Uhbi to Gobi

Early morning, we set off from Uhbi* ( Ulaanbaatar) to cross part of the Gobi desert and stop at an area called the White Stupas ( see pictures). They are unusual sandstone cliffs in the middle of an otherwise flat dessert.

* Local hipsters call it Uhbi.

Along the route, we saw many wild horses, camels, and sheep. There are 70 million such animals and only just over 3m humans.

Most Europeans associate deserts 🏜 with searing heat, and even though we knew that wasn't the case, we were surprised just how bloody cold the Gobi is, even in May. Since we travel light, we didn't have much warm clothing, so we bought some in Uhbi at a 2nd hand shop. However, that turned out not to be enough, and on our first night, we were all very cold. The yurt ( actually called " ger" here was heated with a camel dung stove. Unfortunately, that only lasted till 8 pm, and from there on, the temperature dropped continuously through the night. I put on two sweatshirts and was still cold. Brrrrrrr!Read more