Mongolia

8/26/2019 -- 9/4/2019

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Mongolia is the second-largest landlocked country (behind Kazakhstan) in the world.  Its area (1,564,116 square kilometres (603,909 sq mi)) is roughly equivalent with the historical territory of Outer Mongolia, and that term is sometimes used to refer to the current state (and when we refer to our old history books). It is sandwiched between Russia to the north and China to the south, where it neighbors the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.  Mongolia is a marvelous country where you can witness an exceptional merger of the ancient culture and mother land of Chinggis Khaan. This is the land of blue sky, nomadic life style and untouched wild nature.  Mongolia encompasses a wide range of terrain, with mountains, grassy steppes, and vast flat desert. Most of the north and west of the country is mountainous or hilly grasslands; the Gobi Desert takes up most of the south and the east.

 

Getting there ...

Seeing the Mongolia steppes and Gobi desert has been my father's dream for a long time.  Since we had a good time to travel together with my parents to Vienna and Danube last year,  we decided to make another trip to take them to Mongolia this year.  I have arranged this 10-day/9-night private tour through a Mongolian travel agency Amicus.  Woanyu and I flew back to Taiwan on 8/24, and then flew together with my parents to Ulaanbaatar via Seoul in the early morning of 8/26.  It's already 5PM when we landed in Ulaanbaatar, and our guide Tuya (Chinese-speaking guide) and driver were waiting for us at the arrival lobby.
Ulaanbaatar is the capital and the largest city of Mongolia.  It's home to about 45% of the country's population (~1.45 million of total 3.2 million population).  The traffic into the city during the rush hour was so bad just like any other big cities in the world.  Another interesting fact about Ulaanbaatar is that it is the coldest capital city in the world with the annual average temperature of -1.3C/29.7F (luckily it is still summer here now).

 

 

8/27 (Day 2) ...

 

 

 

 

 

8/28 (Day 3) ...

 

 

Woanyu and I hiked up the hills behind the lodge and enjoy the sunset (and a free glass of wine by mistake....).

The dark sky without any light pollution in Gobi is a heaven for astronomy photography.  Tonight was especially perfect as it was a new moon night with cloudless sky. 

 

8/29 (Day 4) ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8/30 (Day 5) ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8/31 (Day 6) ...

   

 

 

 

     

Turtle Rock is the most famous rock formation in the park.  You will be amazed by the size of the rock when you are getting close by.

 

Ariyabal Meditation Temple is surrounded by scenic mountains with massive rock formations.  The distance between the gate and the actual temple is about 1 km and it is only accessible by walking. To get to the top, you would cross the suspension bridge and climb up on 108 stairs, according to Buddhist prayer beads. This small hike is seen as a ritual to cleanse one’s sins. From the top, you can enjoy the breathtaking view overlooking the Terelj National Park.  We brought two foldable chairs along so my parents could sit and waited for us in a pavilion after walk only the first section of the trail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

9/1 (Day 7) ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   


 
 

 

 

 

 

9/2 (Day 8) ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


9/3 (Day 9) ...

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

9/4 (Day 10) Going Home ...

It's time to travel back home.  We had an early flight that we checked out from the hotel at 6AM to head to the airport.  With a relaxed 3-hour transit at the Incheon Airport, we were back to Taiwan at 5:30PM and concluded another fantastic trip with my parents.  Seeing the vast boundless Mongolian Steppes and Gobi Desert is really a dream come true for all of us.  It was quite an experience to visit real nomad families to learn their lives.  Riding horses, camels, and yaks was another unique experience especially with the endless and wide-open steppes and grasslands as the backdrop.  It was another nice family vacation with my parents that I will treasure forever.


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