Our 12-day overland journey through Mongolia started with a dusty, bumpy, and spectacular drive through the Gobi Desert. We departed Ulaanbaatar with our guide and driver, Vampy (her nickname because she was a fan of vampires as a teenager) and Douka, as well as Ben and Catherine, an Australian couple. Mongolia's nomadic herder families still uphold the country's traditional lifestyle, moving their herds of goats, sheep, cows, yaks, camels, and/or horses as the seasons change. They live in gers, circular shelters centered around a stove, and can pack up all of their possessions and the house within a few hours. We enjoyed experiencing their lifestyle firsthand, eating mutton at just about every meal, as well as savoring many cups of salty milk tea. They speak the Mongolian language, which uses the Cyrillic alphabet, sharing all but 2 letters with Russian. Within a few hours of departing Ulaanbaatar, we entered the desert in our well-maintained Soviet-era van. Day 1: Tsugaan Suvarga (White Stupa)After 8 hours, we arrived at the stunning Tsugaan Suvarga (White Stupa). Our first stay in a ger was set under bright light from a full moon. The host cooked dinner and let us visit her herd of goats. The desert landscape is vast and surreal, silent but for the noises of goats' cries and sustained winds. Day 2: Yol ValleyMost days, we stopped in small towns for a supermarket visit. These small outposts were mostly quiet, with just some small markets, banks, and construction and fuel supplies. We fortunately managed to get a shower once during the 5-day Gobi tour! We visited the Yol Valley, home to the Three Beauties of the Gobi, rocky mountains with ice still frozen from the winter. We walked through the valley, passing groups of yaks, shaggy cow-like animals that are very shy, despite their size. Day 3: Khongor Sand DunesAfter a lunch stop, we spent an hour and a half climbing an enormous, steep sand dune. The view of the dunes from the top was breathtaking, as the light breaking through the clouds created shadows that highlighted the dunes' sharp curves. We arrived at the ger camp for a warm welcome with milk tea and dry cookies. Before dinner, we enjoyed a sunset camel ride through the desert, moving slowly on the backs of shaggy, two-humped camels. Day 4: Flaming CliffsOur next bumpy van ride took us to the Flaming Cliffs, where some of the world's most intact dinosaur bones have been excavated. It was the site of the first discovery of dinosaur eggs. We went for an evening walk near our ger camp, and came upon a herd of camels with their young. The camels formed a protective circle around their offspring as we approached. Day 5: Ongi MonasteryOur last stop in the Gobi was the Ongi Monatery, built in the 1600s and destroyed during the anti-Buddhist purge in the 1930s perpetrated by communists. The socialist Mongolian People's Republic was heavily influenced by the Soviet Union during its existence from 1924-1992. Mongolia is now one of Asia's freest, most democratic countries. We enjoyed a dinner of Mongolian barbecue, mutton and vegetables cooked with hot coals.
1 Comment
marcy
5/11/2018 07:27:33 am
Looks like a magnificent ending to a trip of a lifetime. The pictures are fabulous
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