Wednesday 27 June Day 11

We have ended the tour safely, but I’ll send updates for the missing days.

A rest day so we had a slow start but went for a short ride to explore a local volcanic lava field.  The eruptions happened just 8000 years ago, and the lava dammed the rivers to form the White Lake.  There are places where a bubble has formed in the lava and the roof collapsed forming a sink hole or cave.  One still has ice in.’

We rode on to a volcano and climbed to the top up a rocky trail.  The crater was about 60m deep and very impressive.

On the previous day we had formed the Compass Expeditions International White Lake Swimming Association.  Representatives from Canada and Australia had braved the lake waters and we challenged other countries to join.  There was a great response after the dusty ride to the volcano with swimmers from Australia, Germany, NZ (2) Sweden, UK and USA (2).

Pete

Thursday 28 June Day 12 

We awoke to rain and cloudy which would make the rocky track to the paved road more difficult.  We all donned west weather gear, but the weather cleared, and we gradually stripped off.  We stopped for morning tea at a deep river gorge. Mike our leader had been having trouble with the rear wheel bearing and it became too bad to continue so he swapped to a spare bike.

The unpaved roads at times seem to go on forever usually with no other users on them but us.  There is a black dot in the middle of the photo – a distant motorbike coming down the hill.  In the same way as on our trip to Cambodia we were amazed at the overloading of trucks which then struggle up hills belching diesel fumes.

We detoured to go and see a local icon – a volcanic plug which has many myths and legends told about it rather like the Glasshouse Mountains (for those that know them).  Mongolians say that a boy becomes a man when he can throw a stone over the rock.

For a change from gers our accommodation was a Guest House run by an Australian lady.  I had Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding whilst others tried the Aussie Burger.  It was an alcohol-free place, so we went next door to a ‘Russian pub’ – very dark and mysterious where we met other bikies and shared vodka chasers.  We stumbled home later than planned and slept well!

Pete

Images not supplied.

End of Part #5,

Please keep an eye on our Blog page and Facebook for the next instalment.

If you would like to know more about our Magical Mongolia tour, please visit the the tour webpage.

We have a few remaining places available on the August 2019 departure.