Patience

July 31- One of my traveling companions, Bern, is a very spiritual guy. Shortly before leaving home he received a package from Boojum with a baseball cap - the package was swarming with ants. His first reaction was "what the ....." - his second reaction, after scattering the ants in his yard, was to look up any reference to ants in a Native American animal spirit book. They signify patience. This was to be an important lesson for the next couple of days.

Because the airline had "lost our reservations" it had been necessary to arrange a charter, but the only available time slot was at night and Olgiy, our destination, did not have landing lights at the dirt airfield. So the flight was now to go to Hovd, about a six hour drive away. So, with that as the preamble, the bus to the airport broke down, the plane was late, we arrived close to midnight at a marginal hotel in Hovd (described by one of our guides as "a hole in the ground").

The next morning we set off at 7:00 am in a caravan of five Russian vans with local drivers and did not arrive at our camp until after 11:00 pm - 16 hours. The seven people in our van get along well but get rather punchy after about the fifth stop to repair a broken vehicle. Our van is special - Carol and Marsha have bought a large bag of ribbons (don't ask) and the vehicle is festooned with color.

We like our driver too - he seems to have repaired the front wheel bearing problem with no after effects. One vehicle was finally declared without breaks and passengers were distributed into other vans, but driver and luggage continue on. 

We all stop at the bottom of a steep grade to watch the driver descend with no breaks, but he manages well.

After dark, our driver and one other van are lost finding the camp and we are almost the last to arrive. Amazing starry sky.

The next morning we see where we are. This must be the place.

Hovsgol Lake

July 25 - This morning I awoke to a high overcast sky - looks like it's going to rain, I have picked up a cold, and I'm not looking forward to today's 10 hour drive to Hovsgol Lake. I know all those problems will pass, but I'm not greeting the day with any degree of enthusiasm. The drive does turn out to be trying, but not without interest. We stop at at small town to buy water & snacks, and are approached by a man looking for a ride for his niece to Moron, about 135 km north .

The uncle will be traveling with a buddy on his motorcycle, but thinks the weather (rain) would not be good for the little girl. So she joins us but it is not too far before we have to stop because she is carsick. Molor has the situation in hand and puts a piece of clear packing tape over her bellybutton - and presto! A cure I have never seen before. The day does turn out to be long with a steady light rain for most of the day. It clears later and we visit a site of deer stones - monuments placed around 600-800ad to mark the death of leaders and their passage to heaven as deer spirits. We continue on to our ger camp at Lake Hovsgol which is a long day - ended up being 11+ hours. The gers have wood stoves to heat the space, and mine is cooking away now. Planning on sleeping well.

July 26 - Our second day at the lake is a rainy day on & off - a lot cooler too so the wood stove in the center of my ger is put to good use. I use the day as a rest day and try to shake off the cold that is slowing me down. Dennis & Babs went on a horseback ride to a local family's ger and had a good time eating yogurt and watching sumo wrestling on their tv - Mongolians are making their way into Japanese sumo, and everyone was happy when the Mongolian won his match. Shower water is heated by a wood furnace which is started when you are ready to shower. Being further north, there are many more solid log built structures. We visit the town for a little while and see the visitor center for this national park area. The lake is sacred to many Mongolians, and is deep and cold. - we are camped near the outlet which drains into Lake Bakal in Russia. Right now it's late and the rain is really coming down. Hope it lets up by the time we get on the road tomorrow to get to the airport at Moron.

Into the Green

 July 22 - Today we continue north and the countryside gradually evolves from open grass plain to tree covered hills. The road is intermittently paved, but he condition is not so good, so cars drive on the shoulders to avoid bumpy sections of road. Stopping at the active monastery at Kharkhorin, we spend time wandering with tourists and worshipers. Molor tries to describe each relic or deity, but Buddhism seems hopelessly complex to me. I focus on the architecture and on people watching. There is one family wandering together that obviously represents three (or maybe more) very different generations of Mongolians. I see two young monks studying something - holy text perhaps? When I look, it turns out they are texting on their cell phone. We continue on, finally getting of the main road and climbing up into some of the most beautiful valleys I have seen anywhere. Our ger camp is at a hot springs so we get a chance to sooth road weary bodies. Green hillsides covered with herds of horses, and a couple of yaks. Before dinner, Molor has come by a pot of fermented mare's milk which we all share - refreshing in a tangy yogurt kind of way. If my stomach has no complaints, I would try it again. To bed by the sound of camp generator and distant thunder.

July 23 - Well, OK, I know there is no such thing as too much good scenery, but today came pretty close. The drive was about 9 hours through some remarkably beautiful valleys - think the best parts of Montana and also think Julie Andrews singing "the hills are alive..." The beauty is extended by maybe two hours because we are misdirected (don't say lost) due to some bad route information from another driver. That's our story and we are sticking to it. Honestly, I don't have a clue how Banya gets us around from place to place. Maybe 40 percent of today was on main roads, which means graded dirt or gravel. The rest was on dirt tracks, or better yet, overland. One hill looks much the same as another, and no road signs give any clues as to location. The only direction finder seems to be a network of fellow travelers who give reports on road conditions, etc. (Stop, trade a cigarette or packaged cupcake and chat for a while about the weather and maybe you'll get some good information) The route was studded with wildflowers of yellow, purple and white. Hills, valleys, rivers, goats, sheep, cattle, yaks, horses, herders on horseback - you get the picture. Tonight's camp is on the shore of a beautiful lake in a national park - volcanic landscape surrounds us - it's quite remarkable.

July 24 - This morning the seagulls woke me at 6:00. The lake is home to gulls, cormorants, grebes, and all manner of waterfowl. After breakfast, we drive a short distance to climb a small dormant volcano, and are treated with great views of the valley below. Driving north, we see open grassland, transitioning into wooded hills & valleys. Travel miles on paved or graded roads: 0. We go over a high forested pass to reach our ger camp - it is in a stand of trees, beside meadow and river. I think there is a pattern developing - each site seems more beautiful than the ones before. Sitting here among the trees, it is amazing to think the trip began in the open desert.

Going North

 
July 20 - From the sand dunes to Ongi monastery ruins is a straight eight hour drive through dry hostile terrain. Yawei (let's go) is at 7:45. We see maybe a total of a dozen vehicles, including a young man herding camels from a motorbike. The monastery site is a relic of a sad story. Located in a beautiful valley, two sprawling monasteries were destroyed by the Soviets in the 1930's - monks taken away and murdered. Today local kids are paying basketball on a small outdoor court. I try Chengis Vodka (not to be confused with Chengis Khan Vodka) which is also quite good.



July 21 - Babs reports a good night of orb photography, over breakfast of bread w/butter & jam, fried egg and hot dog. We are packed and on the road by 8:30. Today's route is increasingly green with herds of sheep, goats, cattle and later, yaks. I discover that yaks and cattle can be crossbred, making a funny looking thing indeed - I can't remember what they are called. The flat plain turns to rolling hills and shallow valleys before we have our inevitable breakdown. Over a big dip, a loud bang is followed by some mutterings from Bayna, our driver. Car is jacked up, wheel comes off and the problem is revealed as a broken suspension rod - one half inch steel rod, snapped like a twig. Not to worry - the in-the-field fix involves a block of wood and some twine to hold it in place until we can find a replacement. The fix holds until we reach our ger camp on a lush green hillside - 5:00 pm. Before arriving, we come across the first section of paved road since leaving UB. We travel in luxury for about 6 miles before our camp. Each ger camp has been different; all funky in their own way. This camp is pretty large, but with almost no guests except us and one German man that we met before dinner. The floor of my ger is carpet and what looks like vinyl shelf paper. There is a hook in the middle of the floor, sometimes used as part of a system to hang a rope from the roof to stabilize the structure in heavy winds - no rope here, so all it is doing today is stubbing my toe, so I rearrange the furniture.
Update -It's now 8:15 and Bayna has returned - he is our hero, having made it to the nearest town and scrounged a part to repair the van. He is a happy man and we are in good shape to continue the journey tomorrow.