When the kids had killed the man, I had to break up the band

N 47 54.973 E 106 54.239 - UB - 16 October 2008

So, last time, I think I left you all in UB again. Did I mention the traffic there? It really is manic. At the end of our tour, Dorj, who I imagine is a demon in traffic anyways, I think he was really in a hurry to get home. He hadn't slept much for days, his tooth still hurt and it had been 10 days away from home. It is amazing just how much traffic you can fit down a few lanes.

Our last stretch coming in from the country, a few miles out of town, we got on to paved roads again, but the driving was just as bumpy. I could barely watch the driving, even knowing I was inside and probably quite safe. One mile or so long section, two lane road, just jammed with traffic and lots of intersections to shove your way through (red lights are mostly ignored and the police directing traffic blow their whistles a lot but mostly just seem to hold back traffic until the other side is impatient enough and shoves their way through). A two lane road where everybody is mostly used to driving over anything, at times there were two lanes of traffic on the shoulder of the road racing each other to shove their way back into traffic before they run into a pole or parked car, and a few snuck their way around the back of garages and through parking lots. And Dorj was there with the worst of them.

It is a strange trip, coming back to UB so often. In the three weeks we were there, we were back three different times for a few days. A bit like coming back home again and a strange way to be in a trip where we had just steadily kept traveling east every few days up until then. Two of our group headed off to China then, had to break up the band. It was sad to see them go. 10 days in the desert with them.

The four of us left, mull over options for the rest of our time in Mongolia. We have a little more than a week and really don't want to do lots of driving again, but all the tours that people arrange mostly just drive a day to here, see things, drive another day to here, see that, etc. We pick one that is 4 nights in 3 different places and none of it is more than about 100 km from UB.

Instead of having a driver out of town, we will take the public bus. It is super cheap (something like 拢1) and should take us directly there and somebody will pick us up on the other side. Unfortunately, the buses switched to the winter schedule that day, maybe the day before, and nobody knew. That meant that while we were at the stop, in the cold pouring rain, waiting for the 4 pm bus, the 3 pm bus, the only bus of the day, had left and was well on its way to Terelj. The funny thing is it caught everybody by surprise. We stuck up a conversation with one guy (people who spoke English either wanted to sell you something or were just keen to learn English.) He was in school to learn the tourist business and they were off to a weekend retreat in Terelj and they were caught by surprise by the bus too. They were talking about taking a bus to some other part of town and catching a minibus there. We consider going with them but luckily our tour organizers pull up and pack us in the car to go over to another bus stop, they had heard from the people at the other side who were going to pick us up that the busses had changed.

It all feels like a big adventure. Totally confusing, really messed up but still it seems fine. We will probably get there one way or another. Ahh, except where do we get off? We know the stop name, it is supposed to be the end of the line but the flaw in that is they turn around and come back. Being unfamiliar with anywhere, where have they turned and where are they just going a back way to somewhere. By then too it is dark and snowing pretty heavily (so cool, snow). We ask, this town? We seem to be in the right town but there are a few stops. They seem to loop back around and we get off, hoping for the best.

There is somebody waiting too, that's good. We have about an hour in the car, paved roads most of the way then we head off onto dirt tracks again and at one point get totally stuck. He has a normal car instead of a jeep. We have to get out and help him push a few times and then surprisingly we stop about 50 meters up the road. I guess we were nearly there. It has stopped snowing and the night is pretty beautiful, mostly a full moon. We can't see much but we seem to be right up against a high hill of rocks and a valley out the other way, covered with a glowing snow. This seems to be a good place. The ger is well insulated and they bring us an electric heater too, so will have a constant temperature over the night and not the normal burning hot followed by freezing cold. Things seem good.