Mongolian Tour: Gobi and Sub-Gobi Desert PART 2

Both the desert and ice canyon in one day!

I still cannot quite wrap by mind around the fact we saw an ice canyon surround by the Gobi desert.  I understand the process that created it, but it just doesn’t fit with what you expect to find in the middle of a desert! We had a lovely walk around the area and had a competition to see whose icy hands would fall off first...naturally. The area in which we stayed was often a highlight of our days for me, especially when goats on barrels were involved!

Camels and singing sand dunes

Sometimes it is easy to forget just how long we spent on the road. Some days it was as much as 8 hours but it probably averaged around 6 hours. To get to the wonders of Mongolia a long time in a vehicle and a very bumpy road is not only necessary, but part of the experience. I loved the way we stopped off to talk to passing parties. 

One of our many roadside chats

After a morning driving we reached a family that herded camels. The children were again gorgeous and the camels were willing to take us on their backs! Due to the season you really only had to lightly touch the camel and its hair came off in your hand. 

Our ride on the two-humped camels through the desert was enjoyable but I am glad it was not longer than a half hour. Our destination was the GREAT 2015 CLIMBING THE SAND DUNES CHALLENGE. It was really hard going. We kept thinking we were close only to go a bit further and realise there was a lot more hill left to climb, and it was only getting steeper. I think our camel guide left us at the hardest bit as a joke! Eventually Sarah had enough and started to walk back to the ger. The rest of us, perhaps stupidly, persevered ten steps at a time. Not only did the sand in our shoes and clothes weigh us down but it really felt like 3 steps forwards 2 steps sinking back. We were well and truly rewarded at the top.

The "singing" sand dunes were known for the tremendous noise that occurred when you ran down the dunes, displacing sand as you went:

~ TO BE CONTINUED~

Mongolian Tour: Gobi and Sub-Gobi Desert PART 1

Warning: Mongolia is stunning and the photos will not reflect this. (Except perhaps the quantity of photos!)

Reading Rock Maps

On the first day of our big Mongolian trip began we met Bimba, our guide, and Batar, our driver then hopping into our Russian van, we set off. We had already met Sarah, fellow Australian, online and in Beijing. Again leaving UB, we were surprised at how quickly the city shifted from buildings to gers and were content to stare out the windows, podcasts reserved for future days. 

Our van, Rob stretching and Bimba

Aside from some stunning cliff sides, almost being crushed by a rock and sleeping with fox skins and wolf hides hanging over my head in our first ger experience, our favourite moment was when Bimba and Batar left us in the van to check out the “map” we imagined was on the rocks they examined. You see, in Mongolia you aren’t driving on a road most of the time. There is no signage, no obvious landmarks (well, to us) and at this point we were already wondering how on earth Batar was navigating. It is still a bit of a mystery really, however we can confirm that they were checking for rock paintings, not roadside directions!

Our first day amongst the beauty of the Gobi

Top of the world

This hapenned

Roadside directions (or rock paintings)

Dreaming of foxes and wolves for some reason

Camel dung to fuel our fire

Looking for open spaces? Come here!

The White Stupa

On the second day of our tour we met Tasha, a lovely Canadian, who after teaching in South Korea was joining our Monoglian trip before heading back home. We were also lucky enough to meet some beautiful camels before visiting a spectacular cliffside that was named the white stupa due to its shape. We arrived relatively early to meet the family we were staying with on our second day. This allowed us time to have a desert tea party and enjoy the beautiful blue skies and the superior Mongolian clouds (they are surely the best in the world!). It was also here that we first appreciated the fun that can be had with the country kids and the miraculous views of oncoming weather that the Mongolian landscapes afford you.

Woolly wise camel

Camel and his teeth!

The White Stupa 

The White Stupa from the top

Tea-party (toilet in background)

Cheeky child we stayed with

Fun and games

Sunset...as midnight approaches

Rob with a fair bit of walking ahead of him!

Animal sunset

TO BE CONTINUED...