Mongolia Day 15 & 16: Farewell to the Gobi and Mongolia

​Today the Gobi Desert showed a different face entirely.  We had a lot of strong winds overnight, and in the morning it was blowing like crazy - and it was hot!  It felt like the desert!

In the morning most people rested, but Cheryl and one other traveler, Ellen, made the trip to go see petroglyphs at the top of a mountain.  It was a really steep climb, but it was worth it because the collection of petroglyphs from the 7th to the 13th century were interesting and varied.

Back at camp, we packed, relaxed and had lunch. After lunch th lodge staff put on a fashion show - demonstrating different kinds of local costumes.  It was really sweet seeing how proud and shy the staff were.

The rest of the day was traveling back to UB. We stopped and visited a museum in the regional capital, Dalanzadgad (mostly funded by Rio Tinto and providing a LOT of info about mining in the area).  There was also a lot of info on local heroes and dinosaurs - including dinosaur eggs, a famous fossil of a nest of babies and a recreation of the famous fossils of two dinosaurs fighting (the more birdlike one has feathers).

View from the flight back to UB.

Our last day in Mongolia we spent shopping, repacking and visiting the Chinngis Khan Museum.

First we headed to the “State Department Store” a huge Soviet era department store that decided not to change its name when democracy arrived.  The store had a fountain that fell 6 stories down, had a whole floor just for cashmere and a whole floor just for souvenirs and traditional crafts.  We spent an hour or so discovering cute and clever souvenirs, and admiring the handiwork on the many many items that were out of our price (and packing space) range.

Next we stopped at a huge jewelry marketplace - it was kind of kike a big flea market, but only gold silver and stone snuff bottles were on offer.  We got some nice jewelry to remember Mongolia.

Finally we stopped at a Fair Trade craft shop around the corner from the jewelry emporium.  We loved all the vintage embroidery work repurposed into coasters and throw pillows.  

Back at the hotel, we had lunch and started packing.  Around 3:30, we headed to the Chingis Khan museum, which is a new and fabulous museum about the history of empires in Mongolia, featuring the “Great Mongolian Empire” created by Chhingis and his grandson Kublai.  The number of artifacts that they assembled were astonishing, and the museum did a great job of putting the objects in context.

We got back in time for a short rest, then headed to our farewell dinner.  The meal was good, and afterwards MG had prepared a slideshow of the highlights of our trip.  It was really fun to see all the different adventures we had.

Mongolia Day 14: Camels and Cliffs

​We had a rainstorm last night, which lowered the temperatures and cleared away the dust.  It was a beautiful morning!

We spent the morning with a family that raises camels near some shifting sand dunes (about an hour away from camp). While talking with the family, the host passed a snuff bottle around. This is the traditional way to greet guests. The guest is supposed to pull out his own and share it with the host. We didn't know how to respond, so his wife showed us. 

We spent some time in the ger with the family, talking about El Niño, meeting a newborn sheep and learning how to make felt and felt products.  It was a lot of work!!! We made a few purchases as well.😁

Next came the camel ride.  Bactrian camels are a lot more comfy than dromedaries - because you can hold on to the front hump and lean against the back hump.  There had been a long winter, so the camels were still shedding their winter coats and looked a little scraggly, but still had lovely eyelashes!

The camel ride around the dunes was fun, and then some of us climbed up the dunes on foot. There were beautiful views of the area from the top.  

On the ride back to the camp, we saw a black tailed Gazelle.

After lunch and a rest, and late in the afternoon, we headed to the famous Flaming Cliffs of the Gobi Desert. On the way, we visited a garden area where a lot of the vegetables in the area are grown in plots by individual families. The town sponsors the program to improve nutrition and provide income for the families that work the garden.

At the Flaming Cliffs Visitors Center, we watched a movie about the discovery of dinosaur eggs by Roy Chapman Andrew’s and his team in 1922. The film used footage taken at the time of the expedition to tell the story of the first major fossil excavation. There was also a small museum.

These two statues are two of the more famous fossils, in addition to the eggs, from this site - two dinosaurs locked in a fight, and a whole nest of young.

We walked out to the cliffs and enjoyed the panoramic views of the area and learning about the theories of why the fossil deposits were located where they were.

After a stop for dinner at a nearby ger camp, and a visit to the Tea Road Monument, we settled in to watch the sunset in the cliffs.  MG had chairs and wine and snacks.  It was lovely! And a really nice way to spend our last evening in the Gobi.  There was also a spectacular sunset which we enjoyed the whole ride back to camp.