2017/08/21

Day 23: Ulaanbataar - Ulaan Ude

It becomes a habit to get up early. Billing at the Oasis is a little difficult, because you have to note everything you consume at the Oasis on a card and it has to be summed up at the end: I do it myself, since the girls who run the Oasis are not there so early.

Then I said goodbye to my friends. Sara, Dan, Trevor and Orvar will continue today too, but they will not go as far as I have to.

First of all I have fun with the chaotic traffic in the city - I have to cross the whole city once again.

The area around Ulaanbataar is used for agriculture as opposed to the rest of the country and there are some rape fields that may be used only for honey. In front of the rape fields are always beekeepers, selling their honey. So far I have not seen much cultivated areas in Mongolia and asked myself where the food for the animals in the winter actually comes from.

Two other motorcyclists started from the Oasis ahead of me, a 25-year-old Czech (Ondrej) with a 1200 GS and another Wolfgang, a year younger than me and from Pforzheim (Germany) on an old Yamaha 600. Both want to go to Irkutsk together and take a train from there to Moscow. I overtake them soon and meet Ondrej again at the border. He manages to cross the border faster than me, because he speaks Russian quite well.

At the border are again many forms to fill, first with the Mongols, then with the Russians. Between the two border posts I have to pass some liquid for disinfection again. For the Russian forms I have - what a blessing - my template from the first entry, very helpful. The Russians customs want to see everything again.

Ondrej and I ride together and finally also Wolfgang catches up again with us when we had a photo stop. The hotel search in Ulaan Ude is a bit difficult, we do not find it for a while. From the outside it looks rather bad, but inside everything is well. Ondrej bargains properly and instead of a non-existent 3-bed room we get at a 2-bed and a single room for a good rate. Ondrej and I share the two-bed room.

The day was long, and we still want to eat and follow the tip of our hotel receptionist. We unfortunately have to wait and have some walk until there's a free table in the recommended restaurant. We have some delicious Czech beer. The occasion: 49 years ago the "Prague Spring" was defeated by the Russians. Hm, so different are the views, what to celebrate.

I unfortunately still have to make phone calls, but can't get to sort anything out regarding to my shock absorber.

It is late, almost 1 o'clock at night and I am bloodily tired. Actually, I would still have to work, but I can't do it anymore.