Mongolia

Tolbo Nuur Campsite

Last night I stayed at Lake Tolbo Nuur. But I wasn't alone. Meet two families from Russia including their two Bassets. The fishing was not so successful so we had pasta, salad (with mayonnaise, Russians love it) and a kind of Russian self made Glühwein and a box of Russian sweet bakery.

What a lovely and beautiful stay!!!!!!!!

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Mountain track to Öglii

After Khoved next is the mountain track down to Öglii passing by mountains such a Maraa Uul. One of the best crossings in Mongolia so far!!!! About 2700m high.

Just beautiful scenery!!!!!

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South Route to Khovd

Done the third stretch of the south route. It is a very nice drive apart from the heavy construction traffic which laced you in the dust. As a car no chance - dust inside like h*ll. And I thought to last day was awful in regards to dust - but this beats everything so far.

But all in all I have to say the south route is far nicer than its reputation - love it!

Athen I hie done the North and South Route, I would do mixture of both with Uliastai in center - should be best of Mongolia


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South Route to Altai Citiy

What a day. Finally reach the Altai city. Done 265km in 6hr45min before hitting the Tarmac again.

Dusty, bumpy, shaky, potholes.... the Landy took quite a beating, but so far just works. Not a very pleased drive - The was the worst stretch so far in Mongolia. And of course dust everywhere. Needs a full clean in Öglii.

And finally dropped my iPhone and screen shattered. Grrrrrrrr......
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South Route to Bajanchongor

So, today wasn't that successful. Ok, the south route so far was spectacular, definitely not boring!

Went for diesel in Bajanchongor, but then a huge spillage!! Diesel leaking from a pipe! You couldn't se where it supposed to be - between tank and frame.

So, down to the garage other side of the street. Removed the full diesel tank just to find out that the diesel drain pipe went of due a poorly made fitting!!!!! A few cable ties and job done - apart about 4hrs lost.

My next destination was the Gobi desert, so I tried to do a long drive, but that stretch would take too long - tomorrow is already the 17 and by the 21 I have to be in Öglii as the border crossing is the next day. Maybe an extended stay at one of the lakes along the drive instead.

A few from today.

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Beautifull Mongolia

Today was a very lovely day - Beautiful Mongolia as known from TV. I went first for stroll around the Orkhon Valley and then followed the A08 passt Khujirt down to the south route.

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Erdene Zuu Monastery

Erdene Zuu Monastery - the first destination after Ulaanbaatar.

A very nice monastery the has been rebuilt after its wa destroyed during the communist reign. After the fall of Communism Erdene Zuu was turned over to the lamas and today Erdene Zuu remains an active Buddhist monastery as well as a museum that is open to tourists.

Interestingly, Erden Zum ist built on the place of the old capital of Mongolia, Kharkhorin. Some remains are straight behind the Monastery. The outline can bee seen from air as there is little above ground.


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Oasis GuestHouse

Stayed at the Oasis Guesthouse in Ulaanbaatar.

It's the place to go to for all Overlanders - the meeting place in Mongolia. The Guesthouse itself is nice but not very well equipped, especially in regards to washing facilities and Wifi.

Some Impressions below:


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Naadam Festival

With the route changed I stayed slightly longer then expected in Ulaanbaatar - so had the time to visit the Naadam Festival. This is all about the celebration of Mongolia, its history and their three main sports - Wrestling, Archery and Horse Riding.
Wonderful weather, which could not be taken for granted after those rainy spells over the last few days. And as such the atmosphere was great. Was lucky to get the tickets for the stadium!!


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Altai Imprressions

Finally, here are some impression of the Altai mountain range. I’ve been driving for about there days through the Altai Travan Bogd National Park. As it is close to the Chinese Border a permit is required and the was organized by Baco , the co-owner of the Eagels Nest Travel Lodge. We camped at two lovely families. They shared their dinner and tea breaks with us and we sleeped close to the main fire places in our bags. And Baco was alway looking for the right route, asking families and horse-riders. Sometimes you were amazed where he finds them.

The Landy took a very hard beating during those two days - river crossing, getting stuck, crossing mounting ranges through snow, mud, clay, gravel and rocks. But the scenery was stunning. Highly recommended!!!


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First time stuck

Well, this was a mess and partly stupid. I know the Landy can do a lot and the suspension can travel up to 700mm. The approach looked muddy and bumpy. However as the ground was partly frozen (it's the Altai) I thought that should be ok. So, with diff-lock and low range engaged and second gear in. Full speed ahead. It was ok until I slipped sideways into a big hole. And it was a deep short one. Game over.


No chance to pull myself out. So I organized a second car from the family nearby - a Russian UAF jeep. They finally got me pulled out. I stopped the road to the Glacier or today. And turned back to either Altai places.


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How to Cross a River

So, this is something scary. Actually locks more scary inside the car than on photos.

In Khushuut I wanted to cross the River. The old wooden bridge however was under construction. Everyone around however said you can cross the river by car and your Land Rover should do it the easy way. However the whole thing looked crazy and I wasn’t sure how good everything is sealed, even with the raised air intake mounted. Up to 700-800mm would be the maximum in a really worse case scenario. But I really did not want to risk the engine so I organized a truck to pull me to the other side. The Engine was of course off! In the end I probably could have done the crossing depth-wise but the ice on the other side would have been a very very tough climb.


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Eagler Hunters

With Help form the Egels Nest Guest Hours I went to the Altai Eagle Hunters today. The drive in itself was very scenery and I saw also some rune stones.The Family was lovely. Had food and tee and even more tee and even if they understood only very little english I've managed to exchange some words, facts and small talk.

The main attraction was the Stone-eagle. The owner even dressed up and I was allowed to hold the eagle. Later went horse riding - which I have never done before so I haven’t had a clue but thank god the horse wasn’t speedy.

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Ölgii

It's been a long driven but now I'm in Mongolia. A German dream Destination for Campers, Overlanders, Adventurists. The first stopp is the small city Ölgii. First night stayed at a hotel as I arrived very very late and it was only soso. However, next day I switched over to the Eagels Nest, a Hotel only for Tourist - ok I'm still the only ones around. However, they provided me with very good support and help - i.e. Eagle Hunters and the Altai National Park. And off course I went to the city and its local black market.

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David Marcus

I was heading down to the Balqash Lake and before I sorted our overnight camp I bumped into David Marcus - A South African Overlander, Land Rover Enthusiast & also known from Land Rover Magazines. Anyway. I had a nice first chat while he showed his Land Rover 300 TDI SW and the Discovery 2. The Discovery 2 was pulling the Landy as his engine was basically gone. Originally he wanted to drive own as far as possible before the night but then he stayed with us at the lake.

And of course I had a long chat about Landys, his Journeys and Missions. Superb bloke! Unfortunately he had a bad crash the next day at around lunchtime. Both Land Rover were heavily damaged but he was not hurt. With help from his Kazakhstan Land Rover Friends he managed to get a transport ....


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