Transitions are telling moments. One day I'm drinking beer in Munich with a good friend of mine, dressed in preppy clothes and enjoying the good life. 24 hours later I'm suddenly back in rugged adventureland, surrounded by the very people I had become 4 months into my motorcycle journey. But while I had finished my version of the motorcycle diaries, they were in the middle of theirs.
It took more than a few days to readjust to the rugged life in Ulaanbataar.
For intrepid adventurers doing the overland route from Europe to the Pacific, UB is the first civilized place after a lonely, lonely stretch of road. Most of these modern Marco Polos had been in the boonies for weeks, living in tents, praying that they wouldn't need spare parts, and hoping they wouldn't get stuck - or worse - lost, on Mongolia's non-existent roads.. The prior "civilized" stop was Almaty, Kazakhstan, not exactly a cosmopolitan place and a few thousand miles to the West. By making it as far as UB they had just about guaranteed they could make it to their destination.
It just so turned out that the place where I was staying was ground zero for these adventure travelers. The place was on the outskirts of the city, had secure parking, and was run by an efficient and effective German couple who provided everything a traveler needed (thank god for the Germans and Swiss - budget travel without them would be just awful).
So I changed out of my gingham and into my NOLS gear, traded stories with the others, and got ready for one last adventurous push before the relative comfort of China, and finally, my return flight to the States.
 |
| Not my bike, but exciting being close to someone else's trip. |
 |
| Ger - the Mongolian tent - is going to be home for the next few weeks. |
 |
| Welcome! |
 |
| The guesthouse. It includes a sunny patio, free high speed wi-fi (or as high speed as you'll get), and a wonderful menu full of hearty German food. |
 |
| A preview of things to come. |
No comments:
Post a Comment