Cats that are as big as dogs, dogs that are as big as bears, cows that are as big as mini vans, and horses that are......well they are not so big... but Mongolia is the land of big things!
So our last blog only covered the first 20 days, in that time we travelled with 2 other Aussies, which turned out out to be a challenge in itself but anyway... When we arrived back to Ulaan Bataar we were a little stressed and a lot tired and didn't really know what to do for the next 10 days, but the first thing on the agenda was showers! Long hot showers! Our 5th for the month!
After we scrubbed away 20 days worth of dirt, grime, sweat and different types of animal shit we settled down in-front of a computer and started to contemplate.... Only a few minutes had gone past when someone called out my name.
I spun around to see Katherine who we had couch surfed with in Beijing!!
Katherine and her husband Nolan were amazing people to hang out with in Beijing. As they had only just arrived in China a couple of weeks before we stayed, we gladly helped them with languages, foods, what buses to catch, and had fun exploring together. When the topic of their plans for the national holiday came up and they told us they were going to explore china, we informed them that china would be at a standstill and all busses and trains would be full or just not running, and suggested for them to go to Mongolia. When we left them in Beijing they hadn't decided what they were going to do.
And here they were! We were so shocked to say the least, we had only been back for an hour, and they had only just arrived as well, so it was perfect timing! Within the hour we had made new plans to travel east with them, with the main agenda of fishing! Nolan was a super keen fly-fisherman and he had brought two of his best rods and a few kits full of lures with a goal to catch some Mongolian trout. (they are allegedly some of the biggest in the world growing over 4 feet long) We spent the next 24 hours going to the markets and stocking up on food, chocolate, vodka and beer again. We found ourselves a new driver and tried to rest up for the last leg of our Mongolian adventure. The next morning we all crammed into an old 4x4 jeep which is like an old Toyota landcruiser FJ40 short wheel base and nowhere near as comfortable or spacious as the old Russian van we had been in for the previous 20 days. The scenery in the East was totally different to what we had previously seen in the West, it was flatter, drier and more un-populated, if that is even possible. By late afternoon we came across our first river and our first overnight stop. After asking at half a dozen gers if we could stay, we finally found one that would accommodate us. The owners were a lovely couple who offered to give up there beds for us. (they said they would sleep in their car!) After unloading our gear, drinking the compulsory welcome drink of airag (fermented mare milk) and conveying we wanted to fish, the owner of the ger pulled out a broken old fishing rod and a rusty old lure and lead us down to an ice cold river. The old guy was stunned at Nolans fishing kit, and after watching him catch (and release) a few nice size trout in the first few minutes, the guy thought Nolan was a god! A few hours passed and the two soaked wet men emerged out of the ice cold river with big smiles and 8 trout for the owner and his wife.
That night we attempted to fry up the afternoon's catch, but instead the meal turned more into a fish gruel due to a non existing frypan, lack of oil, and no fish flipping utensils. Nonetheless it tasted pretty good and the owner and his wife were very grateful for the change of something that wasn't mutton. That night we sat around a fire fueled by yak shit trying to make small talk with a limited vocabulary. After some Mongolia vodka the owner brought out his AK47 and told us about the wild wolves that he hunts around the hills we had been fishing in, some the size of a man alledgedly. A little later on we convinced the owners to sleep in their bed and not in the car and that two of us would sleep on the floor. During the night we witnessed just how many times a nomad gets up to check on his livestock and we were amazed! Every 40 min to an hour either the husband or the wife would get up and go outside and inspect the animals for 20 min even though the temperature was well below minus 10 degrees! One doesn't think that a nomads life could be so hard but in reality even at night, rain, hail or snow they still work. The next morning we crammed like sardines in a tin into the jeep again, waved goodbye to our new friends and left with a new found respect for the nomadic wanderers of Mongolia.
It took us a full-days drive with the same repetitive scenery to reach Binder, a town North East of our last point. We found ourselves a nice log cabin and bunkered down for the night with the fire roaring, It was good to be with good friends and we were even happier not to be in a ger! The next morning our driver had found a local guide who would take us on a full day fishing tour for 4 people for 10$.... bargain! So with an extra person in the already over-crowded jeep we spluttered our way towards another amazingly pristine river. It was cold and windy but that was not going to stop Nolan. Rob and I found some driftwood and made a roarer of a fire and spent the whole day lazing by it. The day proved to be uneventful for fishing as Nolan came back with a photo of only one fish, so we retired back to the log cabin for one more evening. The following day we sandwiched into the jeep for another days return journey this time heading south west back towards Ulaan Bataar. We only had 3 more days till our visa expired and this little fishing trip was almost at an end.
Our last stop was at a place called Terelj National Park, also know as turtle rock. It was a change of scenery from the flat hills and brown grass that we had seen for the last few days, now we were surrounded by massive granite walls and cliffs, and thick forests of pine trees. We found a nice family that let us stay in their ger and we explored the hills surrounding Terelj and it was a great way to spend our last days in Mongolia. All that was left now was to get from Terelj back to UB then down to Zamyn Uud, the sleepy border town we first arrived at. It was only 14 hours by train to Zamyn Uud, but when we arrived we discovered it was not as sleepy and slow as when we last were there exactly a month ago.
As soon as the train had grounded to a halt, and we had slipped onto the platform we were greeted by the sight of over 100 Russian jeeps all waiting for passengers going to China. We quickly found a driver and haggled a price, but before we could say bingo bango our driver grabbed the first bag he could reach and ran off into the crowd. We were more than a little shocked and all we could do was run like little ducks following their mother, as our driver ducked and weaved through the chaotic situation that was taking place around us. After a few minutes when we found our driver and his so called Russian jeep, he heaved the bags into the rear compartment and told us to hurry and get into the jeep. As Nolan opened the front door it almost fell onto the floor as it was so severely rusted and busted. We had a good old chuckle until we got into the rear seat to find that it wasn't bolted to the floor. Now laughing a little less Nolan jumped into the front seat and leant back to find that the seat back was broken and the next thing he knew he was lying flat on the floor. By this stage we weren't laughing at all as we looked out the windscreen that was smashed probably from the last guys head who sat in the front seat when the driver slammed on the brakes... So off our driver went as fast as he could get his bucket of rust moving, then it became clear to us..... this was going to be a big race with every other driver we had just seen, all the way to the Chinese border! Within a few hundred metres of leaving the train station, there were already 30 other cars in front of us, but this only made our driver more determined to beat them all, and with a quick flick of his wrist he sent the death trap on 4 wheels flying off the road onto a dirt track. Not to be out done, another driver cottoned onto the same idea and so our two vehicles were side by side trading paint. Our driver didn't seem to mind or even notice, all he wanted was to be first in line crossing the border. As we fast approached the ever growing line of vehicles in front of us, our driver was not deterred he simply swung his weapon to the side of the road and cut a trail of disaster down the side of the other vehicles. As we got closer to the front of the line other drivers were becoming more irate, and their passengers started slamming their doors into the side of our bomb of a jeep. Our driver again didn't flinch as torrents of abuse and the sounds of car doors being slammed into his car surrounded us. Finally he cut his way into the line and the driver whom moments before had wanted to kill us was now his best friend so when the driver behind us ran out of petrol our driver kindly tied a rope to his car, offered him a smoke and proceeded to tow him across the border. But our driver still hadn't finished winning the race, so he continued to literally nudge and shunt the other cars in-front of him out of the way until he arrived at the border crossing where the Mongolian military blocked our way..... again our driver was not deterred by the thought of being shot or imprisoned by one of the military personnel, and instead..... more gas. Yep he tried to run them over! Anyone who stood in front of his jeep was fair game in his eyes and he did his best to run them over or at least sideswipe them on the way past. The whole time the four of us were pissing ourselves laughing so hard at the most random border crossing we had ever experienced. At one point I called my sister in Australia to use the last of our credit up on the phone, and she was more than a little concerned at the pickle we had managed to get ourselves into one more time on our journey.
But nonetheless our driver got us across the border in one piece, we didn't lose any luggage or sustain any major injuries, and all in all it was the best way to end our time in Mongolia.
So back in China, our next challenge.... a 12 hour bus ride that stank of feet, cheese, arse and cigarettes. But Rob can tell you all about that in the next installment of our amazing adventures..
till next time.....
So our last blog only covered the first 20 days, in that time we travelled with 2 other Aussies, which turned out out to be a challenge in itself but anyway... When we arrived back to Ulaan Bataar we were a little stressed and a lot tired and didn't really know what to do for the next 10 days, but the first thing on the agenda was showers! Long hot showers! Our 5th for the month!
After we scrubbed away 20 days worth of dirt, grime, sweat and different types of animal shit we settled down in-front of a computer and started to contemplate.... Only a few minutes had gone past when someone called out my name.
I spun around to see Katherine who we had couch surfed with in Beijing!!
Katherine and her husband Nolan were amazing people to hang out with in Beijing. As they had only just arrived in China a couple of weeks before we stayed, we gladly helped them with languages, foods, what buses to catch, and had fun exploring together. When the topic of their plans for the national holiday came up and they told us they were going to explore china, we informed them that china would be at a standstill and all busses and trains would be full or just not running, and suggested for them to go to Mongolia. When we left them in Beijing they hadn't decided what they were going to do.
And here they were! We were so shocked to say the least, we had only been back for an hour, and they had only just arrived as well, so it was perfect timing! Within the hour we had made new plans to travel east with them, with the main agenda of fishing! Nolan was a super keen fly-fisherman and he had brought two of his best rods and a few kits full of lures with a goal to catch some Mongolian trout. (they are allegedly some of the biggest in the world growing over 4 feet long) We spent the next 24 hours going to the markets and stocking up on food, chocolate, vodka and beer again. We found ourselves a new driver and tried to rest up for the last leg of our Mongolian adventure. The next morning we all crammed into an old 4x4 jeep which is like an old Toyota landcruiser FJ40 short wheel base and nowhere near as comfortable or spacious as the old Russian van we had been in for the previous 20 days. The scenery in the East was totally different to what we had previously seen in the West, it was flatter, drier and more un-populated, if that is even possible. By late afternoon we came across our first river and our first overnight stop. After asking at half a dozen gers if we could stay, we finally found one that would accommodate us. The owners were a lovely couple who offered to give up there beds for us. (they said they would sleep in their car!) After unloading our gear, drinking the compulsory welcome drink of airag (fermented mare milk) and conveying we wanted to fish, the owner of the ger pulled out a broken old fishing rod and a rusty old lure and lead us down to an ice cold river. The old guy was stunned at Nolans fishing kit, and after watching him catch (and release) a few nice size trout in the first few minutes, the guy thought Nolan was a god! A few hours passed and the two soaked wet men emerged out of the ice cold river with big smiles and 8 trout for the owner and his wife.
That night we attempted to fry up the afternoon's catch, but instead the meal turned more into a fish gruel due to a non existing frypan, lack of oil, and no fish flipping utensils. Nonetheless it tasted pretty good and the owner and his wife were very grateful for the change of something that wasn't mutton. That night we sat around a fire fueled by yak shit trying to make small talk with a limited vocabulary. After some Mongolia vodka the owner brought out his AK47 and told us about the wild wolves that he hunts around the hills we had been fishing in, some the size of a man alledgedly. A little later on we convinced the owners to sleep in their bed and not in the car and that two of us would sleep on the floor. During the night we witnessed just how many times a nomad gets up to check on his livestock and we were amazed! Every 40 min to an hour either the husband or the wife would get up and go outside and inspect the animals for 20 min even though the temperature was well below minus 10 degrees! One doesn't think that a nomads life could be so hard but in reality even at night, rain, hail or snow they still work. The next morning we crammed like sardines in a tin into the jeep again, waved goodbye to our new friends and left with a new found respect for the nomadic wanderers of Mongolia.
It took us a full-days drive with the same repetitive scenery to reach Binder, a town North East of our last point. We found ourselves a nice log cabin and bunkered down for the night with the fire roaring, It was good to be with good friends and we were even happier not to be in a ger! The next morning our driver had found a local guide who would take us on a full day fishing tour for 4 people for 10$.... bargain! So with an extra person in the already over-crowded jeep we spluttered our way towards another amazingly pristine river. It was cold and windy but that was not going to stop Nolan. Rob and I found some driftwood and made a roarer of a fire and spent the whole day lazing by it. The day proved to be uneventful for fishing as Nolan came back with a photo of only one fish, so we retired back to the log cabin for one more evening. The following day we sandwiched into the jeep for another days return journey this time heading south west back towards Ulaan Bataar. We only had 3 more days till our visa expired and this little fishing trip was almost at an end.
Our last stop was at a place called Terelj National Park, also know as turtle rock. It was a change of scenery from the flat hills and brown grass that we had seen for the last few days, now we were surrounded by massive granite walls and cliffs, and thick forests of pine trees. We found a nice family that let us stay in their ger and we explored the hills surrounding Terelj and it was a great way to spend our last days in Mongolia. All that was left now was to get from Terelj back to UB then down to Zamyn Uud, the sleepy border town we first arrived at. It was only 14 hours by train to Zamyn Uud, but when we arrived we discovered it was not as sleepy and slow as when we last were there exactly a month ago.
As soon as the train had grounded to a halt, and we had slipped onto the platform we were greeted by the sight of over 100 Russian jeeps all waiting for passengers going to China. We quickly found a driver and haggled a price, but before we could say bingo bango our driver grabbed the first bag he could reach and ran off into the crowd. We were more than a little shocked and all we could do was run like little ducks following their mother, as our driver ducked and weaved through the chaotic situation that was taking place around us. After a few minutes when we found our driver and his so called Russian jeep, he heaved the bags into the rear compartment and told us to hurry and get into the jeep. As Nolan opened the front door it almost fell onto the floor as it was so severely rusted and busted. We had a good old chuckle until we got into the rear seat to find that it wasn't bolted to the floor. Now laughing a little less Nolan jumped into the front seat and leant back to find that the seat back was broken and the next thing he knew he was lying flat on the floor. By this stage we weren't laughing at all as we looked out the windscreen that was smashed probably from the last guys head who sat in the front seat when the driver slammed on the brakes... So off our driver went as fast as he could get his bucket of rust moving, then it became clear to us..... this was going to be a big race with every other driver we had just seen, all the way to the Chinese border! Within a few hundred metres of leaving the train station, there were already 30 other cars in front of us, but this only made our driver more determined to beat them all, and with a quick flick of his wrist he sent the death trap on 4 wheels flying off the road onto a dirt track. Not to be out done, another driver cottoned onto the same idea and so our two vehicles were side by side trading paint. Our driver didn't seem to mind or even notice, all he wanted was to be first in line crossing the border. As we fast approached the ever growing line of vehicles in front of us, our driver was not deterred he simply swung his weapon to the side of the road and cut a trail of disaster down the side of the other vehicles. As we got closer to the front of the line other drivers were becoming more irate, and their passengers started slamming their doors into the side of our bomb of a jeep. Our driver again didn't flinch as torrents of abuse and the sounds of car doors being slammed into his car surrounded us. Finally he cut his way into the line and the driver whom moments before had wanted to kill us was now his best friend so when the driver behind us ran out of petrol our driver kindly tied a rope to his car, offered him a smoke and proceeded to tow him across the border. But our driver still hadn't finished winning the race, so he continued to literally nudge and shunt the other cars in-front of him out of the way until he arrived at the border crossing where the Mongolian military blocked our way..... again our driver was not deterred by the thought of being shot or imprisoned by one of the military personnel, and instead..... more gas. Yep he tried to run them over! Anyone who stood in front of his jeep was fair game in his eyes and he did his best to run them over or at least sideswipe them on the way past. The whole time the four of us were pissing ourselves laughing so hard at the most random border crossing we had ever experienced. At one point I called my sister in Australia to use the last of our credit up on the phone, and she was more than a little concerned at the pickle we had managed to get ourselves into one more time on our journey.
But nonetheless our driver got us across the border in one piece, we didn't lose any luggage or sustain any major injuries, and all in all it was the best way to end our time in Mongolia.
So back in China, our next challenge.... a 12 hour bus ride that stank of feet, cheese, arse and cigarettes. But Rob can tell you all about that in the next installment of our amazing adventures..
till next time.....
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