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Mongolia by Trail

By Roy F. Halvorsen

Unless you can speak Mongolian do not try to leave the major cities, even Russian is of little use on the Steppes. I took a driver and English speaking guide named Ellie elkhasuren@yahoo.com a great girl from the very reasonable tour service of Serge sergetour@yahoo.com . Serge gave us a brand new Russian Jeep to run over the Steppes and into the northern part of the Gobi Deserts.

The rolling Steppes can be described as floating green seas going on for a thousand miles. You see small family clans living in a Ger with horses tied and saddled--on the ready to move. The dress of most of the people is the same as the time of the great Ghenges Kahn. A true nomadic life style unchanged in a thousand years.

One thing that did stand out is that no matter where you went even to ask directions, you were always invited into the Ger and asked to join the family in a drink. The drink is fermented mares milk with about a six to eight percent alcohol content. A few bowls later and you feel little pain.

Yann and Pirti, who sailed with us in New York, were in UlaanBaatar on their round the world tour, met us for drinks and some great dancing at the Disco Fire, which you can put this place in Manhattan and not know the difference. He brought along some friends from Paris and a great Canadian gal audreybernard@hotmail.com who was teaching English for the past nines month in town. She is going to Russia and perhaps to Japan to visit and work teaching English.

For you Land Rover fans I did manage to find a 1965 110 in excellent condition at a tourist camp in the northern reaches of the Gobi. The only other Land Rover I saw was an Expedition Touring 130 in UlaanBaatar.

Later that evening we all went to a new camp in the Gobi just being opened by a joint Korean/Mongolian venture. The opening ceremonies had a few speeches and the typical Buddhist Blessing. Then they said a game would be played. Two groups of men and women formed teams to play "The Longest Line". The winner team got a bottle of Champagne. The "line" was made out of the clothing that the people were wearing. The winning team was stark naked. After that the entertainment became a little tamer with disco dancing till the wee hours of the morning. At almost every camp we stopped at, if they had a stereo the locals were up dancing to Abba. It is really a sight, men in the most traditional gowns, flowing, dancing to the disco beat.

There are few paved roads in the whole country. Dirt trails lead off in every direction and stopping at a Ger to verify direction is the only method to find your way without GPS. Many times we just took off in the general direction to where we were going across the low mountains and valleys without any form of road. It is a paradise for those of you who love the freedom to just go, but remember you're on your own and the AAA is on the other side of the continent. A local herdsman may get a team of Yaks to tow you, but not to worry.

As we arrived in the northern reaches of the Great Gobi Desert we found ourselves off the gravel road by a few hundred meters and got firmly bogged in the sand. It was several hours unloading the jeep, digging, for we did not have sand ladders, and hand pushing the jeep to solid ground. All this with a very limited amount of water to drink and the sun of the Gobi burning down on your back. Now we know why the locals use Bactrian two hump Camels in that area for transportation. The traffic in the area is about one auto every few days.

On the way back to UlaanBaatar we had only one hundred-mile detour. It seems that certain areas containing infected Marmots are quarantined to traffic. The locals call it Marmot Disease but it is more commonly known as the Black Plague. Not to worry, unless you eat the little creatures or touch them, you will not get plague.

It is a truly unique place on earth to visit and one of the last places on earth to see how life is lived the same for the last thousand years. You may travel as I did alone in a small party or take a luxury tour in an air-conditioned bus. The big tours do not get you off the major roads but you still have a feel of the country. Do not delay for time is not waiting for you.