After stocking up on money and other items we left on the
camp and started to head north. While not too bad the roads started to
degenerate and after 50km unfortunately Fritz came through a small dip and on
the uphill rise the track was heavily cambered and his front wheel slid away
from him. He face planted quite heavily and although not knocked out he was
pined under the bike. We got that off him and he got up thinking he was OK but
after he got his jacket of it was obvious he wasn’t. His collar bone was
sticking up at a weird angle and although not sure I had seen the same thing on
my mate Errol. We persuaded him to settle down for a but and two of the lads
road over to a camp in the distance. They returned after half an hour with a
Landcriuser from what was a mining camp. They had a Doctor with them and he
took one look and said that was it for Fritz, he wasn’t going to be riding
anywhere. They arranged for him to be taken back to town and his bike stored
safely at the camp. The last we heard was that it was a complete separation of
the shoulder blade and collar bone and that he flew out of Ulan Bator to the United States Just before
we arrived. A speedy recovery mate.
Just after this Fritz came off
The mining camp in the distance
The Doctor arrives and transport back to town
We made it to Ullangom, and after a night in a nice hotel
with a late meal as we had lost another hour in the time zone change we set off
the next morning across the northern route of Mongolia. The first couple of hours
were wasted as we got lost and ended up on some goat track that some of the
others were enjoying but were just annoying me. The beef and egg that Thomas
and I had had the night before started to take its effect on him and by lunch
time we were waiting in a small village in the middle of the mountains to see
if he would get any better. At 14.00 we decided that we would stay and we were
offered some beds in what I think was a school. The up side was that they were
holding there Nadam festivities that day so we unloaded the bikes and rode back
over the hill to see the horse racing. The stocky little horses they have are
ridden bareback by what look like kids of about 10 years old for about 12km
from what I could understand and they look ready to drop when they finish. Later
on that evening we went up to the arena to see the prizes being given out.
The main road!
The school house accomodation
The winner is brought home
The next day was Friday and although we got away early the
tracks started to get worse and progress was slow. After riding for twelve
hours we got some supplies in a town and headed just far enough outside and up
onto the hillside where we might no be disturbed for our first “wild camp” As
we parked up and got off the bikes it was my turn. I was sick and then later
that night running out of the tent to try to find somewhere to use as a toilet
by the moonlight!! Some again in the morning before anyone else was awake, but
the scenery across the valley with the wild horses kind of made up for it.
The road continues
Camp for the night
The horses paid us a visit
Time for bed
The Saturday wasn’t much better, and I can’t remember the
name of the place we stayed, but it was a typical Mongolian country hotel, two
sort of clean beds in a room with no wash facilities and a squat outhouse round
the back. Not great when you still aren’t feeling well.
We were on the final leg now and on the Sunday we decided to
try to make it to the white lake where there were supposed to be some fairly up
spec Gher Camps. We would have made it too, but as we went through the last
water crossing which was pretty shallow, Tom hit a large rock in the middle
with his front wheel and then came down on it hard on the sump. The result was
oil leaking quite badly. So we laid the bike on it’s side and then spent the
next three hours repairing the cracked sump with some metal putty. When we got
going at 19.00 we still had another 150km to go, and as the sun was already
setting we were soon in the dark with hundreds of cars coming towards us on the
return journey from the Nadam festival in Ullaan Bator. With the dust, lights
and what can only be described as a track that has then been carpet bombed! We
had to call it a day and once again try to get off the road as far as possible
to prevent getting run over and set up the tents.
Take your pick of road. None are better than the rest
A herd of Yaks
An easy water crossing
Turns into a big problem
We made it to the white lake the next morning by morning
break and Thomas decided he wanted to stay for the night there. Three of us
pressed on to Tsetserleg that night, the end of the dirt tracks and back onto
tarmac. I was soooo glad to see that. Back into civilization with a hotel, a
shower, proper toilets and at the Fairfield
café (run by an expat aussie) some very good food.
Mongolia's Grand Canyon
I was very happy to see tarmac again
So back to just Uwe and I on the Tuesday, to cover the last
few hundred KM into Ullaan Bator. Uwe had said that the traffic there was a
nightmare as had some other reports that I had read. We sailed through the
city!! Apparently in the last two years they have not only repaved the main
road through they had introduced traffic management systems that now keep it
all pretty much under control.
