May 3, 2017/ Stormy -> Snow
I had woken up because of the coldness. But it was OK because it was almost the time I should have gotten up. I went out from my sleeping bag, and prepared my backpack. Before breakfast we must have accomplished a tough tough tough task. (Of course this challenge was not mandatory.) The mission was climbing to the summit of the sand mountain. I’ve already visited several deserts and climbed some dunes up, but Khongor dunes were completely different. I’ve never seen such high mountains. They are almost 700 meters tall. The guide said that the height of the highest one is almost 800 meters. I didn’t have any confidence whether I could climb up. Because the height, the sand storm and the low temperature easily deprived me of my vitality. Climbing the dunes was a so hard task. Having been carried off my feet by the smooth sand, I found it hard even to take a step forward. I got disheartened, discouraged and daunted several times. But thanks to my friends’ ale, I could do my best and finally I got to the top. The view from the summit was solemn and completely different. I thanked God for offering an opportunity in order to come here Mongolia and let me achieve a tough task. And I was appreciative of my friends who gave me vigou and supported me mentally.
After the breakfast we headed to next destination, Yolyn Am. The weather became worse and worse. At least, we could see nothing… On the way to the Yolyn Am, we encountered mysterious shaped mountains.
Yolyn Am means “Lammergeyer’s (Old World vultures’) mouth”. This valley has been formed by many years of water erosion and stretches over 10 kilometers. Big rock mountains wall this valley, and cool and flesh air always blow through without a pause. In May the temperature here is usually lower than other places, as the river is thinly coated with ice. In earlier times the blocks of ice rarely melted, but the condition changed. Due to the visiting of many tourists and walking on the ice, the environment has been in deep difficulty to keep what it used to be. Mongolian people believe that eagles, which live here, bring happiness to those who see them. Of course, we saw two eagles flying overhead. I hope our wish comes true and I will be happy.
While we enjoyed this valley, our body became almost freezing. The fireplace in the ger warmed our frozen bodies. This night we stayed at a small village near Yolyn Am.
ITINERARY SUMMARY
Day 1. Baga Gaziin Chuluu (small rocky formations)
Day 2. Bayanzag (unique shaped trees and small flaming cliffs)
Day 3. Khongoryn Els (Sand Dune)
Day 4. Yol valley canyon
Day 5. Dundgobi province
Day 6. White Stupa and the way back to UB
Khongor expedition arranged my trip. Do you want to know them? Check my review here.
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