It was an exciting morning when I felt I would be getting on the bike again after 2 days of boring, in the bumpy truck chasing the motorcyclists. I felt somehow jealous that my bike was ridden by Anchar the past couple days, yes, I don’t own the bike but due to the relationship I have built with her, I felt she belonged to me and I belonged to her! I felt she wanted me and only me to ride her during the whole trip, that’s how I felt excited that morning to jump on the bike and ride with full energy!
First thing we did was riding towards a water reservoir to get 2 days supply, we use rubber water storage which can take up to 10 Liter of supply, as I was filling the containers, the water splashed on all my body and I felt the breeze of the underground from the freezing pure water I got all over my body! The terrain we were riding on, luckily, changed from deep sand and hot climate to colder greener and more solid land, which means we are approaching the mountain part of the Gobi Desert!
after the water splashed all over me
That day was the shortest of all, as we headed directly to an area with colorful mountains, yes, a bit dusty, but we were surrounded by rocky hills, and lots of water canals which reminded me of how they use water for irrigation in Oman by what they call “Aflaj”. The water was crystal clear and cold as usual, so we have taken this opportunity to do some laundry, shave and shower. Reaching to the point where we have decided to camp wasn’t an easy task, because we wanted to camp on a higher spot and the same time, we make sure that we are surrounded by hills, the challenges were how to reach to that spot without the need to cross those deep canals, during the scouting process, me and Anchar were playing with the bikes back and forth on the rocky hills while the 2 trucks were looking to where to stop.
It wasn’t just a short riding day, it was also a very short sleeping night, I have expected it to be cold but it was very warm that night, I woke up almost every half an hour to get rid of more clothes until I woke up and joined breakfast topless. We continued riding in a very hot weather heading to what Oggi said would be a surprise for us! But on the way to our next destination, we have stopped by a very beautiful valley which was very green water path surrounded by bits of sand, brownish hills, and in the horizon high mountains covered by threads of snow! There were lots of wild horses, together with cows wandering around, I couldn’t believe whether this was a painting or an actual place I am living in!
We carried on to our lunch stop where the temperature was exceeding 40, where every time we stop I pour cold water on my tshirt and body, and within seconds, I get dried out, but we were avoiding the many stops so I can avoid feeling the heat, and during one of the stops I had a flat tire, which required an instant wheel change by Mandala! Then less than an hour later, Max had a flat tire, and it looked like a serious one, we had to stop at one of the villages to fix the tire and continue. On that day, Ogi promised us the best view of where we would be staying facing a beautiful lake, and I was riding my bike following the 2 trucks aiming and looking forward for that lake, however, the ride took longer than expected, at some point we were riding around a lake, and riding around it in a way we almost circled it! it was too exhausting because of the deep sand around the lake and because I didn’t know whether that was the right or wrong lake!
I realized that it wasn’t the right lake when we rode away from it and by the time we have reached the main gravel road, I ran out of fuel and started cursing the moment I got onto the bike! I was too exhausted to speak and Katharina came to me with 2 small bottles of water and Ogi was telling me that we lost the way and ended up in the wrong lake! I was complaining that we have been driving for almost 240 KM without a single stop except the lunch and puncture repair! He said calmly that this is a research trip and we are discovering new destinations for potential customers. He also offered that I take a break if I am too exhausted which I have refused, and chose to continue the remaining 75 KM until we reach the right lake!
During this last bit, I started feeling the pain on my back and neck due to the long drive, but I chose not to complain about it so I don’t end up being the only drama queen of the trip. We have reached the beautiful lake and it was as Ogi described, it was very beautiful surrounded by mountains from one side and flat on our side, the reason why it took us too long was that we had to reach the other side of the lake to avoid the wind and other campers. The only disturbing part of that spot was a very small insect that bites the skin and gets stuck, it was way smaller than a mosquito but looked more of a shape of a fly, I could spot the bite for days after we left.
The next morning was very exciting as we will be riding back on the tarmac after few days of riding on gravel mud and sand, not just that, it would be a shorter ride than the day before which marked the longest riding day so far! the moment I joined the tarmac road, I got off the bike to hug it! we have stopped for a while until we all gathered again and continued to the nearest nomadic village where we would stop for lunch and afternoon break. The moment we have reached, we were warmly welcomed by the nomadic family that were hosting us, they have welcomed us into the biggest yurt they have, where they had a wedding the night before, the family was still recovering from the long night wedding, but they chose to stay over to welcome us with lots of nuts, sweets, dried cheese, tea and freshly baked bread.
the sweets we got offered in a bowl made of what they call bread from the wedding night before
how they produce and work on wool
Initially, we were supposed to sleep in either one of the yurts, or camp next to them, but then Ogi came up with an idea to ride to a little lake nearby so we can be closer to the next destination next day, so we continued for another 70 KM where we camped and surrounded by lots of water, sheep, and men on horses. By reaching this far of the trip, we were about to enter the west of Mongolia officially and our next destination would be in the heart of Olgi!
