I left UB at around noon. Got lost trying to find the road north to Ulan Ude, and therefore couldn't make it to the border before it at 6 o'clock.
70 kms from the border, I noticed a heavily loaded road-bike with elaborate aerodynamic fairings parked in front of a local rest-stop. The rider was a Bulgarian named Costa. He wore a leather jacket, big round earrings and long hair. It would be an ordinary sight somewhere in California, but definitely not so in Mongolia. Costa is also a graphic designer. He left home 4 months ago and rode through Russia ...Read More
I went to the DHL office on Friday to pick up the suspension. But the tracking number I had didn't work with their system. After a long day involving many phone conversations, SMS messages and a trip to the Central Post Office, I learned that the package was sent using regular post, not express... I was told that the package was en route via China and it would arrive in about 3 weeks.
I was shocked! This would be a relatively acceptable mistake if I hadn't specifically told them that I wanted it sent via DHL Express and would be ...Read More
I insisted on sleeping in the morning. I didn't want anything to wake me up. The Brits packing up, the cows and camels, the children running around, the wind from the door left open as they were bringing in some wood... Everything wanted me to wake up but I insisted. So much that I even pretended to sleep for what appeared to be another half hour. Finally, some guests arrived and they neded a place to sit. So I had to pretend waking up...
After having some more tea in yak milk and fresh cream for breakfast, I started packing up. ...Read More
We woke up very early and started riding towards the rising sun. Already, there were some hints of road construction. I even tried riding on a closed section of unused gravel. It felt really good until I came across a pile of earth blocking the road. I tried to cross over it but the bike got stuck. I had to pull it down and go back to find a way out of the raised road surface.
Then there was a sandstorm hitting us head on. Luckily, it didn't last too long. The dirt roads once again became dirt tracks above ...Read More
I left in the morning around 7:30. I couldn't sleep for too long and somehow lost my appetite. After riding for a few hours, I realized that I wasn't where I thought I was on the map. Apparently, at one point I missed the main road and took a detour. I was running out of fuel. I knew I couldn't make it to the next town so I decided to wait there in the middle of the desert. Here, fuel and water are very important. One is distance and the other is time. You have to have at least one ...Read More
In the morning I went to the local marketplace to see if I could find an URAL suspension. This is a more heavyweight Russian motorcycle occasionally found around the area. I found one, but even that didn't seem strong enough. I left after lunch, hoping that the rubber would hold on for a few days.
I tried to cover as much ground as possible stopping only at an interesting grave of some sort. There was a family of four next to it. I assume it was their child inside the grave because it was very small. Then they all got on ...Read More
I learned that Gale and Craig are also part of another organization and they will be donating their motorcycles in Ulaan Baatar just like the other Mongol Rally teams. I think this creates a difference in riding style because they don't seem to care about the vehicles. Both of their suspensions are broken. Their fenders have cracked and fallen off because the rear wheel had been banging on it for so long. The engines were leaking oil all over. They were pushing very hard on the washboard and sand. I suggested going slower but they seemed to think that it ...Read More
