Olgij, Mongolia: Day 30
Slept along a Siberian creek and followed a mountain river to Mongolian border through a tornado, hail and electrical prairie storm. Met up with many teams (including Team Quo Vadimus) and smashed cars to pieces against the roadless, bone-strewn Mongolian countryside. Invited in to a yurt (or gher) for cheese and tea by some Kazakh nomads. Found shelter in a six-dollar-per-night inn and vodka tavern.
08-15-07 at 20:15 – MONGOLIA
Enter: Predicament
As Sara last posted, we were in cold Mother Russia, just out of a mechanic’s where a tractor shifter between the engine and mechanic’s ear signaled we were good to go.
That night we pulled over in the majestic Russian mountains alongside a creek where weasels, cows, and horses kept us up all night. In the morning we ate some Snickers bars and choogled along as best we could for hours longer than we anticipated to reach the Russian exit border at Tasanta. A hail storm. Lightning.
Met up with 8 or so teams at the Mongolian border. As usual, the landscape changed dramatically only inches across the line where we left the Russian birches, bushes, granite mountains, and paved roads for the bleak Mongolia stone and bone fields. No roads, just dozens of dirt tracks heading North, South, East and West, soft mountains visible for thousands of kilometers in every direction.
Soon after the border we entered a small Mad Max village where children with dirty faces and snotty noses chased us, waving hello and throwing rocks. We saw Team Sasketchewan’s car but being piloted by Mongolians! At first I thought they’d been pillaged but it turns out they tried the scary Northern Route and busted up the front of the machine right off the bat, turned around, sold the car, and flew to UB. At least that’s the word on the street.
The guy with their car led us by motorbike to a mountain that we had to traverse in first gear, busting our engine on a hump just on the other side. A few k’s later, we hit a paved road but, of course, it only lasts another 5 or 10 k. Team Quo Vadimus in front of us shredded a tire so we stopped to switch out and met up with some students, went back to their parents’ Yurt for tea and curdled milk foods. Very nice folks, gave the kids some toys and some whiskey for the elders.
Made it to Olgij, only 100k into Mongolia last night. Like the Wild West but with plastic bottles, an Internet Cafe. Stayed at a hotel with a dozen other teams for $7 US. Someone stole our jerry cans in the night so we have to go to the market in a bit or I don’t know how we’re going to get out of here. About 200k to the next “city” but our gas tank doesn’t get us that far without jerries due to the leaky cap area. And, no, folks, rags and duct tape don’t work.
Just got an email from the whacky Rally Organizers. Apparently, they’re upset with people ditching their cars here and flying to UB (or Mongolia is and is attacking the Rally) so they’re saying our options are to drive there as is the mission . . . or hire a truck to drive the cars for a couple hundred $’s. I’m going to opt for the trucks as I don’t imagine our particular car will make it. But we only have a few days before our flight and I’m unsure whether this will work or not.
Everybody reading this, do not fear. There is no serious danger, the cars don’t go fast enough to injure you here (different from everywhere else we’ve been). The problems we face now are only logistical, economical. If we ditch the cars here, we pay thousands. If we run out of gas or break down on the prairies there are other teams to help us out, loads of 4X4 Lada’s to deliver us to relative safety. Despite the serial hangups, we’re actually having a bit of fun. Off-roading in a light goods van with 12″ tires is (so far) one of the highlights of my life (even if I am screaming profanities the entire way).