Post date post from before the Gobi

Date: Fri, July 15, 2011
wow, happy to get to an internet cafe! First time i have showered in 6 days...not in the internet cafe though! that was in our hotel..."hotel"...

We have been on the road for four days now and will reach the Gobi desert tomorrow... once there the driver leaves us and we go into the sand dunes for a 3 day hike to the other side. we bought lots of water!

there are NO roads here by the way.... the only asphalt road was from russia to Ulan Baatar (the capital), now we are on a Russian jeep from WWII probably and going over whatever path we can find. thats why it has taken so long. we spent one night in a Ger or Yourta, its tents of the Mongols. You just arrive at any tent on the road and they have to let you sleep and feed you, it is their tradition of hospitality. its fascinating. sometimes the driver stops at one during the day, looks around, gets some cheese for us and leaves hahah. he doesnt really know that we hate this cheese..you know why? ITS HORSE MILK!!! salty like hell... you make a stranger face when you eat it than when you eat a lemon. but its definitely a good experience! the other times we find a beautiful spot to put up our tents, like yesterday at white cliffs that look like a mini grand canyon. sun sets and sun rises are unbelievable, and its amazing that we are completely alone where ever we go. we dont see anyone else other than some shepards here and there or some curious nomads riding up to us on their motor bikes and then riding back to their tents.
we have seen wild camals and horses, also while we camped.. and GIANT vultures eating a dead camel. I mean up close, not driving by. There is a lot of death in these parts, because we are already in the desert, just not the cool one :) and its amazing to see that life continues even though a horse has been lying dead on the steppe, we have also seen a family slaughter(kill) a sheep that we were feeding just moments before. it was for their holiday. and they do it without blinking an eye. death is death, and to kill is to eat. I hope when we get to the north, I can experience some life.

The desert really only teaches a few things. 1.death is normal, 2.patience and quiet, 3.and drink a lot of fucking water!

So! after a good shower, and some internet time..i can go off into the desert feeling good...
so it maybe another few days or week before you hear from me!!

love you all....



This one is of what we are driving through:

and here we had to get out of the jeep because it couldnt make it up the hill with us in it...just another day in Mongolia