Rolls Around the World 2007: 20 - Baikalsk, Russia to Ulanbaatar, Mongolia

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Miles for the day 210 (388 km) Miles to date 10,138 (16,316, km)

After breakfast prepared by Darijan in the hotel kitchen we left for Ulan Ude, driving on bad road for the first 10 km, then it varied from good to very bad. It was a cold, clear, sunny Siberian morning - the car was covered dew.

As we entered the Buryatiya Region we hit the brakes when we passed a sign saying, in English, "Welcome to Buryatiya Around the World Tour". When we backed up we found the RAS regional president Alexander and a TV crew were on hand to greet us - our last Russian media performance. The cameraman rode with us for a couple of kilometres as Alexander led us into Ulan Ude, the 380,000 person capital of Buryatiya, with flags flying.

We took the car to a large tire company to have the tires rotated, as the front ones are not wearing evenly. According to Andrei the people of Buryatiya are noted for moving slowly, so we weren't too surprised when one fellow worked while 11 others watched. It took two hours to rotate and balance the four tires, plus tighten up some parts that had rattled loose, but the cost including a litre of oil was only $36.

After a tour of the cathedral and old houses in town we arrived at our Soviet style hotel, with a floor guard on each level to watch the comings and goings. After only half an hour we were checked in and took our luggage to the room.

President Alexander hosted a good dinner at a Mongolian style restaurant where we ate in a big yurt (called a ger in Mongolia). The food and company were great, and once again there were several bottles of vodka demolished. Alexander had laid on a driver, who was neither eating nor drinking. During dinner Andrei phoned Juulchin Travel in Mongolia and arranged a 1 PM pickup tomorrow, instead of spending the night in Kyakhta as we originally planned.

When the dinner and drinking were over we said goodnight to Alexander and taxied to a Georgian restaurant that Viktor knew, along with Darejon, Mary and Andrei. The party was in real Georgian style with lots of food, drink and dancing. I got thoroughly pissed!

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Miles for the day 375 (604 km) Miles to date 10,513 (16,916, km)

Morning came horribly early. I skipped the unappetizing hotel breakfast and we also passed on a tour of a Buddhist monastery located just outside Ulan Ude, as by the time we got rolling we had just enough time to make our appointment at the border with the Juulchin Travel guide and a contact of Alexander's in the border guards who would help us through the process. The drive was on some good and some bad road - what the Russian's call normal - through beautiful pine forests. We were stopped at a police check, but Viktor pulled in behind us and after a few sharp words from him we were waved on our way.

We gassed up in Kyakhta, a border down of 18,500 people with a very large military presence. Kyakhta used to be the home of many tea route millionaires who brought in tea by caravan and exported furs. The Trans Siberian railway redirected the trade and the Kyakhta economy collapsed. Gas prices in Russia varied from 65 to 84 cents per litre.

At the border we said a very sad and tearful farewell to Viktor, Darejan and Mary, who now face days of driving to get back home to Kemerovo. The process at the border can take up to three hours, but with Alexander's man on the job we were through in 25 minutes. Andrei stayed with us through the process and we thanked him for his efforts in arranging a safe and interesting trip before saying goodbye.

Once in Mongolia, Alicia, the guide from Juulchin Travel met us. We had to wait while border people had lunch before we could finish the formalities. Once cleared by the friendly Mongolian officials at 3 PM we followed the travel company 4 X 4 to a small town about 25 km (16 miles) from the border where we had a good lunch. Having not eaten yet today we were more than ready!

The road in Mongolia was much better than we experienced in Russia, although our lead car drove very conservatively. One of the road hazards here are camels, horses, cattle, goats, sheep and families of quail leisurely crossing. At one point we stopped for Marilynn to take photos of hundreds of two hump camels in fields along the road, and on the road as well. It seems fields are often not fenced.

It was necessary to drive through Ulaanbaatar, a city of almost one million, in heavy traffic to reach the excellent Sunjin Grand Hotel on the other side of town. What a difference - check in was 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes - all forms were prepared, the key was waiting in an envelope, no passport copying was required. Employees had our luggage in the room in minutes. I drove the Rolls to the travel company's guarded compound and they drove me back to the hotel. They put it in a covered building within the compound where it will be well looked after, including a wash and wax job.

I called the FedEx office in Moscow, where tracking showed the fog lamp that was supposed to arrive in Ulan Ude before us was held up in customs. They said it could be more than a week before it was cleared, and that the only way to stop it from going to Ulan Ude, where only deliveries are made and shipments not received, was to have the shipper request it be returned. It'll have to be tomorrow to contact the shipper due to the time difference.

We were dead tired, so after a drink and a snack we collapsed into bed.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

This morning I was on the phone at 5:30 AM to contact British Motors, who sent the replacement fog light for the car. They said they would check into it with the local FedEx people and get back to me, which they did in about 20 minutes. FedEx said that due to Russian bureaucracy it can take up to 4 months to get a package returned, but as the option is to have it dead ended in Ulan Ude I said to go ahead and try to get it back. As Andrei said to me when I discussed the problem with him, "This is Russia!" I'm a bit sad that when the car is on display in Beijing that it will not have all the original parts, but the replacement turn signal/fog lights that were manufactured in Omsk are working fine.

We had the morning to ourselves, so after a good breakfast we made use of the free internet in the room to get caught up. At noon our guide and driver arrived to move us to the Khan Palace hotel, also very nice and with free wireless internet in the room. We were originally booked here, but as we arrived a day early and the Khan Palace was full we were booked at the Sunjin Grand.

Next on the agenda was money change, a tour of the very interesting natural history museum and the huge central square with its stock exchange, opera house and government buildings.

Lunch was at a very popular restaurant with Mongolia food. The appetizers were on the table when we arrived, so no ceremony was necessary to order. We were joined for lunch by Uyanga Dashdavaa, the general manager of Juulchin Travel with whom I had arranged the trip. In discussion it came out that there are 3 women for each man in Ulaanbaatar! The country became communist after the last Tibetan king died in 1923 and changed back to a parliamentary democracy in 1990, with a figurehead president and a prime minister who has most power. It seems the free enterprise system has been well accepted - financial markets and most business we have dealt with have been very efficient.

After lunch we drove up a hill with a view over the city and to a store where Marilynn purchased a pair of long pants for our time in the desert. Back at the hotel there was time for some computer work, a light Japanese meal and another early night. Prices here are much more reasonable than they were in Russia for lodging and food. In the deluxe hotel Japanese restaurants the full course meals ran from $7 to $10.

Tomorrow we leave for a 10 day tour by 4 X 4 into the Gobi Desert and other parts of Mongolia. We do not expect any email or phone communication will be possible until we get back to Ulaanbaatar so don't worry if we are not heard from for awhile!