Kyakhta

After three weeks in Russia, it's time to move on. We're about to cross the border to Mongolia. Feelings are mixed. Part of us is actually sad to leave Russia already. We just got used to it. We sort of knew our way around. We managed to communicate at least a bit. And now, we start again.
New customs, new faces, new language. Are we ready? I don't know. My head manages to keep "sain baa no" (hello in Mongolian) but that's about it. Hopefully it'll change over the course of the next weeks.

Micha and Sonja, two overland travellers from Ulm that we met yesterday, had given us some advice on routes, what to see where and even gave us a map (paper maps are still the best!). And we're also planning to meet a welll-travelled Mongolian guy in Ulan Baatar that Tom has been in touch with, so at least on that front we feel a tiny bit prepared.

And so we start to drive. When we get to the border at 9:55am, the gate looks shut. There are several trucks and buses with tourists waiting. A few cars are parked not far away. There still is a path all the way to the front, so we take it. And miraculously the gate opens. On the Russian side of the border, we park the car in front of customs control. An officer in a good mood and decent English explains the next steps: first Tom needs to go into the building with the car documents while I wait in the car. The female officer doesn't like the look of our registration much (it's simply a print out without any official stamps or signatures), but Tom's charme and the fact that it IS the official document, get us through. Then the first officer checks the car along with another female one. We open the back and a few drawers, empty the medicine bag (my homoeopathy is a bit laughed about) and all goes well. We pass, get a second stamp on our temporary import document (TID), exchange good-byes in Russian, English and German and head on to the passport control (still on the Russian side). All good here as well and at 10:37am we officially cross the border.

First act on the Mongolian side is driving the car through a desinfection bath. Right after, an officer gives us entry cards, while another lady wants to have money for the desinfection. It's all a bit confusing. In the end, Tom takes the car documents to the booth at the entry, I pay the lady and we drive further. Next stop customs control. The officer here simply motions. I'm supposed to go and have my passport checked, while Tom shows him the car. Again, everything runs smoothly. Tom even finds our missing camera adaptors in the medicine bag! Thorough checking does have its advantages after all.
I get my stamp within minutes and the car control is almost done when I exit the building. Tom goes in as well (the hall looks a bit like the ones at airports, there even is a duty free shop) and once through, we're both wondering what's next. Nobody had told us anything and noone is showing interest. So we drive a little further ahead to reassemble everything, but then a woman comes after us and Tom needs to follow with the car documents again. We get a few more stamps and papers and then that's it. Done!
At 11:37am we're in Mongolia. We buy a third party insurance for about €35 right before we exit the final gate. Outside it's hot. It's a bit weird with empty stalls and a few shady looking shops on either side.
We don't find a simcard as no one speaks English. I cuddle the street dogs. We're ready to drive on...Read more