Trains, Bikes and Trucks

  Moron, Hovsgol, Mongolia
Wednesday, May 21, 2008

So we are in Western Mongolia!

It has been quite an epic in all. We took yet annother sleeper train from UB to Erdenet. this was interesting as we had to hand the bikes over to a bunch of boys on the station for them to load into the luggage car. but to give them their due, the bikes made it with all bags attached to the next station. A bunch of traders helped us through the paperwork to get the bikes off the train and watched in fasination as we assembled them and cycled off.







first stop a massive Copper mine, we managed to cycle into the big hole in the side of the mountain, the security boys just kinda said we had 5 mins and to go have a look.

off to Bulkan, winding our way through Erdenet we fond the road out to Bulkan, Mongolian directions are that you are on the right road if you are headed broadly in the same direction as where they think you should go.



A loverly wee village who helped us with water, camp spot and managed to sort the peddal i managed to cross thread in UB.



then off on some proper adventure cycling! The road was steep and technical for any bike let alone our behemoths weighing in at over 60Kg we think. needles to say Heather managed to dance to the top with only one brief foot fall, wheras Robin managed a number of head and leg first descents into the scoured channel. Claret everywhere (a wee cut).



down through some amazing open stepp with an iced up river channel to wash in complete with a close sighting of 5 eagles!



Bulgan, the Planet describes as a loverly quaint town with a wooded park and a chinese which serves large portions with lots of meat. we found nothin like this, just a drunk who seemed to want to buy Heather and no sign of an eatery.

we woke to rain and sleet! after going to bed roasting. Robin has descovered that the people suggesting that warm sleping bags are used in Mongolia wern't pansies, it gets friking Freezing at night! me and my one season bag! Humph.

The folk from Endura provided the wet proofs (thought i would get that plug in) which got us through the ming of the morning to a b e a utiful descent in the afternoon to a wee town with a road crew waving us over. good folk, they had a wee ride on my bike, fed us tsai - they serve tea with salt here! it's just not British!-





this preceeded our longest day yet - it has not finnished yet- we rode 50 something clicks, on looking at the map we discovered that there was no water of the next week riding, not wanting to risk feeding the vultures we saw earlier we asked a truck if they would give us a ride. note to hitchers. ask a truck which moves! we spent a few hours in the middle of the night fixing the radiator which leaked more than Ali's van then followed by a puncture. that was fine untill we realised teh boy had driven from UB without a rest and did not stop till 3am when his secconad andthird punctures hit, on that we slept cosily in the cab - cosy space not heat- 4 of us in a 3 seater with no cussions. puncture repaired and a total of 18 hours in the truck getting throuwn about in the dark on an off road track which would challenge most landies with the driver using the fource to novigate and choose tracks to follow.

we arrived some what tired and emotional in Moron. a lady stopped us after 20metres riding and said she had a ger we could stay in - Score! - we slept till just now.