Tsetserleg!

  A Buddhist monastery in Tsetserleg that over looked the town.

Fairfield guesthouse in Tsetserleg. A good spot with hot showers, real coffee (rare in Mongolia) and pancakes for breakfast.

Icecream!

A very dusty mountain pass just outside Tsetserleg. There were wild blueberries in the forests so we bought a jar from the kids selling them at the side of the road.

Made a campfire but forgot the marshmallows!

On the Steppe of Mongolia there isn’t a lot of firewood, so the locals use dried cow or horse dung instead.

Dramatic sunset. The sunsets were pretty awe inspiring.

  Just when you thought you were all alone as you set up your tent for the night, a herder pops over the hill with his flock of sheep.
  Ciaran feeling like a giant! Occasionally we’d find a little shop in the middle of nowhere to top up on our supply of snickers…

 This is an ovoo, a sacred cairn found on mountain passes. We usually avoid them because they are littered with broken vodka bottles.

Had lunch at Tuulut gorge which we followed for a good few kilometers. Arrived at Terkhiin Tsagaan lake national park and camped with a view of the volcano.

Khorgo volcano.



It took us two days to get around this pothole!

 We took a day off at the lake to wash our clothes.

  Another ovoo.

  Cool off road track around the lake.

  Rocky pass. Sometimes you had to go just as slow coming down a hill as you would going up because of the condition of the tracks.

  These old Russian power horses rule these parts.

  Everyone stops us for a chat.

 Ciaran fishing in the evening.

  A peaceful spot by the river.

 We use a Sawyer mini water filter to purify our water.  It’s a great little thing for when you’re not 100% sure about the water, but generally the water sources have been ok, but you can never be sure.

  We shared snuff and vodka with this guy for breakfast. Then he had a go on Ciaran’s bike!

We met an Australian couple traveling by horseback Just outside Tosontsengel. Their progress was even slower than ours. They could only do 25km a day! Here’s their blog: www.blueskywalkabout.com

Stats

Distance so far 995km

July 27 to August 6th

Total days on the road 22

50 Snickers eaten

No punctures