Hello Mongolia!

I would like to say hello to all the people met in Mongolia.

First of all, to the Mongol Rally guys met at the Russian-Mongolian border: they were six in an ambulance, but they told us that the ambulances were two… One had mechanical problems in Kazakistan, they tried to sell it and they would have earned 1500 euros, but they decided to try to go on the same… in fact the ambulance engine completely died the day after, so they were able to sell it for only a few hundreds euros… We had dinner together at the border, they helped us to charge our cameras, because they had the inverter in the ambulance. Thank You very much guys, did You arrive to UB? Everything ok? Maybe I saw the Union Jack they had attached to the ambulance lost on a Mongolian path, while riding from Khovd to Altaj. Was it Yours???

Hello to the two australian guys on the Peugeot 106, the “Big Red”. We all had dinner together (I have a bad memory of that dinner, because after our usual “chinese noodles” Marco and me had a can of beef meet, which was really not so good…) One of them had an expired australian driving licence! and he had no problems to come from Germany to Mongolia, incredible! (in truth, I have been never asked on all my trip to show my driving license, too …just only my passport and motorcycle technical document…) We had problems at the Mongolian border, because mongolian people arriving at the border wanted to pass before us, but it was one day we were waiting there! So we did not like it, and we tried to entert before them… Obviously they were able to communicate with the mongolian guards at the border much more better than us, and the guards let them pass before us in any case… but one of the two australians strongly tried to oppone to this, and one mongolian guard took his passport, and nobody knew were it was then… did You receive it back? or are You still at the mongolian border??? ;-)

Hello to the “Ambulances to Mongolia” Team, they were two ambulances and one “Jeep”, taking medicins into Mongolia. They had problems at the mongolian border, it seems they were not allowed to introduce any medicine into Mongolia, so they had to stay at the border many hours, and all they had have been deeply inspected. Finally, they solved the situation giving to the mongolian guards a couple of volleyballs and a few t-shirts, so they could enter Mongolia with all the “prohibited” medicins!

Hello to the “Mongoliara” Team, three spanish men, from “Pais Bascos”, near Bilbao. They were really very kind with us, they offered us a wonderful “lunch” waiting for the mongolian border to be opened: tomatos and onions, with spanish extra-virgin olive oil, it was wonderful to eat again olive oil with bread after months! Their 4wd was really goog prepared, they had an aluminium structure on the roof sustaining two quick-opening tents on front and back, and boxes for tools in the center, more than a water tank of about 65 liters! They had been many times in Africa with that car, but they were going to sell it at Ulaanbaatar and come back to Spain by plane. It had a lot of km, but it was very well equipped and maintained! They had totally 150 liters of diesel fuel tank, they could drive for about 1000 km! They have a great experience in travelling, and a long list of travels! They had been on 1975 to India, bought a Royal Enfield and come back to Spain by Motorbike through Pakistan and Afghanistan! Then they did it again after a couple of years with other friends. They did the USA coast-to-coast with BMW motorbikes sent from Spain; after the trip they stopped the bikes at Vancouver, they took a plane to Hawaii and stayed there one week, to rest and relax. Then they came back, took again the bikes, and came back, completing the round-trip at NY. One of them did 5 times the Paris-Dakar (completing it only one time…). Then they listed to us many other trips, great! On the sides of the car there were the “photos” of their villages, in Spain: this is their village, “Pasaia”, near San Sebastian, at the Spanish-French border. Hello to Josè, Juan y Pedro!

Hello to the australian man met at the mongolian border: he was coming in the opposite direction. He had already been to south-eastern asia, he had started on 11th of April from Australia, he was going to have a big tour, reaching Europe and then South Africa through Gibilter. He had an incredible car, a jeep prepared with a self-opening tent on the roof. He was driving alone.

Hello to the two English bikers met on the Mongolian desert, before Altaj. They were driving the opposite direction that most of people do: they sent their motorbikes from UK to UB by plane, then they were “riding home”. They told it is much more beautiful to think that You are “going home”. They started during the night from Ulaanbaatar, after two days of customs clearances… and drove a southern way, not indicated on the maps, in the middle of the Gobi Desert. They were well off-road equipped.

Hello to the Mongol Rally guys met at Uliastaj: the first team were two german brothers with a red Kia and the second team were a german and an australian! The two teams met at the mongolian border and went on together. First team: Sebastian and Daniel. One of them is working at Oslo, in Norway, with his norwegian girlfriend. The other one is a mechanichal engineer and after the mongol rally maybe will take a flight to Australia to find a job there… what did You do?? Second Team: this team is incredible in my opinion. Two friends, met in Australia, one german and the other australian, who decided to make the mongol rally together! Hugh took a flight from australia to germany, Borris came back to germany from england, where he is studying for his second university degree, and they started together with a red Nissan Micra. Borris is a Naval Engineer, he has been working first in Singapore, then 3 years in Australia. Hello to all of You guys! everything ok till Ulaanbaatar? When we met there were the snow, do You remember? Keep in touch!

Hello to the mongolian guy met at Uliastaj: we played basketball together with other boys, and he helped me to find an internet point. He could really speak just a few words of english, but it was enough to understand each other.

Hello to Sara, met at the Guesthouse in Tsetserleg: we had dinner together and she has been very kind. She works for “Samaritan Poors”, an american organization to help mongolian children with hearth diseases.

Hello to the group met at Tsakhir (before the White Lake), a french couple and a swiss girl, from Basilea. How was Your trip in the mongolian mountains? Write to us! Keep in touch!

Hello to the Swiss cyclists met at Tsetserleg, they were coming by bike from Bailak Lake, but they had started from Switzerland, went to North Cape, down by Finland, and then they took the train from Saint Petersburg to Irkutsk. 8000km by bike in 4 months…

It is funny (and incredible for me) that we met here in the UB guesthouse two other cyclists, from France, making more or less the same trip (till here) of the previous met! from France to northern Sweden (but not NorthCape), then they took the train from southern Finland to Ulaanbaatar. They are going to ride here for a couple of weeks, then they will go some weeks in New Zealand, then some weeks in Chile, before going back home. Crazy!!!

Hello to Maurizio & Roman, two German guys met at the Russian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar: Maurizio is graduating in germany in mechanichal engineering, he has just finished a six-months-stage in Beijing, in a machinery company. Now he is going back home by train. He has been reached by Roman, one of his german friends, in Beijing, they went to Ulaanbaatar, then they will go to Moscow and then back to germany. Before reaching Maurizio, Roman went for a trip in California, where his girlfriend is studying. They are both from Stuttgart, north of Constance Lake. I was impressed by the fact that they had each one a small bagpack…while I have so many bags! I don’t really know how they do (even if I should really reduce my bags…)

Hello to Lee, a Korean guy met yesterday night in Ulaanbaatar: he is in the same hostel of Maurizio & Roman. He is travelling alone, he went from Korea by train, and now he is going first to Bajkal Lake and then Vladivostok, all by train, then back to Korea by boat. He has been all over the world, travelling a lot of small trips (maybe 2 or 3 weeks a couple of times a year) in Cuba, Tunisi, Tanzania, Europe, Japan, South Eastern Asia, etc. He is very kind, he offered himself to help us, both for korean information, and for information on Japan. In fact his girlfriend is in Japan for one year, to study at University, in Tokyo. Keep in touch, Lee!

Hello to the french guy, a friend of Maurizio and Roman, met in front of the russian embassy: he is doing a strange travel, from Baikal Lake to Mongolia on foot, then from the border to Ulaanbaatar by bike, then from UB to the Russian border (our opposite way) riding horses and bike. He has also french sponsors, but I have not well understood which kind of sponsor…

And a big hello to Masha! She hosted us for three days in his house, ninth floor, West Ulaanbaatar. Thanks to her and all her family for their help and their kindness!