Former local Geoff Whitty is exploring his adventurous side.
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He set off in April 2024 with the aim of completing an overland trip across multiple countries.
The trip was initially to last 18 months, but Geoff is still exploring the far corners of the world, and sharing his experiencing with his home town.
In his latest update ‘from the road’, Geoff details his experiences of Mongolia.
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I continued my round the world overland adventure travelling by train from Luang Prabang in Laos, to arrive in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital.
It was a 1500km journey and took about 30 hours.
My cabin companion works as a consultant for the American Embassy in Beijing.
He holds dual Chinese/USA citizenship and gave me a brief history lesson on Mongolia’s transitioning into a modern, free, democratic society, thanks in part to the 1990 people’s revolution.
As I listened to his narrative, I stared at the rolling landscapes that glide past our cabin window.
From ever changing vistas of the vast steppes to the deep green grass of the prairies, it is easy to see why Mongolia has not abandoned its deep-rooted nomadic tradition.
Their whole existence relies on a communal based system, allowing for freedom of movement over vast swaths of land, unrestricted by fences and individual land ownership.
We arrived at Ulaanbaatar from a foggy sleep, with a growl and a grunt as the carriages shunted their way to a laborious stop into the capital.
I checked into my hostel, where I joined up with three travelling companions.
Before long, we set out plans for an 11-day overland adventure.
We left Ulaanbaatar behind and headed south on highway A101, with high hopes and good spirits (thanks to some enterprising last-minute shopping)!
Mongolia is a land of contrasts.
We visited Baga Gazarin Chulu, often referred to as ‘The Mini Grand Canyon’ because of its deep canyon gorges and towering walled cliffs.
We made our way to Bayanzag, where the world’s first fossilized dinosaur eggs were discovered.
We then visited the ‘The Flaming Cliffs’, which set aglow wildflowers of vibrant colours of reds and oranges as they dance in the distance over the prairie.
After a sumptuous dinner of goat stew prepared by our local hosts, we settled down into our yurts for a well-earned sleep, only to be abruptly woken by howling winds and the sound of crashing timber.
A mini tornado had just passed through the little village, and completely demolished a yurt with a Japanese tourist inside.
While the yurt was completely destroyed, he miraculously survived unhurt and spent the remainder of the night under the protection of his bed.
We travelled west and let some air out of our tyres as we approached the outer reaches of the Gobi Desert.
We saw many people walking out of the dunes after their vehicles succumbed to the soft sand that lay in wait for the uninitiated.
We stumbled across a local community celebrating Naadam.
It is a major festival in Mongolia, which features the ‘the three games of men’ - Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery.
We later retraced our steps and rewarded ourselves with an overnight stay in a motel at Dalanzadgad, before making our way back to Ulaanbaatar.
But not without a little heart stopper, just to keep us amused!
We got lost. Well, to be more precise our driver became a little disorientated, much to his embarrassment.
After spending most of the afternoon criss-crossing the vast expanse of the Gobi, our driver was running out of fuel.
We were running out of patience, and soon we would run out of daylight.
As fate would have it, we came across an isolated family in an isolated yurt.
Follow the mountains, they said.
Follow the telephone lines we said, and with our GPS in hand (finally) we very gingerly explained that civilization is in the opposite direction to them there yonder hills.
For four total strangers who had only met two days prior to setting out, it was a trip for the ages.
There was Elizabeth, who could stop a herd of camels just to get the perfect photo shoot.
Annemar was quietly spoken, and had untamed colourful hair that was as vibrant as the tapestry of wildflowers that form across the vast Mongolian prairie.
Thasa - the pocket rocket and default tour leader - could communicate with goats and has a love for the great outdoors.
To all the adventure seeking travellers everywhere, I say: may the sun always warm your shoulders as you navigate your way through new challenges over distant horizons.