After two days in Mongolia, I called home. I got up at 3:00 in the morning, 9:00 in the evening in Spain. After the call, I couldn’t get back to sleep and got out of bed at 7:00. I planned to go to the capital today to talk to the customs agents. Koji suggested the night before I could use the bus. He says it is a good option but warns me to be careful. It seems COVID-19 brought out the worst in some citizens.

Many robberies have been recorded by tourists since then.

I took the bus not too far from Koji’s garage. During our conversation, I understood Koji said the ticket cost 5,000 Tugriks and gave the driver a 10,000 Tugriks bill. The guy strangely looked at me and told me to sit down. A few minutes later he called me and gave me the bill back. Without understanding what was happening, I got a free ride. The ride was crazy. The drivers don’t respect road signs and the bus seems like it’s going to tear apart with every bump.

I walked about fifteen minutes in the capital before reaching the customs office. I asked for an English speaker as soon as I approached the reception desk and it took them a while to get someone to help me. After some explanation, the woman returns and asks me for my original documents. They will make copies and consult directly with the border I crossed in 2019.

They said they would contact me back as soon as possible.

I visited the nearby temple and walked around for seven kilometers until I reached the shopping mall and bought a SIM card and another memory card. Due to the small amount of time I spent at home before my departure, I had left one of the SD cards in Spain, and I couldn’t find any phone stores during my promenade. I ate something near the Boulevard where the shopping mall is and decided to return to Koji’s garage.

On the way back, since I had smaller bills, I realized the price was 500 Tugriks, not 5.000 Tugriks. That’s why the previous trip was free: they didn’t have change for such a large bill. I arrived at the workshop just in time to say goodbye to Hagen and Julia. They were there to change the engine oil on Julia’s motorcycle. I rested for a while and went out again around 4:00 in the afternoon.

The camping gear I had four years ago was rusty and I wanted a new one. Koji gave me the address of a shop not too far from there but when I got there I had the impression the store was no longer in business. As I was already out, I withdrew more money and went to the temple near the garage, which I couldn’t visit four years ago. Although it is not well preserved, it is the oldest temple in Mongolia. I walked up the stairs behind the temple and waited for the sun to set.

I left the next morning towards the Genghis Khan monument.

The last time I was there I visited the museum. The journey there was hard four years ago because I got caught in the rain shortly after leaving. The road was under construction and I found myself driving through mud. I left early this time to avoid the morning traffic. The weather is cold, but the sky is clear. Finally, the road is built and has two lanes in each direction.

I arrived at 8:30 in the morning when there were hardly any visitors. I took a few photos and talked to a group of curious Koreans until they were told the museum was open. Meanwhile, they were bringing in the camels and the eagles. I flew the drone for about 10 minutes before someone came in a car to complain. I believe the person on the other end of the walkie-talkie was someone from the museum. Since he was yelling at me in Mongolian, I wasn’t sure what he was trying to tell me.

I put the drone on the ground without arguing.

It was better to avoid conflicts, and I had already recorded enough. Before leaving I heard a guide saying that on the other side of the road, there was a statue commemorating Genghis Khan’s mother, also known as the Mongolian mother. I decided to see it. However, I could only get closer to it with the drone. The Memorial is closed and doesn’t look like it will ever be open. Half-built buildings show they wanted to do more but the project has been abandoned.

It was time to continue towards Terelj’s National Park. On my way there, I only found about two kilometers offroad but, as it is a mountainous area, I found it a little bit tricky due to uneven ground. There are some towns in this area but also a lot of hotels, campsites and holiday resorts. I stopped for a break when I arrived at Terelj and asked around for directions. The man I asked told me the asphalted road ended after the village. I wanted to follow that path so I wouldn’t have to retrace my steps, but I decided it was best not to risk the rear shock. Even if the manufacturer has realized there was a fabrication error, and rectified it, it is better to put it to the test just as less as possible.

I didn’t want to get stuck here again.

I found the way back much more complicated due to the heavy traffic going in the opposite direction. It’s midday and it seems strange to me to see many people going for a late promenade. When going up the hill, I crossed paths with Hagen and Julia. I couldn’t find a place to stop so I just continued moving. The rest of the ride back is marked with heavy oncoming traffic. I am surprised to see such many police control points. At least I have passed six of them. When I arrived at Koji’s garage I contacted Hagen because he took the same route. I saw he was flying the drone and asked if he was also annoyed by the security guards. He told me quite a few were flying drones and no one caught their attention. With so many people, it’s hard to know who’s the drone owner.

I flew mine when there were hardly any tourists.

I spend the rest of the day relaxing and packing my things. Around 7:00 p.m., Daniel, a German traveler, arrived with his Land Rover. He had an appointment with a mutual friend, someone who was traveling by plane to deliver new shock absorbers. They broke two months ago in Uzbekistan, and he had ordered them in Ulaanbaatar. Three months later, they still hadn’t arrived. Daniel travels with a friend, but they part ways quite often. He rode a similar route as Hagen did and confirmed the problem in Azerbaijan.

I had breakfast and prepared the motorcycle for my departure. I meet with Daniel again, and we continue chatting with Koji. The weather seems not to be good. It rained in the afternoon the day before, and today is expected to be cloudy. I then decided to take it easy and leave later. I thought my new jacket would be too much for this country but I barely have the feeling that I will suffer from heat with it. It’s a sign that temperatures are already dropping.

Just outside the city, there the road is broken.

However, a few kilometers later I find myself riding on a 2-lane highway that will take me to today’s destination: Darkan. As expected, the 2-lane sections are cut at various points because the road is being renovated. I stop for lunch halfway down the road, where a child serves me. After using the translator to understand what was on the menu, I pointed out what I wanted. For some reason, he serves me the same type of meat, but with a different preparation. Once he realized it, he took my plate away and served me again.

The rain caught me just thirty kilometers from Darkan and the gas tank reached its limits. At the gas station, I see a police checkpoint, among many others that I have already seen today. Their little store has cans of brewed coffee inside what seems like a refrigerator. However, it acts as a small stove and the coffee is hot. I looked for a place to stay while I waited for it to die down. There is a hotel with a good rating despite the negative comments of some people. I decided to give it a try since it has parking, wi-fi, and breakfast. When I arrived at the hotel I saw it was cheaper and that the wifi worked well.

I had problems making backup copies of my cameras at Koji’s because his internet is not unlimited and I consumed most of it fast. One of the most notable comments was about how noisy the karaoke on the first floor is. My room is on the third floor and located right above the karaoke.

I hope not to have a bad night.

After a deserved shower, I had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant and ate a generous plate of Tsuivan. For some reason, I can’t help thinking they charged me half the portion but served me the full one. Back in the room, I look for information about the city and plan the next day’s promenade. It’s about 1:00 in the morning and I can hear the karaoke’s music in the distance.

The temperature dropped and the winter season was already noticeable in the hallway. I returned to my room to get some thermal clothing. When having breakfast, I went through my notes. I had read some of the hotel’s reviews and found them accurate regarding the breakfast buffet: it looks like yesterday’s leftovers (Tsivan, spaghetti bolognese, rice, soup, and some loose buns). Coffee and milk are powders.

I leave the hotel and it’s cloudy. The weather forecast announced it would be sunny, but I’m afraid to be caught in the rain. The first stop was the puppet theater, a well-lit building from the hotel room. There is a large park called ‘My Mongolia’ behind it. Strangely, it looks like a movie abandoned park: uncut grass, abandoned train tracks, and dusty attractions. I don’t know what part of the park is in use if there is any.

Near the center, I found a Ferris wheel.

This one was also illuminated at night and is surrounded by various attractions: bumper cars, revolving chairs, pirate ships, crazy mugs, etc. It seems that this is the only area of ​​activity. Is it only used in summer? It’s September now and the season will probably be over.

Leaving towards the north of the park I come across two small hills. To the left is the ‘Seated Buddha’ and to the right is a monument to the ‘horse-headed violin’. I flew the drone around the Buddha with the risk of being knocked down by the pigeon population established there. They hover around him as if he were an enemy they had to attack. Some birds of prey around it didn’t look good either.

The sightseeing is based on what MapsMe suggested

I didn’t find too many things to see on the internet. I passed near a small Buddhist temple and entered a big market, mainly for clothes. When walking back to the hotel, I stepped into the 50th Memorial Square, where a statue of Alan Gua, a mythical figure from ‘The Secret History of the Mongols’ stands. One of the most famous stories about this character is the power of unity, in which she gave her five sons one arrow each and made a bundle with another five. Then, she asked them to break them. The moral of this story is they could break them individually but not as a group.

I returned to the hotel just 5 hours later with the sun at its highest point and I call it a day. Around 5:00 p.m. they come to make up the room. They may only have one person to do this task, it seems to take them all day. I’m so used to having the room done in the morning that it feels strange. As I can’t stay, I go downstairs to the cafeteria for a while.