Life in the Gobi

Day 4

Position: N 46° 22 E 096° 56

Distance traveled: 12.84 km

I expected the Gobi to be a bleak and uninhabited vast wasteland. However ever since we have left the city, we have seen life everywhere. On the drive down, enormous vultures perched on the side of the road, rabbits, foxes and marmots scurried back into their burrows as we passed by.

Curious horses watch us haul our buggies, the occasional eagle will circle above trying to figure out what we are. Herds of sheep and goats wander the land, followed closely by a herder on horse or motorcycle. Alike, the Mongolian people have been curious too, and at 7am we heard the sound of a motorcycle approaching. Two young guys from the closest ger (Mongolian yurt) had seen us kite by yesterday and decided to check us out. After taking Curtis then Eric on to a wrestling match, they waved goodbye, however their old motorcycle refused to restart. So the guys, still half awake helped push the bike to jump start it.

Curtis and I then headed to a closest ger to restock our water supply. A family quickly welcomed us inside their home for tea.

Once back at camp we carefully took the tent down, as the winds howled. The winds were way to high to kite, and still increasing. So with our faces covered with our goggles and neck warmers we hauled our buggies down wind. In the afternoon the rain started to fall hard, and we quickly set up our tent.

However as we slowly move further into the Gobi, the terrain starts to flatten and slowly signs of life become less and less.

Sarah