Photos

1. Ulaanbaatar - Moron

We had arranged to take an internal flight between UB and Moron.  The alternative was a 24 hour jeep trip, which we didn't much like the sound of.  We also just wanted to get going with the exciting part of our trip. 
 

UB from above.



Touchdown in Moron.





Just before we left, outside Hotel 42 Degrees.



2. Hatgal, Khovsgol Lake

Once we had sorted out our border permit in Moron and had a last good meal, we headed due north to the shores of Lake Hovsgol.  En route we:
  • Got extorted for vodka about 1 minute's cycle outside Moron;
  • Had a first test run of the packrafts on the river Eg.  Fortunately everything worked perfectly.
  • Shared some hot tea and breaded snacks with a very freindly group of road layers on the road to Hatgal.
  • Caught a fish.
  • Spent a tiresome half hour scraping wet bitchumin from between the treads on our tyres.
  • Had one of the best day's cycling on the trip over the pass from Hatgal: the first glipse of the lake between the autumn trees; taking a wonderful track through the woods along-side the lake; sunset over the lake; eggs, boiled; warm enough to sleep with no fly-sheet on the tent, under a blanket of stars.






Our only paved road on the way up to Lake Hovsgol.
In a couple of years, this will be a great road to cycle along. 

Our beer fridge, fashioned out of a mosquito head-net...









Sunset over the lake











3. Jigleg, Renchinlhumbe, Tsagaannuur, Tsaatan People

This section saw us leave the shores of Lake Hovsgol to cross over the Jigleg Pass.  We:
  • Failed to meet any Russian bandits.
  • Made it past, through and over the notorious bogs.
  • Camped the night in a wonderful, wide valley just off the top of the pass.
  • Ditched the bikes for a morning to do some walking.
  • Got very wet feet coming down from the mountains, as we criss-crossed the river.
  • Broke one rear pannier, overracted, thought the viability of the entire trip was compromised.  Of course, it took about 20 minutes and one motorbike mechanic to fix it once we made it to Renchinlhumbe.
  • Splashed out on a ger for one night.
  • Slept under the most beautiful clouds, and sunset colours, in the heart of the Depression.
  • Drank more reindeer tea than is healthy in 48 hours with the Tsaataans.


Pushing up the Jigleg Pass

The top of the Jigleg Pass



Puncture just at the top of the pass.








Some great walking opportunities off the top of the Jigleg Pass.
We climbed the peak on the far left. 



Making a trail up the mountain...




Wonderful views in all directions. 

Views down into the Darkard Depression.






Big skies...





A wet feet day



Our civilised night spent in a ger.





Amazing clouds and sunset colours in the Depression



A great shot - the river in the foreground, snowy mountains
as a backdrop, eagles above, wonderful warm colours.













Looking down the pass we had climbed up. Seemed steeper than it looks.
Down the other side to Tsaagannuur












Friendly locals who we followed into Tsaagannuur. 
They we quicker than us on the uphills. 
We would have been a lot quicker on the downhills, but for an ill-timed puncture.

TCVC in Tsaagannuur. Difficult to find.



Trying to smile.  Not looking forward to getting back on.




Alex took to it better...







Not ideal weather to sit on a horse.  But better than being snowed in. 

Bitterly cold, windy, but finally on the ferry back towards town.






4. Ulaan-Uul, Byanzurkh

We turned due south from Tsaagaannur, crossing back into the Depression and making our way down to Ulaan-Uul, from where we would take a high mountain pass over the Byanzurkh.  We:
  • Had our own private island for one night.  The wet feet getting there in the evening and leaving again the next morning were worth it, without doubt.
  • Feel asleep to wintery sunshine; woke up to 4 inches of snow.
  • Made tracks through fresh powder.  Was better than off-piste skiiing.
  • Had the coldest night of the trip off the top of the pass over to Byanzurkh, huddled in a Mongolian herdsman's cattle stall for shelter.
  • Moved from one valley covered in snow to one covered in sunshine in 30 wonderful minutes.
  • Had the best greasy pasties in the whole of Mongolia from a canteen in Byanzurkh.


Squalls on all sides greet our return to the Depression.




Enjoying some welcome sunshine.






Our private island.









Beautiful evening sunshine. 
No suggestion of what we would wake up to...


...a good three inches of overnight snow.




Chances of cycling through this looked slim. 




Up and about.




Our last Oovoo of the trip, but the one we were most pleased to see.







Melting snow...


Three carved tethering posts.



Enough tracks for us to follow.


Not very easy going.







Full of goulash, back in the sunshine, looking forward to the next day's packrafting.



5. Delger Moron

The start of the packrafting. 


The last time we would use the bikes for over a week.



We made it to the river.










It was a great feeling to finally be off.



Enjoying some time out.





Fashioning some improvised shoes.



One frozen sock.




A very cold, snowy morning. 




After a slow, cold day, we rewarded ourselves with
an extra-large curry each and a can of beer.











A consequence of a dry-bag malfunction...


Beautiful sunrise.







Full moon just falling behind the hills.


















We were mightily relieved to see the back of this lot. 




























1 comment:

  1. Very inspiring blog and so well put together -like the trip. Huge achievement

    ReplyDelete