We arrived at the Mongolian host family’s house: a ger (traditional Mongolian tent), which stood proudly on a small hill surrounded by endless plains of desert-steppe. Here we would stay overnight.
In ‘BoB vs. …’ I write short stories about adventures & outdoor activities. This time a story about BoB vs. the Gobi desert in Mongolia.
As many modern Mongolian families, the family had stopped leading a nomadic life and stayed at one place. The ger was a beautiful blue and white with a small chimney. Around the ger there were several cows, horses and also some camels.
After a warm welcome of the family members, the grandpa of the family already took us on our first adventure: exploring the spectacular surroundings by horse! My horse was the smallest of the lot and unfortunately also the hungriest. While the others were moving in a reasonable pace we kept running behind, because my horse stopped at every single blade of grass to eat.
I visited Mongolia during my Transmongolian Express adventure!
We went riding for about 2-3 hours and it was a great way to see the flat desert-steppes and the gorgeous rock formations. Landscapes were characterized by their sheer vastness and wild beauty. Imagine: this was the place Genghis Khan and his warriors went horse-riding.
After our horse-riding adventure we returned to the ger for dinner and our lovely Mongolian guide ‘Tauke’ taught us some traditional Mongolian games with real bones. At night we saw the most beautiful starry sky you can imagine. A sky you can only see in the Gobi desert.
I just got back from the Gobi last Sunday, but I’d like to head back already!
It looks like you had a great time. From where did you go to the desert? I left from Hohhot but couldn’t find a place that was authentic like this one (or so it seems).
And the game with the bones is too difficult! I didn’t even get close to catching a camel or sheep, haha!