Mongolia !!!!

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February 9, 2008

Mongolia !!!

We made it to Mongolia!!! From our last town of Severobaikalsk on the northern edge of the lake we headed south to the spa" town Og Arshan, looking for hot springs....well we found a spa, but it was mineral springs and people drank the water not soaked in it. We tasted the lovely metallic carbonated health water and that was enough. The town itself was beautiful - set up against some enormous mountains was a small village lined with old log cabins and houses. We did a home stay and lived with 2 older folks who cooked us a great traditional Russian dinner our first night, a day of doing a little hiking and wandering around the town and back off towards Mongolia.

We spent a few days in Ulan-Ude (the third largest city in Eastern Siberia) the starting point to leaving Russia and traveling into Mongolia. We bought some bus tickets to get us into the capital city of Ulaanbaatar and the first day misunderstood where to meet the bus and we saw it leave from across the street. We had to wait for the travel agent to open to get our money back, they were very nice and offered to let us use the tickets for tomorrow, the only other way into Mongolia was on one of several small vans so we decided to wait and pay for another hotel night. The next day, (waiting again at 7am in -25 degree weather) we waited and waited, this time with someone else so we knew we were in the right place, and the bus never came....we were furious.

The lady we were waiting with said we could get into Mongolia with her if we go get a taxi minivan to border, then another taxi across the border, and another to a small town in Mongolia where we could get another driver to take us into Ulaanbaatar. It sounded a little daunting but she spoke Russia and Mongolian and some English se we figured lets go. By 9 am we were on our way crammed into our first of many small minivans.....we got to the city at 7pm after a long, long day, and it was see you later Russia hello Mongolia!

We are in a hostel now with some other Americans and even some girl who says she’s from King Salmon Aklasak!! So where’s that?!?!! Lol….

It’s been so long since we have seen or spoken with anyone else who speaks English that we are overwhelmed by it. People are so much friendlier here in Mongolia. We get the stares but they are now followed with a wave and smile!!!! So different than Russia where the initial surprise was so often followed by a scowl.

So we are off tomorrow with a group from this hostel to our long awaited ice festival, a 20-30 hour drive west from here into the countryside!!!! We are so excited. Mongolia is so beautiful the landscapes are so vast. There are herds of horses, goats, sheep, and yaks are everywhere, and so are the little yurt camps!!!!! (A yurt is a portable, felt-covered, wood lattice-framed dwelling structure used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia.)

The weather has been nice and clear with deep blue skies and lots of space, and I thought Alaska was big.....

As I mentioned earlier, we are going to the ice festival in Lake Khuvsgul which is celebrated on February 12-13. We are on an organized tour (kind of we have a driver and guide I think). We leave tomorrow and will be back in a week, and will catch up with you all then or soon after.

Ned

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