Ready to leave UB with our 8am bus I got up before 6 in the morning. With the last instruction from the hostel in our pockets we left the hostel and headed to the bus station. Which actually was more like a parking space with some counters and a big mess. We quickly found our Kenwood bus and the first adventure. Artur, the polish guy, got pickpocket after just 10min at the station. Lucky him he felt it and could trace down the guy and managed to get things back. With a bus full of Mongolians and packed with rice bags, containers with liquids and much more we headed to Tsetserleg. The further away UB was the worse the road became.
After nine hours on the bus we were at our destination. After two hours of waiting for the horseman we got to know that we will be picked up by him the day after and got coordinates for our accommodation. The morning after at the mentioned time he showed up with 10 horses. Not really the weather we wished. It was raining all night and it didn’t look like its gonna stop soon. Covered in rain suits we climbed our horses and headed out into the wilderness. The trailer consisted of the horseman and his buddy, the three of us, a carrier horse and 4 spare horses.
Our first stop was around some hot springs. The source was steaming hot and everything else than welcoming for a bath. Since we just started we didn’t feel like we wanted a hot shower. So we headed of to our first gir family somewhere out there. Arriving at the place in the afternoon I wished the horse part would be already over. Having muscle souring and feeling my back as well as my ass.
The family was living a simple live out here producing yoghurt, cheese and other things from yak milk. So simple that it seemed to us they are quite dirty. The gir was occupied by hundreds of flies summing around. Beside that they were really friendly and their hospitality was great. They offered us hard cheese, fresh cheese, yak meat and other Mongolian food. The ending was the vodka made from fermented yak yoghurt. Since I didn’t have any camping gear with me they gave me a spot next to the oven. Didn’t sleep very well and at some point in the night my stomach couldn’t handle the food anymore.
Getting up with a sick stomach I soon figured out I wasn’t the only one in the group. Back on the horses we moved on with two being sick. Living the dirty family behind us and moving to the next place. The morning wasn’t really a pleasure but in the afternoon things went better. We even started to enjoy being on a horse. Although, for some time I was walking and figured out that I go faster than the horses except they were galloping. The family we spent the second night together was totally different. The gir was almost spotless and everything was in place. The man of the house was not around at the arrival just his wife and the two daughters. Where as the older one had to saw wood, bring the horses back and to feed the goats. The younger one was busy in posing for our pictures and taking pictures with my camera.
Somewhen the husband showed up coming back from hunting. Sitting on the motorcycle with the gun on his back and a huge marmot fixed to the bike. Unfortunately not supposed to be our dinner. Anyway I had to refuse tonights dinner. The night was crystal clear so clear that you could see the whole milky way. But also so clear that it was freezing cold. In the morning we got kind of pancakes before we headed out. This time number three of us, the only one trying the cheese the night before, was sick. Meanwhile we got used to the situation being on a horse and could enjoy our ride much more. On the third day we were heading to Olchon valley for camping on a river.
Nice quiet place on the water including some nearby beach and a lot of driftwood for a fire. Getting the first bath after a few days felt so good even if the water was quite cold. Our guide had some noodles and western food with him which we were so thankful. Nevertheless he needed our help to make them. Artur was the only one having a gas cooker even if we were told its all inclusive on the horse trip. Quite funny. Later on I had to help them out with my bin bags to seal things for the night which could have been rainy. I made my own biwi out of bin bags and duck tape. A big fire kept us warm during the evening and since there was nothing to do we went to sleep early.
The ride the day after was a short one. For the last few days till the car pick up we went to the horseman’s family. After about two hours we were already there. I didn’t mind since I kind of head enough after all the days. Happy about getting our own gir we settled for a moment.
Since the ride was very short on that day we were taken on the horses to the nearby waterfalls. Back at our gir we got rice and some vegetable and yak meat for dinner served to our place. It looked like the family didn’t want to spent too much time with guests. The day after we visited the his buddies place going full speed there. Getting some more yak vodka which I had to pretend to sip from it since I couldn’t taste it anymore. The next two nights was nothing to do beside waiting on the pickup. Ready to change our 1hp to NAZ-452.
