Trans-Siberian Railway 2 - Ulaan Bataar & the steppes of Mongolia

Photos: http://transsiberianrailwayexperience.shutterfly.com

After the peace and calm of the Gobi Desert I headed to the bright lights and big city of Mongolia's capital, Ulaan Bataar. Ok, bright lights might be a bit of an exaggeration but it is a pretty big city (over a million people) and a far cry from the remoteness of the Gobi Desert ger camp. Our guide Orkhon travelled with us on the train from Sainshand to UB, and continued to be our guide for the rest of our time in Mongolia. Aside from enjoying her company and energy immensely, I have to say I was glad to have her on the train with us as the carriage attendant came to tell us that that there would be a 30 minute stop in the middle of the night “in a town with bad people” and to make sure our doors and windows were locked so they wouldn't reach in while we were sleeping. That's one rather important piece of information I'm glad we had a translator for.

Arriving in UB in the morning of Day 5, we had breakfast in a Mongolian fast food joint (which served very good Mongolian dumplings Orkhon assured us) and had a quick tour of the city before we headed to another ger camp an hour outside of the city on the open steppes. In UB, we went up to the Zaisan Hill Memorial for an incredible vista of the city (and a local hang out for UB's bored youth). We then went to the centre of town to see the main square, the very impressive Mongolian House of Parliament, and other important city buildings. There was also a parade for Mongolia's (three) Olympic athletes that were heading to Beijing, which made for some great people watching. There were lots of posters and blaring loudspeakers while we walked around the city as well because the Parliamentary elections that were being held the week after, which I'm glad we missed because there were huge city riots on the day. Apparently every man between the ages of 15 and 65
were out on the streets getting up to mayhem.

After our city tour (I would return to explore UB in a few days time), we were taken to our next ger camp for a few more days of traditional Mongolian life. At the Elstei Ger Camp I somehow snagged a huge four bed ger all to myself while married couples were given two bed gers that leaked during subsequent storms, as I found out later. The food was still delicious and coming in enormous proportions supplied, interestingly, by an Indian chef who spoke excellent Mongolian. The camp was even plusher than the Gobi Desert camp but I don't think it had the same character. It was a little more touristy with a proper shower block, a bar in the dining hall, and even had a little 'tourist shop ger'. The shop actually served my purposes very well though, as I achieved one of my goals for Mongolian: buying a pair of Mongolian boots. They are fabulous and everyone admired them, all confirming that for the first time in recorded history that a “hotel” souvenir shop was actually cheaper than souvenir shops in town. They really came in handy too, as it rained quite a lot for the rest of my time in Mongolia and were perfect waterproof hiking/riding boots.

Which brings me to the second of my achieved goals for Mongolia: horseback riding through the open steppes. It's a good thing that Mongolian ponies are a strong breed because I looked a little like an adult riding a child's bike, my legs hanging down near the poor creatures knees. It was amazing, we rode out to see the free roaming sheep and goats herds, and the rain held off just long enough that afternoon for me to also hike up to the big hill behind the camp. The camp dog had seen me leaving and she joyously bounded after me, accompanying me all the way. It was a special moment for me, sitting next to Dog on the top of that hill, looking out across the beautiful countryside.

While staying in the steppes, I also visited a traditional nomadic family where we were fed salted tea and sweetened butter (I think they mixed up the labels on the tins), and also went to see a giant metal monument of a mounted Genghis Khan. It was just being finished and quite a sight, but sadly the surrounding area was sadly marked for the construction of what would essentially become a tourist district. They were going to build 200 gers, shops, a hotel and restaurant so I think I'll be one of the last to see that corner of the country looking remotely untouched.

After the camp, I had another day and night in UB, where I did some exploring through the backstreets of the city where I guess a lot of tourists don't go from the looks I was getting. I bought a pair of matching camel hair slippers for Mum and Dad (as a thank you for bailing me out at the last second in Beijing), and a pair for Leeann and Golo (as a thank you for putting up with me for nearly two months in London) and sent them off to their respective parts of the world. And I sent my boots back to Australia too, to assure those of you who tutted at me for breaking the second cardinal rule of backpacking: travel light (the first of course being, always know where your towel is). I don't know when I'll be able to wear the boots next anyway, as I've got perpetual summer for the next 12 months, which I just had to rub in for those of you huddled over your computers in the Southern hemisphere.

I also went to the excellent Natural History Museum which had some impressive fossils. Mongolia is a really interesting geological area, and have a lot of very important archaeological sites. There a lot of coal and natural resources so it is unfortunately being plundered for its riches at an alarming rate to try to satisfy the thirst of China and other developing countries. I unfortunately missed Mongolia's biggest national festival, which would have been fantastic, with celebrations throughout the country of Mongolia's tradition sports; wrestling, horse racing and archery.

But on my last day I did find “Aura”, a bar/restaurant that actually surpassed the kitsch levels set by Chinese establishments, simply because it had a more authentic Wild West saloon feel about it. I don't like eating in touristy places so I walked in a unlikely looking unmarked door and when I heard strains of ABBA floating down the flashing pink fairy lighted passage, I knew I'd hit gold. The place was complete with diamond shaped mirrored tiles on the wall, pink neon lights under a green bar with red and white panels, faux brick fireplace with a gold plated sailing ship on top, fake saloon doors, all manor of certificates on the walls, a mixture of shiny and furry wallpaper, the occasional Buddhist icon, and of course the tackiness of decades old advertising for all kinds of alcohol. Absolute gold I tell you, and they make a mean noodle soup.

Getting on the train to Russia, I was tingling with excitement. Finally, Mother Russia! My anticipation was only tempered by my sadness to farewell Orkhon, whom I'd really come to love in our week together. Where I'd lost a friend though, I'd gained two because I found out that Becca and Clark who'd I'd met briefly in the second ger camp were my cabin mates to Irkutsk, my first stop in Russia. We became fast friends and looking back now they are so much a part of what I loved about the trip. In the train, we whittled away many hours talking, laughing, eating and drinking, and I can't wait to go to the States to embark on an ambitious new road trip I'm plotting. But that's another trip for another year...

Trans-Siberian Railway 1 - To Mongolia and the Gobi Dessert

Greetings from the Trans-Siberian Railway!

Photos: http://transsiberianrailwayexperience.shutterfly.com/

Leaving Beijing was both an exhilarating and incredibly sad affair, and I was so exhausted by the time I got on the train at 7am that I honestly don't remember too much of the journey until we arrived in Erlian (the Chinese border town) at abut 9pm.You have the option of getting off or staying on the train when it goes off to change the 'bogeys' (the train wheels). They do this because the train tracks are different on the Mongolian/Russia side and the whole thing takes about three hours. I thought the train attendant had said we could still see the process from the station (my final example of how-my-mandarin-isn't-up-to-scratch) so I got off with my cabin mates to stockpile food, get some air and have a stretch.

Now, we were warned that the train bathrooms are locked 30 minutes before and after we arrive at the station, which is part of the reason I got off the train. What I didn't realise was that they remained locked throughout the whole border crossing until we pulled away on the Mongolian side, which was another two hours after we were allowed back on. Still in my Chinese habit of constantly drinking green tea, I got back on the train already needing to use the facilities and the wait through two passport checks and customs was, by the end of it, excruciating. Since watching Ewan Macgregor's “The Long Way Round” a few years ago I've been desperate to see Mongolia, but I never thought I'd be quite this as desperate and quite in this way. Luckily, I'd made friends with the Chinese carriage attendant who saw me hopping around and unlocked a lavatory early for me. He earned a bag of sweets off me for that one.

The officialdom of the border crossing was interesting. It was about 2am by the time it was all over, and I needed to be up at 5am for my first stop so my sleep deprivation experiment continued into Day 7. And I thought I would be able to catch up on rest on this trip! But of course it's all been so worth is, and at 05:30 I got off in Sainshand, the town on the edge of the Gobi Desert and my first Trans-Siberian Railway stop.

The Gobi Desert is nothing short of breathtakingly beautiful. Some people would (and have, see next paragraph) say there's nothing to see in a desert but I think its one of the most beautiful vistas Nature has to offer. The Gobi far surpassed all my expectations, though the same cannot be said by my travel companions.

Here I should mention that I made arrangements for this trip through a specialised Trans-Siberian travel company. They arranged all my tickets, transfers, accommodations, visas and the occasional guide to help with travel and language difficulties. I always planned this trip as a sojourn, but I decided to book through this company to avoid all the difficulties I knew could and would arise. I chose Monkey Shrine because they were by far the best value and very specifically differentiate themselves from being a “tour group”. There is no hand holding, shopping trips, and no flags! But, I was informed there were two others traveling on the same schedule as me from Beijing all the way to Moscow, which I was a little apprehensive about. So I emailed my soon-to-be companions and found out that they were a couple in their 70s who had travelled around the world and sounded quite lovely so I thought all would be well. Ha. But I'm not going to waste my time or yours by writing more about their racist, petty negative attitudes. I just ignored them as much as possible, and not a thing in this world was going to ruin my trip.

Anyway! Mongolia: We were met at the train station by the sparkling Orkhon, our Mongolian guide. There isn't much in the town of Sainshand, it's a gateway to the Gobi Desert and an old coal mining town and we drove straight through to where we were staying about 30 mins out of the city. It was properly dawn as we drove and as the sun rose, illuminating the desert, it hit me, 'Oh my god, I'm really here. I'm in Mongolia! I'm in the Gobi Desert!' And I felt all the tiredness of the last few weeks just melt away as we pulled into the ger camp.

Gers are the traditional houses of the Mongolian nomads (similar to 'yurts' in Russia) and the ger in the camp where amazingly comfortable. Certainly comfier than my dinky “studio” apartment in Beijing. I spent many wonderful hours sitting in the shade writing in my journal, and I was constantly taking photos. Actually, doing that on my first evening almost got me in a bit of a pickle.

I went for a walk after dinner because the sunset was so breathtakingly beautiful. I took nearly 90 photos of that one sunset alone! I walked westward, stopping every few minutes to take a few more shots and walked to the power lines I'd thought would be photogenic. I spend ages composing shots, and used the self timer to take a few fun shots of myself. Then (and I have Golo to thank for this), I turned around to see the view behind and saw strange clouds rolling toward me. Typical me, I just think “Wow, cool!” and start taking photos of it. By the time I had taken just one I realised it was gaining on me at a rate of a few hundred meters a second and oh, wait, holy crap it's a ruddy great big sandstorm.

Grabbing my stuff, I headed back to camp and noted I'd gone a little further than I realised and that it was a good five minute walk back. Checking over my shoulder I guessed I had about half that before it hit but I wasn't worried as I was well within view and I wouldn't get lost, just a little dusty. It was just getting a little sandy when I see one of the camp's van come screeching out toward me and lurch to a halt, door flying open. “Michelle!” Orkhon calls, “Come in!” I get in and poor Orkhon was breathing so hard it was like she'd run a marathon. “Oh Michelle!” she pants, laughing “The desert can be very dangerous! Change very fast! I look and look, where is Michelle?”. I couldn't help it, I laughed, and apologised repeatedly to both her and the driver for having to come get me. By the time we got back to camp it'd well and truly hit, so we all retreated to our gers to wait it out. Hilarious! Typical me, talking so many photos I nearly get caught in a sandstorm.

Well, that wasn't our only sandstorm either, we had a fantastic one right as we were leaving to go to our next stop. Just wait til I get the photos up, it'll blow you away. The other driver apparently said to Orkhon that I'd had three good omens (the two sandstorms and seeing the snakes) and so it meant I might marry a Mongolian man. I think he was offering, bless him, though I doubt he'd be so keen if he knew I was close to 30; in Mongolian that's considered to be middle aged!

So the Gobi was the perfect start to my trip and a side of Mongolia not many people see. From there I went to Ulaan Bataar, the capital city, and saw the other side of life in Mongolia...

The Final Farewell

Photos

Well, this is it: I'm off on the Trans-Siberian Railway in five hours and need to get some sleep so I can't even begin to tell you all about one of the most amazing weeks of my life.

These last few weeks have had it all: from frantic packing to last minute explorations, misty-eyed goodbyes and the most hideous pair of neon pink polka-dotted shorts that ever existed, and from champagne brunches to perfect Beijing moments: I've had the absolute best end to the best year of my life. And you know what? It's all up from here.

Signing off for now, see you at the end of the (Trans-Siberian Railway) line!