I ENTER MONGOLIA – YIPPEE! OR MAYBE NOT.

Sorry - but the internet here is too poor to load photos

 

On July 7 at about 4 PM I entered Mongolia. It took seven hours at the Russian border to exit. A new world’s record, not even matched by Kazakhstan. I have no idea what the problem was. It just took forever. 

We had spent the last couple days in the Russian Altai region. It is a very beautiful place and would be worth a return trip. We stayed at a camp where many families spend some summer vacation. The Russians are very outdoor oriented. But it was rainy and cold in my opinion. That did not seem to hinder the Russian children. 

I met up with another group of bikers while waiting at the border and we have decided to travel together. So Tom Bosman and I are now with Uwe (German working in Sweden), Chris (Brit living in Austalia), and Thomas (German). We are all headed in the same direction, Ulaan Baator. 

When we left Russia the weather changed instantly to an ice storm that left the dirt road on the Mongolian side covered in about an inch of slush. I do not want the trip to sound harder than it is; but no matter what, driving in ice is lousy. It is not adventure. It is just difficult. We made it to the Mongolian immigration/customs border from the No Man’s Land between the two countries of about 17 Km, and it just poured cold rain. My supposedly water proof First Gear Jacket became decidedly not water proof. And I froze. 

So I was in no hurry to clear Mongolian customs and immigration and go back in the weather. Then we got a break. As we finished up buying insurance (in the rain), it started to clear. We took off for Oglii, the next town of any size. The weather got better. The road got better. But there were still long stretches of dirt and gravel. 

We made it to Oglii and got settled. By now it was apparent my bike had problems, again. I had broken a weld –not a big deal. But I also was showing signs of an oil leak. And my tires had some slits in them. 

We checked into the Blue Wolf Gert Camp, and we got some Gerts (Yurts). And that is where I am now.  

I spent the morning sorting out the weld and mechanical issues. They are somewhat solved. This means I filled the tire cracks with super glue and intend to carry on to Ulaan Baator. I am prepared mentally to break down and hire a truck. But I really want to avoid that – Duh! The oil leak seems to be solved; and I bought more oil just in case. 

So far the roads are OK. That means I have had normal scary moments on gravel. But after Tajikistan my self-confidence is much higher. 

Oh, by the way, Mongolia is not warm. It was pretty cold here. Tom says it was about 36 degrees Fahrenheit when we came into Mongolia. Last night was chilly in the Yurt. But the sun is shining and life is good right now. 

My blog depends on the availability of internet. So just hang in there. It will probably be 3 or 4 days until I get a connection again.