Bayan-Olgii, Mongolia
At the marketplace today, I negotiated a van to Gorno-Altaisk, Russia tomorrow, and so it is time to say so long to my Mongolian adventures. It has been quite adventurous traveling here without tourist company guidance, there being minimal tourist infrastructure outside of the few main cities. But that is what has lent to the charm of Mongolia, and has allowed me to really feel the pulse of the country.
For the last week, I have been trekking in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park. The park is on the border with China and Russia, and the mountains are high and remote, so I found some trekking buddies to go with, who had arrived at the same yurt camp that I was staying at. They were three Israelis, and they wanted to trek for 8 days, going through a valley, up to a peak called Malchin peak, a non technical climb that would allow us to see Mongolia, Russia, and China all at the same time. Having rested up from my hitchhiking adventures, I though I would go ahead with them. So we found a tour guide, and frenetically bought cold weather supplies and food for the trek. Due to a lack of dry food here, we mostly would rely on pasta, rice, and canned meats for the duration of the trek. Turns out that if you add spice packets, you can turn any plain old pasta or rice into a decently yummy meal.
Our jeep drove us to the entrance of the park and we arrived there at dusk, making camp and preparing for the beginning of the hike. It was really cold at night, and being my first cold weather trekking experience, I failed to keep my shoes and feet moisture free on the first night, a mistake I would not make again, since my shoes were icy in the morning and a huge pain in the foot. We walked alongside lakes and mountain peaks in the first day, seeing a few nomadic yurts still up there herding their animals. That day, I suspect that my Steripen malfunctioned, and I got water poisoning. So we had to make camp an hour before we wanted to, and I lay there taking some meds. We had camped by a yurt, and a small 12 year old boy curiously came out to stick around with us. He was tremendously helpful and good with his hands, helping us set up our tents, then starting a fire like it was nothing for him. He made our fire really big and quality, then sat with us as we warmed ourselves and put some pots into it to cook pasta. He would climb trees really quickly if he wanted to, and run to and fro - a really agile and skilled little guy. After our fire ended, all was freezing and dark, so we quickly went to bed.
At the marketplace today, I negotiated a van to Gorno-Altaisk, Russia tomorrow, and so it is time to say so long to my Mongolian adventures. It has been quite adventurous traveling here without tourist company guidance, there being minimal tourist infrastructure outside of the few main cities. But that is what has lent to the charm of Mongolia, and has allowed me to really feel the pulse of the country.
For the last week, I have been trekking in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park. The park is on the border with China and Russia, and the mountains are high and remote, so I found some trekking buddies to go with, who had arrived at the same yurt camp that I was staying at. They were three Israelis, and they wanted to trek for 8 days, going through a valley, up to a peak called Malchin peak, a non technical climb that would allow us to see Mongolia, Russia, and China all at the same time. Having rested up from my hitchhiking adventures, I though I would go ahead with them. So we found a tour guide, and frenetically bought cold weather supplies and food for the trek. Due to a lack of dry food here, we mostly would rely on pasta, rice, and canned meats for the duration of the trek. Turns out that if you add spice packets, you can turn any plain old pasta or rice into a decently yummy meal.
Our jeep drove us to the entrance of the park and we arrived there at dusk, making camp and preparing for the beginning of the hike. It was really cold at night, and being my first cold weather trekking experience, I failed to keep my shoes and feet moisture free on the first night, a mistake I would not make again, since my shoes were icy in the morning and a huge pain in the foot. We walked alongside lakes and mountain peaks in the first day, seeing a few nomadic yurts still up there herding their animals. That day, I suspect that my Steripen malfunctioned, and I got water poisoning. So we had to make camp an hour before we wanted to, and I lay there taking some meds. We had camped by a yurt, and a small 12 year old boy curiously came out to stick around with us. He was tremendously helpful and good with his hands, helping us set up our tents, then starting a fire like it was nothing for him. He made our fire really big and quality, then sat with us as we warmed ourselves and put some pots into it to cook pasta. He would climb trees really quickly if he wanted to, and run to and fro - a really agile and skilled little guy. After our fire ended, all was freezing and dark, so we quickly went to bed.
The second day, I was all better, and we struck off along the valley road again. Pretty flat, and relaxed hike, and into the third day we were still following the river valley, with a strenuous climb at the end. We were up to 3500 m at this point, so we really geared up for the night, and I attempted to keep my nose from freezing by wearing a ski mask as I slept. We all had the ski masks; I'm sure we looked pretty suspicious at night, all wearing them.
The hike was getting more and more intense - the trail was completely unmarked, like everything in Mongolia, and we had to step on stones to cross an increasing number of freezing streams.
Our guide had told us to climb up this plummeting stream to a lake, and cross some mountains there, but when we got there, all we saw was mountain and no road. We looked all around up there, but found nothing but imposing mountains, and were disheartened by the lack of routes through them as our tour guide had pointed out on our map.
The hike was getting more and more intense - the trail was completely unmarked, like everything in Mongolia, and we had to step on stones to cross an increasing number of freezing streams.
Our guide had told us to climb up this plummeting stream to a lake, and cross some mountains there, but when we got there, all we saw was mountain and no road. We looked all around up there, but found nothing but imposing mountains, and were disheartened by the lack of routes through them as our tour guide had pointed out on our map.
I was more worried than I look at this point, and we had to go all the way back down to before we climbed the stream, wasting a day, and experiencing snowfall. Cold, worried, and one day down, we decided that we couldn't make it to the base camp in time to climb Malchin peak, and decided to call the expedition off. So we returned through the valley the way we left, but the problem was that our jeep was expecting to pick us up at the other end of the planned trek. We had to go to the army base at the entrance to ask them for help, and a telephone, and hopefully a ride back to Olgii. Five interested army guys came out to meet us, as they listened patiently and looked a bit confusedly at all the pictures we were drawing on our map. We finally managed to explain in Russian what was going on, and so they telephoned our tour guide, then offered us a ride in one of their army jeeps that was going to Olgii that night. I was so happy I was not going to be fighting the frost that night!
Waiting for the army jeep to leave
Now it might sound odd that the army would charge us a ride in one of their jeeps, but this was a very chill army base. The soldiers here would often live with their families in the base - we were invited in by one of the soldiers into his home, where his wife and children lived, and he fed us bread and biscuits in the Mongolian hospitality traditions. The jeep was carrying two women and a child to Olgii, driven by one of the soldiers, and the four of us crammed into the jeep as well. The jeep was an old Russian jeep, and the battery on it was completely dead. If we didn't rev the engine, the lights would start failing, and half the time, the soldier would have to crank the engine to start it, no jumper cables or AAA roadside assistance needed. The way Mongolians fix their cars all the time will make me ashamed if I need AAA anytime later on, especially for something as trivial as a dead battery.
At another army base, we stopped and the soldier went in and had his time eating dinner. Here, another woman and child wanted to get on the jeep to Olgii, and they actually crammed them into the jeep as well. So, for the next 9 hours, the back was crammed with 4 adults and 2 children, and I was in the front seat (or at least a minimal part of it) with two other women and a child. The ride was absolutely horrid. I was completely jammed the entire time, and at 5 AM the soldier decided he was tired and stopped the car to take a nap, while my legs were being crushed the entire time. That was the longest feat of pain endurance I've ever had when we finally got to Olgii.
Back in Olgii, I went to a Kazakh eagle hunters' festival that was going on this weekend. It was held near a town 20 km from Olgii, and on the way there, we managed to get a ride from a French guy we met who was driving around with his girlfriend in his mobile RV they revamped with woodpaneled walls, a kitchen, and lots of plants. It felt like I was in Harry Potter or something. The festival was awesome as well, with tons of eagle hunters mounted on their horses, participating in an event called eagle call, where their eagle was released from the top of a hill, and they had to call it to land on their arm. Then, there was another game in which two horsemen fought for control of a sheep carcass. One would have to pick it up from the ground on horseback, before the other would challenge him and attempt to take the sheep carcass from the first. It was a rowdy sports atmosphere, with tons of cheering and excited people watching the battles.
Now it might sound odd that the army would charge us a ride in one of their jeeps, but this was a very chill army base. The soldiers here would often live with their families in the base - we were invited in by one of the soldiers into his home, where his wife and children lived, and he fed us bread and biscuits in the Mongolian hospitality traditions. The jeep was carrying two women and a child to Olgii, driven by one of the soldiers, and the four of us crammed into the jeep as well. The jeep was an old Russian jeep, and the battery on it was completely dead. If we didn't rev the engine, the lights would start failing, and half the time, the soldier would have to crank the engine to start it, no jumper cables or AAA roadside assistance needed. The way Mongolians fix their cars all the time will make me ashamed if I need AAA anytime later on, especially for something as trivial as a dead battery.
At another army base, we stopped and the soldier went in and had his time eating dinner. Here, another woman and child wanted to get on the jeep to Olgii, and they actually crammed them into the jeep as well. So, for the next 9 hours, the back was crammed with 4 adults and 2 children, and I was in the front seat (or at least a minimal part of it) with two other women and a child. The ride was absolutely horrid. I was completely jammed the entire time, and at 5 AM the soldier decided he was tired and stopped the car to take a nap, while my legs were being crushed the entire time. That was the longest feat of pain endurance I've ever had when we finally got to Olgii.
Back in Olgii, I went to a Kazakh eagle hunters' festival that was going on this weekend. It was held near a town 20 km from Olgii, and on the way there, we managed to get a ride from a French guy we met who was driving around with his girlfriend in his mobile RV they revamped with woodpaneled walls, a kitchen, and lots of plants. It felt like I was in Harry Potter or something. The festival was awesome as well, with tons of eagle hunters mounted on their horses, participating in an event called eagle call, where their eagle was released from the top of a hill, and they had to call it to land on their arm. Then, there was another game in which two horsemen fought for control of a sheep carcass. One would have to pick it up from the ground on horseback, before the other would challenge him and attempt to take the sheep carcass from the first. It was a rowdy sports atmosphere, with tons of cheering and excited people watching the battles.
Even through Mongolia will probably be one of the roughest countries I have to travel in, I am going to miss it. I am having mixed feelings, as right now I am still freezing in my city yurt camp, which has no heating and marginal felt insulation. However, these days have been some of the more carefree and stress free days of my recent life. The pace of the Mongolian countryside has really caught up to me - the day to day life mindset, not in a huge hurry to get anything done now, as long as it gets done sometime soon, and having the time to lay back, think, and feel like I have an infinite amount of time in my life; that everyday will be the same and free of worry like today. But I am getting antsy and ready to see something new. So it is off to Russia and Kazakhstan soon!