After four lanes of highway up
to the border on the Chinese side, this was a bit of a shock. No road, just
multiple tracks heading off and not even a sign! Just as well for our GPS and Ozzie Explorer-gps/computer
maps
The wild life changed too. With
the country rapidly turning into semi-arid steppe lands camels became the norm but
are the Bactrian type with two humps
The Mongolian nomad ger became
a regular sight. The nomads shift their gers as they move their stock to fresh
pastures. Today’s nomad seems to come equipped with a satellite dish and solar
panel
This little guy who I think is
a gerbal, is soaking up the sun. He’s making the most of a sunny day where the
summer temperatures range between +40 to +20 degrees c and winter temperatures
are between -20 to -40 degrees c!
And if the last guy was a
gerbal then this one is a pika. Whichever way, they are living in their burrows
in vast numbers all over the steppes
Ovoo’s
are rock cairns usually built on high ground or the peak of a hill by travelers
placing a rock and a gift to offer thanks to nature and the Gods for a safe
passage
One curious herdsman arrived on
his motorbike to inspect us. He was most interested in our trucks, checking out
the suspension, 4WD, and other components.
A final comparison of weights
between Rob and the herdsman revealed that Rob was 10kg heavier. No common
language but a lot of charades and things were as clear as mud
Artesian water seems to be the
means of watering in what would otherwise be a desolate region. The job for the
herders is to lift up water each day for their stock and themselves
We stopped to ask the way from
some locals who had got together to trade horses. They were only too keen to
see the computer map and GPS
Traveling in this country is
mostly over unchartered ground and alas! I hit something solid with the front
wheel resulting in a broken spring leaf. At a village we found a guy with a
welder and a few tools in the dirt. Four hours and $35 later we were on our way
with a welded leaf but…. 30 klm later it broke again. Being the second leaf we
were able to continue another 400klm into Dalandzadgad on the edge of the Gobi
Desert where I was able to buy a second hand truck spring and have it adapted
and fitted for $140
Marina gives a geography lesson
to one smart young lady. She knew the name of a koala bear that we gave her and
all country names on the map. Her family ger is in the background
This small settlement must have
had a prize wrestler, so admired in Mongolian life. He strikes the
characteristic pose that we were to become so familiar with in the coming
Na’adam Festival days
This is one rather elaborate
ovoo. Many stones and many offerings of thanks
The drive into the canyon which
is now in a National Park with no grazing, was glorious. Wild flowers, low
conifers and grasslands are all regenerating but alas only our friends who
persevered for another 200 metres up the canyon were rewarded with a few pieces
of ice in the most shaded of spots
These White Tail Gazelle used to be plentiful. We were lucky to see
this small group. On this day, being last in the convoy we just saw tails as
they disappeared over the hill - so this
photo is courtesy of Rob O’Sullivan
Heading north, grasslands were
replaced with rocky outcrops and sand hills, very similar to the edge of our
Australian Desert country
Some 250klm north of
Dalanzadgad is the Ongiin Khiid Monastery. In its heyday it housed over 1000
monks. This all came to an end in 1939 when the Communist Government shot 200
monks and shipped many more out to Siberia. In 1991 after the fall of the
Soviet Block two monks who escaped as young children started to rebuild the
monastery and work on returning the river that supported the community before
it was rerouted to a nearby mine. The guy in the photo we came to understand
through charades was one of the two monks.
A young monk going about his
duties
Kharakorum was the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire established
by Chingis Khan (often pronounced Ghengis and grandfather of Khubilai Khan) in
1220AD however settlement in the area goes back to the Bronze Age around
2000BC. After the Great Khans the city was sacked in the 14th
century. The Monastery was rebuilt with material from the ruins in the 16th
century and remains almost in its original state as a functioning monastery
today
Along with a day at the local Na’addam Festival we had dinner and
watched an acrobatic and musical show including unique throat singing
There are small towns along the way but the difference here is that
with no formed roads leading in or out, the towns seem to just be isolated in
one big open paddock. No lifestyle blocks or low density development along
inward roads introducing a town ahead as in Australia
Heading towards Ulaanbaatar the road is once again sealed although a
$1.50 toll is hardly justified for the condition of the road; often limited to
60klm/hr or better off just driving across country again. However we’re out of
the sand from the Gobi and back into rolling natural grasslands, eagles, goats
and beautiful open scenery. Fourteen hundred klms after crossing into Mongolia
we arrived into Ulaanbaatar
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