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Published: August 12th 2010
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3rd August 2010
Freedom camping in Terijl National Park
We caught the ‘mad’ bus to the National Park and went further into the park this time and got off at the village. We had rented tents, roll mats and sleeping bags but we didn’t have any cooking facilities so needed to be near restaurants. The river was right beside the bus stop and we took our shoes off and waded across to the other side to look for a camping spot. The river wasn’t deep where we crossed, but it was ice cold. We didn’t have to walk far before we found the perfect spot with logs spanning the river making a natural playground. We made a great fire and had toasted Tuna sandwiches. Some locals turned up in the afternoon with 4 kids and the parents spoke perfect English. All the kids played our Junior Monopoly game with some assistance and they kindly boiled up some river water for us so we enjoyed our cup-a-soups. The Mongolian family packed up at 9pm when the wind and rain came and drove back to UB- we retreated into our tent.
4th August 2010
The day the sun never came out
Skinning a goat!
Fascinating viewing... What a day! We woke up to a grey dull sky and a bitter wind and it lasted all day- it was freezing!!!!! The wood was too wet from the night before to light a fire, so the only way to stay warm was to go for an adventure walk, and off we went…. The highlight of the walk was finding 2 guys skinning a goat behind a Korean restaurant. Sid was bothered at all, even when they sliced open his stomach and separated the internal organs into 2 bowls ‘stuff we’ll eat’ and ‘stuff we won’t eat’- I was amazed at some of the stuff that made in into the former! Sid asked “Do they drink the blood?” as they scooped cups of it into a bowl….. and I replied, “Yes, Vampires and Koreans drink blood”…. I could be wrong???? We had a delicious warm lunch in the restaurant and reluctantly left to brave the bitter winds again. Nigel and Sid made a rope swing and then we had another game of Monopoly inside the tent….. that was when someone nicked our rope- it was not a good day! Sid tried his hand at fishing in the river
Insides 'n' all
It was a full show.... since the local lads were having great success, but as Sid was casting out, their dog ate his bait (a slice of bread) and a fish cunningly ate the bread off the hook without getting caught- I’ll say it again- it was not a good day! Sid gave up and came home. We managed to find some dry wood, so we started up a roaring fire and practically sat in it to keep warm. We roasted potatoes and had a hearty dinner of Tuna and potatoes. I went to bed with Sid to keep warm.
5th August 2010
Time, time, time????
So, have you ever heard of the campers that went camping with no watch, or any other appliance that tells time but needed to catch the only bus back at 8am??? Well, it goes a bit like this- “Shit, what time do you think it is????”, “I have no idea, we’d better get up, it’s light”. So, we got up and I kid you not - there was frost on the ground. We packed up the tent etc, and crossed the bridge (logs spanning the river) to get to the other side. I went first and was
Sid's rope swing...
It was nicked shortly after this photo..... :( slipping all over the place so I ended up practically on my hands and knees all the way over. Nigel who hadn’t spotted the frost at this stage thought I had turned into the biggest rehab ever until he placed his first foot on the icy log. Anyway, 5 minutes later we entered the lobby of the hotel to see the clock…… 5.36am it read!!!!! Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…… luckily, the hotel lobby was toasty and furnished with 2 sofas, so we snuggled down and woke up at 7.40am (luckily), just in time for the bus. We arrived back to the West Hotel, which was a bit like returning home with friendly faces and everyone knows your name. The Spanish crew who are making a documentary about Mongolia were still there and asked if they could interview us for the show and what it’s like travelling in Mongolia with Sid etc. We were fresh off the mad bus after a couple of disastrous days; greasy hair, spotty faces and looked a mess, but hey ho, we may be famous yet ☺ Happy Birthday Mum!!!!!
We got a taxi to the train station and boarded the to Ulan Ude at 9pm and again
Hot potatoes, hot potatoes....
Baked potatoes and tuna served in a soft cheese container- yum! had a carriage to ourselves; our luck was changing….. in fact the whole carriage was half full. We fell into bed, exhausted and leaving Mongolia thinking that we’ll be back someday, after all, Nigel still hadn’t seen eagles hunting. Goodbye Mongolia, for now!
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Mum
non-member comment
Mongolia
Loved your blog and travelling with you. It's amazing. You will be glad to get back to a soft bed. Sid is a treasure. Keep living the dream. See you soon. Love and miss you.xxxxx