Sophie's World: August 2008

Less than 2 months ago the city was on fire, people was on the streets, it was a mess... Last Sunday the same happen, but it was a different type of euphoria, for the first time in history Mongolia got not only one but TWO gold medals at the Olympics games (Judo and Boxing). I loved every minute of it, walking down the street meant shaking hands, high five-ingbipping, waving flags... It was happiness as its pure state and later during the day at its alcoholic state, but not at any point I felt threaten, even less when I used my catch up sentence "Mongolia is the best, 2 gold medals! wow!" (Is about all I have in my Mong vocabulary!)
What was supposed to be a chilled out Sunday drink at the pub turned out to be the party of the week... Everybody had a flag, people will start singing and the whole bar will follow, even when they were going for last orders a group of people went on the mini-stage and grabbed the instruments and the quiet bar turned into a dancing floor, everybody on the tables dancing and singing the night away... (check the videos on youtube = sophievda79)

Il y a presque 2 mois de ca la ville brulais... Dimanche dernier ce fut un autre type de manifestation... Pour la premiere fois dans l'histoire Mongole, pas 1 mais 2 medailles d'or ont ete remportees! C'etais la folie en ville, des gens partout avec des drapeaux, la plus part a la grand place mais aussi dans les voitures en train de claxonner... C'etais magnifique de voir un chose pareil, surtout apres les eventment du 1er Juillet... marcher dans la rue ca voulais dire serrer la main a des inconnus, taper sur les epaules... la joie a l'etat pur, et plus tard dans la soiree a l'etat etilique,c'est vrai, c'est pas le pays de la vodka pour rien! Mais je dois dire que pas une fois je me suis senti en danger... J'avais prevu de boire un verre tranquile avec des potes, histoire d'enterrer le weekend. C'est devenu la fete de la semaine... le bar etait plein a craquer, tout le monde chantais, et plus tard quand un groupe improvise est monte sur la scene le monde dansait sur les tables, chaises.... Simplement incroyable.... (videos de la soiree sur youtube = sophievda79)

Singing the National Anthem
(nope! i do not know it, the technique is to look at someone that does and imitate the lips!)

Crowds on the tables, benches, all types of flags, the one I have I managed to negotiated with the table next to ours, with the "I love Mongolia, i live here, i don't have a flag... you have a big one... i could have your little one, so i can show people how much i love your country!" that and a bit of eye-lashing and it worked!

Later at the club, i manage to get the security guy's hat, thing i tried to do on a previous night without success. Perseverance is all you need to make it in life, is what i say! He even ended up smiling...

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!

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 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

The colours in this country will never stop amasing me!

In the middle of nowhere we find a well, a town around...
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!

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

On the back suute - milky mountain,
covered in snow all year long...

The whole group!
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...

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 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...