Searching for Some BBQ
It's been another few days, so I think it's time for a post. In fact, I would have posted sooner but I was out in the wilds on Mongolia having quite an adventure without an internet cafe in sight. As always I'll go through things chronologically.
When I last left you, I was in Irkutsk, in the middle of Siberia. After spending a very uneventful day and a half there, it was time to again board the train bound for Mongolia at 9 pm. Since our minibus didn't show until 1/2 hour before the train was to depart, we really had to book it - this meant driving very fast over very decrepid streets. We got there on time, and boarded our train with time to spare. The scenery leaving Irkutsk was just amazing. Since the region is somewhat mountainous the train spent a few hours slowly winding its way up hillsides before slowing winding its way back down and repeating. Along the way were a million little siberian villages filled with wooden Dachas and the ever-present ornate window frames. This train didnt have air conditioning like the others, but we were able to open the windows as a result. I got some great pictures of the train as it rounded corners.
The next day was filled with the joy of crossing boarders. Unlike air and car travel, crossing a boarder by train is a long and painful ordeal. First, we had to go through the Russian exit procedure which involved giving the offials our passports for several hours while they checked our visas and searched the entire train for stowaways and hidden packages. There must have been at least 3 officials who came to collect different documents and give back passports. All this while, we had to stay in our compartments and the bathrooms were locked. I thought that given the hassle I had to go through to get a Russian Visa, that they would be itching to get rid of us.
Once we had passed through Russian customs and immigration, the train travelled for about 45 minutes through no-man's-land to the Mongolian customs check. There, we had to repeat the whole process which involved filling out forms, letting our passports go, and generally waiting around. A few hours later we were on our way. All told, the border crossing took nearly 8 hours.
Early the next morning we arrived in Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia. From there we transferred by minibus directly to Terelj National Park, which is about an hour and a half outside the city. The scenery was absolutely unbelievable - I'll have to post pictures to do it justice. It felt like something out of Jurassic Park! That afternoon we went horse riding which was a lot of fun - I really wanted my horse to do some galloping and running, but he was much more content to ignore me and sniff the other horses asses. Sort of reminded me of my dog in a way. During the horse ride we stopped and I had the chance to try some fermented mare's milk. If anyone ever gives your fermented mare's milk, do not for the love of god, drink it.
We rode around for about 2 hours and saw all varieties of quadrapeds - horses, cattle, sheep, yaks, and camels. The next day we went out to a Buddhist Monestary buried deep in the mountains (but not unknown to tour groups apparently) which was both a really nice hike, and a great view into the valley. There's a lot more to say about my time in Terelj, but I'm pressed for time on the internet and I'd rather tell you about in personally when I get back.
After two nights in the park, we transferred back to Ulaan Baator where I am now. Tomorrow morning we leave early for the train to Beijing. I'll be sure to write more when I get to China!
-Andrew
When I last left you, I was in Irkutsk, in the middle of Siberia. After spending a very uneventful day and a half there, it was time to again board the train bound for Mongolia at 9 pm. Since our minibus didn't show until 1/2 hour before the train was to depart, we really had to book it - this meant driving very fast over very decrepid streets. We got there on time, and boarded our train with time to spare. The scenery leaving Irkutsk was just amazing. Since the region is somewhat mountainous the train spent a few hours slowly winding its way up hillsides before slowing winding its way back down and repeating. Along the way were a million little siberian villages filled with wooden Dachas and the ever-present ornate window frames. This train didnt have air conditioning like the others, but we were able to open the windows as a result. I got some great pictures of the train as it rounded corners.
The next day was filled with the joy of crossing boarders. Unlike air and car travel, crossing a boarder by train is a long and painful ordeal. First, we had to go through the Russian exit procedure which involved giving the offials our passports for several hours while they checked our visas and searched the entire train for stowaways and hidden packages. There must have been at least 3 officials who came to collect different documents and give back passports. All this while, we had to stay in our compartments and the bathrooms were locked. I thought that given the hassle I had to go through to get a Russian Visa, that they would be itching to get rid of us.
Once we had passed through Russian customs and immigration, the train travelled for about 45 minutes through no-man's-land to the Mongolian customs check. There, we had to repeat the whole process which involved filling out forms, letting our passports go, and generally waiting around. A few hours later we were on our way. All told, the border crossing took nearly 8 hours.
Early the next morning we arrived in Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia. From there we transferred by minibus directly to Terelj National Park, which is about an hour and a half outside the city. The scenery was absolutely unbelievable - I'll have to post pictures to do it justice. It felt like something out of Jurassic Park! That afternoon we went horse riding which was a lot of fun - I really wanted my horse to do some galloping and running, but he was much more content to ignore me and sniff the other horses asses. Sort of reminded me of my dog in a way. During the horse ride we stopped and I had the chance to try some fermented mare's milk. If anyone ever gives your fermented mare's milk, do not for the love of god, drink it.
We rode around for about 2 hours and saw all varieties of quadrapeds - horses, cattle, sheep, yaks, and camels. The next day we went out to a Buddhist Monestary buried deep in the mountains (but not unknown to tour groups apparently) which was both a really nice hike, and a great view into the valley. There's a lot more to say about my time in Terelj, but I'm pressed for time on the internet and I'd rather tell you about in personally when I get back.
After two nights in the park, we transferred back to Ulaan Baator where I am now. Tomorrow morning we leave early for the train to Beijing. I'll be sure to write more when I get to China!
-Andrew
posted by Andrew at
12:48 AM
1 Comments:
Your passport must be looking pretty cool by now, with those exotic border crossings!
By
ChristineP, at 10:44 AM
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