We are riding from Ugii Lake to the Tsenkher Hot Springs, a distance of 109 km. This is the second stage for today, exploring the Arkhangai Province. Hills, grasslands, rock formations, and ancient burial grounds await us.
Pete had some mechanical issues with his bike, so he joined me in the van for the rest of the day.
Erik spotted a Steepe Eagle, these are large birds of prey.
The landscape has changed from grassland plains, to more hills. All pasture, no trees in sight.
The trail goes on and on. Beautiful countryside. No people.
I know this looks like a pile of rocks, however, there is more to it. This is an ancient burial ground, somewhere between 5,0000 - 10,000 years old. The weather conditions in Mongolia create an excellent preservation environment. The rocks create circles around the mound in the middle. It doesn't photograph well.
The nomadic lifestyle of the Mongolian herdsman seems unchanged for thousands of years.
This country is immense. Weird seeing grassland stretch to the horizon, no houses, or cities, or people.
Sitting on the ground in the shade (from the left) Buggy, Hallan, Emgee, and Batbayer.
By the time the later cyclists arrived, we had put up chairs and a table. A wonderful relaxing lunch.
Time to cross over the tar sealed road, the next section is heading towards the Tsenkher valley.
Trying to show the circular line of stones around the burial mound.
The only sign of civilisation are the ger camps dotted here and there, with their Prius parked up next to the gers.
Lunch time! A Toyota Prius met us on the hillside, and we had a picnic lunch.
Unpacking the boxes revealed a delightful meal of chicken, salad, potato chips, and rice.
Also a treat, fresh sugared currants. A popular snack in this region.
These critters kept us company. They were large, like wetas.
We are riding from Ugii Lake to the Tsenkher Hot Springs, a distance of 109 km. This took seven and a half hours, and we climbed just over a thousand metres.
No comments:
Post a Comment