Day 5 - Lost at Sea

We were coming to the end of our trip and now had to make it the hundreds of kilometers we had traveled back to Ulaanbaatar. The whole adventure made me realize how useless I would probably be in any type of car breakdown. On our trip we witnessed our driver fix the brake line with a copper wire and some rubber tubing as well as change a tire without the proper equipment in the middle of no where. There is not much traffic that passes by these areas (2-5 cars per day) and it made me nervous to think what we would do if there was a serious incident. Luckily we didn't even have to think about that. 

How can we hit the one part of the desert with a nail?

The only thing on the list for today was the label "rock formations". We all thought that it was just a random site to finish off the tour and none on us seemed that excited for it. As it usually happens we were very wrong and the "rock formations" turned out to be one of the most beautifully naturally created landscapes I have ever seen. We were all blown away and humbled by the valley which could have been used to shoot a movie like Lord of the Rings. It was a good time we all spent reflecting on our time together and climbing through this untouched wonderland.

What would the trip be without some sort of family photograph together?! Although we could barely communicate we still had a great time hanging out with our Mongolian friends.

Day 4 - Possibility of Showers

The morning was a slow start due to an unforeseen illness of our cook. We heard the family along with our cook and driver party long into the night and we had to stop several times within the first few hours. There was not to much to see on the list today as our itinerary showed "day 4 - ice field, possible shower, market and electricity." Well, we got 2 out of 4.  

Entrance to the ice field

Owen looks satisfied

After the look at the ice field we headed to a small town for the night. Although we didn't come across any showers or markets but we were able to charge our ipods and find a few beers.

Day 3 - Desert Dunes

We had a fabulous third day of our desert tour, starting off with a little photo shoot conducted by our cook and encouraged by our driver.

Hooray

We came across these dusty red caverns, something we did not expect to see on our trip. It looked like the landscape belonged somewhere in Arizona. We had lunch and hiked around to the other side of the cavern and contributed to some human erosion from the very unstable soil.

After several more hours of driving we finally made it to our camp for the night which was in view of the famous sand dunes.

Yurt Camp by the Dunes

Before dinner we took a mini camel trek to see the dunes up close. If you have never ridden a camel before let me tell you that it is much less glamorous than riding a horse. They are much taller which make you a bit more nervous and for some reason they smell awful. You lead them in a straight line guided by a rope that is attached to a bone going through their nostrils. They drool, spit and make lots of noise, they also dont really listen or follow inline very well. We were all glad we only opted for a short trek.

Mini Camel Trek

We made it with our camels to the foot of the sand dunes and hike up the ridge as much as our bodies would allow us. I think one of the most fun things I have ever experienced is jumping down the edge of a steep sand dune. It is like taking a leap off a cliff without any consequences because you land in a soft pile of sand. It is like being in a giant sand box. I was trying to collect some sand here to bring back with me for a family friends. I think I brought back 3 kg between my shoes, pants and pockets.

Treking up the sand dunes

After dinner our driver signaled us to follow him to the van. This time we drove to the sand dunes to climb up and watch the sunset. There were other Mongolian families there too, it almost seemed like a tradition that they completed together every night.

Day 2 - Was this a good idea?

Started out the next day by piling back into the van after breakfast. We drove around for most of the morning (5-6 hours), in what felt like in circles. I don't think that our driver quite new where he was going. We came to each home or person we saw to ask for directions, the only thing they have is landmarks and after a while everything direction starts to look the same. 

A man bringing home cow-patties for the fire

This looks like the way

 We eventually found our way and stop to explore an abandon monastery while our cook made us lunch. We met these two kids who I have never seen have so much fun on a bicycle without actually riding it. They just pushed it around and circles like it was a giant toy car.

So much fun with a bicycle

Monastery

After lunch we drove for about 40 minutes and we came across this group of gers. We unloaded our stuff into one while the driver and cook joined the family in the other. It was only 3 in the afternoon and we had no idea why we had stop so early in a place with absolutely nothing around to explore. It was an odd feeling having no where to go or anything to do.

Can you spot our yurt?

We decided to go for a walk even though we knew that we really wouldn't make it anywhere. The beautiful windy landscape made it enough to bare for one day, but we hoped for a few more activities tomorrow.

Day 1 - Middle of Nowhere

The first days main goal was to get as far south as possible from the city. This is when we started to realize that we were moving to the middle of nowhere. A place that not only lacks facilities and roads but also people, animals and water sources. 

Well, they have hyrdo

Nick can just fit

Sandstorm

Along the way we came across a huge sandstorm which made a think black cloud that seemed to  be coming our way. In everything I know about sandstorms from movies and books this is where you are suppose to turn around and drive in the opposite direction for safety. We did the exact opposite and headed straight into it. After a few stops since we couldn't see anything, we made it out and into the small village where we stayed in a families yurt for a night.

6 Day Desert Tour

The second part of our Mongolia trip consisted of a Gobi Desert tour that was 5night/6days long. We arranged it through our hostel which was very easy and not too expensive.We didn't know it at the time, but this van would become our home for the next week along with our cook and driver.
There were two things that we were not aware of before we left. The first was that once you get out of the area around Ulaanbaatar that is not connecting to Russia or China, there are no roads. People make general paths, usually consisting of 1-6 dirt lanes constantly crossing one other. This is not a recommended journey for anyone who gets car sick. The second is that there are only a few ingredients in Mongolian cooking; cabbage, onion, carrot, potato, rice, noodles and mutton. Everything you eat is a simple variation on these ingredients and there is no way to tell someone that you don't want mutton in something. Good luck vegetarians.