We arrived at the boarder crossing a little past 10 to a line of a few trucks and cars. Strangely they all waved us to the front of the line where we entered the first of many gates and booths. I think there were 5 different stations where we showed our papers, got things stamped and answered questions - all this just to exit the Russian side. The final station was a puddle of muddy water that we had to run the bikes through and pay 30 Rubles for the privilege. It was supposed to be some kind of decontamination thing - but seemed mostly a money collection scheme. The Russian side process was all pretty efficient, but took some time to get through all the different stations.
Once we got to the Mongolian side the efficiency part disappeared. We were sent from station to station - and then back to stations we had already visited to get the various stamps needed to bring the bikes and ourselves into Mongolia. The good part was that it was all free - except the mandatory liability insurance you must buy to drive a vehicle in the country. The insurance was about $12 USD so no big deal - much cheaper than the Russian insurance. Three hours after we arrived at the boarder we were riding into Mongolia.
After a quick lunch in the boarder town (I had the Mongolian Beef - delicious!) we started the 350 km ride to Ulaanbaatar - the capital and largest city (about 3 million) in Mongolia. The ride was pretty sweet with massive sweeping grassy mountain and valley views of the countryside. Mongolia is vast and wide open with very few trees. A couple of the higher passes had a few tree stands, but in most areas there are no trees at all - only endless grassy dessert like prairies called the Steppe. We encountered only a few bad sections of road - the first was a long construction zone where they just diverted the traffic out into the Steppe where tracks crisscrossed everywhere and cars in both directions just picked a track and went for it. You would be riding along in a track and a car or truck would be coming at you from the other direction in the same track. You would just take a different track in the next crossover and keep going. There was no left/right traffic at all. It was actually pretty funny to watch all the chaos - until you suddenly realized you were a part of it and had to pay attention to picking your next line. The second section of bad road was a minefield of potholes about 50 clicks or so outside Ulaanbaatar. Again watching the cars take any lane from any direction was hilarious - but you were also a part of it so had to be on your toes. Also many of the potholes were huge and hitting the wrong one could result in suspension damage to the bike or a possible crash.
As luck would have it, we once again entered a major city at the rush hour. Traffic was very heavy and the drivers are very aggressive changing lanes constantly to better their position in the endless lines - even if you are already in the lane with nowhere to go they will just force you over until you find yourself in no lane at all but between lanes. Then you just shoot forward and take a slot from someone else. It wasn't much fun and of course the place we were heading was on the farthest end of town from where we entered the city. It took a couple of hours but we finally made it to The Oasis about 8:00pm.
The Oasis is a guest house compound on the edge of the city where many foreign travelers stay when passing through Ulaanbaatar. When we pulled into the gates there were around 8 motorbikes and several all-terrain vehicles parked in the lot. We were greeted immediately and given the tour. There are 6 gers, a small tented outdoor pavilion, an indoor bar/restaurant, bathrooms, showers, laundry - everything a dirt-bag traveler would need for only $23 USD per night. The Oasis is most definitely a fitting name. The host/owner is very friendly and accommodating so we knew this was going to be a good stay. We went sure if we would stay in Ulaanbaatar one or two nights - but after the tour we decided absolutely it was going to be two! The three of us are sharing a Ger with 4 beds - so one for each of us and one to pile gear. We all agreed that the beds were the most comfortable we have experienced so far. Today we plan to hit the Black Market, explore a bit of the city and pick up some Mongolia SIM cards.
Talking shop with the other bikers staying at the Oasis.
Illegal pic waiting at the Russian side of the boarder crossing.
Once we got to the Mongolian side the efficiency part disappeared. We were sent from station to station - and then back to stations we had already visited to get the various stamps needed to bring the bikes and ourselves into Mongolia. The good part was that it was all free - except the mandatory liability insurance you must buy to drive a vehicle in the country. The insurance was about $12 USD so no big deal - much cheaper than the Russian insurance. Three hours after we arrived at the boarder we were riding into Mongolia.
After a quick lunch in the boarder town (I had the Mongolian Beef - delicious!) we started the 350 km ride to Ulaanbaatar - the capital and largest city (about 3 million) in Mongolia. The ride was pretty sweet with massive sweeping grassy mountain and valley views of the countryside. Mongolia is vast and wide open with very few trees. A couple of the higher passes had a few tree stands, but in most areas there are no trees at all - only endless grassy dessert like prairies called the Steppe. We encountered only a few bad sections of road - the first was a long construction zone where they just diverted the traffic out into the Steppe where tracks crisscrossed everywhere and cars in both directions just picked a track and went for it. You would be riding along in a track and a car or truck would be coming at you from the other direction in the same track. You would just take a different track in the next crossover and keep going. There was no left/right traffic at all. It was actually pretty funny to watch all the chaos - until you suddenly realized you were a part of it and had to pay attention to picking your next line. The second section of bad road was a minefield of potholes about 50 clicks or so outside Ulaanbaatar. Again watching the cars take any lane from any direction was hilarious - but you were also a part of it so had to be on your toes. Also many of the potholes were huge and hitting the wrong one could result in suspension damage to the bike or a possible crash.
As luck would have it, we once again entered a major city at the rush hour. Traffic was very heavy and the drivers are very aggressive changing lanes constantly to better their position in the endless lines - even if you are already in the lane with nowhere to go they will just force you over until you find yourself in no lane at all but between lanes. Then you just shoot forward and take a slot from someone else. It wasn't much fun and of course the place we were heading was on the farthest end of town from where we entered the city. It took a couple of hours but we finally made it to The Oasis about 8:00pm.
The Oasis is a guest house compound on the edge of the city where many foreign travelers stay when passing through Ulaanbaatar. When we pulled into the gates there were around 8 motorbikes and several all-terrain vehicles parked in the lot. We were greeted immediately and given the tour. There are 6 gers, a small tented outdoor pavilion, an indoor bar/restaurant, bathrooms, showers, laundry - everything a dirt-bag traveler would need for only $23 USD per night. The Oasis is most definitely a fitting name. The host/owner is very friendly and accommodating so we knew this was going to be a good stay. We went sure if we would stay in Ulaanbaatar one or two nights - but after the tour we decided absolutely it was going to be two! The three of us are sharing a Ger with 4 beds - so one for each of us and one to pile gear. We all agreed that the beds were the most comfortable we have experienced so far. Today we plan to hit the Black Market, explore a bit of the city and pick up some Mongolia SIM cards.
Mongolian welcome committee.
One of the thousands of gers we passed along the route.
A small village we passed.
Huge grassy mountains in every direction.
Our ger at the Oasis - the one on the right.
No comments:
Post a Comment