Our Mongolian tour was over. We had traveled almost 1,100 miles and yet only saw a small portion of this beautiful country.
We were on an 8 AM flight to Seoul, South Korea so we had to leave the hotel by 6 AM as it is usually a one hour drive. But in the back of my mind I worried a bit about whether there would be the normal heavy Ulaanbaatar traffic. As it turned out there was no problem but the airport was busy at that time of the morning. Also the “big” 787 aircraft was back on the route so we had not have the issue we had coming over at the beginning of the trip.
Our flight path from Mongolia to South Korea.
Meal served on our flight to Seoul.
After arriving in Seoul we checked into the same airport Grand Hyatt hotel we used before going to Mongolia. We had planned to do a bit of sightseeing in Seoul before going on an evening walking food tour, but it was raining when we arrived so we stayed at the hotel until late afternoon, when the weather cleared.
View from our room, looking across at Terminal 1 of Incheon airport.
Driving into Seoul. The airport is about 45 minutes outside the city.
Another modern looking building.
Yes, the building is gold in color.
Very modern buildings in Seoul.
As it turned out Scott had never been on a food tour, whereas Yvonne and I regularly take them when we are in a new country. We find them to be an excellent way of experiencing local food (safely) as we learn more about the culture and food within the country. This tour turned out to be great and Scott, who had not initially shown much interest when I suggested it, readily agreed. We spent two delightful hours with a small group of fellow travelers as we wandered through the famous Gwangjang “night” Market in Seoul, sampling different types of popular Korean “street food”. Anthony Bourdain ate at some of the same places we visited. If interested I was told there is a good documentary on Netflix called “Street Food: Asia”.
Sunday night and still the markets are open.
Our local foodie tour guide, Jacob.
In the market we found booth after booth offering various popular Korean dishes.
The small stands were packed with locals eating the various dishes offered.
Kimbap (or Gimbap) is a super popular, on-the-go street food.
Traditionally, these rolls are filled with pickled radish, fish cakes, carrots, eggs, and beef.
Tteokbokki, spicy rice cakes that are chewy and reminded me of mochi.
Different vegetables served as snacks.
These are popular snacks that we tried: fermented octopus,rice grain sized crab, pickled garlic, and pickled artichoke root.
Dumplings called “mandu”. Filled with pork or kimchi.
Colorful food stalls with tempting dishes.
Bindaetteok are savory Korean pancakes made with mung beans, rice, kimchi, eggs, pork, veggies, and tons of seasonings.
The Korean pancakes.
A vegetable bibimbab, another popular Korean dish.
This is San-nak-ji, which is live octopus that is cut up into small pieces. The plate is delivered to your table with little pieces of squirmming octopus. I passed as I like my octopus deep fried.
Scott was adventuresome and tried the raw octopus.
This young girl on our tour bravely tried the octopus. She said it was chewy!
A local beer.
Trying a drinking game Jacob taught us.
Yuk-heo (Raw Beef). Beef tartar. I passed as I prefer my beef cooked at least medium rare.
Kkwa-bae-gi (Twisted donut with cinnamon/sugar). It was probably the favorite for the most of us! Locals love it also as the line was very long waiting for one.
Our tour group.
It was then back to the hotel for a good night sleep before we go our separate ways as Scott will be returning to New Zealand and I am flying back home to Seattle.
Seoul at night. It is a clean, vibrant city.
South Korea requires new buildings to also provide some art as part of the project.
July 20, 2024: Back in the Big City of Ulaanbaatar.
Our sleeping in gers is at an end as we will be back in our hotel in Ulaanbaatar tonight. I do not think the gers were bad at all. They were clean, as were the restrooms and showers, the food was decent (especially if you loved beef) and the availability of electricity and internet was not all that bad. It was much better than I anticipated.
It will be another 240 km driving day, but mostly on a real highway! We were back in Ulaanbaatar in time for lunch at a nice local restaurant where we had chicken, not beef! It was then back to our original hotel (Hotel Grand Hill) where we had a chance to shower, sleep or simply relax until we left for a short city tour at 4:30 PM.
Scott hoping to get a ride on the luggage cart to our vehicle.
More dirt roads but the landscape is green again.
Trying to help a local who could not start his vehicle.
He was using two pieces of wire as a jumper. We brought out our regular jumper cables but were unable to get the vehicle started.
Caught in flight near our vehicle.
These old tires act as sort of a road sign to tell drivers they are headed in the right direction. You could have fooled me!
A modern day nomad on his motorcycle watching his flock.
Maggie showing us wild onions growing by the roadside.
Much of the traffic on the highway were Russian tankers delivering fuel.
Have to be careful on the highways as the animals have free range roaming rights.
Approaching Ulaanbaatar.
The airport outside Ulaanbaatar.
Three lane highway into the city. Where were the cars?
Buddha statue in the middle of modern city buildings.
Our luncheon venue in Ulaanbaatar.
Starter appetizer of a fruit drink and puffed pastry.
Tasty squash soup.
Delivered before the entree, we thought it was an appetizer and ate it. We later learned it was the dessert! Oh well.
Chicken, not beef!
Our Amicus tour team. After lunch the drivers will be leaving us as we will use a local driver while in Ulaanbaatar. They were marvelous.
Our first stop was at the Gandan monastery, the largest functioning Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. Its formal name is Gandantegchinlen Monastery, which means Great Place of Complete Joy. It is one of the few monasteries that was not destroyed by the Communists. It is thought to have originated in 1809. It is the site of several active Buddhist temples, at least 4 universities and has about 150 active monks. While there we observed monks praying with a local family, young men training to be a monk, a local wedding party and the 26 m high gilded, 20 ton statue of Migjid Janraisig, the Buddhist deity who represents compassion. The statue was built in the 1990s to replace the one destroyed during the communist purges of the 1930s.
Pigeons everywhere, waiting to be fed.
Statues on a busy street corner.
Entrance gate to the Gandan monastery complex.
Several of the temples in the monastery complex.
The White Stupa at the entrance to the temple complex.
Statue outside the Buddhist temple.
The main active temple.
Monks praying with a local family.
The 26 meter high statue of Migjid Janraisig.
Another view of the massive statue.
Another statue in the temple.
Prayer wheels in the temple.
We always seem to run into a wedding when we are on vacation. The tradition continues!
A door in the Gandan monastery.
Scott arranging for a candle to be lit in honor of his son, Noah.
The oldest temples in the complex. They are only used for special occasions.
Young men studying to become monks.
A cute little girl whose mother allowed me to take her picture.
From the monastery we went to the huge Genghis Khan square where the Mongolian parliament building is located. It is a popular gathering spot for people and we saw many of them walking around. There were also a lot of children riding around in little battery powered cars. While there we had an opportunity to spend about 30 minutes shopping at one of the largest cashmere companies in the country. I was amazed at how many different mens and womens products were being offered at very competitive prices compared to what they would cost in the USA. As we waited for a few people to complete their purchases the entire store lost electrical power. Luckily it was still light outside so we did not have a problem leaving the store with our packages.
Genghis Khan Square.
The parliament building in Ulaanbaatar.
Statue of Genghis Khan at the entrance to the parliament. building.
Other buildings on/near the square. I think the red one is the home of the ballet and opera.
Families with young children were enjoying the square.
Statue of Damdin Sükhbaatar, the hero of the 1921 revolution.
The huge building of the Gobi cashmere company that we visited. It was as fancy as any major US company.
Two floors of cashmere clothes, from socks, hats, and scarves to these elegant coats. There were even cashmere shoes for sale.
There was a style show going on while we were there.
We were driven a short distance to a local auditorium where we were scheduled to see a show featuring Mongolian singers, dancers and musicians. But as we arrived we learned that the building had also lost power. Not to be denied, the staff at the auditorium said they would move the show out to the large lobby where we waited. As they prepared bringing chairs into the lobby, the lights went back on and we were back into the auditorium with only a 15 minute delay to the start of an excellent folkloric performance highlighting Mongolian song and dance. It was top notch. I even bought a DVD of the show.
The small auditorium where the Mongolian cultural show was held.
Some of the entertainers came out after the performance for some picture taking.
We then drove back a short distance to a restaurant where we had our “farewell dinner”. Hugs, goodbyes and wishes for safe travel was extended to all, as we each went our separate ways back to our homes or onward to more travels,
The final group dinner at the MG Mongolian steakhouse.
Maggie telling us goodbye as the tour is officially over.
Steak with a side of bone marrow!
Group picture as we prepare to go our separate ways.
Tomorrow morning Scott and I will be retracing our steps to Seoul, South Korea where we will do some sightseeing and then spend the night before each going our separate ways to our respective homes.
For those of us who do not speak Mongolian the area we will be visiting today means “Stones of small land”. We would have to arrive before we found out what that meant. It would be another long day as we expect to cover 240 km, taking about 5 hours of driving. All this shows is how big this country really is.
The day started early for those interested in returning to the White Stupa at dawn, as we left the ger camp at 6:15 AM. Unfortunately the day did not start with a spectacular sunrise but those of us who got up still wanted to see the cliffs in the early morning sun. This morning we traveled to the base of the cliffs to get another prospective of the rocky area. It was just as spectacular from this viewpoint.
Dawn at the ger camp. Heading out to see the White Stupa before breakfast.
The morning cloud cover masked the normal sunrise colors of the cliffs.
Scott seeking elevation.
No sunrise colors on the cliffs but still a spectacular vista.
Scott exploring the lower reaches of the White Stupa. If we had the time I am sure he would have climbed to the top of the cliff.
After breakfast back at the ger camp we left at 8:15AM for the Baga Gazriin Chuluu area.By 1 PM we arrived at the Erdene Ukhaa ger camp where will be staying for the night for lunch before seeking the “stones of small land.
On the road by 8:15 AM.
We are still at fairly high altitude.
Always on the lookout for animals on the road as we are often traveling 40 mph.
Where did these few trees come from? There was nothing else within eyesight.
I saw several of these recently. This looks like it will become the modern day version of the ger.
Modern day nomad on a motorcycle moving his flock.
Flock resting at a water hole. Note the sky!
More cashmere waiting to be made into clothes.
This is what I expect a stupa to look like.
The scenery is changing. We are starting to see rock formations.
The Erdene Ukhaa camp with 30 gers. It advertised 24 hour electricity.
This ger camp uses high tech to handle luggage. Everyone wanted to drive it!
Our ger. Note huge stone used as anchor for the roof opening.
The dining hall at the camp.
Yes, it was a beef dish for lunch!
We all left the ger camp at 3:30 and were at the kick-off spot for our walk before 4PM. The area is covered with large slabs of granite, covering most of the ground in the area. The granite covers an area of about 15km long by 10km wide. It made for easy walking as Maggie led us on a walking tour of the area. There was even the ruins of a small Buddhist temple in the area and we quickly learned how to recognize (and hopefully avoid) the Mongolian version of poison ivy, which was present in the area. Although not as spectacular as the White Stupa or Flaming Cliffs this area did have its allure and projected a peaceful atmosphere. I can see why the Buddhist monk(s) chose this area way back when.
The trail to the area we will be exploring.
A small oasis in the middle of a rock field.
The remnants of a monk’s cottage here.
Prayer flags left by people in the small grove of trees.
This is poison ivy. The locals harvest it and make a shampoo from it!
It was surprisingly easy to walk on the granite rocks.
I am always surprised to see how trees somehow manage to grow in the middle of a rock field.
Very little open spaces between the rock slabs.
Panoramic view of the surrounding area.
Visitors built small cairns of rocks throughout the area.
Some tiny wildflowers growing among the rocks.
Pretty contrast of the rock and a green field.
Lichens growing on the granite. People harvest it in the autumn.
Some unique rock formations that look like bee hives.
A cave near the granite rock fields.
Supposedly the cave goes further in. No one wanted to see where it went.
The area where Scott went climbing while we hiked in the granite field.
By 6PM we were back at the ger camp where Maggie taught us several popular games using knuckle bones from sheep and goats! The bone (from real animals) has 4 distinct sides and each side has a specific name: fast horse, lazy camel, fat sheep and skinny goat. I had trouble discerning what was a fast horse versus a lazy camel!
That looks like a cool travel vehicle.
A popular Russian vehicle that resembles the old VW bus. It is really pretty basic.
Cold soda and beer because they had 24 hour electricity available.
A classical Mongolian musical instrument.
Knuckle bones ready for games.
Maggie showing us some new knuckle bone games. She is good at them!
Treating our drivers to some well deserved refreshments.
Dinner buffet. Probably beef again.
Men’s shower with a water heater and slides. The floor tile was a bit feminine though!
Tomorrow we will be back in Ulaanbaatar for our final day of touring.
July 18, 2024: Heading Back North to See the White Stupa
It was going to be a long driving day as we expect to cover 280 km, estimated to take 5 hours. Our destination today is to visit Tsagaan Suvarga (the White Stupa). Now my understanding is that a stupa is a form of Buddhist architecture so was I surprised when we finally arrived at the “White Stupa”.
Our trip itinerary. We are heading back north toward Ulaanbaatar.
I decided to take a pre breakfast hike to the top of the nearby hill that featured another of the animal statues.
A small herd of horses walked by as I was on my hike.
Territorial view from the top of the hill.
After yesterday’s hike it was time to throw out my beloved Ecco shoes.
The clean restrooms at the ger camp.
Maggie wearing a native outfit this morning.
Our first stop was a surprise as we entered the city of Dalanzadgad, the capital of Ömnögovi province. It was a real city with some high rise buildings and even an airport. It lies at an elevation of 1470 meters and boasts a population of almost 25,000. It is 540 km from Ulaanbaatar. We were here to visit the new, modern GOBI Museum of Natural History, opened in 2022. It is a beautiful museum. Unfortunately it also has the no photograph policy so I cannot share what I saw while there. We had a guided tour led by a museum employee so we got to see the real highlights of the museum. The museum’s collection includes traces of human habitation in the South Gobi Province dating back 4,500-5,000 years, ancient relics and fossils from the area. The museum also showcases jewelry, vessels, religious artifacts, Buddha paintings and musical instruments. It is a world class museum in a beautiful building.
One of the few highway signs I have seen in Mongolia.
Highrise buildings in Dalanzadgad.
These multiple gers in what seems to be a single fenced yard indicates multiple generational family members sharing the land.
The new modern Gobi nature museum.
The lobby of the museum, the only place I could grab a picture.
After our 90 minute tour we stopped at what appeared to be a small shopping center to access an ATM. However, when we entered the building it became obvious it was Mongolian equivalent of Costco! It was a hoot and we all enjoyed wandering through it seeing all the products they offered.
Inside the Mongolian version of Costco! Motorcycles to household appliances and candy.
It was back then to the dirt roads that led to the White Stupa. Seeing a small herd of camels lingering by a water trough we stopped to see how the nomads watered their animals. There was a well where a gas powered pump would be run to fill a small trough. It was not operating when we arrived but that soon changed. Between Maggie and Scott they powered up the pump which filled the trough for the now happy camels! We did our good deed for the day.
Leaving the town of Dalanzadgad.
You do not follow too close to the vehicle in front of you so you can avoid the ever present dust cloud.
Camels hanging around the water trough, waiting for a drink.
A primitive water trough made of an old truck tire, next to the water well.
Maggie and Scott figured out how to start the gas powered pump.
Some very happy camels.
A face only a mother could love!
Piles of sheared camel wool waiting to be woven into mats.
Two and a half hours after leaving Dalanzadgad we arrived at our night’s ger camp in time for a late lunch. There was a bit of leisure time thrown in until we left after dinner to see the White Stupa as we neared sunset.
The Tsagaan Suvarga ger camp with 42 gers, where we will spend the night. It is only 5 km from the White Stupa.
Our ger. Have gotten better at not hitting my head when entering!
Sliding curtain covering for an open door. A nice touch.
Modern dining hall.
Western bar with all the offerings you might want.
Salad starter. Am amazed at the freshness of the vegetables we are served.
This turned out to be the absolute favorite meal of our whole group!
Some solar power at the camp.
Modern bath fixtures.
Shower area for the men.
Water tower used to feed the bathrooms. Water is pumped into the tank.
Scott trying to work a bit before we leave on our evening tour.
The community charging station for electronics!
Storm clouds on the horizon. They never reached us.
We left the camp at 7:45 PM for the short drive to the White Stupa. Arriving at the parking lot all we saw was a flat plain. As we walked on flat ground I wondered where was the famed stupa. Then we reached the edge of the cliff we were standing on and we saw it! It was not a Buddhist structure, but a jaw dropping landscape before us, enhanced by the setting sun and the multiple colors of the rocks before us. It was beautiful and I also think maybe more impressive than the Flaming Cliffs we saw earlier. We spent the next half hour walking along the cliff edge, taking way too many pictures and simply absorbing what we were seeing. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me.
Maggie showing us her beautiful Mongolian shawl she wore for the evening excursion.
Walking toward where the stupa was located.
Explanation of what the White Stupa really is.
And there it is! Not what I had expected.
The area reminded me more of the Arizona painted desert rather than the Grand Canyon.
Another magnificent example of Mother Nature’s skills.
Selfie showing progress on my expedition beard.
Nearing sunset. Needless to say the setting sun cast beautiful colors on the cliff.
Sunset on the Gobi Desert.
Not sure how it got its name, but the internet says it was once the floor of an ocean and its face looks like a stupa. Another article says because it resembles the ruins of an ancient city when seen from a distance.. You pick whichever explanation you like. The formation is over 60m tall at its highest point and continues for an impressive length of 400m.
Tomorrow we continue our journey northward, back towards Ulaanbaatar.
Our destination today is a visit to the the largest national park in Mongolia and do a bit of of hiking.
Eclectic breakfast- fried egg and peanut butter/jelly muffin!
On the road again!
Not much vegetation here for grazing.
I was really surprised to see sheep/goats this far south, where is grazing must be difficult.
The scenery around us.
One of several statues atop hills in the area. I was surprised to hear there are bears here.
Pretty bleak surroundings.
Khanbogd ger camp is tonight’s location. We checked in early and then went sightseeing after lunch.
Yes, there was a fence around our camp! Mongolians love fences.
What this area looks like in the winter.
Wow! Civilization coffee?
Quite modern dining hall.
Our ger. Yes, I hit my head on this one!
The Khanbogd ger camp. They all look pretty much the same. This one had 30 gers.
My Mongolia door picture to add to my collection.
Another very good vegetable soup for lunch.
Yolyn Am is a deep and narrow gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains of southern Mongolia. It is located in the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park, the largest national park in Mongolia, covering 27,000 sq km. The valley we will be visiting lies between high cliffs and we may be lucky to see some remaining snow/ice which can achieve depths of several meters during winters, a bit of irony since we are deep in the middle of a desert.
On the way to our hike we stopped to visit the local nature museum that featured dioramas of stuffed animals that live in Mongolia. I was surprised at the variety which included snow leopards and even the rare Gobi bear.
Inside the natural history museum.
The bearded vulture, named yol in Mongolian, gave its name to the valley we will be hiking.
Ibex wild goat are common in Mongolia.
The wild Pallas cat, known as the original “grumpy” cat. It lives in these mountain areas.
There are snow leopards in the area.
The camel on the right is a wild camel; the other is the common domestic one.
Some real dinosaur eggs.
The Gobi Bear is endangered.
Some petrified wood located outside the museum.
On our hike, led by Maggie, we learned a bit more about what “Mongolian time” was. Maggie said our hike was going to only be about 45 minutes. Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration as it was about two hours before we returned to our vehicles and I had recorded 15,041 steps for the day! I was suspicious of Maggie’s estimate of time and/or distances from that day forward! Having said that I can say it was worth it as the scenery was spectacular and we did manage to see a bit of remaining ice deep in the canyon and see several cute pikas (small mammal that looks like an overgrown mouse) that live in the area.
The rough dirt road into the Yol valley.
Wild juniper grows here. It is harvested for use in the Buddhist temples.
You walk or you ride. Maggie made us walk!
Small herd of yak came sauntering by.
Some people seeing the canyon the easy way!
Maggie leading us on the hike.
We are at a pretty high elevation here in the valley.
A small stream, with ice cold water, runs through the valley.
A very small waterfall along the trail.
Only a few wildflowers in the area.
Rock cairn where people leave rocks. Yes, I added one.
Yes, pikas are cute! They are also very fast. It was hard getting a good picture.
The scenery is pretty spectacular here in the valley.
Hand stone carvings by a local artist who was seated on the trail in the canyon. I bought one as a souvenir.
The local rock carver selling his art along the trail.
The canyon narrows as we continue our search for ice.
Our turn around spot-finally! It is mid-July and there was a bit of ice left.
Returning to the parking lot after our 45 minute(ha!) hike.
Cute kids in the parking lot.
Driving back from the valley hike.
After all that walking I deserved a cold beer.
Tasty squash soup as a starter.
Finally a different dinner, but still with beef. It reminded me of the British shepherd’s pie. It was tasty.
Scott took an after dinner hike to the top of a nearby hill to capture these sunset pictures. There are several animal statues on hills surrounding this valley.
Our ger camp from the “goat” hill.
Needless to say after all that walking I slept very well that night!
July 16, 2024: Overcoming Our Flash Flood Experience
A local dog woke us around 5AM. Surprisingly we had a decent night’s sleep in the Lexus.
5:22AM. It is morning! We all slept surprisingly well. Pandy was still asleep in the back seat.
5:48AM. Dawn on the Gobi desert!
Scott helping our fellow travelers get out as the door of the ger was jammed!
Our first opportunity to see where we were last night. There was nothing to see as far as you could see.
Remains of a camel that did not make it.
By 6:45AM we were back at the river that kept us from crossing last night. The two cars that were stuck in the river were gone and we later learned that the Russian vehicle did show up after we left last night and pulled them to safety.We had hoped that the water would be gone by now, but it was still flowing at a fair rate. Our drivers again took off their shoes and spent about an hour walking through the water and mud, trying to find an area that did not have deep holes that could prevent our crossing. Their focus was upstream of the normal roadway but the issue there was that the exit bank was elevated several feet after the level of the stream. There was no level exit lane in the immediate area. Oh, I should mention that our vehicle that we had to abandon yesterday somehow managed to extract himself sometime during the night and had joined us here at the river’s edge this morning
Back at the river, our drivers waded in the river, attempting to find a safe passageway.
Our abandoned vehicle somehow managed to get out of the watery mud and joined us this morning.
Finally at 7:50 AM our #3 driver (the car Scott and I were in) felt he could successfully make the crossing and off we went first. I had a moment of panic as we approached the high bank on the other side of the river as we seemed to slow down and wobble a bit, but our trusty Lexus simply rose to the challenge and we bounced our way onto firm ground. After our vehicle made it across the river, our other two vehicles also successfully made the crossing and we were together again, safely on the other side of the river. Below is the video taken by some girls from Indonesia who were watching us from the other side of the river. They were kind enough to share it with us.
Our three vehicles are back together once again.
Dry as a bone on this side of the river.
I gave our driver a souvenir Husky cap as a reward for his outstanding driving us through the mud and river.
We were supposed to have visited the Flaming Cliffs last night but our river experience obviously changed those plans. Maggie did a great job changing our trip plans on the fly. We immediately went to the ger camp we were supposed to have stayed last night and luckily managed to find we could spend tonight there instead. We arrived at the Mongol Gobi ger camp at 8:30 where we were able to get breakfast, with the rest of the morning available for us to shower and rest. You could tell we were in a pretty isolated area as electricity and hot water availability was limited here. Internet was unavailable and the beer and water was only mildly cold. We are roughing it here!
The Mongolian Gobi Ger Camp.
The main dining hall of the camp.
Modern looking dining hall.
Some artwork in the dining hall.
Modest breakfast, but we were late in arriving.
Our ger with an attached bathroom and shower!
Not fancy but it was part of the ger. No need to leave the ger in the middle of the night.
Shower footies in our ger.
Cute bench area in the ger grounds.
The map of the Province we were in. It is the furthest southern Province in Mongolia.
After last night we felt a beer before lunch was appropriate.
Scott actually working a bit.
Tasty pasta starter for lunch.
Another beef dish as a main.
The original tour plan was to continue further south the see Khongoryn Els, the tallest (300 meters) sand dune in the Gobi Desert. The problem was the roads leading there were likely to be worse than the ones we just traveled on. Maggie wanted to wait until she heard from drivers coming back from that area what the road conditions were like before we committed going there. She even called all the local ger camps to see if any tour groups had arrived from that area. So far, none had. She said a decision would be made by our 1:30 lunch. By that time there was no information about road conditions in that direction so we moved on the plan B or was it Plan C or D by now. No one was upset as most had seen big dunes in the past and we did not want to repeat yesterday’s experiences! We would go to see the flaming cliffs at 3PM and then visit a local nomadic family who had camels where we would get to ride on the Bactrian camels that are common in this area.
We first visited the Flaming Cliffs which were made famous in the 1920s when an American paleontologist, Roy Chapman Andrew’s expedition, accidentally discovered a nest of dinosaur eggs, proving that the species laid eggs. The expedition also discovered for the first time the bones of the now famous (because of Jurassic Park movies) velociraptor dinosaur. The area got its name because of its brilliant color at sunset. It is a pretty spectacular area that reminded me a bit of what our Badlands look like. We plan to return to the site after dinner to see that sunset spectacle and have a “sundowner” cocktail party in an area below the cliffs where Maggie was given special permission to take our vehicles.
A movie was shown about the 1920s expedition at the Flaming Cliffs. It was amazing that cars from that era actually made it here.
Replicas of the dinosaur eggs found here.
Some of the displays in the museum discussing what was found here.
The famous Flaming Cliffs which also reminded me a bit of our Badlands.
Nice walkway along the top of the cliffs.
Father/son photo.
That is a sculpture of a camel caravan far in the distance.
The area is colorful.
The big souvenir here seemed to be small stuffed animals. I wa disappointed in the choices!
The camel caravan statue close up.
We drove to visit a nearby nomad family for our ride on the two humped Bactrian camel. We got to see the family milk a camel and learned more about these unique animals before climbing on board for a short ride near some local dunes. Camels are pretty valuable- worth $400-500 each. The fur is used to make woven mats that are used as insulation on the gers. Camels are milked like the horses and the meat is often eaten. Other fun facts: only 6% of the world’s camels are Bactrian and they are mostly in Mongolia. The humps do not hold water; they hold fat. A camel with a “floppy hump” is undernourished. They live 40-50 years and can run up to 40mph for short bursts and maintain a sustained rate of 25mph. They are larger and heavier than their dromedary cousins.
This particular nomad family owned 100 camels and had a herd of 600 sheep and goats located about 20 miles away. Oh, by the way we learned a bit about nomadic medicine- a mother’s urine is often drunk as a cure for fevers, headaches and sore throats.
Watching a nomadic lady milk her camel. It requires a bit of a balancing act.
A baby camel.
The milk collected from this milking.
Scott and the baby camel.
Our hostess offering us the traditional greeting drink, Airag, and the dried cheese.
Some of the furniture located inside the ger.
Charles of Arabia, ready to ride!
View from the driver’s seat. There are no bridles. You simply hold onto the hump in front of you.
Scott ready to ride into the sunset.
Heading out for a short ride to the nearby dunes. Our camels were led by local staff. I guess they did not trust us…or maybe the camels!
A real sand dune. The camels did not to climb up on them.
My camel leader.
We got off and walked back. The owners got to ride!
One thing that caught me by surprise was that the Gobi Desert is not all sand like the Sahara Desert. Most of it strongly resembles our desert southwest, minus the cactus. There are only small areas that have sand dunes.
Back to the ger camp for dinner and then hastened back to the base of the cliffs where Maggie and team set up a small table and stools and broke out snacks, beer, vodka, wine and soft drinks as we took in the beauty of a magnificent sunset! It was stunning and again, my pictures do not do it justice.
Driving to a spot below the Flaming Cliffs for our sundowner.
Why the area got its name. This is what they look like as the sun sets.
Maggie hosted a sundowner for us at the base of the cliffs.
Yours truly enjoying the moment.
A toast to the scene.
The sun has set but the clouds still retain some color.
Hoo hum…Another marvelous Mongolian sunset.
Driving back to the ger camp in the twilight.
No one complained about our tour changes. It was a marvelous, memorable day in the Gobi Desert!
July 15, 2024: An Unexpected Surprise and a Very Big Problem!
We left the ger camp at 8:30AM, heading to see the ruins of the Ongi Monastery (formally known as Ongun Khud) where 1000 monks once lived and worshiped. Originally started in 1760 eventually 28 temples were built on two site, facing each other across a local river. There are even four Buddhist universities on the site. The temples were completely destroyed in 1939 when the Communists controlled the area. Two hundred monks were also killed and many others sent to prisons. A new temple was built on the site in 2004. There is also a museum of Buddhist artifacts at the site. We spent about an hour visiting the existing temple and museum before moving on, with an expected 80km trip to our next stop, the Flaming Cliffs, the famous location where dinosaur eggs were found and changed our view about dinosaurs.
The large river next to our ger camp.
I think these are (were?) pool tables but now there are thick slabs of granite on top of them.
Walking to the ruins of the Ongi Monastery.
The ruins of the Ongi monastery.
Territorial view of the two monastery ruins.
Surprised to see real trees, the first we have seen since leaving Ulaanbaatar.
Kodak moment photo?
Second Kodak moment.
Ibex goat horns.
The story of the Ongi Monastery.
Inside the rebuilt temple.
Buddhist scriptures wrapped in silk.
Ceremonial drum in the temple.
Offerings left by worshipers.
Artifacts in the museum. The oval on the left is actually the skull of a deceased monk, which they would save. The pipe next to it is made from an actual human leg bone.
More artifacts in the small monastery museum.
We made a short stop when we encountered a herd of camels near the road. It was the first encounter we had with camels and everyone was curious. A stop in the small local town was also made for a rest stop and a chance to pick up some snacks in the local market. After Leaving the town our lead driver surprisingly made a wrong turn and we had to double back a short distance to find the correct road.
The first caravan (that is name for a group) of camels we see. These are the only two humped camels in the world. They are Bactrian camel, which are unique to Mongolia.
The white “collar” identifies who the owner is.
Life exists in this barren area.
A very tiny lizard we found when we stopped.
Selfie sporting the start of my expedition beard.
First time we saw some evidence of electricity.
A small market in the town where we stopped. It was like a mini mart.
Mural in the town.
Then the unexpected happened! We ran into a stretch of mud and water, the result of the rain we recently had. Stopping to assess the passage we found a passenger van stuck in the mud. It was about noon. As is the custom we immediately offered to help, taking out a tow strap and pulling the van out of the water-logged mud. Since we had 4 wheel drive vehicles we felt we could traverse the watery passage. Over the next three hours we alternately helped each other maneuver our way through the muck, stopping periodically to free one of our vehicles which became stuck. This included helping another mired two wheel drive van with Polish visitors who should not have even attempted traveling through the watery mess, but they did and got stuck.
Our first traverse was not too bad. But it got worse as we continued our trek.
Oh oh! Trouble ahead?
Stopping to help a two wheel drive vehicle that should not have even tried going through this mess.
Well, two of our vehicles ultimately made it through the area. I have a ten minute video documenting our successful travel through the watery mess but l have not figured out how to upload it to this blog. Unfortunately our third vehicle got stuck again. We managed to free him but he got stuck once more. It was now 4PM. After considerable effort to free the car we realized we were going to be unable to free it and at 7:30 PM we decided the vehicle (and driver) would have to be abandoned for the night. We transferred the people and luggage from the stuck vehicle to the other two vehicles and headed to the ger camp.
Trying to clean some of the dried mud off the windows so we could at least see. The dried mud felt like concrete.
Killing time waiting for the other vehicle I took time to admire those lovely cloud formations.
Mother Nature creating some artwork of her own.
Foot prints in the sand, no, make that in the mud!
Passengers of the stuck vehicle walking through the water/mud to dry land.
Pandy walking to meet those who had to walk through the mud when they had to abandon their stuck vehicle.
The scenery once we reached dry land again.
It was really muddy!
Scott washing off his muddy feet.
7:30 PM and we are finally leaving the area with two of the three vehicles.
Then we had a “from the frying pan into the fire” moment. As we approached a normally dry wash near the ger camp we instead found a rapidly flowing river! Maggie got out of the lead vehicle and stood there saying “there should not be a river here”! Normally it would not had deterred our experienced drivers except that there were two vehicles half submerged in the middle of the river! It was now 8PM. Our drivers took off their shoes and starting walking through the river, looking for a safe passageway. Much of the river depth was only a foot or so; however there were often holes where the water depth was close to 4 feet. It was not safe enough to try a crossing. No problem, Maggie says. She puts in a call to secure the ” Russian tow truck” from a village some km away, to tow us safely across. So we wait. We missed lunch and it was now past dinner time at the ger so Maggie put in a call to the camp and asked them to pack up dinner for us and bring it to their side of the river. Our drivers will wade across and carry the dinners back to us. By 10 PM we were drinking the left over vodka and eating our dinners on the tailgate of one of the vehicles. The Russian vehicle had not yet come.
We had to cram all ten people in 2 cars when we had to abandon one of our cars that was stuck in the mud.
The river that was NOT supposed to be there.
The arrow points to the two vehicles half submerged in the flowing water.
The water was flowing pretty fast.
The remains of a camel laying near the river.
Breaking out the remainder of the vodka!
Tailgate dinner .
Sunset at the river’s edge.
About 10:30PM Maggie ordered us to load up. We thought that perhaps they learned of an alternative nearby location to safely cross the river. After driving about 10 minutes we pull up to a ger and what appeared to be a “tiny house” on wheels (a modern ger alternative?). Why did we stop? Maggie negotiated renting the tiny house for us to sleep in for the night. What did you say? All nine of us sleeping on the floor of this unit? Is there enough room? What about the snoring? Pandy, our English lady, said emphatically that she would rather sleep in the car. I had slept on a hard floor in a monastery in Korea on my trip there and knew I did not want to experience that again. I also voted for the car, as did my son, Scott. So by 11:30 PM the three of us settled in the comfy seats of the Lexus and had a decent night’s sleep! The rest of our group did sleep on the floor of the tiny house and the poor drivers slept under blankets on the ground outside the tiny house. I am not sure where Maggie slept.
People starting to bed down in the tiny house.
What a day! What an experience! What will tomorrow bring? Will we be able to cross the river?
July 14, 2024: Finding a Local Nomadic Family and the Middle Gobi
We were warned it would be a “long day” as we expect to travel some 290km (180 miles), mostly “off-road” as we head further south toward the Gobi desert area. Normally in the USA we would say that 180 miles would take about 3 hours. However, when you are on dirt roads most of the way we were told it would take about 6 hours to cover the same distance.
Another bright and sunny morning in Mongolia.
Our large en-suite shower.
Breakfast eggs.
A real road….but not for long.
One of the few crops we saw while in Mongolia. Their seasons are too short to grow much.
Good example of road structure in this area. When a road gets too rugged they simply create another nearby.
Our first “wet” crossing. Little did we know what was to come!
As part of an “unplanned” adventure Maggie May was hoping to find a nomadic friend (a widow) of hers who lived “somewhere” in the area. As we drove she told us how one year she tried to find her friend after receiving general guidelines of where her ger was located -to no avail. She is hoping we have better luck now. And about one hour after leaving the main paved road we did, indeed, come upon two gers located in the middle of a beautiful grassy plain with her herds of sheep and goats feeding nearby. As is the Mongolian tradition we were warmly welcomed into her home and entertained lavishly for the next 1.5 hours with food and stories about nomadic life, their food and customs. It was quite a visit and a real highlight to our Mongolian adventure.
One of the few cattle herds we saw.
Finding the family we were looking for!
Modern solar power in use.
Where the family ger and herds are located. That is a small creek nearby. Note the lush grass for the animals.
A small herd of yak came sauntering by.
The decorative slats forming the roof of the ger.
Traditional offering of various types of dried cheeses. All were quite tart.
Trying yak butter.
Freshly made yogurt. Delicious but quite tart.
An impromptu party
The kitchen area in the second ger.
Her kitchen sink.
That is a washing machine!
Their version of a fried bread- delicious!
Making milk vodka. Yes they even make vodka from milk!
It’s a miracle! Vodka from yak (?) milk.
Trying the finished product. It tastes like any other vodka.
The owner showing us how she cuts the aged cheese with thread.
It is tradition to sing a song while drinking. Luckily only the drivers entertained us with their local songs.
Unfortunately about 45 minutes after leaving her home we stopped for lunch as it was the only available stop in the area. It was unfortunate because the stop was at a Mongolian BBQ and we were not that hungry after the food we consumed earlier. Somehow we managed to still eat more before moving on-you never know when we might get stranded and miss a meal!
Another chance to pick out your favorite cashmere.
I thought this was a restroom stop. It turned out to be a BBQ restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
The owner/chef.
The lunch buffet – several quite tasty salads.
Delicious cabbage soup-as good as my grandma used to make! Most meals included soup as a starter.
Plate of various barbecued meats.
The rest of the afternoon was spent traveling on the dirt roads, often as fast as 40mph, as the dirt roads were surprisingly smooth with out much “wash boarding” or potholes. Once the roads become hard to drive on the driver simply moves over and creates a new road. Normally one would say this is bad for the environment, but this region is so vast that it hardly makes a dent in the local terrain. The other amazing thing is there are absolutely no road signs to guide you. It is simply the knowledge of the drivers that gets us to where we want to go.
The lush grasslands are history.
A rest stop.
We were making a rest stop. So where does one go to the bathroom? The men had it easy. The ladies decided that using an umbrella as a temporary shelter would work!
A good sized bug showed up. No one ventured to pick it up.
A snack (from Vietnam) that Scott discovered.
After a long day “on the road” we arrive at our ger camp for the night around 4 PM where we got to relax before dinner and a fairly early bedtime. It had started to rain lightly about the time we arrived and continued late into the night.
Where we currently are in Mongolia.
Arriving at our ger camp for the night-“Secret of Ongi”.
Our ger with an extra bed.
The main dining hall, restrooms and showers.
There were quite a few costumes on display in the main building.
Limited times to shower.
Price list for alcohol. Surprised at the wide variety offered.
Maggie teaching us some games placed with (real) sheep knuckle bones. A popular sport in Mongolia.
A common way to tie down items on a ger.
Most gers had an opening in the ceiling that can be opened for air circulation.
Another good sampling of salads for dinner. The main course was again chicken and beef.
Our French colleague sharing her vodka with Scott.
After dinner there was a “style” show, showing us what fashionable Mongolians would have worn.
Tomorrow we will visit the nearby Ongi Monastery. We were supposed to visit it today but our detour to visit the nomadic family threw us off schedule. No problem; we are on vacation!
July 13, 2024: Kharkorum, the Ancient Capital of Mongolia
Our main destination today is to visit the ancient capital of Mongolia, Kharkorum, but we stopped along the way to see another smaller Buddhist temple and see our first sand dunes in Mongolia, the Elsen Tasarkha dunes.
Camp workers taking our luggage to our vehicles in the morning.
We went by clusters of these shops which turned out to be local restaurants for travelers.
Some local landscape in the area.
Some caution was necessary as animal herds feel they have the right of way.
Stopping at a small Buddhist temple in the area.
A prayer wheel and one of the few trees in the area.
Inside the small temple.
Artwork in the temple.
Some of us walked up to another temple located on the side of this hill.
Worshipers would add rocks to these piles as they walked up to the upper temple.
Looking down at the abandoned Buddhist temple in the valley below.
Inside the upper temple.
Views of the peaceful valley where these temples are located.
The ruins of the original Buddhist temple.
Another small temple on the temple grounds.
Our first view of some sand dunes, Elsen Tasarkha. This series of dunes are 80 km long.
Of course Scott had to climb the nearest dune!
A funny episode of Maggie trying to capture our lady professors as they leap into the air.
In 1220 Genghis Khan established his headquarters at Kharkorum when he invaded China. In 1235 his son, Ögedei, built a wall around the city and used it as the capital of Mongolia. In the 1585 the Buddhist monastery of Erdene Zuu was created there when Tibetan Buddhism was named as the official religion of Mongolia. It is thought to be the oldest monastery in Mongolia. In 1939 the communists destroyed most of the Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia and killed over 10,000 monks. Part of this monastery was not destroyed. In 1990 it became a functioning monastery once again. Today, only some ruins of the original city of Kharakorum remain but the monastery temple complex still exists. We toured both the temple complex and the nearby modern museum of Kharakorum, dedicated to the story of Kharakorum and Genghis Khan. Again photography was not allowed inside the museum unless you paid an exorbitant fee which no one did. It would be cheaper to buy a souvenir book; unfortunately none were in English so you will have to rely on the internet to learn more about the history of the city and area surrounding it.
More encounters with roaming animal herds.
The walls, with its white stupas, surrounding the Erdene Zuu monastery complex, built on the site of the ancient city of Kharakorum.
The temple complex contains quite a few smaller temples.
Inside the Erdene Zuu monastery complex.
This is the Lavrin temple, built in 1784.
Small shrine in the temple courtyard.
The stone objects are remains of the original city that existed here.
The golden stupa that dates back to 1799.
One of the larger temples in the complex.
View from outside the temple, looking in at the Buddha statue there.
We happened upon this family and Maggie offered to take their family photo. What elaborate outfits!
Obviously he was not too enthusiastic about all the picture taking going on.
The new Kharkhorum museum, featuring displays about Genghis Khan and the local area.
Before proceeding to our ger camp for the evening we stopped in the local town ( population of 14,745) for an ATM (amazing easy to understand and use) and walk through their local market. Each province in Mongolia has a centrally located small town to provide needed services and schools for the local population. Nomadic children come there to go to school, boarding in town until the weekend.
The local market in the village. It consisted of a series of small shops selling a variety of products.
Huge carrots!
Two local nomads coming to town to buy supplies.
Dried cheese products popular with nomadic families. There is always a bowl on their table in their ger.
A funny story here. We are outside a small market. The gentleman in the red coat just exited the market and handed a bottle to the man on the horse who tucked it into his coat and then sauntered off on his horse! Hilarious encounter!
Our ger camp for the night was called Secret of Silk Road and turned out to be not your typical ger camp. It is only a few years old and offered fancy amenities like a sauna, massages, laundry service and even an en-suite toilet and shower in our ger! When we saw that a 50 minute massage cost 110,000 tugrik (Mongolian currency) which is $32.37 both Scott and I immediately signed up. Had to be the world’s best bargain! Unfortunately we never saw another such opportunity the rest of the trip. And other prices were equally impressive. A 0.5 liter of beer was $3.53 and bar drinks were $5.89.
The main reception center and dining room of the Secret of Silk Road ger camp.
Secret of Silk Road Ger camp with 40 tourist gers.
Modern gers in the camp.
Our ger, again with a modern decorated door. I managed to bang my head multiple times entering/leaving these gers.
Pretty fancy ger, including a cushioned chair- a first.
En suite toilet and shower at this ger camp.
Price list for the various offerings at the camp.
The very large dining room of the camp.
Vodka tonics in funky, crooked glasses. They were so cheap we each had two!
Again a lot of great salads were available on the dinner buffet.
A couple of the main entrees.
Another marvelous Mongolian sunset.
Tomorrow we continue our trip southward toward the Gobi desert.
This morning we leave Ulaanbaatar to begin our exploration of this vast country. But the first order of business was to drive about one hour to Hui Doloon hudag, the horse racing site for Naadam. It is simply an open field with rolling hills, located about 50 km from the city. We will be attending the most important race- 5 year old horses who will be racing 30km across the steppes. The riders are boys and girls aged 5-13! And they used to ride bareback, now use saddles and helmets for safety reasons. Horses and riders trot out the 30 km, turn around and immediately race back. Those horses must really be something to handle those distances. The top 5 winning riders get school supplies and a medal while the owner of the horse and trainers get free apartments, cars and money! Seems a bit unfair to me but everyone seems happy with the system.
Our touring vehicles turned out to be late model Lexus SUVs! We had three vehicles (3 people each plus driver) and rotated drivers and vehicles each day. Maggie always rode in the lead vehicle which then held 4 people.
What was unbelievable was how many people come out to watch these races; Maggie said up to 800, 000 people come here. It has a county fair kind of vibe- games, food, drinks (airag) and partying! We arrived early to absorb the experience, ate some more Naadam fried pancakes and worked our way down to the area of the finish line where thousands of people jockeyed for viewing locations. And then, it was over in a blink of an eye and people either went back to partying or like us tried to leave the venue, which turned out to be a major problem as it took us 1.5 hours to leave the parking area and get back to the paved roadway.
Parking everywhere you look. Might be a real challenge finding our vehicle when we want to leave.
Many people camp overnight at the site of the Naadam horse races.
Local family enjoying their breakfast while waiting for the horse race to end.
Most people drive to the site. Others simply ride their horses.
Carnival like atmosphere here.
Wonder what he is cooking. Looks pretty elaborate.
Souvenirs and candy for sale.
This sheep will soon be part of a restaurant offering.
Cool, remote controlled (by the parent) cars for rent.
Not sure what the object of this game is.
Camel rides are available.
Dressed in her party finery!
One of dozens of pop-up restaurants here.
A ger restaurant. Note how they allow air circulation by opening the lower portion of the ger.
Enjoying another hot fresh Naadam specialty-Huushuur, the deep fried meat pie. It was really good!
Scott had to try the horse meat and chicken offering. The horsemeat tasted like beef to me.
Now that looks like a fun slide!
Hmmm. Seems there were more adults than kids on the train ride.
The crowd is huge! Supposedly up to 800,000 people show up for these races.
Spraying the spectators with a water mist right before the horse riders show up.
Here come the leaders. It goes real fast! I am amazed at the endurance of these horses, running like that for over 15 miles.
Ten minutes after the race leaders/ winners showed up the stands were empty!
Messing with the crowd after the race. The kids loved getting wet.
Yes, we were there.
Cars and people everywhere.
Trying to leave the parking area after the horse race. It took us 1.5 hours to reach the road!
We stopped at a local ger camp for a late lunch before heading further south, stopping for awhile to watch a local nomadic family milking the mares in their herd; the milk is then used to make their alcoholic airag drink. It is a fairly complicated process. The mare’s foal will start nursing to start the milk flow, then is pulled aside for the nomad to continue collecting the milk. The foal is left touching the mare during the process. The foal is allowed to resume feeding once the milking process is completed. This milking occurs 8-9 times a day from mid-June to October!
Note dirt tracks which serve as roads when off the paved highway, which are few and far between. Surprisingly the dirt roads are in good shape and we often were traveling at 40 mph or so on them.
The dining hall at the lunch stop ger camp.
Our lunch stop. Unusual decor in the dining room.
Chicken nuggets and meatballs for lunch.
Our French lady pouring hot water for tea.
Now that looks like a fun camping rig!
Locals gathering at the local watering hole for some swimming and probably washing of clothes.
A large herd of cashmere goats and sheep enjoying the delicacies of Mongolia grasslands. By the way, the goats and sheep do not interbreed!
Pick out your next cashmere sweater. Mongolia supplies most of the cashmere to the world.
The expansive steppes of Mongolia. Treeless as far as the eye can see.
The small herd of mare horses and their foals, waiting to be milked.
The nomad lady milking a mare.
Scott handing out hard candy to this ger family.
Maggie asking the children how old they were. They were very polite.
We arrived at our first stay in a ger camp around 7PM. It was surprisingly modern with nice beds, very clean restrooms and showers. There was even electricity available 24 hours. Our ger experience begins!
Genghis Khan revered the sky, I can see why. The cloud formations are ever changing and marvelous.
Our first sign of the real “rock”!
Our first ger camp experience. It was located 102 miles from Ulaanbaatar and 3 miles from a real road.
The ger camp had 37 gers for tourists.
The way luggage is deleivered to your ger by young people working at the camps.
The main dining ger and wash facilities at the camp.
The central dining ger.
Our home, away from home.
Modern day gers have elaborate wooden doors, rather than the canvas of old.
Furnishings were basic but adequate. It was cool at night so a blanket was provided. We did not need the stove.
This ger had electricity 24/7. Not all of them will.
Modern, clean toilets with lots of toilet paper!
Showers were good, although most did not provide soap or washclothes.
Very modern bathrooms.
Typical buffet selections. The potatoes were excellent.
Surprisingly good salads and kimchee.
The beer here was cold and cheap.
Nearby hill that Scott climbed after dinner.
Sunset on our first night on the steppes of Mongolia.
