We came into Kosh Agats, looking for a guestinitza – ideally one with a Mongolia rally car or two outside. With Mongolia sim cards and a few tegreg left over, we’d be happy to donate them. Little Dom gave us his left over Tegreg and we wanted to pay it forward, to keep the karma going.

Outside the tourist guestinitza there was a group of people having a drink. We got talking and we all got on very well. It started to look like it was going to be a belter of a night! When I got round to enquiring about a room it was fully booked 😦 We got directions to another place from a young lad who spoke his English, then said our goodbyes.

Before we left the lady gave us all a hand knitted hat! They’re really comfy, and now that my hair is very short it’s perfect. All the guys were wearing them, like some kind of cult. It was very generous of them, so we reciprocated with gifts of our own – cards and pin badges. Nice!

Mother Russia welcomed us into her bosom with great weather and scenery, as if in direct competition with Mongolia. The start of the Altai mountains are spectacular, and I’m sure there’s more to come. The big difference here is, you can actually take your eyes off the road for more than 2 seconds to enjoy it!

We rode through amazing gorges, canyons and alongside rivers as we descended from over 6000ft to around 3000. As my thoughts wondered, I realised that I’ve ridden my bike higher than I’ve ever flown a hang glider. I’d never have thought that, I guess I didn’t quite get to the peak of flying – it was still pretty awesome though.

Just across the border was a Russian listening post. The radars were spinning and energised, as Ken could hear the pulse through his vox. I’m not sure what they were looking for, the Mongolian air force is organic as far as I know! Maybe incursions from China through Mongolian airspace?

It was pretty weird though, as we were in a valley and the dishes weren’t raised of the ground. Maybe they were training radar operators?

Either way, they didn’t have any tanks for sale so we moved on.

There are lies, damned lies etc etc. Well here are my statistics for Mongolia:

2,326km (800 on tarmac, the rest on dirt)
The central route in 10 Days
0 Brake pad changes
1 Oil Change
1 Oil Filter Change
0 Spark Plug Changes
0 Chain Changes
0 Tyre Changes
0 New Headlamp Bulbs
0 Punctures (Mongolia!!!)
0 Breakdowns
1 Accident
0 Fights (excluding Chip)
0 Encounters with the police

The accident didn’t involve anyone else, so technically it was a crash? Both the bike and I have recovered, though I’m glad the big sandy stretches are over. (Except maybe for Kazakhstan??).

Teg 1880 / Ltr – Cheapest petrol ($1.00)
Teg 2000 / Ltr – Most expensive petrol ($1.06)

Total cost – Cheap!

Without doubt, Mongolia has been the unexpected highlight of the trip so far. The one thing that will stay with me is the staggering natural beauty and immense scale of the terrain. Had I been riding solo I might have just dipped into UB and back, staying on the tarmac. That would have been a real shame as I’d certainly have missed all the best bits. So a big thanks to my traveling buddies just for being there. (And taking this awesome picture!).

As for the people and the culture, I’m left with mixed feelings about the future for Mongolia. Little Dom said that the country just needs to sort it’s act out. “If they built one decent road through, the tourism industry would boom and they’d never look back”. That’s certainly true, but I’m not sure it would actually be progress for the people who live there.

To the nomadic tribesmen who herd their cattle, living in gers and taking their families with them, the occasional traveller is a welcome diversion. They’re nothing but welcoming, sharing anything they have and will always make a detour to come and say hello. (Even when hello is the only word they know). They’re fascinated by some of our equipment, obviously stuff they’ve never seen before.

If they do run a decent road through it will change all that. A sudden influx of tourists with cameras, dumb questions and wads of cash would spoil a lifestyle that’s lasted many generations. Already most gers have solar panels and a satellite dish, sometimes a car parked outside. I’m left wondering how much longer their unique culture can last.

As we rode out of Olgii, dozens kids ran out of their gers to wave to us from the side of the road. It was an overwhelming send off. Goodbye Mongolia, whatever the future holds for you, I wish you luck.

OK, guess what song’s been stuck in my head today? Not that it’s a bad song, and given the circumstances a great choice! The road from Olgii to the border was mostly tarmac, just the odd section of dirt – almost as if Mongolia wanted to hang on to me for a little longer.

As we hit the border I realised we’d all made it, safely navigating the central route across Mongolia in 10 days. It was an incredible feeling of elation and one I’ll not forget in a hurry. The riding was challenging, taking me outside of my comfort zone and even chucking me off the bike a couple of times.

I’ve always considered myself an average rider, not the fastest by any means – but safe enough. I suppose my continued existence after 25 years of riding supports that theory. I’m chuffed to bits that I’ve made it, though with hindsight taking an extra couple of days may have kept me on the bike.

I’d do it again, but not for a long while – I need to recover! I’d also encourage anyone considering it to have a go.

Then again, maybe we were just lucky. What is it they say, I’d rather be lucky than good – well who knows??

Sophie
Latitude:49.60934
Longitude:89.46883
GPS location Date/Time:08/22/2014 01:37:36 PDT

Message:Random place of interest along my route….

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