Mongolia

We planned to leave around 1030 AM to make our way back to Hogrog. Our dog didnt come up the hill with us because we didn't want him to get into fights with the local dogs, but another dog adopted us on our trail and he did come. He was nicknamed Poodle dog because he walked like a poodle. He got into a few skirmishes but managed to walk away most of the time. He really enjoyed being with us and we enjoyed his company. As soon as it looked like we were getting ready to go he was there waiting to join us on the journey We set out on our trek up through the pass to the top of the mountain and Poodle Dog was out clearing the way for us. After a saddle adjustment we continued our walk back to Hogrog, stopping for occasional drinks and to pick up lost glasses and other items. The snow we stopped at earlier had all but melted now, but the views remained breathtaking. Lunch was provided before we left and safely stored in the saddle bags. We stopped at the same spot on the side of the hil...

The day started earlier, around 9 AM today. I didn't sleep well and was awake from around 1.30 AM on and off. We were getting a bus tour of some sights around UB. Traffic wasnt too bad so begin with, so we made it to our first destination just before 10 AM. This was a memorial to a Russian tank as well as a memorial to the Russian and Mongolian Soldiers who fought in several conflicts and against China to gain their independence. This involved a climb of around 150m on what seemed an endless number of steps. The view from the top was worth the walk though.  We stayed up there long enough to catch our breath and then made our way half way down. By this time the shopping mall was opened so we could get a lift to the bottom. The shopping mall was just opening and werent really there to shop. We did stop at a souvenier shop where we saw some seabuck thorn juice. This apparently has some antioxident properties so we thought we would give it a try. It had an orangey honey taste, ...

We had a good meal last night at the small restaurant attached to the hotel, although the messed up the rice order. I ordered a small bowl of white rice and they came out with a large bowl of fried rice. When the waitress saw the mistake she quickly came over and whisked it away and had it replaced. Our first night in the hotel we slept pretty well. Waking at around 7 AM we had our morning coffee and then tried to find an English speaking channel  out of the 100 or so on the TV so we could see what is happening in the world. We found a channel with an Australian program listed as the title only to find it was about some guy in the Us who owns a fleet of Hummers and 9 Blackhawk helicopters.  Very Australian! After breakfast my mission was to find a local sim card so I can maintain some form of contact with the world when we are in the lakes region. There was supposed to be one in the Gobi Store 2 doors down. Unfortunately they were no longer there, which turned out to be a righ...

I'm  not a morning person, but for some strange reason any flight we get has to leave at ungodly hours of the morning.... like 9 AM. We have to be there 3 hours before boarding so arrival at the airport at 6 AM. That means we need to leave home at 5 AM, hence wake up at 4 AM to have a heart starter coffee and shower. Why the hell did I wake up at 3AM? This trip is going to be a bit different to previous trips. Firstly we are travelling with our daughter Francis, who is also a horse rider. Secondly, we have 3 legs before we get to our final destination of Ulanbataar in Mongolia. We decided to bite the bullet and fly business class where we can. We are flying with the best airline in the world Singapore air, and the quality of the service is second to none. The perks of business class are priority baggage, security screening and immigration, not to mention the excellent menu available for pre-order. You also get free entry to the lounges where food, coffee and drinks are in abundance...