60,000 people visit these markets each day and they are as diverse as they are dynamic. You can buy anything from a gur tent and all the appropriate furniture, chain saws, butter wrapped in sheep intestines (as a container), antiques, ropes, and solar panels. We found everything very cheap. A $700 solar panel in Australia was $200, ‘cargo’ type shirts were $15, and my prized purchase was a very old Mongolian Khan Warrior helmet for US100.

After visiting the local and largest Monastery we left Ulaanbaatar and headed south.

This is a land of no roads only directions.

We soon found this out as we headed out of town. 20kms from town we were on multiple dirt tracks, no signposts, and heading by GPS south towards Mandalgov. There were so many tracks in every direction that eventually Bill and I became separated and could not find each other for over an hour. Having lost his UHF ariel very early in the trip, communication was impossible between the valleys.

We finally relocated each other by good luck, not planning, and were so relieved that we camped where we were. Besides it was 8pm and we were on the side of a broad 10km wide valley, with the horizon surrounding us.

Following setting up camp we were met by a local and his son in their new 100 series Landcruiser. They had been falcon hunting and returning home and just stopped in to check if we were OK.  They soon left but not before leaving us some biscuits, just as other visitor did this morning in camp. Very friendly people.

That evening the sky put on a specular light and storm cloud show as we retired.

Camp 44:  Lost and Found - Storm Camp

Sunday 12th August: Fortunately there was no rain in the clouds last night, on these black soil plains that would put a end to all travel. There are still no trees or low plants, only open rolling hills and plains covered with an ever diminishing cover of green grass.

We drove by GPS to try to locate the Mineral Springs in the foot hills of Baga Gazaryn Uul but gave up.

Finally following the maize of tracks, but mostly GPS we arrived 410kms later at Mandalgov. A not so impressive town, in this heat of about 30degrees we shouted ourselves a well deserved ice-cream.

Now camped on top of a rounded hill 15kms south of town we again have a 360 degree view of the flat horizon. No trees or shrubs only grasses, rocks and sand. This is preparing us for the Gobi Desert beyond.

Monday 13th August: I was up early this morning trying to fix the computer. Every page is split into 4 horizontal pages, and I imagine this was due to the constant vibrations from the roads. I have found a way to use word for this log, but it is a problem for pictorial storage and I am still working on that one.

The view as we drive through the country is so big and expansive it is impossible to capture it on film. Not even a panoramic shot can capture the vastness of the sweeping valleys, the green rolling hills, or the green horizon in every direction. Our morning tea stop was on top of a hill to soak in the view.

Along the way there are plenty of grazing animals. Camels, goats, sheep, and horses all attended by the younger members of the nomadic family.

They are either on horse or camel, or walking beside the stock moving them constantly on and generally watching over them.

We veered from our GPS south track to take in the Painted Desert Mountains. It was only 30Kms off our track, and well worth it. The clay/sandstone mountain was slowly eroding leaving unusual shapes in red, orange, pink, white and mauve. It is hot, 37degrees is registered on our thermometer in the camper.

Following the GPS and the occasional track we arrive 15Kms outside the town of Dalanzadgad and set camp. Again we are surrounded by a green horizon with the occasional blue hills dotting the horizon.

Camp: 46 Dalanzadgad Plains Camp

Position: (Gobi Desert) – 500Kms South of Ulaanbaatar

Total Distance to Date: 11,665Kms.

Tuesday 14th August: We had some restocking to do, and as there is no ‘supermarket’ in Dalanzadgad, we food shopped in the markets.

We had always tried to buy our fresh vegetables in markets, but the butcher shop was a whole new adventure. 

It seemed that everybody gave a hand to carry them inside and place on the large scales in the centre of the hall. Then the individual stall holders sliced off what they had pre-ordered and paid the ‘wholesaler’.

On the side of the hall were all these individual butcher merchants with their cuts of meat proudly displayed on one long table.

Our only problem was that we could not tell the difference between the sheep, the cow, the camel, or goat, or what ever else was available. We spied a nice piece of meat and asked if it was lamb. Naturally we could not speak Mongolese nor do they English, so Lyn did the Baa-Baa thing. The two old ladies laughed and placed two lumps of fat side by side on the table to indicate it was camel. We still decided it still looked good and purchased the one and a half Kilo for 6,000 Togrog (A$6.00).

Bill got is beer (6 x 1.5 litre plastic bottles) for 9,000 Togrog (A$9),

I chased up the local delicacy –‘tarag’ or yogurt, a large jar for 2,000 Togrog (A$2), and the only thing we could not find was butter.

With the chores all done we headed out the 45Kms to Yolyn Am Gorge. It was supposed to be an ice filled gorge, but his year’s summer proved too hot, and despite walking more than 4kms down the gorge we found no ice. Watching the surrounding near vertical cliffs however eventually rewarded us with a sighting of two Ibex.

After 6 weeks of travelling we had decided to shout ourselves a bit of luxury.

The Three Camels Lodge Ger Camp came well recommended as setting the bar for accommodation in Mongolia.  Situated on the vast grassy plains with a small rock outcrop as a background, the central old style timber building was surrounded by 20 or so white ger tents. We were met by the friendly staff and shown to our accommodation. 

Each ger had a large king size bed, wash basin, toilet, and coal heater for winter. The inside walls, roof beams and all the furniture were brightly painted in typical orange and pink colours.

The accommodation tariff included 3 meals so it was an easy decision to not leave until after lunch tomorrow, particularly so as the 4 course dinner was delicious.

Wednesday 15th August: After a long breakfast it became a relaxing morning, if only to prepare us for lunch. We watched a video about Roy Andrews, an American adventurer who in the early 1920’s discovered the worlds largest Dinosaur fossil reserve including the first ever Dinosaur eggs. This was only 25Kms north and was to be our next stop. It would seem that Roy was quite a real-life adventurer, fighting rebels, bandits, and hunting fossils in the midst of a revolution.

It is widely regarded that he is the basis of the Indiana Jones character.

The ‘Flaming Red Cliffs’ of Bayanzag are amazing and with only a few steps you start to see fossil bones everywhere. We saw some incredible specimens in the Museum in Ulaanbaatar, but to actually see teeth and bones in mother earth – I was captivated.

We parked the vehicles at the base of the cliffs to camp, and immediately walked around finding bones and teeth in the soft red sand cliff face.

Even after dinner I could not resist scratching at the surface only to be rewarded with a large specimen of pelvis (?) bone. After exposing about 40 cm it was so fragile I had to very reluctantly leave it alone.

Thursday 16th August: Today we are off to the ‘Singing dunes’ of Khongoryn Els.  The Gobi Desert is not as I expected – waves of dunes for thousands of kilometres. Only in this area are the dunes as one would imagine.

Here for 100Kms long and 10Kms wide are they nothing less than spectacular.

Reaching a height of 300metres above the stony plain, they beg to be climbed. The slope was 45 degrees of soft moving sand, and Bill & I achieved the top, with Lyn reaching 2/3rds of the way. It was very hard work, but we were rewarded with a great view along the sand ridge line.

Our planned decent was not as fast as we wanted as we had carried two car floor mats to the top to slide down on, but they were too slow. However, as we moved the noise of the moving sand in front of us was like the low roar of an aircraft engine.

The afternoon’s adventure was a 125Kms navigation run across the centre of the Gobi Desert to pick up vehicle tracks further north.

Leaving the sand dunes behind, we headed out on to the open stony rolling plains. Starting out on faint tracks these slowly diminished until we were following only the GPS directional arrow. 

The last faint track finished at an ancient well, the sides of the well were lined with twisted local timber and the beautiful stock enclosure again made of twisted, dry desert timber.

We elected to follow a sandy creek bed for 20Kms until the creek became too narrow for the vehicles, it was then across very rough dry ‘salt bush’ country for 10Kms until we reached relative smooth stony firm ground again. The firm ground was welcome as the sky was now overcast and only a sprinkle on the low salt bush country would have meant a quagmire.  The last 12Kms took us over 1 1/2 hours; hence on reaching the comfort of the stony foot hills we called camp.

For the first time in a week fire wood was relatively plentiful at our Gobi Desert Camp.

Friday 17th August: It rained and blew last night. The wind so strong at 2am we woke with the shaking of the truck. This morning the rain has ceased to a light drizzle but the desert tracks are now wet and travel will be ‘interesting’. Fortunately we are out of the low country and crossing now low stony hills. Very picturesque, but the colours subdued in the bleak weather.  

The sand and rocky country is good travelling but in between in the low clay areas the ground is either slippery with sloppy mud, or tacky with sticky mud.

Our destination today is a crystal lined cave that was inhabited over 700,000 years ago. The GPS leads us up yet another long and 500 metre wide stony creek bed between jagged peaks.

Following some directions from a local ger camp we arrive at a small steep sided gorge.  We leave the vehicles and walk the 300 metres up to the opening in side of the rocks.

A large cave is actually a gas cavity formed when the rocks were molten, and is lined with Calcite and Quartz crystals. The ceiling has a good overhang and a light hole; the smoke stains indicate long use.

Unfortunately more recent visitors have not appreciated the importance of this site and have left their own messages on the stone walls with paint and scratchings.

It is still raining, and we decide to cancel our visit to another prehistoric area, and head towards Orog Nuur (lake).  After 60Kms, some on tracks and some not, we approach the Salt Lake but the low country becomes increasingly impassable with the wet weather. We really do not wish to be bogged in the middle of Mongolia, in a salty flood plain without a tree in sight. We retreat to higher ground, and call the lake quits.

Heading towards the town of Bayankhonor, tomorrows destination, we sight on our left a black rock ridge line and decide to drive up this for our camp.

At the top we are rewarded with a spectacular view across the black stony plain and to the right a predominant red and white vertical escarpment.

Our 50th Camp: Black Rock Ridge Camp

Current Position: 100Kms South of Bayankhongor (Central Mongolia)

Total Distance to Date: 12,195 Kms