Having arrived in Chita tired and dirty, we decided to fork out for a hotel with a hot shower. The best budget option available was the ‘Hotel Tourist’. A legacy of Russia’s communist past, it had a creaky push button elevator and an old lady on each floor that handed out the room key. Right next door was a reminder of Russia’s military muscle…

From Chita we continued west passed Ulan Ude to Lake Baikal. We did not have enough time to ride around the lake and visit Irkutsk, so we settled for a short coastal route along the eastern edge. Unfortunately the weather deteriorated to constant rain and mist, so we were forced to cut short our stay to only one night. In general we were left a little disappointed by the trip to Lake Baikal.

Along relatively good asphalt we made quick time to the Mongolian border. So far each border crossing had been a unique and (usually) frustrating experience, and this time was no different. Mongolian immigration and customs clearance was a long and unclear process. Running back and forth between different buildings, we had to accumulate various stamps until the last border guard was satisfied and allowed us entry. We were finally in the ‘Land of Blue Sky’…

The next 350km to the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar gave us a taste of the spectacular landscape for which Mongolia is famous for. Long straight roads lead through vast open grassland, rolling hills and valleys, where wild horses and camel roam freely…

We specifically timed our visit to Ulaanbaatar to coincide with the Naadam Festival (July 11-12). It’s an annual event during which Mongolian’s compete in three traditional sports of wrestling, horse racing and archery. Apparently the celebrations in Ulaanbaatar have become somewhat of a tourist trap, so we decided to visit a nearby town instead, which put on a more traditional form of ‘Naadam’. Access to all areas was free of charge and we got to see some great wrestling action up close…

The locals were very friendly…

…sometimes too friendly!!

We are now preparing the bike (and ourselves) for the next part of our journey which will take us to the Gobi Desert, through the Altai mountains and to the western border with Russia. All together we expect to cross Mongolia in about 3 weeks.