It's early in the morning and Michael is still sleeping next to me. As you have noticed, we use the website as a travel diary and we try every day to write about our experiences. We see and do so much that the stories are really endless and it really a 'job' is.
Yesterday we went up into the Ger and have said goodbye and begs Suyoma. There was booked a day trip to a nearby park. We were happy with our Ger near the large bags were picked up and dropping off our bags at the hostel first. Then we finally got the city accompanied by an English guide and driver. When we drove out of the city, the landscape more beautiful and whimsical.
We stopped at a small pile eenrst made of bricks with blue flags on top of alll times. This is a place where the Mongols 'lucky' to enforce their journey. We had to walk around it three times and were able to throw small stones which we wish could join. The uitziocht was already beautiful. Hop in the car, on a completely random place for me, we stopped again.
During the Russian occupation were serious in Mongolia killed thousands of monks. At one point saw the monks of course arrive and are now hiding. We stopped at a large rock solid at first glance. Our guide led us upstairs to a sort of cavern in the rocks. In 1937 occurred in the cave for a year 100 monks hiding. It was small, not very remote but very high especially to see it.
We drove until we came to Terelj National Park. There were many more tourists Gers (without families inside and outside normal technical facilities for the tourists). We arrived at the Turtle Rock, a stone you with a little imagination can easily see a turtle.
The cold has gripped our camera. You know, there is somewhere on a battery which he used to be between minus 20 and 30 degrees, our battery was almost full, but after the cave with the monks, he did not. Unfortunately, the photo report here therefore, very unfortunate because the best was yet to come.
From the turtle, our driver tried to maneuver the car to normal over the snow-covered slopes to come. We slipped and slid, but we were still little we could get so it was really cool. We arrived in a beautiful valley with a large Ger. Immediately we were welcomed with a kind of milk tea, not really my favorite, but nice and warm. We wanted to horseback riding and promptly got a neighbor with two horses and we went to a path po etempel and meditation center at the top of the mountain. It was wonderful to Mongolia to ride a horse, even though I had in my head galloperend over the plain, it was perhaps better. I had my dream to take into account that Mongolia is still very snowy!
After a trip korrt we could go walk up to the self naaqr tempell. Most temples here are relatively new because the Mongols was not so long back the boss in their country. This temple was built in 2005 and was meditating much beozcht by German people. It was quiet and empty, and the hike up was beautiful. There were two tourists with a guide in which we joined. Halfway was sort of a rope bridge with planks on it, while we were still panting from the climb up suddenly blared from the speakers mantras of the temple. Was it a regular prayer time, we wondered. No, the manager saw us coming and wanted to welcome us in that way, but we were assured, the song was true last year by Tibetan monks sang.
From the temple was the magnificent view over the valley. Michael and I have decided that this definitely is worth to visit Mongolia again in summer when the animals were strengthened and everything green. Then we would have us take a trip of three weeks to do. The country is beautiful, the people friendly and the facilities are generally good.
After our hike we drove back down to a Ger where our meal was waiting. It's wonderful, fifteen minutes before we were aanwkamen of call and it's not a tourist ger, people live simply. Then apparently said something along the lines of, we get along, you control horses and everything is possible.
After a delicious soup with dumplings and boiled sheep ribs (jummie!) we drove back a little and then a final walk. When we saw the car, we started a snowball fight with our guide and driver.
As we drove out of the valley we have learned something about Mongolian music. I thought it was always very nice to the Mongols to parrot because the sounds are so special. Now we are four and lustily sang along. We were the text not as well remembered and have some of it is brewed to the amusement of our guide and driver.
The last stop was at a large monument of Ghingis Khan. The monument was not even completely finished, but this summer they would flaunt it. The story goes that a golden whip Ghingis has found that this was the start of his great conquests. The monument was 40 meters high aluminum representation of Ghingis horse with the whip. Beautiful to see and in summer there are more than anywhere Ger camps around it. Mongolia does not have much monumentne that have survived and I understand that they need it but for me it felt a bit strange to have a monument which is still unfinished. You could also go inside to pay 10,000 Tugrik (just over 5 euros), but we seen it since.
On to our hostel after a long time to finally take a shower again, delicious! We have a sort of deluxe room and sleep for the first time in our lives in a king-size bed. 1 more day and night in Mongolia and it is this part of the adventure over again, boy how time flies.
