After being separated for a week the group got back together and headed to a national park in central Mongolia. There was 5 of us in total so hitch hiking would be harder but we gave it a go. Me, Helen, Dunny, Stew and Nikki We caught the train out of town which put us on the correct road.
The first hitch was in a pick up truck, Stew and me were in the back and the others in the front. The driver spoke perfect English, they owned the Burberry store in UB. The next hitch, all 5 again, was in an unmarked land cruiser police car. He was tearing down the roads, if anyone got in his way he would blast his sirens and flash his lights! We got to the next town in no time.
We stayed the night in a motel in a small town. We met some Korean businessesmen on a tour of Mongolia. We had a party in their room, listening to music and having a few drinks.
The next morning we were in the back of a pick up, two cars in convoy and an old Russian 4x4. A guy tried to stitch up me and Stew by making us pay a silly amount, we told him to whistle.
We finally arrived in a place called Harhorin to see an ancient Buddhist temple and settlement. The perfect place for the next where's Willy, well done Stew for probably the best one yet! The girls held eagles then we continued on to Tsetserleg to see the hot springs.
When we arrived we learnt that it was a music festival and fashion show to publicise a new expensive clothing brand using Mongolian yak wool. We hired bikes and cycled to the hot springs. The mud track took us over 4 passes and through a couple of rivers. Was a scenic ride. The main springs were too hot to get into so we paid to go into a bath house type thing. There was a pool outside. We met some other travelers, had a few beers with them then headed back.
The next day we went out on the bikes with the son of the hostel next door's owner and an American who we met who was cycling across Mongolia. That night was the music festival and fireworks. We sat in the main square and had a few beers with us lot, the American and the hostel owners family.
The next morning we went our separate ways, me and Helen wanted to continue across the national park and on up to Lake Khovsgol, the others went to a waterfall then back to UB.
Me and Helen hitched to Tariet, a town next to a big lake and volcano. We stayed a night in a ger on the edge of the lake. Was a cracking spot. The next day we walked up the volcano, rimmed it, then sat and enjoyed the view. The lava fields stretched into the distance and the crater was intact. We both really enjoyed it.
Due to a bit of bad planning and a cash point not working we were running low on funds. We had the equivalent of a tenner for the both of us. We woke the next day and hitched a lift in the wrong direction in a lorry. Then had to pay a couple of quid to get back to where we started. Bollocks, our £10 was now down to £7. We got ourselves on the right road and flagged down a family who were going exactly where we wanted. We spent about 12 hours over 2 days with them along the most scenic road so far in Mongolia, you wouldn't even attempt in anything but 4 wheel drive. The family very kindly paid for our hotel then we paid them back the following day.
We arrived in Khatgal safe and well with money in our pockets!
Rob
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