Day 137 - Sujji to Ulaanbaatar - Wed 10 Jul
Overcast, cool, flicked up mud on Ozzie as we drove out of our wetlands camp. Traffic increasing, horses and families in people-movers still on move, many cars with national flags on cars, one had full sticker across bonnet. Hope the public holidays for festival don't start today, need MobiCom to restore my account so I can download email/data, and access Internet which I haven't had since I took out their SIM card and used TravelSim to make calls to Australia. People stop and go to toilet on side of road, on plains, no trees/ bushes, men in full view, women squat, and some spread skirt out around them. Had to laugh - "Trees Our Future" sign, but not one in sight as far as eye can see.
Heaps of police activity marked start of Nadaam horse race at least 100 entrants approx 40kms from Ulaanbaatar, looks like grasslands of at least 10kms sectioned off by police bikes, pulled over to side of road to watch. Vehicles led way out front with horses following in huge dust cloud (maybe marking way, ensuring no one enters from sides??), then cars veered off, and horses really took off. Spectacular to say least.The road into UB was closed off, police directed us down to "GerTown", food central and parking, lots of temporary and display gers, horse trucks, vehicles parked on every hill. We were just in time to see end of horse race which had obviously turned around and come racing back, ending up on slope... admirable stamina, horses and young riders. From what we've heard so far it's all kids, and races are based on age of horses.
Overcast, cool, flicked up mud on Ozzie as we drove out of our wetlands camp. Traffic increasing, horses and families in people-movers still on move, many cars with national flags on cars, one had full sticker across bonnet. Hope the public holidays for festival don't start today, need MobiCom to restore my account so I can download email/data, and access Internet which I haven't had since I took out their SIM card and used TravelSim to make calls to Australia. People stop and go to toilet on side of road, on plains, no trees/ bushes, men in full view, women squat, and some spread skirt out around them. Had to laugh - "Trees Our Future" sign, but not one in sight as far as eye can see.
Heaps of police activity marked start of Nadaam horse race at least 100 entrants approx 40kms from Ulaanbaatar, looks like grasslands of at least 10kms sectioned off by police bikes, pulled over to side of road to watch. Vehicles led way out front with horses following in huge dust cloud (maybe marking way, ensuring no one enters from sides??), then cars veered off, and horses really took off. Spectacular to say least.The road into UB was closed off, police directed us down to "GerTown", food central and parking, lots of temporary and display gers, horse trucks, vehicles parked on every hill. We were just in time to see end of horse race which had obviously turned around and come racing back, ending up on slope... admirable stamina, horses and young riders. From what we've heard so far it's all kids, and races are based on age of horses.
Afterwards, horses have sweat paddled off, those with saddles removed, and led away. Many of the people then eat meat, goat chops, animal jerky (stringy, chewy!) and drink soft drinks.
Road to UB reopened, and we drove into chaos of city after heavenly solitude and roads to ourselves. Drivers blowing horns, trying to push in, way too close for comfort along Peace Street! Police everywhere but not interfering with traffic. Then suddenly we were jammed with very limited movement for almost half hour and getting very hungry. Cheryl went into back of their vehicle and made peanut butter crackers which they passed through the truck window to us to maintain our strength!! Mongolian flags for sale - Marina says it’s also Independence Day (from Chinese that is, not from Russians). Finally found Oasis guesthouse where we are booked in to the carpark with access to showers for a few days – no other accommodation available due to the Festival. Pretty cramped, but secure, and loads of English speaking bikers and overlanders so should be entertaining.
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