Today we woke up a lot later & nursing hangovers from the previous night. Our latest night yet (11.30pm) we stayed up playing cards with Jordan & then we were joined by Undra, our tour guide. After we finished with the drinking card games, Undra taught us the Mongolian rules for Uno. All of a sudden the wine, beer & half the vodka were gone.
Our campsite & gers were set up as more of a tourist camp, which was different from previous nights when we were in spare gers owned by nomadic families called guest houses. Because of this our ger had a newer fire place, better insulation & the fire was made of wood instead of dried dung. The inside of the ger was sweltering hot, we were playing cards in singlets, shorts & thongs, it was a relief to walk the 50 meters to the toilet in the cold. This also meant we slept on top of our sleeping bags & did not get cold the whole night. The next morning the ger was still very warm, we opened up the door to let cold air in as we packed our bags for the day. We left camp at the usual time, around 9am. Were going to miss the beautiful scenery, it's so unexpected to find the mountain ranges & rolling hills looking so green in the middle of the Gobi desert so soon after winter. About 40 minutes after leaving, we drive past a small herd of Yaks ! We also see plenty of gazelle frantically leaping away from the car.
The landscape changes dramatically & we start to feel like we are in the desert, especially with sand dunes looming in front. We get to our ger camp at 2pm & have a late lunch. Followed by free time, which actually means nap time.
At 4.30pm we leave our ger camp and drive a short distance to meet a nomadic family that own a herd of camels & a very aggressive guard dog that won't let us out of the van. Once the guard dog had been tied up we are paired off with a camel each & told how to get on & position ourselves between the 2 humps. It's very awkward as they stand up.
We rode our camels for an hour through the desert towards the biggest sand dune along the range. Tom's camel was very cheeky & kept trying to overtake the other camels & turn them around. They looked very majestic with 2 humps & a thick, woolly coat that included a mane. We were also able to get quite close to the gazelles who weren't aware of our presence on the camels backs.
Once we arrived at the sand dune we were told that we were going to climb it & watch the sun set.The Khongoor Sand Dunes. Taking up a section of 900 square kilometers the pale coloured sand can be seen rising up & swirling across the horizon, in striking comparison to the darker surrounding dirt of the Gobi. The peaks of the dunes stand between 100 & 300 meters high. An impressive & scary sight as we rode towards them on camels, knowing we would climb to the top & watch the sun set.
Tom & Jordan made it to the top in approximately 45 minutes. It took me an extra half an hour to make it to the top. I was having some extreme difficulty, with each step the sand above and around me would start sliding down the dune, making my efforts feel redundant. The sand was so soft & fine, I tried changing tactics with my hands & feet, but nothing seemed to work. I would give up, feeling exhausted, frustrated, close to tears, sweaty & defeated, only to sit down, catch my breathe admire the beautiful landscape & try again. I realised I wasn't making any progress at all & tried to think of a new plan. Along the side of the dune, partially hidden by a ripple, I could see some clumps of grass. Hoping this would mean more secure sand, I set off at a angle to get to the grass. This action by itself cost me another 20 minutes but my efforts were rewarded! The sand was more secure! I could now hold my position & actually move up the dune without sliding back down. Feeling thoroughly exhausted, I would walk with my hands & feet for 20 steps than have a small break before doing another 20 steps. When I got halfway up the dune using this routine, Tom's cheering was the motivation to get me to the top. The view from the top was amazing & the feeling of achievement is priceless.
I lied down in the sand next to Tom, with shaking limbs & tears in my eyes.
We both agreed the dune was one of the hardest physical challenges we have ever done, quite a few times I thought I wouldn't be able to make it.
It felt so good, sitting on top of the world in Tom's arms, watching the sun set over the mountains, dunes, desert flats & even a desert oasis. The Gobi desert holds some diverse, hidden & very beautiful sights, you just have to work hard for them, have a sense of adventure & be willing to forgo a few comforts.
Once we climbed back down from the dune, it was around 8.30pm & we were starving! It was at this point Tom must have given his face a really big rub & induced his allergies! While on the camel, he admitted to being mildly irritated & there was a few sneezes. A few hours later & without the ability to wash our hands between activities, it was a full assault to his nose & eyes. Once we got back to camp, it was a job appropriate for phenergan, a face cloth shower (we didn't have a real shower) and a hot cup of tea. Within the hour he was asleep & snoring.
What a day! Hopefully we're not too sore tomorrow.
It felt so good, sitting on top of the world in Tom's arms, watching the sun set over the mountains, dunes, desert flats & even a desert oasis. The Gobi desert holds some diverse, hidden & very beautiful sights, you just have to work hard for them, have a sense of adventure & be willing to forgo a few comforts.
Once we climbed back down from the dune, it was around 8.30pm & we were starving! It was at this point Tom must have given his face a really big rub & induced his allergies! While on the camel, he admitted to being mildly irritated & there was a few sneezes. A few hours later & without the ability to wash our hands between activities, it was a full assault to his nose & eyes. Once we got back to camp, it was a job appropriate for phenergan, a face cloth shower (we didn't have a real shower) and a hot cup of tea. Within the hour he was asleep & snoring.
What a day! Hopefully we're not too sore tomorrow.
-Alli
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