Viking Gems of China and Japan Day 28 – We're in the Gobi Desert!
The alarm went off at 5:45. Ugh. We got ready and went down to the lobby shortly after 6:00. We checked out and stored our larger bags. The guides took the small bags that we would use for the next three days.
Before the trip, we were told that we could bring one bag each of no more than 33 pounds because of the small aircraft we would fly in. It turns out that was wrong. Our bags were driven from the Shangri-La Hotel in Ulaanbaatar to the Three Camel Lodge in the Gobi Desert. Therefore, the size and weight of the bags didn't matter. More quality communication from Viking about this trip.
The restaurant opened at 6:30. We ate a quick breakfast and boarded our small bus for the ride to the airport.
We weren't returning to Chinggis Khaan airport. We headed to Buyant-Ukhaa International Airport, a much shorter drive.
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| The hills around Ulaanbaatar were snow-covered |
Our guide this morning, Baska, escorted the eight of us through the airport to a van that would drive us to our aircraft. There was some confusion, and after about ten minutes, he told us that while he was supposed to come with us on the flight, he had to stay behind. He assured us that our drivers would meet us at the airport to drive us to the lodge.
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| A lovely morning to fly |
Our ride today was in a 2009 Cessna C-208 Caravan. Because it was a single-engine aircraft, I knew that if I had to, I could fly it. Ahh, the dreams of a pilot.
We piled in for the 1:40-minute flight. This was a full participation flight because I had to lock baggage doors on the aircraft for the ground crew.
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| I had to sit sideways because my knees wouldn't fit |
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| The flight deck |
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| We taxied past a MiG-29, a reminder of how close we are to Russia |
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| Arlona, wedged in snugly |
We climbed to 10,000 feet and flew across the barren landscape. As I mentioned yesterday, there are 3.5 million people in Mongolia, and half live in Ulaanbaatar. That leaves the other half spread out across a large country. That makes Mongolia one of the most sparsely inhabited countries on the planet.
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| The joys of autopilot - our captain played on his phone a lot |
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| Flying 211° southwest at around 140 knots at 10,000 feet (OK, 9,840) |
We cruised between barren soil and snow-covered areas for most of the flight. There was a whole lot of nothing.
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| Some critters down there |
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| Starting to see civilization |
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| More critters |
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| Approaching Dalanzadgad |
We touched down in Dalanzadgad a little after 10:00.
The operations manager from the lodge greeted us inside the terminal. After quick comfort stops for most of us, we loaded into three waiting 4x4 SUVs for the ride to the lodge.
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| Roads were more theoretical |
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| We did find pavement briefly |
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| Had to scare the horses off the road |
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| Can't argue with the natural beauty here |
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| Camels! |
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| And horses - just roaming around |
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| Horses and sheep |
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| Arriving at our home for the next three days - The Three Camel Lodge, Ömnögovi, Southern Gobi Desert, Mongolia |
The structures are all gers. Many think that these tent structures are called yurts. That is also correct, with some differences. Google AI describes it this way.
"Ger" and "yurt" both refer to a portable, round dwelling, but "ger" is the specific Mongolian term, while "yurt" is a broader, Turkic word. The Mongolian ger has distinct features, such as a flatter roof and a heavier central crown (toono), compared to some other yurt designs. Therefore, while all gers are yurts, not all yurts are gers.
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| We started in the welcome ger in the lower center, where this map was displayed - the main structure is in the middle of the map |
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| The left building is the lodge - a bar and relaxation room, the center building is the kitchen, and the ger on the right is the dining ger |
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| Inside the spacious dining ger |
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| Lunch started with a spinach salad and then these yummy bread dumplings - veggie on the left and two beef on the right |
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| Tasty carrot cake for dessert |
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| This is our home - the rooster ger with an attached bathroom ger - all the gers are named for the different types of animals found in the Gobi Desert |
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| Our bedroom ger |
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| The door is not designed for tall people |
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| The ensuite ger |
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| Because of the sensitive septic system, paper must be disposed of in the trash cans and not flushed |
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| The view out our window - it doesn't suck |
The accommodations are a bit on the rustic side with limited electrical outlets, a space heater in the sleeping ger, and a smaller space heater in the bathroom ger. The bed is essentially a futon on top of a board, so sleeping will be a challenge. The one modern convenience the lodge has is Starlink internet service. It was blazingly fast with 300Mb/s download speeds and 17Mb/s upload speed, rivaling most folks' home internet. There is also cell phone coverage here, but the data is only 2.5G speed. Still, it is pretty impressive here in the middle of nowhere.
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| They do have solar panels sprinkled throughout the lodge grounds to provide power |
The second two groups of eight guests were due here around 3:30 this afternoon. Because of this goofy transportation schedule, Viking didn't plan any activities today. In our opinion, Viking really dropped the ball on the planning of this entire trip. Communication has been nonexistent. We still have not been told what we will be doing here for the next two days. Once the two guides arrive with the rest of the guests, we hope to get a plan. The 24 of us will be the only guests here at the Three Camel Lodge, so it is now our own private resort.
We took it easy this afternoon, making up for some of last night's lost sleep.
Shortly before sunset, we climbed the hill behind the lodge and made our way to a gazebo where we could watch the sunset. We were surprised that nobody else made the trek, as we were all alone.
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| A little golden light on the snowy mountains |
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| Going... |
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| Going... |
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| Almost gone |
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| Even more almost gone |
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| Sunset over the Gobi Desert |
We joined the rest of our now complete group of 24 intrepid passengers in the dining ger for dinner. Dinner included fresh bread, a quinoa salad, pork chops with sides, and ice cream.
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| Golden Gobi beer - it was quite good |
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| Arlona tried their version of a Diet Coke |
At dinner tonight, our guides, Nora and Baska, finally provided detailed information about the itinerary for the next two days. They provided printed information, but most of the times for the various activities were incorrect. In the end, Nora wrote out a schedule and we all took a cell photo of it.
Did I mention that our bags were coming by truck? As I write this, it is 8:45 and our bags still aren't here. So, we don't have hats, gloves, toothbrushes, you know - all the stuff in a typical carry-on. They expect them by 9:00 or so. They also let us know that they will take the bags the night before we depart the Gobi Desert, so they will be at our hotel around the time we arrive the next day. So, we'll be schleping all our toiletries in totes or my backpack on the plane.
Don't get me wrong, this is a neat experience. But there are so many little annoyances that it certainly colors our overall opinion. Tomorrow, we'll be taking a valley hike in the morning. In the afternoon, Arlona will be taking a cooking class, and I'll be trying my hand at archery.
I had hoped to do a little stargazing, but there is a 3/4 moon tonight, wiping out visibility, so we might not get a good Milky Way view while we're here.
Hoping our bags arrive before we want to go to bed...
Did the Bags arrive?
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