Narantuul Hotel Ulan Bator

... weren’t very nice but it didnt really matter. We chatted to them using Tuul as our translator for an hour or so before heading to bed at 9 o clock (the nomads go to bed early and wake up early)! To be honest, part of me had thought tourists staying with a nomadic family would be a bit gimmicky and awkward but it wasn’t at all - partly because there simnply are no hostels or hotels outside the capital so its the only way to do it and partly because ...

... reduced to a kite weighed down by two backpacks and trying to pack it up could have easily resulted in us both paragliding over the sands, but somehow we got it under control and were ready for the off.


My relief at getting away turned to vague alarm when we got a flat tyre... I ventured out to see if I could assist or at least try and shelter our driver's face from the flying, stinging sand. I have never experienced a sandstorm ...

... off road. This was Genghis Khan territory, here we visitied the Buddist Monastry, Erdene Zuu.

Before supper we were asked to help with the milking of the mares. We don't think we were much help but it was a great photo opportunity.

The next day was a free day for us. We took a long walk by ourselves over the sand dunes as we were just on the very edge of the Gobi Dessert. Three hours of walking, we saw no one.

That afternoor was very ...

... frankie and bennys in the UK and was not really what we were looking for even though the food was good and it was an all you can eat buffet so I hit the jackpot there! I tried to get on the internet after dinnner but everywhere was having power cuts, also I got back to the hotel there was still no hot water reminded me of living back in Africa. All in all not a bad day just really tired and looking forward to a sleep and a getting into the countryside tommorow.

11th
Checked out of the hostel
and made our way to the tour office for 9 am. Our jeep is the usual
Russian UAZ, deeply uncomfortable, hugely underpowered, and seemingly
in constant danger of failing completely. The drive to the national
park took less than an hour, and though we were eager to get out into
the wilderness our guide felt it necessary to stop at every rock of
dubious historical significance. This rock is where some lamas hid,
this ...

... she had been wanting, but the real mission was to finding sunglasses for Uya that looked liked mine. We were searched forever trying to find some that looked liked mine. We found some similar but different colors. But no, she had to have ones just like mine. So we finally found some and two others that she liked and I even found a pair and then my wallet got stolen.

It turns out that when I put my wallet back into my purse they snuck up and ...

... a group, the bus dropped us off and then everyone caught a taxi to wherever they were trying to go. I spent the break with my roommate (I will from now on refer to her at OY). OY and were planning on staying at her grandmothers apartment in UB but first we met up with her mother and twin younger sisters who were in town cause they were going to catch a plane to Beijing. We were only with them for about 20 minutes so OY could ...

... and cleans up the rest of his injuries. He's horrified at what happened, and that we have waited so long to seek medical attention. We get another driver, and arrive in our ger at 11 at night. By the time we arrive, our driver is a little bit back to his old self, singing his Mongolian hits and adjusting his cap cheerily. He even finds a stick, and using it as a crutch, hobbles into our ger for a chat before retiring for the evening.

Day 4 ...

... 1493;א 98; לקטוף את פרי הנפיל 97;ם הזה והכני 05;ו לילקו 96; העבר שלך, בהכרח תגמד אותו לכדי ד ...

... having to get back on this thick ****in horse for another 2 days but I kinda had too seen as we were in the middle of nowhere and only real way out is on horse...lol... We woke up in our tents the next morning cold and with 3 inches of snow outside and a snow storm going on.... ****.... And it was freezing... We all had to ride in it as would be worse if the storm got worse so we had to scrap staying a tent that night and find a local family to put us up in a Ger which is actually quite ...