 |
|
|
Main
We flew back to Ulan Bator View image over the desert.
Back to U.B. for a tour of the Fine Arts Museum. The Museum has the collection of Buddhist artwork that toured the U.S. with "Legacy of Genghis Khan" exhibit. Other than that and Kharakhorum, there were no actual visual traces of Genghis Kahn anywhere in Mongolia. Not a "Golden Horde Hun" in sight.
Nomadic Expeditions was the local Mongolian tour operator. They took excellent care of the group, and can organize a tour for you. I'm not quite sure if Mountain Travel-Sobek is still running this trip. If they aren't, contact Nomadic Expeditions.
The journey was over. I'd love to go back and hike on the Mongolian side of the Altai Mountains, and revisit the "Flaming Cliffs"...perhaps with a Paleontologist expedition...that dinosaur bone is waiting for me!
Continue reading "Ulan Bator....Journey's End" »
Tugrisin Shiree is a white escarpment that is the site of the famous "Fighting Dinosaurs." A Polish expedition explored this area in the late 1960's and found Protoceratops and Velociraptor locked in combat. As we walked through the rocks, I hunkered down and started picking away at an indentation in the ground. Sure enough, the outline of a LARGE Dinosaur Bone started to appear. There are massives amount of discoveries to still be made in the Gobi. Without proper tools or permits, I had to leave my Dinosaur bone there, still in the ground waiting to be excavated.
The guide laid out a picnic lunch with cucumbers, canned vegetables and PICKLES!
Continue reading "Tugrisin Shiree and Hongoryn Els Sand Dunes" »
The Gobi is Mongolia's southernmost province of semi-arid desert. It lies in the heart of Asia's remotest area, between Siberia to the north and the Tibetan Plateau to the south.
The morning was spent visitng a nomadic family of herders. The husband, and two sons, were "nomading" around somewhere out in "nowhere." The family goats thought our vehicle was pretty tasty until the youngest daughter rounded them up, and corraled them. View image
The little girl was then sent out to find the "family" camels for us to ride. View image Camel humps deflate when they are running low on water, and our camel had humps listing to the side. He needed a fill-up.
Mongolia is home to Bactrian (two-humped) camels. "Ex-Marine's" camel wasn't very happy about him getting on, and made those wonderful camel groans and grunts!
Continue reading "The "Flaming Cliffs"" »
We flew to the Gobi on MIAT, Mongolia's national airline, from U.B. to Dalanzadgad for our 3- day stay. I was very excited about this portion, having a chance to see the "Flaming Cliffs." The landing strip was right by our Ger camp, filled with Japanese tourists, and just us two Americans.
This Camp was quite large and functioned as the primary Gobi spot for tourists to stay in. View image
inside of our Ger
I was awakened early in the morning the next day by "whooshing" sounds. Peeked outside to find Balloonists! The Japanese tourists had brought all their equipment and were going for a balloon ride. Such an incredible sight to see the balloons rising against a crystal-clear blue sky.
Continue reading "The Gobi" »
One woman in our group managed to break an ankle. Linda is a devout horse lover, and while visiting a Ger, the mare reared up when she got too close to the foal causing her to trip backwards Fortunately, there were two Japanese Doctors in a village not very far from our camp who set her ankle. (This is why you take out travel insurance!) Linda then had to endure a 10-hour ride over those undescribable roads back to Ulan Bator - a real trouper thanks to mega-pain pills.
While hiking, there were flies everywhere...on the horses...circling over our food...driving us crazy. It was very hot - both day and night - and "ex-Marine" sweats profusely. Actually, water beads go flying in all directions and one day, he had flies hovering and landing on his hat, attracted by all the salt drying there!
landing pad for flies
The trek was over and it was another all-day drive back to Ulan Bator with an occasional stop to buy pickles. Yes, pickles. For some reason, they were very refreshing in the heat. View image
Continue reading "Bulgan Mountains to Tseterleg - End of Trek" »
The trek began in the Undur Har Mountains which are about 7,000 feet above sea level. Horses and a supply truck supported the trek.
Some of our group took turns riding horses. Mongolian horses are short, stocky and strong. "Ex-Marine" rode one day when his leg was sore, but never realized that their saddles were quite different from ours. The saddle had a short metal piece on the back - right where you sit - that rubbed and took a big section of skin off his backside. (He couldn't understand why he was so uncomfortable during his ride!)
The terrain was rolling hills without any steep inclines, through pastures and meadows, past nomadic encampments. It was very easy walking.
The hospitable Mongols would invite a few people to come and drink Mare's milk with them. Two of our group, took them up on the invitation, and were deathly sick the next day!
Continue reading "Undur Har Mountains of Mongolia" »
It was a very long drive to Kharakhorum (7-8 hours). The "roads" (if they can be called that) in Mongolia are flat, hard earth. All the trucks and 4-wheel vehicles just make their own "roads" and the landscape is cross-crossed with lines of ruts going everywhere. Once is a while, there would be a traditional wagon.
And nomads, gathering wood. A very hard life.
Tip #1 - Take an inflatable seat cushion (or stadium cushion) when a trip requires lots of driving over non-existant roads. It makes the jolting a little bit easier on your back. This invaluable tip was given to me by a tour guide, years ago, before bumping over the miserable roads of Pakistan.
Kharakhorum, the 13th-century capital of the Mongol Empire, is a cultural highlight though only a few traces remain of this once great city. Neighboring Erdene Zuu, the country's largest monastery, was reputedly built from the city's ruins.
One of the more interesting parts of Kharakhorum were the Mongolian women sitting around, trying to sell bits and pieces of jewelry, and family Buddhist relicts to visitors. Hindsight, why didn't I buy more!
Continue reading "Kharakhorum" »
The planning started::
Air? We flew United, Chicago to Beijing, and Air China, Beijing to Ulan Bator, Capital of Mongolia. Korean Airlines, and MIAT (Mongolian Airlines) are other options.
Visa? You need one. We let MT-S get ours.
Health Concerns? The hiking was not considered particularly difficult but you should still be in good physical condition. This trip was horse-supported, and it was possible to ride a horse if you chose to do so. Our usual Hepatitis A, Polio, Tetanus, etc. are always up-to-date. And, we always carry emergency Antibiotics, and other "drugs of choice."
Money? Very few places would accept credit cards or traveler's checks. Bring the good old U.S. dollar in new bills.
Travel Insurance - Local regulations required proof of insurance covering medical injuries and emergency evacuation. We always buy travel insurance even though it's laughable. There are some places that there are never going to be able to evacuate you in a catastrophic situation...you are going to die! Simple as that! But you are forced into buying. For other situations, medical reasons to cancel before you travel - illness, death, as examples, it is imperative to have the insurance or you will lose all your money.
Continue reading "Planning Our Trip to Ulan Bator" »
All I have ever wanted to do was travel. Geography was my favorite subject and each time I said, "Oh, I would really like to go there", my Dad would reply, "I suppose you want to go to Mongolia, too!" And, I did!
I was looking through my new end-of-the-year catalogs from different tour operators, and noticed Mountain Travel-Sobek had a trip to Mongolia for Summer, 2000. It was a 13-day trip, moderate hiking with a maximum elevation of 7,500 feet. Seven nights camping in tents and Gers, 3 nights hotel. They also had a Gobi Desert post-trip extension. Chicago, recently had a special Dinosaur exhibit at the Field Museum, and I had seen a documentary about the "Flaming Cliffs", in Mongolia, where major Dinosaur finds had been made. Had to see it! To fly that far, and not go to the Gobi Desert would have been criminal.
Continue reading "Mongolia? A New Destination" »
|
