Maps

The route so far... gives you a better idea of where we are and where we have been.... as you can see China has been crossed off... Its not that there is anything wrong with the country.....its just that we have decided to head home through Russia.... China will wait for another day!....
Our plan from now is..... To spend a few more weeks in Mongolia...have a bit of a holiday!...Then...Cycle to Lake Baikal...may be a bit further, then catch the Trans Siberian Train across Russia. From there head through the Ukraine and the rest of Europe by bike... We hope to be able to see some of the freinds we have met on the trip as we pass through. The picture we have of this part is.... meandering across Europe in an autumnal glow, picking free apples from the road side trees and refreshing ourselves with the occasional beer sitting outside in the sunshine.


A not very clear picture of our route so far across Mongolia. ....sorry ! Other folk do the google map thing but we have'nt advanced that far...we are still at a more primitive level!.This is the "Tourist Map",so it is filled with stuff....whereas the beauty of Mongolia is in its great emptyness .

More Mongolia (it really is big!)

Yak's.......... Strange beasts........This lot were being driven by horsemen over a steep road pass on a hot day. They were'nt keen ;nobody was enjoying it,hard work. Yaks can make deep grunting noises.Jon has been teasing them by grunting back. When one came rapidly and definitely to see Jon off,he went quietly and quickly "off".......he has'nt tried it since. We call the call the calves 'yakette's',but thats probably not correct.

Mongolian food
We are not sure what this meal is called [and since mongolian words are so technically difficult to pronounce its irrelevant ]....but its basically mutton and noodles,and we try and eat it once every cycling day .It keeps us going for hours .

We had been sitting in this tunnel (under the new road that looks as if it will never be finished) to keep out of the rain... we had had the rain chasing us all day.... When we finally got ready to go..... guess what!.... a flat tyre.....

We really do still like each other.......Ahhhhh!
[actually we were just practising if we could master the self timer on the camera ]

Hanna and Niels

We had a special evening out in Ulan Bataar when we got here.The head of the Dutch embassy had invited us to call him when we arrived ;he took us to his home for supper with his lovely family . As we never took our camera,this is a picture of his rather remarkable parents. We met the whole family by chance in Western Mongolia.How lucky was that.

Blue Mongolia

Mongolia is quite big…..and empty….

Mongolian tea is salty. Many Mongolian lakes are salty. Sometimes the only water you can get for the day is salty lake water…..but at least you can get a swim and clothes wash at the same time.

Camping is easy here! Just pull off the track….find a nice spot and pitch your tent…fantastic.. It is possible though that a Mongolian wind may pick up in the night!! Then your tent will be leaning at about 45% and sleep will be impossible.

Everywhere there are boys on horses….often racing each other across the plains, with much whooping Mongolian stylee! It does look fun and a great way to grow up.

We met these two three times! Once at a Ganz (tea house,) once in a shop and then on the road on their way to shoot something! (probably a grouse type bird, but who knows!) The gun is Mongolian, the bike is a Russian “ISH” and the clothes were made by their mothers…. Lucky lads!! (Nic thinks that they were off to impress the local women in the next village!!...you decide?)