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Published: July 31st 2010
23rd July 2010
http://www.mongoliacanoeing.com
We were picked up in two old Russian vans and we drove for about 8 hours to get to the drop off point at the river. It’s great that there is day light here till 10pm or we’d have been putting up our tents in the dark.
We set up camp and had dinner. Super Mario was straight down to the river’s edge with his fishing rod, closely followed by his apprentice, Sid. We had a hard time convincing them to join us for dinner - but then there was a catch….. a catfish. Apparently not big enough and it was thrown back in!!!!! There was great excitement when Sid found a snake by the door of Angelica and Super Mario’s tent…… only a green grass snake, but not the kind of thing you want to find in your sleeping bag.
24th July 2010
Day 1 on the river
We broke camp, had brekkie and sorted out where the bags, tents and food were going on each canoe. The river was high so we were traveling at speed. The countryside was beautiful- lots of flat plains with wild horses on the riverbank and
Fishing.....
No luck this time :(sheep and goats. After three hours we stopped for lunch and were introduced to German Bratwurst (sausage). The weather was hot and Sid wanted to swim, so we tied a rope onto a life vest in case he got dragged away with the current. He enjoyed walking against the current all the while being watched by the cows lolling in the water. We still had 3 more hours of canoeing before stopping to set up camp that afternoon. It was a tiny spot under trees and we just about got the tents up before it started to rain. We got a campfire lit, but retreated after dinner when the rain got heavier. The heavy rain during the night could not deter our sleep - we were exhausted after 6 hours of paddling!
25th July 2010
Day 2 on the river
We woke up to a grey sky, which was full of rain. Gana tried to warm us up with a pot of porridge and tea/coffee, but it was raining and cold and packing up a wet tent is just not fun. We set sail in the lashing rain and paddled hard for 3 hours. At that stage Sid
Our drop off point
This is how you get good mobile phone reception! was utterly freezing and wet. We stopped for lunch and Nigel found an unused wooden holiday home behind the trees, so we had lunch out of the rain in a warm-er environment. Meanwhile Super Mario had made a roaring fire and we dried our clothes beside it. Nobody wanted to go further- we were happy to sleep in the holiday home - it was a wooden structure with 8 wooden beds which was far more appealing that setting up a wet tent again. However, the rain stopped- we were all dry and fed and watered so we got back on the canoes.
Again, 3-4 more hours of paddling before we camped for the night. But this time the campsite was a huge wide open field by the river with lots of cows and wild horses. We were treated to a lovely sunset and all was well with the world once again when we lit a campfire and broke open the beers…… A great finish to a shite start to the day, topped off by Super Mario catching a catfish that he deemed large enough to eat! Fresh fish for lunch tomorrow!!!!!
26th July 2010
Day 3 on the
Too small????
The catfish that Super Mario thought was too small! river
We woke up to blazing sunshine-yay! We set off singing and ready for the 3 hours of paddling before lunch, but getting weary of all the hard work! Today was the day we were to go through the rapids, so the German lads were excited about the adventure ahead. We ate Mario’s fish for lunch, which was delicious, and then it was time to strap everything down.
The terrain changed dramatically with big rock formations either side of the river and we spotted a green snake in the water by the rocks. There were lots and lots of rapids over the next couple of hours and at one stage we canoed straight into a big wave that filled our boat with a foot of water. We had to pull over and bail the water out before continuing. It was hard paddling for 4 hours and our arms were beginning to ache. The campsite we stopped at was near to a Ger camp and Nigel and Sid went over to say hi. A 'Ger' is a big white tent over a wooden frame that the locals live in. The beds are around the outside of the tent and
The locals come to see us off.
Gana our guide gives the locals some sweets. they are used as sofas during the day, and the stove is in the middle. It is customary for locals to invite anyone who drops by inside to eat and drink without question….. a friendly bunch, the Mongolians! Nigel and Sid got treated to ‘yummy’ milk tea, yoghurt, milk cakes and mare’s milk. The little girl was very cute and helped her Dad to make a home brew - fermented mare's milk (not for the faint hearted).
27th July 2010
Day 4 on the river
The hard work was over- we had broken the back of the distance so we were promised a few easy days on the river. The sun was out and we paddled for an hour before stopping at another Ger camp to talk to the locals. They owned 180 horses and Sid got to have a ride. The horses were beautiful, all standing together under the trees out of the heat. There were lots of flys annoying them so they spent their days nodding their heads. We stopped soon after for lunch and we all went for a dip. It was nice feeling ‘clean’ again! We adopted the German lad’s philosophy of ‘floating’ rather
than paddling down the river as you get there in the end with the current…… so after an hour of floating and an hour of paddling we reached our camp for the night. Mario caught another big fish in the evening which will be served for lunch tomorrow.
28th July 2010
Day 5 on the river
Another beautiful day! We relaxed and took our time going down the river again, most of us with our feet up letting the river take us slowly while we took in the magnificent landscape. At lunch time we stopped for lunch near a Ger and a nice young lad gave us a ride on his horse and Sid got to ride his bike too! There was livestock everywhere and camels too. We arrived at 12pm and Angelica and Mario were to be picked up as they had a train to catch to Beijing. After lunch Gana was worried as it was 3pm and still no sign of the van. The sun was hot and Sid was happy playing in the water for hours. Others took refuge under an overturned canoe in the shade. The locals galloped by on their horses and stopped
Sid in for a dip!
We attached a rope to his life vest so we wouldn't lose him. for photos with our canoes. Eventually the owner’s wife turned up in her own car - the van had broken down. We said our goodbyes and paddled off to find our camp for the night. There were just 2 boats now as the cook left too and Gana jumped in the lads’ boat.
The lads remained horizontal and on holiday ‘floating’ mode while Gana did all the paddling. It wasn’t long before we got to the site. Ernst, a German man owns the company, so there was lots of Bratwurst and delicious cheese for breakfast, lunch- and….. dinner. If I never see another German sausage again it will be too soon.
29th July 2010
Day 6 - last day on the river
Our last day on the river was a beautiful day. We were due to meet the van at 12pm at the bridge and it was only 3 hours downstream. We made it on time and had a quick snack after loading the boats onto the roof since lunch was 2 hours away. The road was really rough dirt track and we were on it for hours. After 3 hours we had to cross a tiny
Sid battles the current.
And the cows look on.... stream and the van got stuck in the mud! It took 2 hours to unload everything and get someone to pull us out and then reload……. Back on the dirt track for another few hours and then - at last - tarmac……. Never thought I would appreciate tarmac so much! We stopped for a very late lunch at 4pm…. and celebrated tarmac with a few beers. The driver was getting weary and seemed to be petrified of oncoming traffic in the dark, so at 11pm when we still hadn’t reached the city, Nigel asked / demanded that we stop and camp in a field rather than die in a car crash…... so we pitched the tents in a random field and transferred the sleeping Sid into bed.
30th July 2010
Back in UB
It had been a bitterly cold night, and morning- so we packed our tents quickly and drove the last 2 hours into UB. We got to the hostel at 10am and booked in. The hot water pipes had been turned off in the district- Noooooooooooo which meant after 8 days of camping- we couldn’t have a hot shower….. luckily it was possible to walk down
My favourite campsite!
This was the same afternoon of the dreadful morning of rain.... the campsite was full of wild horses, cows, goats, sheep... the street to ‘Holiday Sauna’ and for a small fee of $2 you can shower for 30 mins….. I used up every minute and it was only guilt of water wastage that got me out in the end…. Nigel and Sid went to see ‘Despicable Me’ in 3D at the cinema while I went to SOS to see a doctor about the fungus that has taken over between my toes….apparently only athlete’s foot- but it hurts like hell. We packed our bags for our next adventure - going to the National park to travel from Ger to Ger.
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