today. Must be rush hour. We meet four cars. Either that, or weekend drivers. Some layers of rock in the cliff faces are bright red. Sun lights up large patches of earth ahead. Low cloud, but no rain now.

We twist and turn across the steppe. The scenery is never less than breathtaking. Slow up for a tiny puddle. Laugh. It had looked like a deep rut, which at this speed would have caused major damage. Tim keeps having sneaky scratches of his bites. I hit him with the fly swot, which had been returned by Hilde last night.

Biger ahead, a tiny speck on the landscape. We reach it at 18.40. Not bad, 3h 40 mins. We slow right down. Little boy in glasses – haven’t seen that in weeks. Even travelling at this speed, we are through in less than a minute. Plan to stop within half and hour. Or so. A hare sized animal, with enormous ears, darts across the track. Desert hare maybe?

Heading towards Chandmani. This is such exciting navigation. We all need to be using every map and device we have. Routes which look like obvious roads on the printed map, are often just a suggestion of one track amongst many. The GPS systems often show a road running out, and the poor old sat nav sometimes loses herself completely. If ever we stray a little, nobody blames anyone else or gets precious if their route is questioned.

Aim for mountains, somewhere to hide. From what? From whom? Apart from the two villages, we have only seen two dozen gers, and that was hours age. Maybe I mean somewhere to shelter.

A new camp rule was decided last night. Always, always, always peg the awning down. Also last night, until we were sure there were no biting beasties, I wore Atle’s big walking boots which came half way up my calves. Couldn’t get my feet in my own.

Spot an outcrop. Very steep ruts, higher than the cars. We traverse them all. Set up camp. No wind. No Rain. No mossies.

Use the sat phone to call Cornlanders. Spoke to Ned first. Saw no bears, but had great holiday. Catherine and I had long chat, swopped stories, experiences and both agreed that the vast majority of people are kind, helpful, honest and live a good life. Phoned Claire, but no answer.

After dinner, talking about all the travellers we have met, Tim commented that no other outfit had a roof tent. “Let’s be honest about it. The others were all too old or too fat!!” Say it as it is, Atle.