Blogs from Mongolia, Asia - page 16

The next morning we were awoken by a 03:30 alarm call ("Hello, get up now please") so we could get our 04:10 taxi to the station to catch the Mongolia bound train. This was actually a Mongolian train (Mongolian carriages and staff) and we were sharing our cabin with a Mongolian lad who was studying in Moscow. Fortunately for us he spoke passable English so we could talk, but unfortunately for him every conductor on the train was using him to translate for other Western tourists. Still, he didn't seem to mind and seemed on good terms with everyone. Also in our carriage was a Dutch couple who had just got married and were travelling the trans-siberian for their honeymoon. We spent most of the time chatting to those guys, and we also spend the afternoon ... read more

Geo: 45.6601, 104.7Now that DH had ticked off her bucket list item of watching Mongolian beefcakes in speedo's wrestling with each other it was time to address a couple of things I wanted to do. I'm a little further along the maturation cycle than DH so I wasn't looking for Mongolian women wrestling in speedo's (so it was indeed fortunate that it wasn't part of the Naadaam festival??) but I did want to venture into the legendary Gobi Desert and spend a night in a traditional Mongolian abode, the Ger. Add in a sighting of a two humped camel, and a couple of other desert inhabitants and I'd be as giddy as DH at wrestling ringside. The Gobi desert, one of the world's great deserts, covers much of the southern part of Mongolia. Unlike the Sahara ... read more

Geo: 47.9214, 106.906Mongolia, the world's second-largest landlocked country after Kazakhstan, has proven to be a very large jump-start to our travel batteries. As we've wandered aimlessly through Asia, we've been amazed by the kaleidoscope of spectacular experiences offered up by each area we've visited but at the same time there always seemed to be an underlying similarity- a common bond. Not so in Mongolia. The architecture, fashion of the day, landscape, and even the food stand in sharp contrast to our earlier travels. The spoken and written language is also very different, the look and stature of the people is quite a change from their smaller Asian neighbours, and even the character and demeanor is a cold shower when compared to the unbridled warmth and hospitality we had experienced in much of Asia. Apparently you have ... read more

It is Tuesday May 29,2012 and I am packing and getting organized to leave for Hong Kong on Friday. The plan is to visit Hong Kong and Macau for 2 days ,then fly to Taiwan where I have a downhill bike adventure and mountain hike booked for the Tarako Gorge. After Taiwan it will be back to Hong Kong for the flight to Mongolia on June 7th. Total team size this trip is 14 and a number of people are doing lots of pre-build exploring. In addition after the build some of us are going to Russia to take the Trans-Siberian RR to Vladivostok and then home via Japan. One more sleep and then the long trip to Hong Kong starts-early ferry (0615) then bus and skytrain to YVR , then 13 hours on plane etc. ... read more

On tour for three days with Red (Singapore), Erica and Sharon (Sweden) our first destination was Kharkorum. This involved a seven hour journey in a delapidated mini bus on one of the few roads that exist in Mongolia. The scenery was superb with a variety of colours, it often looked as if someone had painted the backdrop. The countryside was covered with herds of goats, cows, horses and sheep. On the first day we had a close encounter with a group of camels who were very obliging when it came to taking photos. Thinking that the camels looked a bit shabby Red assured us that's what they always look like. We continued along empty but incredibly bumpy roads arriving at our accomodation - a ger - early evening. A ger is traditional accommodation - a round ... read more