Day 2. Waking up, Collin and Neil said that four cans of beer they had left outside their door last night were gone. The drivers shrugged. Today we drove south a further four hours and 150 miles (250 kilometers) to enter the edge of the Gobi. Along the way we stopped twice at wells to water herds of camels and goats and sheep. Giselle even plied her hand at it, while poor James got splattered with camel poo and pee. We drove through dry lake beds, saw small lakes, and later when the heat was intense saw mirage lakes. We halted at the first small dune we came across to celebrate entering the Gobi by climbing it and taking some photos. By midafternoon we reached our next ger camp, and G and I set up our tent. Everyone took a nap until the heat of the day passed, and then the Irish pulled out an Irish bat (kind of a cross between a field hockey stick and a cricket bat) and started hitting a ball around. G gave it a try and after a few futile swings, finally connected and knocked the ball into a maggot filled pit. She was done after that. The drivers left without warning just after mealtime, even though James's bag with all his stuff in it was still in the van. Interestingly enough, some more beer that the group had bought went missing again. That night a light sprinkle of rain fell and the baby camels tied nearby bugled all night as a wind generator whistled away.
Day 4. We drove west to a national park situated in the heart of the Gobi Desert, paid our entrance fees, and then embarked on a three hour hike through the 'Yolun Am' or 'Ice Gorge' which, indeed, still had shelves of ice deep inside its recesses. The Gobi is much wetter and colder than we expected, and it supports herds of sheep and camels and goats as well as a significant population of wild animals, not to mention the world's only desert bear. Not the typical barrens one imagines for a desert. Leaving the canyon, we had a long drive to reach our resting spot for the night- the Khongorun Els, a chain of giant sand dunes, which are what most people think of when they hear of the Gobi Desert. Along the way, the drivers pulled over and angrily thrust a cell phone at me. It was Bobbi- she told me she had read my email and had spoken to the drivers and told them to be more helpful and that they were responsible for any fees levied upon our return to Ulaan Baataar. Her prompt and polite response salvaged my opinion of her organization, and shortly after this the drivers did show some hints of friendliness. At our next ger camp not far from the dunes, we pitched our tent and I tried to exercise, but a small girl (about four years old) wanted to play and attacked me with a head butt. So our relationship began. I spent the next hour playing with her. That night, we made plans to get up early the next day to climb the dunes.
Day 4. We drove west to a national park situated in the heart of the Gobi Desert, paid our entrance fees, and then embarked on a three hour hike through the 'Yolun Am' or 'Ice Gorge' which, indeed, still had shelves of ice deep inside its recesses. The Gobi is much wetter and colder than we expected, and it supports herds of sheep and camels and goats as well as a significant population of wild animals, not to mention the world's only desert bear. Not the typical barrens one imagines for a desert. Leaving the canyon, we had a long drive to reach our resting spot for the night- the Khongorun Els, a chain of giant sand dunes, which are what most people think of when they hear of the Gobi Desert. Along the way, the drivers pulled over and angrily thrust a cell phone at me. It was Bobbi- she told me she had read my email and had spoken to the drivers and told them to be more helpful and that they were responsible for any fees levied upon our return to Ulaan Baataar. Her prompt and polite response salvaged my opinion of her organization, and shortly after this the drivers did show some hints of friendliness. At our next ger camp not far from the dunes, we pitched our tent and I tried to exercise, but a small girl (about four years old) wanted to play and attacked me with a head butt. So our relationship began. I spent the next hour playing with her. That night, we made plans to get up early the next day to climb the dunes.
Into the Gobi Desert
Day 1. August 29 arrived. We taxied with James and Renee, who were also staying at Idre's, to the UB Guesthouse and dropped off our bags and then went in search of supplies, mainly bottled water, to last us through the trip. We ate lunch in a restaurant together and then met the other seven people in our group. Six of them took the better van and me, Giselle (G), James, Renee and Martin took the other. At 1:30 p.m. we left the city, blowing through the road permit booth without slowing down, which upset me because it confirmed a hunch I had that the drivers were in cahoots with the staff and would get a share of the 5,000 tugrik fine we would each have to pay upon returning to Ulaan Baataar. The next six and a half hours saw us careening south over sandy tracks to cover some 180 miles (300 kilometers), twice almost running into oncoming vehicles in this, one of the Earth's most desolate places. That night Giselle and I slept out in our tent while the others piled into gers. Gone are the evenings of midnight twilight- at this time of the year it is now dark by nine o'clock.
Day 1. August 29 arrived. We taxied with James and Renee, who were also staying at Idre's, to the UB Guesthouse and dropped off our bags and then went in search of supplies, mainly bottled water, to last us through the trip. We ate lunch in a restaurant together and then met the other seven people in our group. Six of them took the better van and me, Giselle (G), James, Renee and Martin took the other. At 1:30 p.m. we left the city, blowing through the road permit booth without slowing down, which upset me because it confirmed a hunch I had that the drivers were in cahoots with the staff and would get a share of the 5,000 tugrik fine we would each have to pay upon returning to Ulaan Baataar. The next six and a half hours saw us careening south over sandy tracks to cover some 180 miles (300 kilometers), twice almost running into oncoming vehicles in this, one of the Earth's most desolate places. That night Giselle and I slept out in our tent while the others piled into gers. Gone are the evenings of midnight twilight- at this time of the year it is now dark by nine o'clock.
It was already frigid, and night had yet to fall. Everyone went to shower, except for me, as I desired some alone time. I sat next to the stove in our ger and read a book until the others returned.
Day 6. We continued driving north, watching the landscape change from aridity to relative lushness. We passed through a plain strewn with rock cairns, Bronze Age funeral sites for ancient warriors. Our van broke down next to a Deer Stone, a Stone Age upright slab carved with figures of reindeer. We stopped by 2:30 p.m., giving us some time to relax in a beautiful open ger camp under a warm sun. We were camped next to a canyon that is around one hundred feet (30 meters) deep and three hundred feet (100 meters) wide through which a river runs. Down inside the canyon are tall trees and meandering paths. We explored and found a fifty foot (15 meters) tall waterfall and sat and watched the cascade of glittering water. That night, I cooked tuna casserole and shared it with James and Renee, who were tired of the insipid food offered by the ger camps. They loved it. G and I slept out under the stars in our tent.
Day 6. We continued driving north, watching the landscape change from aridity to relative lushness. We passed through a plain strewn with rock cairns, Bronze Age funeral sites for ancient warriors. Our van broke down next to a Deer Stone, a Stone Age upright slab carved with figures of reindeer. We stopped by 2:30 p.m., giving us some time to relax in a beautiful open ger camp under a warm sun. We were camped next to a canyon that is around one hundred feet (30 meters) deep and three hundred feet (100 meters) wide through which a river runs. Down inside the canyon are tall trees and meandering paths. We explored and found a fifty foot (15 meters) tall waterfall and sat and watched the cascade of glittering water. That night, I cooked tuna casserole and shared it with James and Renee, who were tired of the insipid food offered by the ger camps. They loved it. G and I slept out under the stars in our tent.
Day 5. Martin, James and Renee, Jonas and Laure, and Giselle and I were the only ones willing to get up for the seven o'clock dawn lit walk to the base of the dunes. It took us half an hour, versus the hour the drivers had mentioned to discourage us from going. We crossed several swamps and streams to reach the dunes! Before the Gobi, I would never have pictured sand dunes and swamps and ice being found together in a desert in the summer. We climbed the largest dune, some 600 feet (200 meters) tall, and then tumbled and ran down it, twice. The others left to pack, which G and I had already taken care of, so we stayed behind and enjoyed the dunes by ourselves before returning to the camp. Breakfast was delicious: hot fry bread with orange marmalade. We drove north for some seven hours, to Arvaikheer, a town which is much more attractive than the last one we stayed in as it has some trees. We were again in a small fenced in yard with two gers and a house and again there was no place to set up our tent, so G and I settled into one of the gers.
Day 8. We had just roused the drivers the next morning, when Martin called and said he was already at the Erdene Zuu Monastery. We drove there and he sheepishly greeted us. He said that he had gone to sit by the side of a river and listen to music and that night fell quicker than he thought it would. He realized there was no way he could find his way back, especially since he has such a bad sense of direction. He walked to the nearest light he saw and stumbled into an expensive ger camp, where he paid a lot of money to stay the night, which irked him because he is a bit tight with his money. We toured the monastery together and then hopped back in the vans for the seven hour drive east to Ulaan Baataar, where Giselle and I, and James and Renee were dropped off at Idre's Guest House. I paid Collin the money he had given to the camel crooks on our behalf, telling him it hadn't been about the money.
Mongolia | A Diary of Travels in the Gobi Desert
In 2004 Jason and Giselle Kauffeld embarked on a journey round the world, with the plan to visit all seven continents over a period of three years, they were taking on a journey many only dream of. They are currently (January 2007) in Asia and this article is a short edited exert from their time in Mongolia. They entered Mongolia overland from China, having spent some time there teaching English. Enjoy the following exert, and to read more about their travels and view more of their photos, go to their website (Jason and Giselle's homepage).
June 30 to September 7, 2006. We spent over two months in Mongolia, a country three times the size of France with a population of less than three million people, the majority of whom are still nomads. Sandwiched between Russia and China, it is also one of the highest countries in the world, with an average elevation of over five thousand feet/ 1,500 meters.
June 30 to September 7, 2006. We spent over two months in Mongolia, a country three times the size of France with a population of less than three million people, the majority of whom are still nomads. Sandwiched between Russia and China, it is also one of the highest countries in the world, with an average elevation of over five thousand feet/ 1,500 meters.
He accepted it in the spirit it was offered, and I think he saw over the trip the drivers weren't as kosher as they could have been. Most of the others were getting together to eat at a restaurant to celebrate the trip, but our van did not bond with the other van, so we did not attend.
The next day was September 6. I spent the day buying our train tickets to head back to China tomorrow, mailing some photos and other things to all the people we had met during our trip to the Reindeer People, and organizing to meet Dulguun and Oyuuna to take them out to eat at Marco Polo, one of their favorite restaurants, in an attempt to return the stunning hospitality they had showered on us earlier.
Jason and Giselle Kauffeld
For the full version of their Mongolian adventure, together with a lifetime of dinner party stories from all over the world, visit their website at (Jason and Giselle's homepage)
Its magnificent scenery and the warmth of its people, combined with its rugged remoteness made the time pass all too swiftly. During our stay we set off alone into the wilderness on a thirty-three day hiking trip in search of the reclusive and rapidly disappearing Reindeer People. We also spent a week in the Gobi Desert, where one night we lost a fellow traveler in its inky vastness. Other adventures also took place, but the full range of what we experienced in Mongolia is simply too much to elaborate on in a single chapter, as the tales would easily do justice to a book. At this time we share what we think will most pique your interest.
We pick up their Mongolia adventure in their final week and they head to the famous wilderness of the Gobi Desert…
We pick up their Mongolia adventure in their final week and they head to the famous wilderness of the Gobi Desert…
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