N49°27.726 E97°38.003 – Baruuntuurun

29th June 2014     12-26’C       276km (sand, sand & more sand)
N49°27.726 E97°38.003 – Baruuntuurun

I had a sound nights sleep, with no nocturnal visitors, animal or human. I was up at 430am with the sun, and packed up camp with a group of wild horses watching from nearby, then rode the 6km back to the trail that leads west, in the direction towards Russia.

I crossed countless mountain ranges and valleys on the ride, and as I crested each rise, it was always a small surprise to see what was on the other side, almost always a huge expanse of valley with the trail running through it.  As I progressed, the landscape became drier and I entered back into the desert, and with that, sand.  So much sand, which is difficult to ride on such a large bike loaded with luggage.  I had a few hairy moments during the day when I hit some deep sand and got thrown about for a bit.  At one stage, I took the wrong trail and ended up climbing a sand dune, part of Altan Els dunes, and had to ride straight on for a few kilometres before I could find a place to be able to turn around in the deep sand.

I didn’t see another vehicle on the trail all day, and only two nomad farmers that I spoke to.

I stopped in the small town of Tes for lunch and for fuel, but when I went to fill up the bike, there was a blackout and pumps didn’t function.  I probably should have waited for the power to return, but the station guy wasn’t sure when it would come back on, and I calculated I had just enough fuel to make it to the next village, 130km away.

I headed off after lunch and worked my way through more and more sandy trails, finally reaching the dusty and desolate village of Baruuntuurun at almost 6pm.  I stopped outside a house to get my bearings and was invited inside by the lady home owner and two other gentlemen who were on the street.  Inside the lady pointed to a room with two beds in it, and indicated I could sleep there for 20,000 tugrik.

Completely dead tired after the days ride and desperate for a wash after two days, I gladly accepted.  The second bed appeared to be inhabited by her daughter, who quickly collected her things and moved out, to where, I don’t know.

I brought my gear inside and asked where I could wash.  Only then I discovered, there was no place to wash, just a pit toilet outside.  So I’ll go on dusty and smelling rancid for at least another day.

Knowing I’d need fuel in the morning, I took the bike to the station, but they only had 80 octane.  Now I was stuck. I had just enough fuel remaining to ride the 130km back to Tes, where I knew they had good fuel, if they had power.  But continuing west, I didn’t have enough fuel to reach the next town, over 200km away.  I should have waited in Tes for the power to come back on, and I was kicking myself now.  I deliberated what to do, and while I was thinking and calculating, the lady at the station went away and reappeared with a small bottle of Russian octane booster.  The idea being to mix her 80 octane fuel with the octane booster, and hopefully the result is something like 95 octane. This idea is fraught with danger, but I didn’t really want to ride back 130km through all that sand again.  Time will tell if this was the correct decision.
I poured in half the bottle of octane booster and put just enough fuel in to make it to the next town.  Hopefully the bike starts tomorrow morning, and then runs all day.

I took a walk around the dusty town of Baruuntuurun.  It’s a dirty, sorry place.  There is no running water, so everyone in the town collects their water from a community pump, where they pay and fill up plastic containers.  It was mostly small kids out to collect the water, two of them couldn’t lift the plastic drums, so I helped them with those. Much to their confusion, I guess its not that often that a strange looking foreigner helps you lift your container of water.

Returning to the house for the evening, I plugged my cameras into the wall to charge, and immediately the owner brought her calculator, indicating I should pay 2000 tugrik ($1.30) for the power.  1000T for each device.  So I handed over a fistful of small notes for charging the cameras. It is easier than charging them from the bike while riding.
She then made dinner for me, a big bowl of beef and potato soup, with bread, and passed the calculator to me again.  6000 tugrik.

I’m not especially comfortable, the bed is pretty bad, I don’t know how many people slept in it since it was last changed, but I’m certainly not the first. And I really need a wash.  But the experience of staying in a Mongolian home is priceless, especially that we can’t speak a common language.