We’re in the Gobi!!!
July 15, 2008 12:52 pm 08. Mongolia10km outside of Ulaanbaatar the asphalt ends and the real Mongolia begins. We leave behind the traffic of a modern day metropolis, ahead of us open space…
Although we have a copy of the Mongolian road atlas, there are no ‘roads’ as such outside the capital, only dirt tracks between larger towns and villages which shift with the passing of seasons. Navigation is done with map and compass as there are also no road signs. Many suggest that a GPS is a must, but we don’t have one and are coping just fine.
The isolation and sense of space in Mongolia is awe inspiring. We ride for hours without seeing a single soul. The desolate terrain stretches for miles ahead, while mountain ranges slowly creep up from over the horizon.
Our only companions along the way are wild camels, horses, eagles and the occasional lost cow…
There is less vegetation the further south we travel. Gravel is quickly being replaced by soft sand and we even get caught out on one occasion, taking our first tumble. Luckily we were not traveling at high speed, but the fall dents one of the panniers which we quickly fix with a few blows of the trusty hammer.
We find that Mongolians are very inquisitive. Any time we stop at a village, they quickly gather around the Africa Twin touching every part. Some even jump on the seat when we have our backs turned 
We are currently in one of the larger Gobi towns - Dalanzadgad. We plan to stock up on some food and water here before attacking the heart of the Gobi and the largest sand dunes in Mongolia - Khongorin Els. It’ll be tough but we are ready for it!!
Marcin Flower :
Date: July 15, 2008 @ 13:25
No fajnie w Mongolii Mam nadzieje ze my tam nie pobladzimy :)))Nasze Kufry zegi juz dostaly popalic bez mlotka nie poradzi :)))
Pozdro Marcin i do zobaczyska na trasie
oli :
Date: July 17, 2008 @ 11:29
niesamowita ‘nicosc’! stary jak bladzisz pamietaj zawsze jest jakies drzewko gps… no a jak z woda tam wyglada na gobi?, bo browarow widze starcza.. pozdrawiam!
Pretor :
Date: July 18, 2008 @ 14:10
Helo. Dlatego ja jadę z sakwami:):) Kurna szlak mnie trafia że się nie spotkamy na miejscu. Chyba się z lekka miniemy. W Ułan Bator jesteśmy 24 lipca.
Sami się już nie możemy doczekać. Pozdro i powodzenia !!!!!!
Doopa :
Date: July 20, 2008 @ 11:23
Was there much damage to the bike after hitting that cow? Was the farmer angry?
singapore2poland :
Date: July 21, 2008 @ 6:22
Marcin - czasami trzeba pobladzic bo wtedy sie odnajduje ciekawe mejsca (przynajmniej tak to tlumaczymy…)
Oli - ta przestrzen tu jest czadowa, by Ci sie podobalo! Drzewek nie ma wiec nie ma ‘drzewka GPS’
Pretor - przy zacmieniu slonca wlacz latarke i na pewno sie znajdziemy
Doopa - grow up!!