Days 41-42: Ulan Ude, Russia to Subataar, Mongolia and Ulan Bataar.
Our new friend Lenus a solo rider is an old friend now
He comes to our hotel in time for our
8.00am departure from Ulan Ude.
Dick and I have had a happy two days
Exploring and resting in Ulan Ude
In Dick’s case a chance to recover from his cold.
South to the border through open spaces
Buddhist temples
And not many road houses.
To the border crossing at 12.45pm
We really should have had lunch
A Bounty bar is not enough
To keep us fueled for the marathon almost 4hr
Border crossing. Leaving Russia was Ok
Entering Mongolia not so much.
Instead of riding to Ulan Bataar
We decide to be sensible and
stop at Subataar about 30km from the border.
Hotel Selenge is welcoming
And has amazing decor
And a nearby restaurant where we have our first Mongolian meal.
Next morning off we go
Many healthy animals en route.
They have freedom of the road.
We stop for lunch at a Ger
Camel rides and accommodation on offer
Huge fried meat filled noodle and soup for lunch.
Then a delightful surprise
Joy and delight as we meet Tsutomu
On his Honda 110cc bike
He jumps for joy and our hearts burst.
That’s the way of it when you see a friend on a journey
along the road.
Onward, through some roadworks
The road is fine
Although it has potholes
Then Lenus heads off
And we spend about two hours riding the 23km
along Peace street with ‘zillions’ of cars
To the Oasis Campsite
A travellers’ rest
Known to adventure travellers as a welcoming haven
Our ger is perfect for us
Plenty of space
Other travellers share their stories.
The two German guys who are heading back to Germany
Two young French motorcyclists who sold
Their bikes and are off to china
And woohoo, Lenus turns up in the evening
And Helio arrives at midnight
He drove his Renault from France through the Stans.
We have the best night’s sleep in weeks.
Spot the difference. This caused the delay at the border. The original visa was rejected ‘void’. Now I have another page filled with a visa. My passport is almost full and I can’t spare the acreage.
Sometimes border crossings with a bike can be a breeze. The best ever was our entry to Iran.
Our hotel at Subataar, 2.5km from the highway. We were hot, tired and ready to stop.
An interior cacophony awaited us.
Poplar trees line the road and then the landscape gives way to the wide open spaces of pastoral land.
Our lunch stop.
Sheep and goats rove their grazing range.
Cattle, too.
Much excitement, hugs and laughing as we come upon Tsutomu. His bike is 110cc and ours is 1200cc.
He started from Vladivostok the same day as us. He rides an average of 50km/h. He has had some very looooong riding days.
He leaps for joy and we think of our friend Radioman!
New road being formed. It reminded us of Ruta 40. When shall we cross to the sealed road??
Ulan Bataar has many modern high rise buildings and many, many cars. There are traffic lights and fortunately there were police pointsmen at some of the intersections to prevent gridlock. A lot of the cars are Right hand drive and the drivers can’t see well because they are driving on the Right Hand side of the road. They get very close.
The Blue sky hotel. The traffic has begun to thin a little by now.
To the our haven for the next three nights. The Oasis Cafe and Guesthouse.
Mongolian meat filled fried noodle wrapped patties and salad.
Wiener schnitzel for him, and salad. The owner is Austrian.
Helio’s Renault appeared overnight.
Helio, a fine young man who rebuilt his car and drove from France, via the Stans. He is 23.
Tseke wearing a singlet with a message for all of us.
Those at home and those on the road.
We are everyone’s neighbour.
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