In Mongolia

Days twelve to fifteen

April 18th - 21st

Total Miles 7000

Trip Miles 4500

This phase of the trip included a day of rest.  The Family enjoyed a day wandering around Ulan Bator, the compact capital of Mongolia.  The city is about the size of Portsmouth and is the capital of a country the size of Western Europe.  The rest of the country consists of every type of terrain possible, except jungle.  There are almost no roads in Mongolia.  The artery of the country is the Trans-Siberian train line.  The largest town we saw was about the size of Haslemere.  What all of this adds up to is the world lowest population density.  Outside the city you see very few people atall.

Wandering around Ulan Bator we enjoyed the warm sunshine, dry air and cheap shops! Russian faces had been replaced by a more Asian looking people - some were even smiling.  We very much enjoyed the plentiful cafes and reasonable shopping.  After Russia Mongolia felt free and easy.  Plenty of capitalism was present!  We had a humbling visit to the Gandan Monastery to see the power of Buddhist faith in action.  It is a beautiful and peaceful place. Particularly memorable was the sight of a 100 feet tall golden Buddha inside a temple.  The Family were awe-inspired by the sight of it.  We were very privileged to be allowed to see the Monks making a picture from multi-coloured sands.  It was about two metres across and an intricate pattern.  To watch the love and care with which they worked was to witness a level of commitment rarely seen in any aspect of life.  We wandered through a classroom where there was only one pupil - a boy of five or six who was repeating Buddhist chants lead by a monk.  He looked so serene and wise.  After a while he got bored and started laughing and giggling at us - proving he was a real boy after all.  Gandan is an enigmatic place that stirs your soul and makes you wonder if there might be something in it all.  A mass in latin at the Duomo in Milan was the last time I was so moved and full of wonder.

A local tour company called Nomad travel arranged for us to be taken on a three day trip into the countryside.  We were met by our driver, Bald and our guide, TJ.  TJ spoke excellent English.  We spent an excellent day with her in the museums in Ulan Bator. She explained all the exhibits and really bought the country alive for the children. 

Just as a dust storm hit the city we headed off in the bus to the Khustai national park.  Khustai was 100Km west of Ulan Bator.  as we left the city, the road became a dirt track and very rough going.  We had about 1 1/2 hours of holding onto the seat in front as Bald skillfully navigated across the semi desert following  power lines to navigate.  The scenery was by now classic Steppe, rolling hills, no trees, a semi desert environment.  Finally, we got to our camp, feeling pretty well vibrated.

The camp was in a slap bang in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by rolling steppe.  Horses and cattle wandered at will through the compound.  Just as we arrived a group of horses came galloping in from the steppe for their supper, a stirring sight that reminded me of countless cowboy movies.  A ranger amused us by asking how many of us were riding tomorrow so they knew how many horses to catch!

The accommodation was in the form of gers - portable round houses that nomads still live in to this day. Our ger was very comfortable with four beds around the edge and a central table and wood burning stove.  At 6.00 a.m. someone would come and light our stove.  Quickly the ger became very hot indeed, two hours later it was cool again.  The middle day at the camp was spent on a drive where we spotted the Prewalski horse - a wild horse that was re-introduced into the park recently and is thriving now.  

We also drove out into the middle of a salt pan and looked at some Turkic graves. It was pretty hot out there and flat for many miles - I felt strangely alone, wandering what would happen if we broke down.  In the evening we rode horses over the hills - a beautiful hour that left us all wanting more.

On the third day we headed back to Ulan Bator. Stopping off to see some Nomads in their gers. We were privileged to meet these people, living as their ancestors have for thousands of years.  They were very hospitable, offering us tea and cakes.  TJ interpreted as we learnt about their lives and tried on their ceremonial clothes.  We met their twin boys, a couple of shy five-year olds called Universe and Saturn. These were wonderful names for boys that are bought up under ten thousand acres of sky.

The following day we reluctantly left that fascinating country behind...