14 days on the road...
The aim, to get to Hovd Aimag (province) for the 1st of August to see the total eclipse, the best spot in the world to see it...
Pack 5 and a half interesting, fun and chilled out people in a Rusian van (Andie, Jazz, Jeff, Iestyn, Miyo, and myself), add a driver (Enkhe) and a cook, guide (Ogunaa)...
Define the road, you can go all the way to Hovd, by the express way, the southern way by Bayankhongor, Altai... till you get to Hovd aimag and Altai suum... there find a camping spot by the river with Yaks, sheeps and all the nature that you want and amasing landscapes and sun settings... avoiding the convoys of tourists. Then relax... but don't get the time mistaken... 11am is GMT time so 7 pm is the right one!
When the eclipse happen, don't freak out like the sheeps, or other animal around... take photos, and don't get caught by technology, try to recharge your camera's batteries beforehand... if not it will die... enjoy it, feel small in a world that is much more powerful than human being... then digest, have a cigarette have a beer, and talk about it for hours with your fellow companions...
Then start heading back to the city, but make it slowly, visit as many places as you can on the way... the Otgon Mountain for example the 2nd highest mountain in Mongolia, only reserved to men... or go through the tough, highest pass and make sure the wind is coming from the front of the van if not it will heat up the engine and you will take ages to do it... visit the White lake, but don't try to swim in it if it rainy and cold... After all that, you might need to relax at the hot springs... take a mid-night bath and stay in the hot water until your liver ask you to stop... don't break your ankle on the way to the ger though! the rest of the trip will be arduous... Finally visit Khankhorim and the oldest monastery in Mongolia and camp by the sand dunes not to far from UB so that you have time to realise that the trip is over... and work is waiting for you...
Don't forget to make the most of it!
PS: There is far too many photos! but i just simply couldnt choose!Pack 5 and a half interesting, fun and chilled out people in a Rusian van (Andie, Jazz, Jeff, Iestyn, Miyo, and myself), add a driver (Enkhe) and a cook, guide (Ogunaa)...
Define the road, you can go all the way to Hovd, by the express way, the southern way by Bayankhongor, Altai... till you get to Hovd aimag and Altai suum... there find a camping spot by the river with Yaks, sheeps and all the nature that you want and amasing landscapes and sun settings... avoiding the convoys of tourists. Then relax... but don't get the time mistaken... 11am is GMT time so 7 pm is the right one!
When the eclipse happen, don't freak out like the sheeps, or other animal around... take photos, and don't get caught by technology, try to recharge your camera's batteries beforehand... if not it will die... enjoy it, feel small in a world that is much more powerful than human being... then digest, have a cigarette have a beer, and talk about it for hours with your fellow companions...
Then start heading back to the city, but make it slowly, visit as many places as you can on the way... the Otgon Mountain for example the 2nd highest mountain in Mongolia, only reserved to men... or go through the tough, highest pass and make sure the wind is coming from the front of the van if not it will heat up the engine and you will take ages to do it... visit the White lake, but don't try to swim in it if it rainy and cold... After all that, you might need to relax at the hot springs... take a mid-night bath and stay in the hot water until your liver ask you to stop... don't break your ankle on the way to the ger though! the rest of the trip will be arduous... Finally visit Khankhorim and the oldest monastery in Mongolia and camp by the sand dunes not to far from UB so that you have time to realise that the trip is over... and work is waiting for you...
Don't forget to make the most of it!
First night at a random family on the road...
So we keep on going and we find ...
When i tell you there's nothing around...
Our guide and driver
a complicity moment...
a complicity moment...
A little break by the river
And we liked soo much we decided to camp on it, a big further north...
perfect to have a wash
perfect to have a wash
The colours in this country will never stop amasing me!
In the middle of nowhere we find a well, a town around...
socialising moment!
socialising moment!
In line, serving food or anyservice for the tourist, drivers...
Ogunaa, if she sees this photo i might lose my life... that was her special attire for cooking! btw amazing food!
After 4pm it was time for a beer, no matter the situation!
The main road! on the map it looks like a motorway!
Camping, mosquitos... the solution burn some cow shit!
It really works!
It really works!
Tonhil suum
Beer hunting!
Camping will never be the same for me, we had to chose from the most amazing sceneries!
This somewhere close to Tonhil
This somewhere close to Tonhil
On the back suute - milky mountain,
covered in snow all year long...
covered in snow all year long...
The whole group!
Iestyn, Jeff, Andie, Jazz, Enkhe, Ogunaa, Miyo and myself
and the "milky" mountain
Iestyn, Jeff, Andie, Jazz, Enkhe, Ogunaa, Miyo and myself
and the "milky" mountain
It's true that you drive for hours, but when you come to places like this you realise it does completely worth it. This was a passage between mountain quite tough... and this lavanda like flowers appeared it was sort of magical..
Most suum
Small break during the day are most welcome...
any kind of break!
Finally we found the Bodonch gol! Bodonch river. The spot to see the eclipse
Go a bit further up and sort the camp, we stay there 3 nights.
Share the space with some yaks, as you do!
Climbed some mountains
Where you can actually touch the clouds!
And we waited patiently for the eclipse,
had all the gear necessary!
you can see the change of light already!
Eclipse!!!
Later on the neighbourgs stayed with us...
I could've kidnap that little girl...
I could've kidnap that little girl...
But after 4 days of rest we had to star heading back..
the mongolian way... water fight
Darvi suum
I won!
And finally another highlight
Otgon uul
Otgon uul
Otgon is a "men" mountain, meaning no women is allowed on it...
A break before before we reach the highest pass in all Mongolia...
The pass is not accessible all the time, we were lucky, if not we'd have to go around the mountain, so 150 km more, which here can mean a full day driving sometimes...
The pass is not accessible all the time, we were lucky, if not we'd have to go around the mountain, so 150 km more, which here can mean a full day driving sometimes...
Jazz, is soooo happy, there's flowers!!!!
And other are more interested in the water
THE pass, 3468m high!
I had to achieve my own challenge and clinbed the rock you can try to spot me in the rock in front (both photos)
simply amazing, breathtaking....A random place...
for benzine...
and food...
Volcano by Tsaagan nuur
Lava does leave a print
And it also leaves caves
Marmotte, and yes i did eat it... while i tried it...
Tsagaan nuur - White Lake
Rocky river
Tsetserleg
Hot Springs
Erdene Zuu Khiid @ Kharkhorin
The praying wheel
Mongolian Buddhism god
The monastery is quite active
And monks even have mobiles phones
The stupas traditionaly are tombs, nowadays it doesnt necessarly mean that it has a body inside... in Erdene zuu, there's around 118 of them (stupas)
A little stop at the phalic rock
The Mongol Eels,
well not really but this is how tourist called them the real mongol eels are further south
Photo credits: Jazz, Jeff, Andie and myself
2 comments:
valio la pena esperar tanto....
esto es mi hija..
Superbes photos d'éclipse !
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