In the meanwhile, life goes on on the southern route...

Its impossible to get lost in Mongolia, just follow the empty wodka bottles!!

Great pictures.

GRTZ,

JP

Yeah, it took me only a few days to learn the trick:-)

8/8/2014

The next morning the oldest man of what during the night we understood to be the mongolian version of one of our autogrills, makes an unmistakable sign with his hand: he wants money for allowing us to put the tent next to them.
They asks 2 or 3 dollars, it is not a problem, but this surprises me and makes me realize the great difference that exists between the Mongols and the peoples of other Central Asia countries, where everybody gives you everything without being prompted, and without asking for anything in return.
In Mongolia it doesn't work always this way: you can meet people hospitable and generous, that invite you to drink tea in their ger or that approach you to give you a bottle of water, but it also happens to meet people a little more attached to money.
Great social changes are taking place in the country, and - we were later told - they are losing some of the old values.

Did I wrote that humans are not the only curious guys in Mongolia?

The road is flat and rather boring









Every once in awhile, someone stops to have a chat ...

We arrive at the pass and, as usual, there is an ovoo:
"An ovoo (Mongolian: овоо, heap) is a type of shamanistic or Tengriism's shire cairn found in Mongolia, usually made from rocks with wood or from wood. Ovoos are often found at the top of mountains and in high places, like mountain passes. They serve mainly as Tengriism religious sites, used in worship of the mountains and the sky as well as in Buddhist or Shamanist ceremonies, but often are also landmarks. Almost reseachers say that originally all ovoo is from holy woods so until now it consist must be with wood and holy ovoo must be includes inside wood elements.
When travelling, it is custom to stop and circle an ovoo three times in clockwise direction, in order to have a safer journey. Usually, rocks are picked up from the ground and added to the pile. Also, one may leave offerings in the form of sweets, money, milk, or vodka. If one is in a hurry while travelling and does not have time to stop at an ovoo, honking of the horn while passing by the ovoo will suffice"
from Ovoo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



A car arrives, it seems to want to crash on my bike and I start screaming, fortunately it stops before doing damage and descends a bizarre character (maybe a monk??) dressed in yellow who begins to recite things in Mongolian and try to stop the other cars which are passing: the scene is surreal but I must say it is fun. After a few minutes, and after giving us candy, fermented milk, cheese, and having covered us with so many incomprehensible words, they leave.
The scene of the arrival and the show this character gave us remains one of the most absurd and funny experience in our lives

Altai City



9/8/2014



East of the city a hundred kms more of asphalt









During a brief stop just outside of Delger, three nice guys approach us, they give us a bottle of water and we have a short chat

This I forgot to write it: why are we east of Altai City?
The original program was to go up north to Uliastai and then join the central route through Tosontsegel, Tariat and Tsetserleg before reaching Ulaanbaatar.
The road conditions, the weather which continues to threaten rain since days, and the few days that remain available, they made us change the program, and we decided to continue along the southern route, on which we know from Bayankhongor will be asphalt to the capital.

Shortly after we left, I see a person on the right side of the road, when he sees us he nods to stop: he is a guy from Israel who is traveling alone and on foot around Mongolia, he is there because the night before, due to the wind, he decided to put his tent BELOW the road, in a tunnel that allowed him not to fly away:-)
We stop and talk for a while, then we say goodbye









In addition to the tole ondulee, now we also have the sand...not constant and not always, but it's there...

Buutsagan

The usual curious, who probably drank a bit too much vodka







We decide to stop here and ask if we can put our tent in a garden close to a little shop



Evidently something get lost in translation, and we end up renting a room in a house nearby



So we ask where is the gas station as we need it: they show us the place but we are told not to go before 20.30
Why not? Because the pump will only work when the electricity will be reattached to the village, in the evening.
Obviously there is a queue waiting for the opening ...





When are now past 21:00, is starting to get dark and the electricity still is not seen, the guy from the gas station is convinced to switch on the generator and move the pump with that

10/8/2014

Throughout the day today we are lucky as the rain came before us, the sand is compact and this helps us greatly