#5 Mongolia

30th May

Finding accommodation using maps.me is a joke. Riding thru many potholes sandy back roads via a massive power station only to end up in an outback suburb with no hotel Delight in existence.
Back to the main square where to our surprise a hotel sigh was spotted. Usually the sigh is in cryllic and is still difficult for us to decipher.
Yesterday was our departure from Russia. From our experience the people are warm friendly and helpful beyond. The girls are pretty some into high fashion. The food, when you luck a good choice is exquisite in variety and flavours. The police friendly lol.
We’ll be back.
Meanwhile stuck at process number one Sinead zooms in on spot tracker seeing our precise immediate location. Modern toys.
Russian procedure was formal whereas on the Mongolian side more relaxed. Nevertheless 10 processes and 3.5 hrs before we were released. Pretty seemless with minimal English.
Roads turned from Russia’s growing super highways to badly cambered rough and narrow path cutting through expansive open land. Mobs of horses, sheep and cows were either grazing under the watchful eyes of a lone horseman or crossing the road at will.
David Hudson, Tony Shuman and I were eyeing the land become sandier with trepidation of the type of riding ahead.
Quick stop to choose a hotel in Darkham drew a crowd before arriving at our chosen hotel. And renting 3 room suite for 76,000 ($41) then having 6 beers brought to the room for $11 on a night of a full moon has set the scene for a good time ahead.

31st May 

Kym paying for one beer and two waters at an Irish pub in Mongolia

Sometimes you just don’t understand where to go, and then outta the blue there’s a sign.

Kym and Lenore Osborne in their boudoir Gur, Ulaanbaatar (June 3)

Ulan BatarJune 4th 

Our stay in Oasis, Ulan Batar was fun meeting like minded travellers sharing stories. After Lenore left our group to do a horse tour out from Moron in the north the 3 remaining wiser men met up with the monstrous Genghis Chan statue and small museum.

Travelling further south towards the Gobi desert the landscape become noticeably drier, sandier and sparse.

Horses, sheep, cattle and goat mobs and herds are now joined with ragged woolly camels all yet to pose for photos.

The road is surprisingly good but I’m sure this will change as the adventure continues

DalanzadgadJune 5

Dalanzadgad even tho a shortish distance from.....how do you pronounce these names let alone remember them was hit with high winds took its toll.

Still enough in one day. Always we respect the credit card and our age to find a comfortable bed. This is not always successful but produces a.conversation nevertheless.

I hesitated to take some pix of wirlies, animals, vultures and nothing. Man is this a desolate part of the world. And this is only middle gobi.

From Yvonne: June 8

We met up with 3 of the Siberian 7 

Kym Osborne Tony Shuman and David Hudson. Hardly recognised them with all that facial hair. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

My turn to look after them 😘😘

TONY you’re a MeerKat legend!

June 10

MoronJune 14

The last few days riding with David Hudson from the White lake @ Tariat thru to Moron has been an unbelievable ride. It is impossible to describe the numerous, no constant vistas this amazing country presents. Over one pass and it’s wow, then the next thru a flowing braid valley then again. Repeat repeat repeat. Never getting tired or the amazing country side, the endless size. There are minimal tracks but that doesn’t restrict bike travel as we simply ride anywhere. Miss the track just cross the country till you find the one you want or just keep going. Great concept. A country without fences.

Language inhibits but if they are interested they crowd the bike with comparisons to their Chinese models. A little sign language helps along the way. Russians are by far friendlier and are easier to relate to even with less English signage than here but still both are amazing races.

Our journey has taken us north of Moron and smashed with weather. This must be some serious mountains.

Lenore joins me tomorrow or maybe the next, I think she has been in a good paddock abet on the back of a reindeer, horse or on foot. Expect some good stories there.

I’m way behind in my posts but the crew, now down to David has been a stalwart and has held that end up. He deserves to star in my pix and our journey.

Mongolia, it’s all there if you look for it!

June 15

The landscape in Mongolia is forever changing. From the dry and sandy Gobi desert to the greener mountains central and northern only have one thing in common. A lack of trees. Large herds of Yak, horses sheep and goats have the palace at their leisure. Shepherds, often in traditional dress mostly use Chinese motorcycles tho some are still on horse back. These small motorcycles hold the whole family, sometimes a sheep held down or a three wheeler bike strapped to the back. We have to be careful that we aren’t gunned down by these lightweight machines that supposedly go everywhere. It appears that the councils have been overstretched but towns are clean. Mini markets are everywhere tho their product range is minimal selling much the same stuff. The 2l plastic beer bottles are a hit sold for about $2. We asked the price of a dingy hotel $1.14 with an outside loo ( that’s per person). We opted for a Ger in the country with 2 meals for $30.

Just some of the choices one has to make.

June 17

Just some more pix from around the lake.

June 18

Ahh, last night was a treat with a certain tongue in cheek approach.

After agreeing to spend 30,000T for three in the only hotel on town is still not a lot to pay(actually $17). But then again check the pix and see if grandiose comes close.

Btw it didn’t have an onsuite.

But before we get to that we left Hatgal late, went via Moron than we hit dirt which still happens to be a major highway. The scenery superb and the many tracks good going but tiring. So before long fatigue set in together with choices to be made on the next Mongolian leg. North road with supposed sand and river crossings and small villages or head south looking for blacktop.

After a good meal in a, of course small restaurant one was next door. Too easy. Settled in had a interesting walk around town taking a few snaps as we do to show you guys some of what up in the life of the now 3 left Siberian’s.

June 20

Got lost yday. 10:30 hrs in the saddle. Saw 5 large vultures(lucky they weren’t circling), went to random places, had sand, gravel, water crossing and scenery!

Wonder why we got lost!

June 22

The last two days we’ve been heading down the highway. Firstly on beautiful new tarmac hedged by mountains and only slowed by suspicious camels roadside. Good speeds of 120km. Khovd was our flashiest hotel $40. Continued on to Ulgii and the highway is under construction by so many teams, trucks, laying, building & paving. Continual zigzagging across new bits, layer tracks or wanna be road for 240 kms. The scenery is fantastic in its ruthlessness. Ridges of rock mountains pop up in multitude of colours or run parallel to the road ribbon snaking through gorges and running through the plains. Treated with Christmas pudding like snow covered mountains softening the otherwise brown terrain.

Big day but not hard.
Today as some one quipped ‘Back, back, back in the USSR’

June 26

Altai mountains after the dry treeless steppe of Mongolia offer great contrast. Riding from the border on route from Ulgii, staying the night in Kosh-Agach and on to a roadside o/n stop near Shebalino was a constant riders dream. The P256 highway must rate high on any riders list as it presents forests, rivers and welcoming grand snow mountain views. As if this wasn’t enough and wanting more we detoured at Gorno- Altaysk and headed to Artybash to see Lake Teletskoye. Exhausted again after a long time in the saddle we found a tree on roads edge in the town surrounds the town. We laid down too exhausted to move and after some time feeling we should rise above lethargy so Googling accommodation there was a villa 25m away, thatlldo, then they offered a 3 hour boat trip in 10 minutes time. Ok we’re in. Gets better as the pretty hostess went and got 6 beers for the trip (400r) how good is that also knowing that a restaurant was 50 m from our villa upon return. Sometimes it’s meant to be easy or is it just go with the flow.

The lake lived up to expectations with its natural beauty, forests and such a abundance of crystal clear water.

A few beers and dinner 600 r ( for those who are following that’s $13 for the 3 of us) where it was suggested we follow the Ob river to Barnaul even if there is a little dirt. A slightly regrettable decision as it turns out. As the next day proved the 80kms of dirt was actually river bed round marbles creating at times puckering moments. Little

Jess of this massive river and at 404kms made it a big day in 34C heat. Hitting the Barnaul highway reminded why driving in Russia is so good. I love this place!