Today, we drove west of Dalanzadgad to the famous Khongoryn Els sand dunes. About 80km of the road was impeccable asphalt (the same road going to China as yesterday) and then 100km of the worst drive during the trip (3 hours)… It was like driving over a grater. The views though were spectacular.
We were not sure whether to stay in the area overnight or go back to Dalanzadgad, but considering the quality of the road, going back the same day would be to much. In the meantime, we had no bookings made for that night. As we arrived at one of the ger camps, we found a deluxe ger with en-suite shower and toilet available (plus 3 meals), which was just what we could wish for. It is officially the most expensive night stay of our trip, but what can we ask for being in the middle of the Gobi and having facilities?!
After checking into our ger, we went for a walk and sunbathing in the sand dunes. We then returned into our ger to eat the Mongolian watermelon with spoons and have a glass of wine on our private terrace.
As we parked our car, a couple of local drivers came to see our Patriot and its engine. We already had other drivers taking interest in our car and its engine. One even offered to exchange it for his Toyota Land Cruiser (No way I am parting with my Patriot!), but I am not sure how serious he was about it. In general, we saw quite a few people looking at our car with their mouth open while driving.
As we parked our car, a couple of local drivers came to see our Patriot and its engine. We already had other drivers taking interest in our car and its engine. One even offered to exchange it for his Toyota Land Cruiser (No way I am parting with my Patriot!), but I am not sure how serious he was about it. In general, we saw quite a few people looking at our car with their mouth open while driving.
We met a British couple on the original Toyota Land Cruiser (military one) refitted for travel (expandable rooftop and a kitchen). They started their trip in October 2018 in India, already visited the South-East Asia and Japan, then shipped their car to Vladivostok and drove to Mongolia via Ulan-Ude. They will then continue to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkey etc. They sleep and cook in their car as much as possible to save money and stay flexible. Although they have started their journey 9 months ago, they still seemed very enthusiastic about the trip. Could we handle this I wonder?
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| Modern nomads: herding cattle with motorbikes |
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| Modern nomads - a spec of civilisation in the desert |
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| Modern nomads: horses are good, but cars are better! |
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| Very modern nomads: toilet and shower included in the ger |
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