Mongol hording

This was always going to be the easy bit – tourism by numbers. We were collected from the train by Dairii and Pilgung who would be our guide and driver for the next couple of days. The train carpark is a kind of organized chaos but it seems to work and without the contingent shouting and blasts of horn that you might expect.  However the roads are a more familiar kind of chaos which is only strange in that it is surprising to see them working. There seems to be an unspoken code in which everyone drives as proactively as possible but still within the bounds of common sense and so cars are allowed to nudge into seemingly stationary lines of traffic and the natural order prevails – which doesn’t stop the pretty girls in big cars getting through first, at least with our driver. 

The currency exchange counter at the bank is run along similarly unfair lines – foreigners don’t need to wait but go into a little office apart, still furnished with the reinforced glass screen and can change money without waiting on the ticket system installed for the other tellers. 

We were taken to a buffet style restaurant in a department store for lunch where we ordered four different dishes of typical Mongolian fare. The traditional noodles with beef were excellent – really delicately flavoured with cinnamon and anise and all four dishes very distinct and flavoursome. Already the prejudice of stodgy boiled mutton is blown out of the water.

Then we hit the road at the height of the rush hour to leave the city for the Terelj national park where we will be spending the night in a Ger camp. The driving remains resolutely proactive on the roads leading out of town and the overriding necessity appears to be overtake or be overtaken, regardless of oncoming traffic. Things can only get more exciting as we turn off for the national park and all semblance of sealed road is left behind. There are sections of road, and vast tracts of non-road where we choose the least pot-holed looking track, avoiding cattle and goats as necessary, allowing the 4x4s to pass in their great hurry on the less even track. Given that we are travelling in a small sedan it is amazing we get anywhere at all but there is never a doubt in the drivers mind as to this despite the frankly worrying squeaks emanating from the front drivers side wheel. The countryside opens out to a stunning river bed and we begin to spot unusual rock formations, the pace gets ever slower and finally we turn off into a tiny collection of houses accessible via a sliding gateway operated by bored security guard.

Passing more rock formations, we leave the village, chasing squirrels along ever more bumpy tracks and suddenly we arrive at a further gateway, “Welcome to Temir” and turning the corner discover a small camp of ger (Mongolian word for yurt). The setting is exquisite and this is the end of the track – it feels remote and serene.

(This seems awfully long.... let's do two posts.....)

Capital driving

Country driving

Obligatory view (no, really, we were turfed out of car to take this one, no choice)

The beginnings of rock formations and the very unsealed road

Newly-intrepid mother not whacking head against door-jamb (50:50 occurrence on leaving ger)

One of my fave pics of the whole trip. We woz 'ere

View from above the camp, apologies
for over-exposure.

 NB:  

I could do a whole post on wild-flowers, don't tempt me.

And finally, wakey wakey rise and shine: the sound of hundreds of happy crickets in the sunshine and a short visit to our ger. 

Beijing to Ulaan Baatar

Early start – up at 5.30 to be at the station an hour before train departure at 8.05 – the adventure begins!  An international crowd awaits departure – quite a number of French including two families with small children, Chinese, Mongolian, Dutch, Russian, us….. Berth 5 and 6, Cabin 2, Carriage 2; we discover my new big bag won’t fit in the under bunk stash but happily there are only us two in the cabin for the time being so bag can sit on seat out of the way.

Departing photoshoot was not only for us tourists but also the cabin crew who seemed to be training up a new staff member. The carriage and, in fact, the train, was not very full so there was plenty of room for hopping up and down and taking pictures. Interspersed with restorative snoozing, obviously. Buffet car food really tasty – despite only being scrambled eggs with tomatoes and plain rice; either we are easily pleased or Chinese cooking is amazing!

Coming into Erlian the sky was lit up with an incredible display of lightning – the longest forks we’ve ever seen and running in all directions concurrently with sheets lighting the whole sky. This station was where the Chinese border guards checked our passports so we could gaze for quite a while until we were shunted into the sheds for the bogie changing. We had a great view from the end of the carriage as we were lifted free of the wheels and then the new sets were run under us (changing from narrow gauge to standard 5ft gauge).

The Mongolian border control was the least strict I have seen – admittedly the lights went on but no one wanted to gaze earnestly at us whilst checking the passports. These things always seem to happen in the dead of night, perhaps for maximum effect. We could eventually get off to sleep long after 1am.

In the morning we awaken to views across the steppes of the Gobi dessert – vast tracts of grass with wildflowers and the odd herd of grazing horses, cattle or goats. Any buildings are brightly painted and slowly we start to spot solitary ger (mongolian yurts).

Follow link for bogie-change video (apologies for inane commentary) http://youtu.be/1xVmbodaKEI

Bay window in train, of course

Feeling hot hot hot

I always forget how much I hate moving from temperate to roasting temperatures and I seem to have developed a knack for wearing cowboy boots whilst I’m about it. This just isn’t very pleasant. As an extra-special gift I left NZ with the germs for a cold which brewed on the flight and came out beautifully in Beijing. I made it out for a half day to the Temple of Heaven which felt mainly like shade-hopping and crowd-avoiding. Then spent a full day in bed feeling achey and snotty.

Once again food in China has proved excellent – inexpensive, tasty and fun to order (since you never really know what you’re getting until you taste it). Our last evening was animated by an impressive thunderstorm – we watched from our restaurant as the wind blew up, the lightning lit the streets and the rain fell in sheets. It soon became clear that it wasn’t going to let up and that crossing the street would involve wading through newly-formed puddles but at least the temperature had cooled slightly.