First impressions Gobi Desert

We arrived at Gobi late afternoon after a very long drive, hired some camels for two hours to explore the desert.This was my first impression of Gobi. Harsh, unfriendly and inhospitable. There is a constant presence of fine sand particles in the air that blankets everything when it's windy. Nothing is permanent here and the dunes changes and sands shifts at the mercy of the winds. It took a while to finally sink in that I am actually riding a camel in Gobi Desert Mongolia. How awsome is that !

Such beautiful sceneries, so little time

The terrain was vastly different as we head towards The Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag and Gobi Desert. We crossed vast grasslands of the stepps ,colourful surreal grasslands dotted with beautiful pastel coloured plants , sandstone mountains and desert dunes.

 

 

Meeting the locals

After Yolyn Am, we drove around looking for a local family to visit. Mongolian herders live a pretty hard life all year round yet they remain one of the most hospitable and warm people I have met during my travels. We spend the afternoon with this family and rented a couple of horses to ride for the rest of the day.  

Fresh yogurt made daily eaten with sugar, dried cheese and air dried meat this family shared with us. Camel's milk and fermented camel's milk are common drinks this part of Mongolia.  In exchange we shared our canned food, biscuits, toys, stationaries and candies we brought for kids along the way.

Fresh horse milk.

 

Selecting our horses for riding.

Ended the day at another tourist camp. The weather was getting colder and firewood was running low. We actually had to send the driver out to buy a sack of dried animal dung as fuel for the night to keep warm.