Traveling in the Gobi

 

We set out on Thursday for our first trip out of the city. We started our journey via train, which took us to a provincial capital on the edge of the Gobi desert. The train ride was ten hours long and we had to close all the windows a few hours into the trip to keep out the dust. This made for one hot ride as the cars were not air conditioned. We were lucky though because we had reserved seats in berths with beds and rather than 4 to a car, we traveled with just 2 to a car. Most people on the train were in general seating with much more crowded, and consequently hot, conditions. Despite the heat, the train ride was fantastic as we got to see much of the country in a short period of time and the ride was smooth. The next leg of the journey was more difficult. Fulbright hired 4 4wd vehicles to transport our group and all our bags and supplies deep into the Gobi. You need 4wd in the Gobi because there are no roads as such. People choose a path that looks relatively smooth and go for it. If enough people follow the same path, a new “road” is created. It was not unusual for there to be the equivalent of a 6 lane dirt highway running through the middle of the desert. The ride was consistent only in its bumpiness but again, we were fortunate, had we been traveling in true Mongolian fashion, we would have all piled in with the supplies and taken only 1 vehicle. Our desert caravan went along fine for about an hour but then trouble started. Our fuel pump went out and we limped along for the next 10 hours, stopping every 3-5 minutes to fiddle with the fuel line before we finally gave up, abandoning the vehicle and piling into the remaining vehicles. The rough driving circumstances can lead to all sorts of car troubles, so this was not entirely unexpected. In fact, I was quite pleased to be having what could be considered a quintessential Gobi experience. What was planned to be a 6 hour trip wound up being over 15 hours long. Ah, life in the Gobi. Once we arrived at our destination, we got to experience several other popular modes of Gobi transportation. When we visited a camel herding family, we had a chance to try our hand at riding a camel. This is a good way to get around as camels are well suited for the terrain and climate. Though camels are not as common a mode of transportation as in the past, they are still used in the countryside, especially when herding families move to find better pasture land for their animals. We also saw the son of the herder using a bicycle to round up the family goats for milking. Motorcycles are another popular means of getting around, at least in the summer, as they are inexpensive, fast, and easy to maneuver around ruts and rough patches in the roads. Horses are also very common because they provide flexibility over rough terrain and can be helpful for herding other animals. Horses are indigenous to Mongolia and we not only saw domesticated horses, but we got a chance to see wild asses racing across the desert.