Bye Mongolia!

Location: Bulgan (Khovd Aimag)
Counter: 1685 kms

Oh Mongolia... Thank you so much, it was so rich and intense.

I feel really happy to have done it, but I'm also sad to forsake this beautiful country after only one month!

I will never forget the terrific landscapes. The light playing slowly in the mountains' forms, changing constantly the view and the colors. The huge sky and its strong personality. The animals, wild and lively like nowhere else. The grandiose places to be found every day for the camp. The magic moments with shepherds when they came to visit the camp in the morning. The hospitality in the countryside...

I will try not to remember the abruptness, brutality and racism of all these men who have chosen vodka and idleness, and behaved them bad with me or others. And the way most Mongols treat the nature by throwing everything away: all along the ride in Mongolia, I saw vodka bottles, beer cans and plastics lying along the road.

All those long lines of road, particulary in the desert, are the best places I've ever found to go deeply in thoughts and remembrances. Nothing to perturb, you are just free! It was meditative to cycle here. What a great chance, once in life!

It was definitively not easy and I had quite a while of extreme situations. But the nice in it, is that I chose and wanted it. I enjoyed this adventure like none before, by far. What a chance I have! I remember it every day, in every moment, be sure of that!

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Now it's time to look further west, for the next ride in Xinjiang, the semi-autonomous Uyghur region of China. I'm really excited to ride in China again, after the great tour we made 7 years ago in Yunnan with Alina.

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Thank you once again for your notes, mails, comments, photos, I enjoy it so much. Keep sending!

Maxime

The Sharga depression

Location: Tonkhil
Counter: 1410 kms

(Entry written on saturday 8th, but internet connection was too low. I'm now in Bulgan-Khovd, I did it!?! I put here only the text and will try to upload the pictures as soon as possible.)

What a great trip! I love you Mongolia, and will definitively miss you...

Here are some pictures of the Sharga depression. A beautiful ride of 6 days: one to come inside, five to find an exit ;)

Desert, mountains, rocks, lots of sand, and THAAAAAAAT much of fun. What a great experience! I feel definitively alive, eat for four and enjoy to fall asleep in the tent in five stars spots!

It was the occasion to meet camels and antelops, the only animals to see in the desert. Camels are quite curious, come near to see what happens, and then run away quickly when they understand. They have a pretty cool and esthetical gait. Antelopes run kilometers away when they see something wrong coming.

And I saw wolfes in a canyon where I got lost, in the Darviyn Nuruu (mountains). They saw me first, but I had time to see three of them, two adults and a young. They ran away 200 m in front of me. I was riding with music (Deftones, thank you guys!?!) full volume in the pocket of my shirt, as I was told to do in those kind of places. All the specialists told me that a wolf would never attack man, so I trusted them, but I got f****ck*ng scared...

I saw one jeep in 5 days, and that was all! Inside: 4 men, on their way to "shoot some wolves in the mountains". It was 11am, and they were totally drunk. Proud to show me the first two empty vodka bottles. We opened the third together, and I had to politely refuse the second shot ;)

I'm now seating in front of the mighty Altai mountains, the next and last pleasure before China. See you in a few days in Bulgan!

Maxime

PS: big up for Katia & Hugues, who just turned parents! Welcome on Earth, Andreas!
Thank you Hugues for all that we did together, I wouldn't be here without it!

Beginning of the Darviyn Nuruu, in the morning light.

Camels in the morning sun, Sharga depression.

On my way to Sharga soum (village)

I slept here! Sand is really comfortable... Sharga depression.

I rode two days, dreaming of a fresh drink and some food in this village, shown on the map. Fail!

View from the tent, after great cooking, and before a good night! Darviyn Nuruu.

Darviyn Nuruu, where the road goes good.

Darviyn Nuruu.