We took 3 days to drive from Khongoryn Els sand dunes to Ulan-Ude.
July 16, we left the dunes and drove to Mandalgov, where we stayed at the same nice hotel as two nights before. Again, we spend 3 hours driving the horrible corrugated road, then a good stretch of impeccable asphalt which was steadily deteriorating until becoming so bad that we took alternative roads. We remembered the place with the potholes that damaged our wheel, so we were very prudent to avoid another damage this time.
July 17, we drove from Mandalgov to the border. The idea was to avoid driving in Ulaanbaatar, hence we did not spend a night there. As we were approaching Ulaanbaatar, the road quality was improving. We arrived from the South and immediately turned in the Western direction, where the road to the North started, away from the city centre. Well, the road was closed! Just a week a go we saw it open and now it was closed for road works. We were able to find an alternative route passing via quite a picturesque area with camping spots. Camping for gers! We were puzzled to see small patches of green grass with paved pathways - similar to the blocks of houses, but without houses! We then saw some gers in those areas. We think that this is a camping site, where city dwellers can install their gers and spend their holidays in the traditional way. Have you seen something similar?
As we were driving towards the border, the road we took just 10 days ago was closed in several places and asphalt removed. Where the road was still operational, we could see alternative roads being built for traffic for when they would also be closed. Great concept when you have space! Just close the entire road and build a temporary dirt road next to it. We arrived at the border at about 8pm and it took us more than 3 hours to clear it. All of the time was spent queuing. Border procedures themselves were very quick. This time, no one took much time to look at our passports and they did not even ask us to remove the tarpaulin cover from the roof top. Car check was very quick - just for a tick really. After we passed the border, we stayed in a small hotel in Kyaght.
July 18, we drove to Ulan-Ude, where we went to fix the wheel, check the car for any damages done on the beautiful roads of Mongolia and clean/change air filters. We also visited the same self-service laundry as last time (there was much to wash!). In the evening, we returned to the Churchill bar, where we ate last time. It was overcrowded, so we only had beers there (their cherry beer was fantastic!) and went for dinner elsewhere. There was a festival going on in Ulad-Ude central square (the one with the Lenin's head). It was very crowded and noisy, so we wanted to escape as quick as possible. Because of the festival, we took a hotel away from the centre. It was one of the best value-for-money accommodations during our trip.
July 16, we left the dunes and drove to Mandalgov, where we stayed at the same nice hotel as two nights before. Again, we spend 3 hours driving the horrible corrugated road, then a good stretch of impeccable asphalt which was steadily deteriorating until becoming so bad that we took alternative roads. We remembered the place with the potholes that damaged our wheel, so we were very prudent to avoid another damage this time.
July 17, we drove from Mandalgov to the border. The idea was to avoid driving in Ulaanbaatar, hence we did not spend a night there. As we were approaching Ulaanbaatar, the road quality was improving. We arrived from the South and immediately turned in the Western direction, where the road to the North started, away from the city centre. Well, the road was closed! Just a week a go we saw it open and now it was closed for road works. We were able to find an alternative route passing via quite a picturesque area with camping spots. Camping for gers! We were puzzled to see small patches of green grass with paved pathways - similar to the blocks of houses, but without houses! We then saw some gers in those areas. We think that this is a camping site, where city dwellers can install their gers and spend their holidays in the traditional way. Have you seen something similar?
As we were driving towards the border, the road we took just 10 days ago was closed in several places and asphalt removed. Where the road was still operational, we could see alternative roads being built for traffic for when they would also be closed. Great concept when you have space! Just close the entire road and build a temporary dirt road next to it. We arrived at the border at about 8pm and it took us more than 3 hours to clear it. All of the time was spent queuing. Border procedures themselves were very quick. This time, no one took much time to look at our passports and they did not even ask us to remove the tarpaulin cover from the roof top. Car check was very quick - just for a tick really. After we passed the border, we stayed in a small hotel in Kyaght.
July 18, we drove to Ulan-Ude, where we went to fix the wheel, check the car for any damages done on the beautiful roads of Mongolia and clean/change air filters. We also visited the same self-service laundry as last time (there was much to wash!). In the evening, we returned to the Churchill bar, where we ate last time. It was overcrowded, so we only had beers there (their cherry beer was fantastic!) and went for dinner elsewhere. There was a festival going on in Ulad-Ude central square (the one with the Lenin's head). It was very crowded and noisy, so we wanted to escape as quick as possible. Because of the festival, we took a hotel away from the centre. It was one of the best value-for-money accommodations during our trip.
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