So here is a recap of some stories from each day:
Day 1 from Ulaanbaatar: Camp Sheep Shelter
Our first day on the road to Inner Mongolia was a short one. We left late in the day from Ulaanbaatar, after running around all day getting final stuff for the road, we only did 75km, then Cory's chain broke, and we decided to camp as it was getting rainy. We ended up camping in an abandoned Sheep Shelter (Cory set up his tent there, Petar and I went over the hill). We spent some time that night banging Petar's Panniers back into shape.
75km today
Day 2 from Ulaanbaatar: Camp Snake Hole
Ok, they weren't snake holes, but were mice holes , but we thought it was scarier if they were snakes. We had a decent day driving, 350km today, and saw some incredible scenery. We stopped at a Nature Preserve to try and see some wild horses. Cory and I have seen lots of wild horses in Canada, but Petar and his father Rotko, who has joined us for this section of the trip, had not, so we took a 100km side detour and drove through this beautiful protected area.
350km Today
Day 3 from Ulaanbaatar: Karakoram Monastery
We spent the day at the Karakoram Monastery (Erdene Zuu), which was first built in 1585, but destroyed by the communists in 1939. In 1990, after the fall of communism in Mongolia, it was again turned over to the monks and it became a working Monastery, as well as a tourist attraction. It is the oldest, and largest Monastery in Mongolia.
drawing a crowd in the parking lot as usual. Everywhere we go, the Monglians love our bikes.
When we were at the Monastery, Rotko (Petar's Dad) had met a Mongolian singer 5 years earlier when he was here before. After about 5 minutes, we found him, and he was so happy to see Rotko again (Rotko had brought with him some pictures from their first meeting), that he immediately invited us back to his restaurant, and insisted on putting on a show with his entire band, and back up dancers. So there was the 4 of us (Cory, Tim, Petar and Rotko) and we enjoyed a private 30 minute concert by this incredibly gifted band. He also wasn't just a singer, but a Mongolian throat singer, which, until you have heard it, cannot be described. They sing from their throat, so initially is sounds like a low grumbling. Until you hear the melody coming from him, that sounds like a beuaiful flute. I have no words to describe it, but Cory and I were both blown away, and were looking around for the flute player when he started singing. We video taped the entire concert with two camera's, so we are hoping that the audio picks up this incredible performance.
If that wasn't enough, our waitress from 10 minutes before came out, and proceeded to do the most incredible contortionist routine, where she literally put her butt on the back of her head. To say we were impressed is an understatement.
231 Km Today
Day 4 from Ulaanbaatar: Karakoram to Arvaikheer
After we left Karakoram, we traveled to Arvaikheer, a small town. We stayed in a hotel that night, with some good security for the bikes. We spent most of the day dodging the rain, which we were dreading on the earthern Mongolian roads. We were successful, and it ended up making for some great pictures, as the sky was black, but we were travelling in the sunshine.
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