Northern Mongolia

No matter about changing everything again.

What was surprising for me was the welcoming in guesthouses in Ulan Bator. First of all, it is not about "guest house" but "guest flat". Soviet style apartment, same way of getting in the place: hard to find out and with lockers everywhere...

Then they are cramped with people. In a flat you get like 20 people. Almost Spanish and French! Or German also.

All being in Mongolia for short time, less than one month, often 15 days, heading to China on Transmongolian train. Eager to find the way to visit Mongolia in short time, best value and immediately from UB. So staff in guesthouse is speedy oriented. Within one or two days you are supposed to buy a tour....not really what I am there for.

So the feelings where not top first arriving. I had my Russian visa to be fixed and the Mongolian one to be extended. And I did it, but it last some days before completed. I used then "visiting" the place.

Unfortunately, it is not a must. All building are less than 60 years old except temple, witch have been refurbished after being unattended and closed during 30 or 40 years. 

Market is something also but I was expecting kind of bazaar I saw in Uzbekistan some years ago, nothing of that.

So I spent time looking for eating as main meals are mutton and rice or rice and mutton, up to you! Always boiled in a soup and then served with the rice. So mutton fat soup and mutton....or it can be bull as well.

They are not typically rich on vegetables except cabbage they eat it like in Russia, beetroots and potatoes. I found, close to buddhists temples, some vegetarian ones and I had meals there. That's all about Ulan Bator.

I started my trip, as usual. Visiting or trying to, on my own, the country side.

Starting was the more challenging as since more than 7 weeks, I was doing it with Tommy.  

And it was easy also when there are paved roads. All of them end in UB...meaning no way for concentric, there is the difficulty!

Out of UB, no english spoken, also people even friendly are not really smily, you have to go through that and through idiom..... It means also very few people, lots of cattle of hairy cows, horses, goats, sheep. And yurts, but not only. Right now, i am close to Altaï mountains, they are green with forests, it is a rainy area, lots of streams, lakes, everything for livestock. There is lot of wooden houses, not the ones I saw in Siberia. Those are for herders. Small, able to be useful on summer time, and winter also, as cattle is gathered localy.

I am enjoying Khövsgöl Nuur Lake, frozen as deep as 120 cm every year!  The place is named Toilogt; to go farer you need a pass as it close to Russian border. It is also a National Park. Enjoying late breakfast, 10 am, early dinner, quick dried pastas, Korean way. And i will ride a horse today and start again with watercolors. That is my goal today.