Leaving Ulaanbaatar - Mongolia

 

After staying several days at the Bayangol Hotel, in Ulaanbaatar, we are off on our adventure exploring Mongolia by bicycle. Today is driving 35o  km in the van to Ugii Lake in the eastern Arkhangai provence, in central Mongolia. It's going to take most of the day, as it is a slow drive.

First, the bikes need to be loaded onto the old Russian vans, that are going to be our transport for the next week.

While I was waiting for the vans to load, I saw this bird in the hotel grounds.

One thing I've noticed, is that Mongolians like to smoke. This is the ashtray outside the hotel door.

Loading the bikes and luggage took a while, and doesn't include one bike, Joseph is arriving today from Switzerland, and we will pick him up on route out of the city.

The interior of the vans are old.  We searched around for the seatbelt, and found it caked in mud/dirt under the seat. The seatbelt hasn't been used for a very long time.

I am guessing the padding on the roof is to protect our heads when it gets a little bumpy.

The interior is worn in places. I notices they like to put fringe around the windows of their vehicles, and there is a "hand hold" for us to hang onto when it gets rough.

Took ages to get out to the city, plenty of road works and traffic.  However, even on the motor way, the speed limit is 50kph as there are no fences, and stock wanders across the road.

Excited to see our first taste of the Mongolian landscape.  It's empty.

Horses, goats, sheep and camels were part of the landscape.

Our first stop was over an hour from Ulaanbaatar. 

A toilet, a convenience store, and a cafe, and a petrol station. 

This river goes all the way to Ulaanbaatar.

Oh yeah, you need to take your own tissue into the toilets.  It's not supplied.  Lucky I had some in my camera bag. Also, you DONT flush the tissue down the toilet, it goes into the bin. . And then the power went out, so nobody got a hot coffee.

While we were waiting, this grasshopper caught my attention.

There are no fences, and cattle wander across the road.

Had to wait for these goats to cross the road.

After about another hour or so of driving we stopped in a small township of Dashinchlen, to meet up with a friend of the organiser of the bike tour.  We will have lunch there.