Blogs from Gobi Desert, Mongolia, Asia - page 2

After Hustai National Park my plan was to go to the Ikh Nartiin Chuulu Nature Reserve east of Ulan Baatar. It has one of the highest populations of Pallas' cats so there's as good a chance there of seeing one as anywhere. It is also the Mongolian stronghold for argali. There are argali at Hustai as well, but when I was there I was told there were only six or seven of them in the park so I didn't try looking (apparently there are no ibex at Hustai either, despite it being on their checklist and website). There are two camps at Ikh Nart, one catering pretty much solely to Mongolians and Chinese, and the other run by Nomadic Journeys and catering mainly to Western tourists. Obviously the latter is the more expensive, but from what ... read more

Food is included in our tour, so I don't have to worry about cooking anything, it arrives (literally) on a plate. The meals prepared by our tour guide are loosely based on Western food, but when we stay with nomadic families we eat whatever the family is eating, there is no choice. On arrival at a new family we are always welcomed into the family ger and offered tea and snacks from a bowl, usually sweets or a bread that looks like a doughnut but tastes drier and breadier, or a snack made from dried curds, which tastes of strong, salty cheese. The tea is milk from the family's herd which is heated in a large bowl first thing in the morning, salted and then kept in a Thermos flask for use throughout the day. It ... read more

Welcome to Mongolia The smell of cooking pork was slightly stronger than the stench of cigarette smoke when I woke at 9am. The rhythmic motion of the train was relaxing and I slept well all night. Chaos in the corridor this morning with an overnight influx of Mongolian tradesman I can only assume going to market. Within half an hour they were off the train and peace had returned. The commandant has a small area where she cooks for herself and any other passengers she likes. There is a large fridge freezer in her room and a sink with a good flow of water for her exclusive use! One of the cabins was stacked full of new ikea furniture (very dated black ash) all in the packaging on route I suspect to a Ger camp somewhere. ... read more

Day 1 Fully loaded we were glad the weather was good and it wasn't a far walk to the guesthouse where we were meeting our jeep and driver. We'd called in the day before and asked if we could extend the trip to 15 days as 14 would give us 4 days back in UB before our flight which is just too long, there isnt enough to see there and its not an exciting place to just hang out. It was no problem and we asked about the possibility of maybe making it 16 days, agin no problem we just had to tell the driver as he'd have a scheduled break after so wouldn't be heading straight out with someone else. Rush hour in UB is a daunting driving experience. We went past 2 accidents and ... read more

La segunda parte de mi andadura por Mongolia fue igual o mejor que la primera. La dinámica es casi siempre la misma. Nos levantamos a las 8:30h. más o menos, nos traen el desayuno, recogemos los bártulos, montamos en la furgo y listos. Al final le pillas el tranquillo a los viajes “revienta-espaldas” en la furgoneta, pero cuesta lo suyo. De hecho, yo este día lo hice de copiloto porque no me apetecía pasar el mal rato de mareo que tuve el día anterior. Ahora estoy recordando cómo fue ese desplazamiento y la verdad es que el aspecto general del grupo daba un poco de lástima. La chica holandesa con una resaca del quince (naúseas, mareos…) a punto “morirsen”, uno de los franceses mareado perdido y un servidor que no le iba a la zaga… en ... read more