<p>We've finaly got plugged back into the matrix, here in Kazakhstan after 3-months with effectively no internet.</p><p>Lisa and I (Simon) shipped from the USA back in June 2009 and spent a month exploring Japan, from the heady madness that is Tokyo to the centuries old and still unchanged fishing ports in the north east. Complete with theirblue misty morings, where an eerie fog pulls back each moring to reveal a picture perfect scene. </p><p>Japan was stunning, but we were both keen to experience Eastern Russia. A two day ferry crossing would bring us to Vladivostok, our spring board into Siberia at the begining of July. </p><p>Heading North to the city of Khabarovsk before west through Siberia, where we were literally eaten alive by the elephant sized mosquitoes that swarmed in their millions. If you think that's an exageration just check out the Siberia video here <font color="#ff0000">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3XpWo_mdXA</font> and watch to the end. </p><p> </p><p>Having lost an unsafe amount of blood we finally arrived at the Mongolian border on teh 8th August. It was to be the start of over a month long ride that woudl take in The grassy northern plains, above Ulaan Bataar all the way down and through one of the toughest deserts in teh world....The Gobi. This was some of the most demanding riding we'd done since the Amazon Rain Forest back in Brazil and re-affirmed our love of travel, putting ourselves to the test and Lisa's bizarre love of sand riding, yeah, I know weird!</p><p>So sit down, strap in and let us share a country that has unquestionable put itself in our top ten.</p><p>................</p><p>15-08-2009 </p><p>After yesterdays little ‘hiccup’, we were up at 5:45am determined to get down to the Mongolian border early. Jack from the Kudu tour had already warned us that we needed to give the process 3-6 hours. With the bikes loaded and the streets wonderfully quiet we made our way to the outskirts of Ulan-Ude and picked up gas at the same station as we had yesterday. South of the city we turned an easy left to pick up the A165 which would deliver us all the way to the border. Only 3 patches of bumpy pot-holed dirt interrupted our otherwise tarred route down to Russian immigration.</p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/IMG_2992.jpg" border="0" /> </p><p>By 10:30am we’d picked up the last gas we’d find in Russia treating the bikes to 95 octane. Then the fun and games began.<br /><br />On the Russian side we passed 23-30 trucks, cars and 4x4’s and rode straight to the front of the line and up to the closed metal guarded gates. Half an hour later and we were waived through along with 8 others, the gates were then closed behind us. We’d been waiting in line for 30 minutes when we decided to walk down to the unimpressive white bricked kiosk, realizing it was customs we picked up the required declaration forms (2 copies each) and were surprised to find them in English and Russian, that’ll make things easier.<br /><br />On the form we list our bikes details, make, model, year, etc along with the currency we are carrying and how much, then how many pieces of luggage we have. Basically at this point we’re making stuff up. We have no idea what counts as luggage? The tank bags? The water bags? The water proof waist bags? In the end we just wrote ‘3’. We already had a pretty good idea that no-one was going to check, and they didn’t.<br /><br />Finally we are called to the front, and back inside the kiosk we hand over the declaration forms, proof of insurance, passports and pink Russian registration doc to the scar faced, square jawed officer who was dealing with us. Occasionally he’d snort, hacking up loudly something from the back of his throat, rounded off with a loud sniff.<br /><br />An hour later we were done and could move all of 30 feet to the next kiosk where we were dutifully ignored for a good 30 minutes. Finally the curt female officer took our passports and then demanded I turn my head left, right, up, down and finally that I pull my hair back. She simply wasn’t convinced that the photo in my passport was me. Lisa was next – she was fine.<br /><br />We cleared the last military checkpoint and said adios to Russia 3-hours after we’d arrived at the border.<br /><br />On the Mongolian side things were about to get messy. Several squat buildings litter the compound, none of them signed. We knew enough that we rode into and through the deep concrete pit -filled in theory with strong antibacterial solution that by now was probably just shit-coloured slimy water. We were almost out of the compound when a female military official wearing camouflage shouted after us. We’d seen no sign of anyone and were still looking for where we’d start customs and immigration.</p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/2009Aug13_to_ulanbataar_0758.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>...our first glmpse of Mongolia </p><p><br />Here’s what we ended up doing. We got a royal bollocking from the above mentioned guard and then were told that we needed to go back to the small red-brick hut by the pit of slime to get a small piece of photocopied paper declaring we’d been through the disinfectant. Back at the hut we also handed over our passports and got given in total 3 pieces of scrappy paper. A white overcoated girl waived us into another larger building where we’d filled in a declaration confirming that we didn’t have swine flu, or coughs, itches, runny noses, wet asses, dribbly eyes, headaches, feeling of lethargy, aching muscles, and joints and so on and so on. (Actually Lisa said later that she could have ticked ‘yes’ to all of the above…but decided it best not to!)<br /><br />Further into the complex we entered the only door we could see that was open in the derelict looking buling and again found desks and ‘officials’ all looking a bit bored. We handed over our passports, after being dismissed we milled around clueless as to where to go next – we had asked and the guy had waived us past with no specific direction indicated. Half a dozen officials lurk behind counters and none of them beckons us towards then. So, we just picked a window, turned up wearing our best ‘British, chirpy chappy grins’ and waited for something to happen. At the first window we handed over passports and confirmed our bike details. One of the scraps of paper was stamped; from there we headed over to another counter and simply handed over everything we had. More stamps. We were then directed back to the window we first come from. More stamps were issued onto before mentioned scraps of paper. The female military guard who’d run out and caught us earlier walked over and applied one last stamp. “You are finished…GO’! Exclaimed the official. We weren’t sure, we already been told that twice and then been pulled back in.<br /><br />On the bikes we rode away only to have to hand over everything at the check point 200 feet from the immigration building. 50 feet further one last guard stared at us like we were offending his delicate sensitivities and then pulled back the iron gate and waived us through disdainfully.<br /><br />Ha…here we are at last in Mongolia.<br /><br /><br />The nonsense of the border was forgotten almost immediately as Mongolia cast it’s spell. Green rolling hills blend into the horizon, each one dotted with white coloured Ger, the traditional Mongolian home. Livestock roam free, occasionally herded by a horse riding Mongol. Short two tone whistles can be heard over the bikes as the herder directs his horse and the flock. We count at least 3 Yak, each raising its head as we pass South. Cresting one hill we pulled over, realizing that a herd of Mongolian two humped camels wasn’t something we’d see every day. We’ve seen more livestock in 30 minutes in Mongolia than we have in weeks of traveling Russia.</p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/2009Aug15_to_ulanbataar_0727_tweaked.jpg" border="0" /></p><p> </p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/2009Aug15_to_ulanbataar_0740.jpg" border="0" /></p><p> </p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/2009Aug15_to_ulanbataar_0743.jpg" border="0" /> </p><p>Further south we pass dead-still lakes each one reflecting the yellow and green mountains around it. Two young children to our left are being pulled around like rag dolls as they hold on to a rope strung around the neck of petrified sheep. With each mad bolt the boys are yanked forward, their dirty skin and running noses all forgotten in the heat of the battle. They finally pull the sheep to the ground.<br /><br />By early evening and with the hazy sun to our backs we finally reach Mongolia’s capital Ulan Bataar and ride into the chaotic madness. This feels familiar, more akin to Africa in particular our time in Dakar Senegal. 3 lanes of traffic carry 6 as drivers push, bully and cram their vehicles into spaces that didn’t exist moments earlier. You need a different driving mindset here; Lisa characterized the 3 features you have to employ here n the city if you are to get anywhere; concentration, awareness and aggression. Defensive riding here just doesn’t work. You can’t be intimidated. Like circling sharks, Mongolian drivers in the capital can smell the blood and you’re just chumming the water.<br /><br />By 10:00pm and with 380-miles and a border crossing under our belts we pulled into the Oasis café and guesthouse on the south eastern outskirts of Ulan Bataar. We’ve been given the choice of a room or a ger. How could you not want to spend your first night in Mongolia in a Ger? We’ve lit a small fire in the metal boiler inside and we’re tucked up tight, tired but very, very happy. </p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/2009Aug15_0823.jpg" border="0" /> </p><p>........</p><p><strong><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">16 to 28-08-2009</font></strong></p><p>........ </p><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">10 days of working on the bikes and visiting embassies and generally trying to sort out exactly where and when we are going after Mongolia!<br /> There were quite a few jobs that we needed to do and The Oasis seemed the ideal place to do them! Here we have an area to work and secure parking, a supermarket nearby (albeit with little ‘real’ food) and a warm area to sit inside. </font></font></p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/IMG_3141.jpg" border="0" /> </p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The first job was my horn – I had ridden through Japan, Eastern Russia and yesterday Ulan Baatar without one and now really needed to ensure that it worked! It had been on the bike but not working since we replaced it in Washington. So, as usual a small job leads to a big one and many many more hours of work! On taking off my extra gas tank on the right side I notice that a bolt was missing – the area had worn around where it was meant to be and so I knew that one should be there! On mentioning it to Simon he looks and is horrified as what was missing was my main rear subframe bolt! Then on opening my left side pannier I notice that this was not sitting ‘quite right’…..we find that the main pannier bolt that holds the pannier frame onto the bike down by the foot peg had gone. The pannier frame was hanging and had been bashing against the rear swing arm. I had been saying that my bike had had a few more vibrations than normal!! </font></font></p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> So, this was a pressure bolt that now needed to be fabricated! After going to the Mongolian embassy, sharing a taxi with Bianca and Zorin (a German couple staying here traveling in a large touring truck) we head off and find that the visa extension is very easy to do but not necessary for us until 14th Sept. We aim to leave before then! </font></font></p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The ger was great although the night was cold and rainy so it was great to be able to sit in the café area and work on the laptop and sit and chat to the others here. <br /> The next few days we worked on the bikes, found that all small jobs lead to larger ones and did all the jobs that we had intended to do before we left the USA but ran out of time to do after having the bikes back from BMW for such a short time before we had to ship them! <br /> After the 3rd night we decided that we couldn’t afford to stay in the Ger anymore and to be truthful we were missing being in our ‘home’ – the tent. </font></font></p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> So we were able to put up our tent (we asked the owners Sybelle & Renee very nicely!) in the grounds. This will save us quite a bit of $$. Also after a couple of nights snacking on food from the supermarket I was really in dire need to cook us something so I now got out our stove and pots and pans. </font></font></p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Simon put a small aluminium tool box on the back of his bike as he had been carrying his tools around in his waterbags!! We need t o make sure that we have these bags available for carrying water when we head off into the Gobi desert.<br /> Then after a few days here we have been into the city centre, found a really great French pattiserie with great crossiant and coffee, and more importantly Wi-fi! We had also enjoyed waling around Ulan Bataar. We had been trying to find the Kazahkstani embasy but had found out that it had moved. GPS ref: N47 53.552 E106 54.443</font></font></p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/2009Aug18_0774.jpg" border="0" /> </p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/2009Aug18_0813.jpg" border="0" /></p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/2009Aug18_0804.jpg" border="0" /></p><p> </p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/2009Aug18_0782.jpg" border="0" /></p><p> </p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> And was now over the other side of town. After a telephone call we find out that we can’t go until Thursday as this is when the Consulate is there! We had hoped to leave on Thursday! <br /> However, this does give us a few more days to work on the bikes and the route. </font></font></p><p> </p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/2009Aug18_0795.jpg" border="0" /> </p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="1"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> During this time Mikai had arrived on his motorbike – 650 Dakar – in need of new fork seals. On entering the compound I went up to him to say hi and he came back with a ‘you are Simon and Lisa? – I am on your mailing list!’ Small World. Mika had emailed us quite a while ago asking a few questions re octane for the bikes. Apparently he as surprised that we had infact replied! One of my fork seals had also begun to leak so we decided to get oil for all of us. Found that it was very difficult to get the 10wt hydroscopic fork oil and after asking Renee where we could find it we gave up and got ATF fluid instead. We knew this was OK as we had done this whilst in west Africa. <br /> Mikai and Simon worked on the forks, changing the seals and were always coming across small other jobs in the process. </font></font></p><p> </p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> We celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary here at The Oasis in Ulan Bataar – Sybelle had organized cake and candles!</font></font></p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Thursday and we can get our Kazkahstan visa form in! Went back to the embassy on the motorbike, completed the forms after specifying all of the places we wanted to go. We had decided that we would head right across Kazakhstan to Aqtar and get the ferry across the Caspian sea to Azerbaijan. This was due to Iran stopping visas.<br /> We were told by the consulate that we could come back in a week if we paid $30 each for the visa – however – if we paid double we could get it tomorrow afternoon. We paid double as we really needed to leave UB and this would mean we wouldn’t leave until Sat morning. We would have been here a week!</font></font></p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> We walked back into town and decided to go into the …Palace. After paying 2500 tug each (about $2 each) we were then told we would have to pay another 10,000 in order to take photos outside!! We expected restrictions on inside photography but not outside! Stuipd. Simon told them that they needed to learn about tourism but we went in anyway and I took photos and video outside anyway! Maybe a little naughty but we had paid to enter. When we left I was able to take even more photos of the buildings by just standing outside the main entrance! Simon said I did it just to make a point! <br /> Friday afternoon and we were able to collect our Kaz visas. Arriving at 4pm we were told to come back in 30 mins and this gave us a chance to go and see the absolutely huge golden Buddha statue just down the road and grab a coffee and yet another Irish pub! We have found Monoglia to be full of Irish pubs!! We want to know what the connection is? </font></font></p><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></font><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/IMG_3214.jpg" border="0" /></p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> This café gave us a view over the city of Ulan Bataar and it was hard to believe that 11 years ago (after talking to Sybelle) there had been no high-rise buildings or concerete and brick, just a few wooden ones and the rest of the city was made up of Ger! The countryside was closer as the city was a lot lot smaller and hadn’t extended to the foot hills. Its amazing to think of how fast this city has grown – however – you can see that the traffic has increased dramatically as the infrastructure is unable to cope! Traffic here reminds us of the riding through Dakar in Senegal.</font></font></p> <font size="1"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Going back to the embassy we were just handed our passports with visas included through the locked gates! All was fine with the dates. Cool – we now have our next country planned. <br /> Saturday morning and we decided to walk down to the …market. Once again it remineded us of the mayhem of the large African town markets where everything and anything is on sale. This time we went with Sebastian and Annette another German couple that we had originally met when crossing the border from Russia into Mongolia. They had arrived at the Oasis yesterday. <br /> We walked through the car/truck parts section of the market – amazing! Eventually we found the food section and a small café where we ate a wonderful lamb and rice dish with the lovely doughy bread that they have here – all for 4500 tug.</font></font></p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/IMG_3233.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>...modern UB. </p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> We were dusty and hot by the time we got back and so after a shower ( the only place that the locals can get a hot shower is here) we crashed out here with the others and watched a film on one of the laptops – of course with a few beers.</font></font></p> <font size="2"> </font><p><font size="2"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> We still had a few jobs to do – mainly the Autocoms had given up the ghost – even though they were the new ones! We now really needed them to work. Simon spent the day working on them with Mikhai.</font></font></p> <font size="2"> </font> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Today we were meant to leave…but who should turn up but Tiffany from the UK with her pillion Annie. We met Tiffany quite a few years before at a rally when we were in the UK when we were all part of the UKGser club. I had heard from her recently as she was going to be traveling through Mongolia and we had hoped to meet up although she was arriving here in UB a little later than hoped and we were already going to be on the road…however..here she was! </font></p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/IMG_3283.jpg" border="0" /></p>
<img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/IMG_3280.jpg" border="0" />
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">We decided to stay a few more days and apply for our Mongolian visa extension. Monday morning we went back down to the Mongolian visa extension office – applied for the extension so we could stay here in Mongolia until 24th Sept. We would be able to collect our visas and passports this coming Thursday. We MUST leave Friday! </font></p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/mehi_leaving_water.jpg" border="0" /> </p><p>...a wet ride out of the Oasis compound. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/IMG_3280.jpg" border="0" />
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">We decided to stay a few more days and apply for our Mongolian visa extension. Monday morning we went back down to the Mongolian visa extension office – applied for the extension so we could stay here in Mongolia until 24th Sept. We would be able to collect our visas and passports this coming Thursday. We MUST leave Friday! </font></p><p><img class="external_image" src="http://www.2ridetheworld.com/gallery/mongolia/images/chapter_1/mehi_leaving_water.jpg" border="0" /> </p><p>...a wet ride out of the Oasis compound. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>