 The stunning Mongolian countryside |
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As you can imagine, after our previous experiences we were more than excited to get started on our trip. After shopping around we decided that our new tour would be with the tour company, Golden Gobi. Mainly because we had only heard great things about them, the were fairly cheap and they could leave the next day. What's more, we even found three fellow travelers who also wanted to leave the next day with us - We couldn't wait.
In total we would be four Brits (two girls two guys) two Mongolian men (driver and guide) one Israeli (Oded had his work cut out for him :-) a great big Russian van and a huge trunk full of food!! We were all set to go...
Although the pictures are the best way to show this beautiful and different country, I will give a general overview of our amazing experiences.
We set off from UB with the plan to do a huge circle up to Khovsgol Lake (Northern Mongolia), heading back round through Great White Lake, areas of hotsprings, open countryside and Mongol Els (sand dunes), until reaching UB once again. Some nights we camped in the stunning countryside, simply driving on country hills, stopping in the most deserted areas and pitching our tents. Other nights we met local nomadic families and were welcomed into their Gers (traditional nomadic Mongolian homes- see pics!) for a small insight into their lives and traditions.
Here we were often served:
Mongolian tea - which is basically like milky English tea, but very salty!! - (not too much to our taste)
Delicious sweet yogurt that everyone wolfed up resulted in many of us running to the toilet for the next day or two after!
And dried out cheese of every shape/texture and colour - very interesting and often tasty once you got used to it! Each family provided us with a Ger of our own, where in the centre the fire burned throughout the night keeping the five of us warm and cosy over many games of cards, charades and the like.
On the way up North we stopped at a huge Manchurian temple that stood in the middle of nothing but beautiful open hills.
Whilst at Khovsgol lake we enrolled in two days of horseback trekking. The open vastness of countryside allowed us to gallop away into the distance (Oded loved this and got pretty good at it - I on the other hand did not feel too confident about placing my life in the hands of what seemed to be a beaten horse!) - nonetheless, a great (albeit painful due to the saddles) couple of days.
At the White Lake we relaxed in the sun and swam in the slightly less than freezing river before heading off to the well needed hot springs. Finally on our way back we stopped at lovely sand dunes to take in a bit of Gobi scenery, without actually venturing into the Gobi.
Unfortunetly, Friday proved an unlucky day also this week. Oded and I rented a motorbike which we soon came to realized had dodgy breaks. it resulted in us having a small accident but luckily coming out with nothing other than a few bruises here and there. Whilst we are both fine and no real damage was done we would advise everyone to be really careful when playing around in the countryside. The equipment is not always working 100% as it should and you are hours if not days away from a hospital....
Not to worry - not more motorcycles for us this trip :-)
I think it is safe to say that whilst the places we visited were wonderful, what really made our tour was our incredible tour guide and the tour company. Our guide, Goto, was the best local guide we've had and we'd warmly recommend him to anyone going to Mongolia. His email is gobiguide@yahoo.com and just mention our name. He is a terrific cook too, and every lunch and dinner was different soup, rice or pasta dish, despite the harsh cooking conditions in the middle of nowhere. Everything was included (guide/meals/driver/gas/accommodation) for $49/day which we thought was pretty fair for what we were getting, especially considering the driver and guide were top-notch. We 100% recommend 'Golden Gobi Tours' and especially Goto to anyone going to the area. We ended our last day with a ride to the airport to catch our plane back to Beijing. although we had a great time, we thought it would be best to end it here, just in case there would be any last minute troubles occurring in UB ;-)
In summary: The tour company and tour guide should be the number 1 priority when choosing a trip in Mongolia. As soon as you leave UB you are surrounded with so much open vastness and beautiful scenery that I don't think it really even matters where exactly you go. Whatever you choose it's sure to be a unique and special experience.
A few pages of pictures this time, from our 11 days in the country side
2 Comments - Add Public Comment or Send Private Message
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August 7th 2007 - Kunal Shah: strange....
Oded, have u decided to sack off Microsoft and work for Golden Gobi Tours....
August 7th 2007 - bob: wow
what a wonderfull place.i really want go to mongolia
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2 Comments - Add Public Comment or Send Private Message
August 7th 2007 - Kunal Shah: strange....
Oded, have u decided to sack off Microsoft and work for Golden Gobi Tours....
August 7th 2007 - bob: wow
what a wonderfull place.i really want go to mongolia
All Comments
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