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Bayan-Ölgiy Aymag

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    • TravelerSabbatical 2023
      Day 109

      Die unendliche Straße

      June 17, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      Irgendwann bin ich zu einer Brücke wie beschrieben gekommen hier habe ich nochmal nachgefragt wo ich hin muss und wie weit die nächste Tankstelle ist, ca. 80km ob ich das noch schaffe irgendwann steh ich verunsichert auf einen Berg und Höre ein LKW in der nähe, beim weiterfahren kann ich ihn sehen aber der Fährt so schnell das ich ihm nicht folgen kann die Fahrrinnen sind auch so Tief das ich angst um die Ölwanne habe also verliere ich ihn aber hab etwas mehr Hoffnung das ich richtig bin.Read more

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    • TravelerSabbatical 2023
      Day 109

      Nicht mehr weit

      June 17, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      Irgendwann kommt auch mal ein Schild auf dem Steht Ölgii angeschrieben das ist der Ort den die Mongolen mir genannt haben, als ich dann den Fluss erreiche wird auch der Weg wieder deutlicher und ich weiß das es nicht mehr so weit ist.
      In Ölgii dann endlich wieder Teerstraßen und die Rettende Tankstelle.      Read more

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    • TravelerAustralia to Europe
      Day 110

      Border crossing to Russia

      August 13, 2019 in Mongolia ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

      After my plans for venturing east on the southern route were made redundant due to my break down and the forced waiting days in Ölgii I just wanted to leave and continue my journey, however my Russian visa did not allow me to enter before today. So yesterday late afternoon I finally made my way to the mongolian russian border.
      I dont like border villages, they always seem to swarm with people who want to sell you something. In this village i was stopped by some people who wanted to charge me 10000 Tughrik for road tax, which I refused to pay. Crooks!
      So I made my way into the hills and found the perfect spot for the night, far away from the road and the village. Or so I thought...
      I had just finished to dig out all the documentation I need for the crossing and replenished my hidden currency supply from my secret compartment when a car came across the hill and over the Edelweisswiese, the paddock with Edelweiss. I know, you Bavarian alpinists will be very envious now! But Edelweiss are everywhere here. And Enzian as well. Ganze Wiesen voll!
      Sorry, got a bit distracted!
      So this car pulled up beside me, some uniformed border Patrol, and told me I cannot stay here, border area. My pleading could not soften their heart, so I had to pack up and leave. Towards Ölgii again. Oh no!
      But just 2km down the road I spied some earth mound parallel to the road. The perfect spot beside the road, well hidden but inconspicuous enough as not to be immediately being identified as sleeping spot just in case.
      When i arrived at the border at 7 o'clock there were already 7 trucks ahead of me. Border opening at 9.
      First border control: those guys wanting the 10000 Tughriks from me yesterday were no crooks. As I spent my last of the mongolian money on fuel yesterday, i had to pay 5€. No change given. Still crooks!!!
      Onwards to the next Mongolian border station.
      Park the car, don't park where they want me to, some parking rearrangements follow until i am parked totally crooked, but thats where and how they want me, so be it.
      In to the office building. First counter closed, second counter "Customs", that's where I queue. Waiting, then my turn. She studies paperwork and studies and studies, then she sends me to another counter way down the hall to get my little running slip, that i was issued at the 1. border control stamped. That lady just puts a stamp on it. That's her job. Then back to the other counter, again queuing, she checks the stamp and is happy with it. Now outside to the car control. This always seems to be a quick procedure as Rex, tied up, shows himself from his fiercest side. Or is it the single, crazy, elderly lady impersonation?
      Now only passport control and that's done with the Mongolian side.
      On we go 10-20km down the bumpy road through nowman's land. I wonder who the sheep grazing there belong to. Are they distributed to the customs people when they reach their KPIs? 1000 stamps one sheep? I will never know.
      Ah, here comes the first russian control. The officer had to finish this round of his computer game first I gather, as it takes a while until he comes to open the gate and check the papers.
      Nice young guy, refreshingly not phased by Rexby's behaviour. He has a husky too, so that's a quick one as well.
      Driving a few kms to the next border control. Another gate, another queue, some more waiting. The gate opens, we get ushered into the inner sanctum of Russian BC. Out of the car, and queuing for passport control. Once i passed the critical eye, back to the car and near panic gets hold of me. There are huge tables onto which every car owner had to display the complete contents of the vehicle. I imagined to unearth all my lose items from every drawer, wind grabbing my knickers and blowing them all the way back to Ölgii, towels draping themselves over fences and areals.... i'll be here till midnight.!!!
      But then my magic formula, vicious dog plus mad woman does its trick again: a glimpse here, a poke there and then: " you, madam, move car !" And did madam move car!
      But then i still needed to get my car import paperwork completed, 2x and after, what must have been a record time, 2 hours and 56mins i was through the customs. Talked to people yesterday it took them 7 hours and had to unload everything from their car.
      Good boy Rexelby!!!      Read more

    • TravelerTranssibirische Eisenbahn
      1
      11
      Day 48

      Westmongolei - Ölgii

      August 23, 2017 in Mongolia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

      Tag 15 und 16

      Ölgii, die Hauptstadt des Westens, ist nach 2h Fahrt unter anderem durch ein beeindruckendes Tal erreicht. Immer noch Mongolei, und doch so anders:
      - es wird Kasachisch gesprochen
      - die Menschen haben auch kasachische Gesichtszüge
      - es gibt Moscheen, da die Kasachen überwiegend muslimisch sind
      - die kasachischen Gers sind höher

      Ansonsten hat Ölgii:
      - einen chaotischen Markt: hier herrscht grade der Schulanfang vor. Unsere Kamelhaardecke und -socken finden wir aber nicht.
      - ein Badehaus: nach 6 Tagen ohne ist eine warme Dusche super (egal wie alt sie ist). Und es gibt sogar 2er Kabinen :-)
      - Wollgeschäfte: hier finden wir unsere Kamel- und Yakwolldecke, die sich auf der Couch auch super macht. Und warme Socken.
      - Pferdestärken: da steht man an der Kreuzung und will über die Strasse, aber da kommt von links eine Herde Pferde. Dass sie eigentlich rot haben ignorieren sie einfach und traben gemütlich weiter.

      Dummerweise hat Ölgii nicht das Ersatzteil, das Agi braucht. Deswegen geht es für uns erstmal für die nächste Nacht mit einem anderen Auto weiter, während Agi Stufe 3 der mongolischen Autoreparatur in Angriff nimmt. Stufe 3 beinhaltet das Ersatzteil aus UB einfliegen oder aus Khovd einfahren zu lassen. Das Einsetzen des Teiles findet dann in einer Werkstatt statt, wo sowohl Mechaniker als auch Fahrer zusammen basteln.      Read more

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    • Going home
      Day 129

      What we ate in Mongolia

      July 17, 2019 in Mongolia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      Honestly, I was a bit worried about food in Mongolia. Many travellers report that they had difficulties in finding supplies and soon got fed up by the meat and dairy heavy options available in restaurants.
      After a bit more than 3 weeks, I can happily say that all our worries were unnecessary.
      As we're usually following a rather vegetarian diet, we simply cooked ourselves most of the times.
      Fresh fruit and veggies are indeed hard to come by (it seems like only carrots, cabbage, onions and potatoes are being grown here, everything else needs to be imported), hence we used canned and pickled vegetables that we found even in smaller towns and villages along the way.
      Mini and super markets always offered a few canned veggies, noodles, rice, tomato sauce, vodka, beer, juice, sweets (lots of candy!), tea and other random goods. Definitely enough to put together a decent meal. I bought bananas once and apples twice and every now and then got a few onions, carrots and potatoes. In one store I also found fresh ginger that I couldn't resist. If you wanted to, you could stock up on fresh goods much more often though!
      The few times we ate out, we tried traditional Mongolian dishes like Khuushuur (fried pancakes filled with meat, but I even got a vegetarian one with potatoes and capsicum in it once), Buuz (steamed dumplings filled with meat, dripping with oil when you bite in them) and stir fried noodles with mutton pieces. I actually grew fond of Khuushuur, though it might not be your healthiest food.
      Fresh milk and the local cheese might take some more time to get used to, we mostly avoided it. Tom used pasteurized milk as usual and I used the plant based options I stocked up on in Russia. However, we did taste everything offered to us and Tom ate the cheese with bread (I couldn't handle much more than a small piece).
      In cold eveings in the mountains we discovered the local vodka goes well with our Tasmanian blackcurrant syrup and hot water. Warms hands and bellies equally.
      And of course, Tom still kept on baking bread. With hardly any firewood and crappy coal, it was quite a hazzle at times, but the outcome was always super rewarding. Both no-knead and sourdough bread featured rye or whole-wheat flour and kept us going throughout the day as welcome meal.
      All in all a delicious part of the journey.      Read more

    • Going home
      Day 128

      Random observations in Mongolia

      July 16, 2019 in Mongolia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      As we're about to leave the country, here are some random observations made on the way.

      Asphalted roads are often worse than driving off-road due to the potholes.
      If new, they can be super smooth as well though. You will only know once you drive on them.

      Flock of sheep, goats, cows, camels, yaks or horses are either roaming around alone or guarded by horse or motorbike. Very picturesque.

      Lots of people ride horses without a saddle.

      Traffic in Ulaan-Baatar is crazy. The city was built for 600000 people but now 1.3mio live there. Traffic is the worst reflection of this growth.

      People in UB get around with their own car, buses and most of them simply seem to hitchhike. You stand on the side of the road, hold your arm out and people stop. You then pay 1000MNT/km. Does this add to the traffic? Probably.

      Can you imagine not having running water in your house? Here water is distributed by water houses spread throughout villages and towns. It is usually collected in larger canisters and transported on wheels, in cars or simply carried back. Opening times vary, hence patience is required.

      We haven't really understood how ger families deal with their toilet business. In smaller villages we've come across "out houses" (wooden shacks with a hole in the ground) in the middle of streets, but no clue how it works in bigger towns or in the remote areas.

      Money is always handed over with two hands.

      The left side of a ger is the "visitor's side" while the right side is for the family.

      Mongolian men often sunbath their bellies. Seems fairly random, they're simply standing around and lift their shirts.

      Cheese is made in a fashion that doesn't require refrigeration. This way it can be carried around while travelling. We saw it on car dashboards and appearing out of trouser pockets. Once you're used to the rather raw and wild taste, it's a good match to homebaked bread.

      Mongolian supermarkets often offer products that were packaged in Germany (Gut&günstig Müsli and peanuts, Honey and much much more).

      In the Altai Mountains, we experienced four seasons in one day.

      There are hardly any trees. Whenever we saw some, we were super happy.

      Religious statues and stupas are very common. As are deceivingly real looking animal figures in the mountains.

      Mongolians seem to be very fond of music. Everyone who had a look at our car interior excitedly pointed to the guitar. Too bad it's not easy to take it out.

      We once parked next to a quiet road in a valley. Resulted in visitors at 1.30am, knocking to say hello. People usually were very interested but not intrusive.

      A map of the world helped us a lot explaining what we were up to. This way, we at least had something to "talk" about as we haven't managed to pick up enough of the Mongolian language to have a real conversation unfortunately.

      Paying by card is common even in small village shops. Don't rely on it completely though. It's always wise to have a bit of cash with you.

      Apart from the usual lemon option, there is "mango and peach" and "apple and cranberry" radler. Sweet but delicious!

      Cigarettes are crazily cheap. Less than 1€ for a packet!

      Supposedly an empty bottle of vodka is thrown as far as one can. Results in empty bottles everywhere, which can turn into a traffic hazard. Something to watch out for.

      Apart from the bottles, there are also bones everywhere. I've been equally fascinated and grossed out by jaws and hooves in particular.

      Mongolians are very extroverted. According to our experience, the remoteness of the country causes everybody to be super friendly, welcoming and helpful in any situation. Don't be shy to ask for help. It's common and readily provided. We even helped out a few times ourselves!

      This country has so much to offer, especially changing landscapes and interesting people. Take your time to explore it, it's worth it!      Read more

    • TravelerNach Osten zur Seidenstraße
      Day 25

      zurück nach Ülgii

      August 11, 2018 in Mongolia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      Vor der Abreise gab's die Adlershow . Gottseidank ohne das befürchtete Töten eines verängstigten Opfertiers. Wir durften alle mal den Steinadler halten.
      Er wird zur Jagd ausgebildet und nach 10 Jahren in die Freiheit entlassen. Sagte man uns zumindest so.
      Anschließend gab's wieder eine endlose Fahrt in die Hauptstadt der Region.
      Zum Abschluss gab's besbarmak- wörtlich übersetzt fünf Finger (eine Riesige Schüssel mit viel Fleisch und einer Art Mehltaschen). Es wurde mit den Fingern gegessen.      Read more

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    • TravelerNach Osten zur Seidenstraße
      Day 24

      beim Adlerjäger

      August 10, 2018 in Mongolia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Heute waren nur 25 km zurückzulegen. Wir kamen in eine aus 4 Jurten bestehende Siedlung. Sie wurde von 2 Nomadenfamilien bewohnt, die ihre Jurten auch an Fremde vermieten. Der Chef war ein sogenannter Eagle Hunter. Drei von diesen Tieren saßen dann auch angeleint am See.
      Auf dem Weg zum Adler Camp sahen wir unglaublich beeindruckende steinzeitliche Jagdszenen auf Steinen und Felsblöcken. Es gab weder einen Hinweis, eine Tafel oder irgendeinen Wegweiser. Jeder könnte dort etwas mitnehmen oder verändern.
      Nachmittags ging's zu zwei schönen Wasserfällen. Aber bei so einer Überdosis Natur kommt man irgendwann in die Sättigung.
      Abends kam noch eine 17köpfige Gruppe aus Deutschland in das Camp. Davon waren 15 Frauen, die zwei Wochen mit den Nomaden leben wollten.
      Es wurde am Lagerfeuer gesungen. Nach einer Weile kam die Reihe an uns. Wir konnten uns glücklicherweise mit einem russischen Schullied, welches unsere Kasachen und die Nomaden auch kannten, retten. Am Feuer wurden dazu 3 Wodkaflaschen geleert.
      Der Adlermann hatte offensichtlich ähnliche Vorlieben wie seine Tiere. Als wir in unsere Jurte zum Schlafen gingen, saß er in einer Ecke und kaute auf den abgegessenen Knochen des Mittagsmahls herum. Selbst seine junge Frau brauchte mehrere Versuche ihn in seine Jurte zu locken. Die vielen Kinder der Normaden schliefen auch noch irgendwo in den Jurten.
      Die deutschen Landsleute waren ziemlich anstrengend und wir waren froh als sie am nächsten Morgen weggefahren wurden.      Read more

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    • TravelerWestern Mongolia adventure
      Day 2

      Day 2 - Khovd

      March 17, 2023 in Mongolia ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

      Meeting the crew of the trip Akhbupye, Jackie, Janka; meeting a herd of Mongolian horses, private concert of the throat singing performer, overnight at the Mongolian ger

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Bayan-Ölgiy Aymag, Bayan-OElgiy Aymag

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