Limping

We left the ger camp in route to a famous monastery.  During a river crossing the deep water broke the fan which in turn tore holes in the radiator.  The lads patched the holes with greased cotton from tampons and it held-but without the fan we could only drive a few miles before stopping to cool off.  Ten hours after leaving the camp we were only 10 KM out.  In the distance we could see  our ger camp from last night.  We were by a river, needed to refill out wash water cans, and decided to pitch camp.  We would be a full day behind again...yuk!

Sunshine and dry roads

We drove all day through the heart of valley.  The roof seats were great and the views amazing.  We passsed two prayer mounds drapped in ribbons.

 

Halfway through the day we encountered a charming little village with more horeses that people.  It has a great little monastery in the center of town.  

 We make it to our ger camp in time for lunch.  A short drvigin day with a nice reward.  The camp was nicely done, had great hot showers, and woul be a great rest.  Shortly after arriving there was a medical emergency with one of the camp staff and I was asked to help out.  I got to be camp dotor for a couple of hours.  The young lady was in a epeleptic aeizure and needed some calming down.  All ended wll and the patient prognosis is postivite.

Flaming Cliffs

The Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag

We departed early again and headed for Bayanzag, more commonly known as the 'Flaming Cliffs.". This site is known worldwide for its huge find of dinosaur bones and eggs. The natural beauty of the surrounding landscape was a good reason to visit in it's own right. It's a classic desert of rock,  red sands and scrubs.  We had several hours of free time wandering the canyons.  I took a hike deep into the ravines and got some great photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arvaikheer and into the Orkhen Valley

We left our bush camp and headed for the town of Arvaikheer for restocking. Thus largish town actually had s small regional airport!  We had lunch, shopped for groceries in the local market, purchased some horsemilk  cheese (will be an interesting lasagna tonight) and headed into the Orkhon Valley to find a bush camp.

 

 

 

 

For some of the best examples of Mongolia’s legendary historical sites, monuments and monasteries, as well as areas of breathtaking natural beauty, the Orkhon valley is a must see. The valley is the keeper of many religious and cultural antiquities; home to a number of sites that form a key part of Mongolia’s varied and fascinating history, and it was simply beautiful.  We'll be traveling through this type of terrain for the next several days.  the sunset and moonrise tonight were terrific.