First morning in the Gobi Desert.
[Insert desktop wallpaper-worthy sunrise photo here].
Well, there’s none. In case you missed it, here’s what happened the day prior. And in case you don’t feel like going through that, here’s the highlight of the day (which actually wasn’t included in the post — not making sense, I know).
Day 1 dinner. I have no recollection of that bowl of moss(?) and whether I ate it or not, but I remember being too happy about the sausages. Because in a desert where you’re fed lamb+noodle stew and lamb+noodle stew only, you get to truly appreciate everything else. Like mystery meat sausages… And I guess even bizarre weed stuff.
The non-existent sunrise photo means our driver Ganba woke us by noisily setting up the camping stove in the middle of the ger well into the morning. And by “well into” I mean, around eight in the morn. Because this is Gobi.
My spirit refused to clamber out of the sheep-smelling sheets (Or was that me?) — God knows when they were last washed (This month? This year? This decade?). However, the body’s craving for caffeine was so great that I successfully dragged my battered arse outta bed at the first attempt.
Day 2
But before coffee, I did the darn trek to the pit toilet. This bit of the Gobi experience was the one I dreaded most. The trip to the loo always required serious mental preparation… The stench. The fear of falling between the wooden planks. Oh god.
By the time I got back in the ger, I had already lost my appetite. But I gobbled down my cup of trans-fats, AKA instant noodles, because it was going to be another long day.
She saw one killed and deskinned minutes after this photo was taken. That’s how her day started.
We had no idea our ger camp was just beside — “beside” meaning within a 5-10 kilometer radius (because this is Gobi) — the first item on Ganba’s itinerary. This is Baga Gazriin Chuluu.
Baga Gazariin Chuluu, or Small Rock Formation, is not exactly small. It comprises of towering granite stone formations. The hubby and our then almost two year old Luna is in this frame to show you the scale of the place. Also, can you spot our pit toilet in the distance? *flinches”
We were told that there are remains of an old temple/shrine on the mountain but we didn’t see.
Our beast of a van, and the tire tracks that lead the way.
And we were off to our next destination. It was to be another six-hour drive. And another day of throwing up for our daughter.
Aaand another plate of noodles and lamb for lunch. At least fried, this time.
Oh yah know, it was 2012, and the levitating shot just dethroned the jump shot.
Tsagaan Suvarga or White Stupa (I know, not white at all). Yes, we were still on Earth.
This escarpment’s an old seabed. The layers of colours represent different periods.
The slopes are very slippery, we didn’t risk going down with our toddler.
But our travel buddies did.
And this sign’s supposed to help how?
Sundown at ger camp number two.
Day two dinner. Found instant sweet(!) spaghetti in a supermarket in Ulaanbaatar. To me it tasted like home. To our Italian travel buddy, it tasted spectacularly shite.
Day 3
Third day in the desert, and it was the first time we passed by a proper town. Let me be clear though, a “proper” Gobi Desert town could mean a town with a population of less than ten families (okay, maybe a little more, but you get the idea). Also, we ate lunch at a proper restaurant.
We had Mongolian lamb dumplings and fried flat bread.
The two-hour drive from the town to our next destination gave our innards enough time to digest all that lamb. Especially we were in for a more strenuous activity.
Hiked in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, towards a gorge named Yolyn Am.
We weren’t able to venture deep in the gorge because, again, we had to reach the next ger camp before nightfall.
Entirely different from Tsagaan Suvarga, but definitely has its own charm.
Temperature dropped a significant amount within an hour. I took off my knit blouse and put it on Luna to keep her warm (at that point we were still half an hour away from where the van was parked) and turned my scarf into a tube top for me. Obviously the scarf wasn’t of much help, but I survived without catching a cold.
Ger camp number three wasn’t a far drive from Yolyn Am.
Day 4 onwards in the third and last installment of this Gobi Desert series.
