Western Mongolia is a totally different animal. The mountains are big, the people are different, the landscape is varied, and it has a totally different feeling. Since leaving Ulaangom nearly 10 days ago we have seen glaciers, camels, large rushing rivers, desert basins, and everything in between. The populations are also much more varied. Here there is a large Kazakh population along with several other ethnic minorities. The Khovd Provence is said to be the most ethnically diverse in all of Mongolia. What this means is several different languages and dialects are spoken, Buddhist and shamanistic tradition begin to mix with Islamic elements, Mosques begin to appear, and the food is slightly different (though not much). I have to say I like it. Maybe it is the mountains or just the fact that after 5 weeks I am finally in the groove. I will chalk it up to the mountains however.
After leaving Ulaangom we were greeted with a welcome 36km of paved road. The longest stretch we had seen in a long , long time. It went quickly and was punctuated by the usual inquisitive locals. Then came our first taste of the true challenge of the northern route. The sand and the desert was hard, more annoying and slow, but manageable easily enough. The high, and steep, passes would prove to be a bigger challenge. Ahead of us was Ulaan Dava. At almost 3000m it isn't that big by my normal Eastern Sierra standards but riding a fully loaded bike up the thing in the heat is a different kind of challenge. It involved some significant pushing but luckily it was approached by a graded road awaiting paving.
The Ovoo atop Ulaan Dava. Here we were the subject
of much interest to the locals and luckily a vacationing
group also thought we looked like we needed some beer. This is
also on the edge of some protected areas and national parks. It has a great
view.
After Ulaan Dava it was a great, and easy, ride to our camp which offered our first good view of some distance glaciers. Promise of spectacular scenery to come.
However we first needed to cross the valley containing Ureg Nuur, a salt lake similar to Uvs Nuur but smaller. This valley was hot, large and relatively waterless with the exception of a stream. We needed the water so it was a welcome reprieve, we also were offered some vodka shots by a passing traveler. Also of interest is we ran into some other travelers from the hostel in Ulaangom. It turns out we would run into them several more times, along with the family they had hitched with, before the next town. While traveling through the valley we were rewarded with some interesting archeology. There were many grave mounds and some standing stones but most interesting were carved "man stones". These may be remains of graves of Turkish origins, or ancient tribal societies but good info is hard to find. Who passed this way and who is buried here? How many hundreds, or thousands, of years have these stone faces seen? All these thoughts crossed my mind while contemplating their silence as they gaze across the steppe.
Fascinating!
Directly after this came the big pass! This by far has been the largest slog we have had. It took somewhere between 2 and 3 hours to push up this thing. Once again this is the "main" route between Ulaangom and Olgii. It was a slog of relatively epic proportions but we made it none the less and it was mostly down hill from there. And by down hill I mean down hill to a coal mining town with a "Hills have eyes" feeling. We got out of there and made for Atchet Nuur, a large fresh water lake with a terribly mosquito infested campsite in between. We were hoping for a swim and some time to relax at the lake but the weather had other plans. After once again running into the couple from the Ulaangom hostel, and the family that had temporarily adopted them, the skies opened up. Hail, thunder, and lightning came with a vengeance and we had no choice but to ride as fast as we could to get out of the danger zone. We made it through, a little soggy but fine, and to the lake. Unfortunately it was also mosquito infested and the storm seemed to be chasing us so we booked it! On and on we rode following a river and finally made it to camp. A large gorge. The river, as it turned out, was a fast flowing glacially fed torrent. It made for great camping but silty water requiring a filter clean.
The big hill. That dot in the distance is me.
Hail and the muddy aftermath of the squall.
A spectacular gorge that served as our camp that night.
You can't see it but there is a large and fast flowing
river in there and a surprisingly well graded road.
Then!!!! we finally made it into Olgii and took a few much deserved rest days. Olgii a is launching point for travelers heading into the mountains so we had the opportunity to meet other travelers and check out a totally different feeling area. Bayan Olgii, the Provence, has a majority Kazakh population. This means mosques and minarets begin to appear. It was a welcome and interesting change. The town of Olgii itself was great too. It had a city feel but was ultimately laid back and pretty modern and diverse. I like it. While there aside from the usual weird rickety hotel/guest house stay we also visited the bazaar (actually called this here rather than the "black market" found elsewhere in Mongolia) and a "Turkish" restaurant (it was mainly a Mongolian take on Turkish food but a welcome change).
A Mosque in Olgii
Olgii
Kyle with a real life actual coffee
Turkish Coffee!!!!
Traditional instruments at the bazaar
After our rest we booked it for Khovd, our last big town before heading into China. Luckily we had almost 70km of pavement to enjoy before more mountain adventures. On our way we were lucky enough to meet Volkan, a Turkish guy who had started in Istanbul and was heading to Ulaanbataar. We spent a few days riding with him as he got used to Mongolian "roads". It was nice to ride with another cyclist for a bit and he is a great guy. I hope to see him either in Turkey or in the states in the future.
Kyle and Volkan.
Camp in the sight of glaciers.
After a brief town stop it was back into the mountains. But first we had to stop and take pictures with an eagle. Turns out a Kazakh eagle hunter was on his way back from an exhibition in Ulaanbataar and was napping next to his motorcycle with his eagle. He quickly awoke and let us take some pictures. He tried, rather half heatedly, to get some money but I think he was more surprised to see us on this road than anything. It was a large bird and looking it in the eyes from 16 inches away was quite the experience.
Volkan
Kyle
Me
We also met Dave. An American working for a Norwegian aid organization. Once we reached Khoved he lets us do laundry, use the Internet (I am writing this from his couch) and cook a meal at his place. Once again we would be no where without the generosity of strangers on this adventure. Thanks Dave!
The mountains were beautiful! Flanked by protected area and national park and the road remains decent and traverses some amazing high country dotted with Kazakh gers and glacial scenery. Windy and cool but wonderful riding made for a great day that proved to be easier then expected.
Kyle riding into the distance.
Gers and Glaciers
Volkan and a visitor we met on a pass.
Camels! There are glaciers in the distance to the left.
We are in the high mountains here so camels were a
surprise.
Two large, 8 feet plus tall, carved standing stones encountered on the way
down from the pass. These are old, possible 5,000
years. Bronze and iron age remains of past cultures. Again, who was here
and why?
Then we met another cyclist!! Dragan, a Serbian who was on a 20,000km journey. He was carrying the most stuff I have ever seen on a bike or otherwise for a human powered endeavour. He was also using some pretty skinny tires. Despite his difficulties he was as happy as can be and having a great time. On his was to Ulaanbataar and onward to Russia and Japan he was just happily smiling his way across the country. Hopefully he can find some wider tires and lighten his load otherwise Mongolia holds some serious adventure for him!
We all camped at a wonderful spot along a creek and enjoyed a group breakfast before departing the next day.
Volkan, Dragan, and Kyle.
Moving on it was a relatively easy 80km to Khovd through some amazing valleys. Kyle, Volkan and myself made our way there happily listening to some tunes and enjoying the well graded, although sometimes wash boarded, road.
Khovd is an old city that has been a center of trade with China for centuries and once housed a military garrison when China brutally ruled Mongolia. Presumably revenge for the Mongol conquest. It is still pleasant all those years later. Very laid back, lined with trees, and very diverse. Aside from hanging out with Dave and finally getting some real laundry done it was pleasant to chill out and recharge before the final, supposedly paved, 350km-ish push to the border and other horizons.
Pleasant tree lined street in Khovd.
Monument to a past hero.
More Khovd.
We were also able, once again thanks to Dave, to find real jerky here! Surprisingly a rare thing in Mongolia. A very nice town stay so far.
Also while riding I have had more time to reflect on the death of my friend James and life in general. Like most kids I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. The obvious answer is to never grow up and always find a reason to go outside and play. Unfortunately real life does catch up from time to time. James' death has really made me think about my path. I want to work hard and make a positive difference and living in comfort is nice but comfort lulls one into false security. Once you become risk adverse you miss opportunity. I was lulled into that security and safety before this trip and it took some serious and messy wrangling to get me out of that comfort zone. I, like so many others, held on to that comfort kicking and screaming and the break was much messier than it needed to be or should have been. Losing a friend, although older, who was so fit and full of life has kicked me in the proverbial balls and really made me think about what it is I want out of life. I am not sure if I will ever figure it out, have I found what I am looking for in Mongolia? As I prepare to leave and head into China I can confidently say "I have no idea what it is I am looking for anyway!". Mongolia has certainly been a land of extremes, highs and lows, hots and colds, and everything else. I have learned a lot and I imagine I will be sorting this out for years to come. At least I hope. Hopefully I can take these lessons with me.
Another thing that has made me think was an article that I recently read that has made the rounds on Facebook. Yes it is lame as fuck that I still check Facebook while here or have data at all so shut up I know it already (to be fair it is only in bigger towns). But this article, I think it was in Forbes or Business insider or something, was about a guy who works seasonally and bike tours the rest of the year. It was titled something along the lines of "This guy is bucking tradition for his own way" or something pedantic like that and the guy calls himself Super Romance or some such. I mean I did the trail name thing on the PCT but that name lives in the trail world. These kind of articles drive me crazy. On the one hand it exposes a whole group of people to a way of life they have only dreamed about. On the other it simply illustrates a lifestyle that thousands live. Maybe it is the rock climbing dirt bag culture but I know a lot of people that live like that, climbing or skiing or any number of adventure based things. Anyway back on track. These article make it sound like that is a lifestyle that is impossible to live. It's not. In reality the only reason "Super Romance" or most of us who choose to do it can is because we come from comfortable middle class backgrounds that allow us the freedom to do so. This is obviously not a hard and fast rule there are people of all demographics who choose the seasonal adventure lifestyle but mostly, in my experience, and certainly with Super Romance this is the case (admittedly so in the article). You can't keep your shit in your parents basement and then claim to live an independent fancy free life answering to no one but yourself and nature or whatever. But ultimately that is not the point. I am not special, Super Romance is not special, he simply made a choice to live that way just as I have made the choice to change my life and have this adventure. Just like all my friends living the seasonal adventure life have chosen to do so. Anyone can do it. Find a way to manage your debts and obligations, find an activity that you love, and go do it! Figure out a way to make it work and do it! I got caught up in the day to day. Even though I was making a real difference for the land and the people of the Eastern Sierra, and I am proud of that, I still got caught up. I forgot to live and started living to work. This is an American sickness. We need more, we need comfort, we think we need all kinds of shit. What we need is fun and adventure and positive actions. Live well and make a a difference. Work hard and play hard. Make a difference in someones' life, for the land, and your community, but never think the life you want is out of reach. I am terrible at taking my own advice and fail regularly, but this trip and James' death has brought this home. I could rant for days on this subject but here is the gist. Get out there and get after it! Work hard and passionately but don't forget to live! You only get one shot.
Until next time..... off to China!
