First time I read about a yak was in second or third grade. And now seeing one in its natural habitat.

I left the cows to themselves and the cows left me to myself…
This is Yol valley. One hikes up the valley which starts very wide and then becomes narrower and narrower till only two person can pass. Our goal is to reach the ice and go as far as we can…

We are yet to see a tree in the whole day. Like I had mentioned we were in the middle of nothingness. In fact we were very curious what were all those horses and cows and sheep and goat grazing on. Whatever it is, it cannot be more than a quarter inch long.

So, why a sign not to cut trees?

Found out from Sara that the sign is to tell people not to cut junipers in the area. Apparently, junipers grow here.

Which raises the inevitable question – do they make gin in Mongolia? 🙂

After lunch in our camp, we headed out for You Valley. We were to hike up the valley. The driver started on the dirt roads and then suddenly, in an inspired move, got off the dirt road and driving on just dirt. He knew what he was doing. All I was thinking was that if he is off from just a couple of degrees, we will be totally lost. But he did reach us to our destination!

As far as the eye could go – and they went at least thirty to forty miles – there was nothing. Just nothing. And some more nothing.
A huge vast nothingness.
Almost eerie!

This is going to be my ger for tonite!

After a few miles of paved road, our driver suddenly got off the road and started driving on dirt road. And I am being very generous when I call it a road. Our camp for the night was nowhere visible – in fact we drove for over ten miles of sheer nothingness before we could spot some gers. The driver kept driving like he knew all the small pebbles and animals and carcasses (actually there is one if you carefully notice) around in the next hundred miles.

We got into our vehicle from Dalanzadgad airport and hit the road. It was hot. After picking up some water from a super market, we headed towards the desert. For the first couple of miles we were on paved road. I suddenly noticed some water on the road – complete with the reflections of the object nearby. I had barely finished asking Sara if there had been rains in the area recently, when all the water vanished from the road.

Fooled by a mirage!!

Learning Mongol is not for the weak of the heart. First, there are lots of sounds they make thru there nose that sound guttural. Most of the time, when our guide Sara was talking to our driver Hurle, I could not figure out if Hurle was clearing out his throat or saying “Yes”. Turns out he was saying Yes all along. Which made Roger and I a little wary of clearing our throats not knowing what we might land up saying Yes to!!!

Before we boarded our flight to Gobi, Sara threw a curveball at us. She showed us her boarding pass and asked

“Can you say my name?”
Me: “It starts with three consonants. I am out.
Roger studied it up and down and asked “Is that where we are going today?”

🙂