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

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The road to Olgii was 150 km of loose dirt with some sand. The bike rode well, either because the road wasn’t that bad or I’m getting better at riding it. Probably the former, but you definitely need to be in the mood for it – and this morning I didn’t mind.

North of the mountains the scenery changed, with trees visible for the first time in 10 days. There was a fairly large river running along the road for a while, that was unexpected but impressive all the same – especially after being in the high desert for so long.

There’s some debate as to whether the road to the Russian border is tarmac or not. If it is, then I’ve got an easy run in the morning. If not, then the last 150km of Mongolia will be tough, but the light is definitely visible at the end of the tunnel!

The tarmac road ran out as I turned left, taking the pass over the mountains. The road turned to small rocks, the kind that bump steer the front and rear wheels. I could see why Sara said she didn’t like it, but it was better then sand! Ken’s monoshock has leaked all the oil out, so with no dampening he must have had a hard time funding traction.

The pass was hard work. We climbed to over 8800ft, starting from around 1500. Some of the climbs were a bit steep (I’ve never been in first gear for so long), but nothing too serious. By the time we got to the top it was raining, but not much. The views were worth it though.

There were a couple more high passes before the descent into Olgii this morning. We camped just over one of the passes, in sight of the white capped mountains. Beautiful!

Malcolm is from Scotland but lives in Melbourne with Sara. When I asked them about their trip they said “we’re just riding home – Scotland to Melbourne”. Funny that, I’m doing the same in reverse.

Like I always said, there’s nothing special doing here. Just a bloke riding home, like so many other people.

They asked if we’d meet a couple of Ozzie’s riding DR650s by any chance. Ron and Dean? Yes. We’d also met the English journalist Jamie, riding a V-Strom for a bike magazine article. So many people are traveling and we’ve met lots of them.

Nice to meet you guys, have a good trip home.

Camping by the lake was great, but we couldn’t get the bikes right down to the edge. The sand was very deep and soft. Ken had a go and got bogged down, but we managed to push him out. We parked on a dirt road and carried our stuff over.

We’d been there about 10 minutes when we spotted a couple of touring bikes on the tarmac. We waved at them and they turned onto the dirt about 2km further on. A man and woman rode up towards us taking English.

Malcolm and Sara were great to meet, good company for the night. They’d just covered the ground we’re going towards, so we swapped info on our respective ways. There’s a very high pass we’ll be on shortly, over 8000ft. The roads will be mostly rocks, sounds great fun!

True to the legend, we found the tarmac road. Not just any tarmac road, but the smoothest, straightest road I’ve ever been on. Running for 200km from nowhere to Ulaangom, I counted three cars the entire way.

The road just starts. No signs or anything. It just starts out of the dirt track, amazing. More alarmingly, going the other way it just ends. No warning, just a fantastic road that turns to dust, literally, without warning.

I’ve no idea who decides which roads get made here, but whoever it was – thank you! After 70 km or so we found a great lake, so we camped by the side of it. We watched an UAZ Jeep pull up, about the size of a Suzuki vitara. I counted a staggering 11 Mongolians get out for a swim!