A couple in their 30s, communicating with the universe and fighting bugs in Mongolia this summer #3

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This is the "East Gobi Desert" installment of our trip to Mongolia as a couple in our 30s. We'll share the reality of our mystical experiences in the desert and the bug hell we despaired over in our ger at night.

If you love the desert, please join us!

[Day 5]

Visiting the "East Gobi Desert" on a local tour

For days 5 through 7 of our Mongolia trip, we went to the East Gobi Desert (Sainshand) on a 4-day, 3-night local tour.

Here is the tour we joined (VELTRA):
Travel by sleeper train! 4-day, 3-night East Gobi Desert tour <May-Oct / Meals included / Japanese-speaking guide / Departs from Ulaanbaatar>

It was a packed private tour where we visited famous desert spots with a guide and even got to ride a sleeper train.

Taking a break at a stylish cafe in Ulaanbaatar

Now, after returning from Terelj National Park, we took a break at a cafe.

It was a retro-style coffee shop in the center of Ulaanbaatar, and the interior had an atmosphere I really liked. Ulaanbaatar actually has a lot of stylish shops (no offense)!

A cheerful guide's treat isn't really a treat

Around the evening, we met up with our tour guide in Ulaanbaatar. She was a woman named Zolo who was fluent in Japanese. She was cheerful, had a wonderful smile, and really felt like someone cut out for being a guide.

We went into a random diner in front of Ulaanbaatar Station with the three of us. For some reason, it feels easygoing when the guide treats us.In the end, this is included in the tour price, so it's not really a treat at all...

We ate mantou (steamed buns), salad, potato salad, and mutton soup. We kept it a bit light so we wouldn't get a stomach ache on the sleeper train.

My wife is a bit excited about her first-ever sleeper train ride

Ulaanbaatar Station is a Soviet-style building known as Stalinist architecture. It is imposing and robust.

On a typical train trip, there are many "troublesome tasks" like buying tickets, getting them issued, or asking where the platform is, but since this is a tour, all of that is taken care of.

Well, traveling while embracing inconvenience is nice, but it is better to solve problems with money when you can.

My wife is a bit excited because it is her first time on a sleeper train.

We were allowed to use a 4-person compartment as a couple (the tour price likely included the cost for all 4 spots), making for a spacious and comfortable train journey.

After leaving the Ulaanbaatar city area, where the lights of buildings shine brightly, the outside became pitch black without a single streetlamp. I assume the grasslands stretch out beyond that, but right now, even their outline is uncertain.

Looking forward to seeing what kind of scenery we would see the next morning, we went to sleep.

[Day 6]

The sunrise seen from the train was worth the price alone

The sunrise was magnificent.

The vast, stretching grasslands and pale clouds. Just seeing this scenery makes the train ride worth it.I am glad I woke up early.

Sticking my head out of the sunroof to breathe in the wind

And so, after 9 hours, we arrived at Sainshand Station in the East Gobi Desert. It was 7:30 AM.

We get into the local driver's car here and head to our accommodation (tourist ger) with four people.

Sainshand is a small town, and after driving for 10 minutes, grasslands spread out on both sides. We drive on a paved road for about 30 minutes, then leave the road and drive through the grasslands.

My wife and I stuck our heads out of the car's sunroof to look around, and a truly magnificent grassland spread out before us...

The grassland filling our field of vision is just the best...

When we landed in the East Gobi Desert, it wasn't the 'sand dunes' I had imagined, but a sandy grassland (desert?) that stretched on forever. There were few mountains to block the view, just a single line where the sky and the earth melted into each other.

It was the best.

It sounds cheap to say it cleanses the soul, butthere was a sense of refreshment that emptied me out to the very bottom of my head.

The accommodation (tourist ger) was right in the middle of such a grassland, and we ended up staying in a ger-style hut here too. At the accommodation's dining hall, we had a simple but hearty breakfast of omelets, bread, and coffee.

Sheep bones left behind by wolves

After breakfast, we drove for about an hour from the tourist ger to visit a nomad's ger to ride camels.

First, we enter the ger, greet them, and are served yogurt tea. It seemed that this household kept about 150 camels in addition to several dozen goats and sheep. It must be hard work taking care of them...

I was surprised to find a sheep (or maybe a goat) skull in the middle of the grassland. According to the nomad father, it was eaten by a wolf... I didn't know there were wolves in Mongolia.

Now, we're going to ride camels. The nomad father, our guide, my wife, and I formed a line to explore the East Gobi Desert.

The camel's back is fluffy and comfortable to ride, but they poop while walking, so it smells. And my jeans ended up covered in poop...

What was the nomad's impression of eating fish for the first time?

We rode the camels for about 30 minutes to the sand dunes.

We took a short break and talked with the nomad father while the guide interpreted for us.

He told us about living with camels that have been passed down through generations. He also mentioned that he once traded milk for fish to try it, but it was bland, had many bones, and was difficult to eat. It was a very interesting story.

Were we able to communicate with the universe? (Who knows?)

After returning to the tourist ger and having lunch, we headed to Shambhala Land.

What is Shambhala Land?

Well, it's a somewhat spiritual place (lol).

There were several worshippers, which shows how popular this place is.

There was a plaza-like area where the ground color was darker, and it was said that you could recharge your energy by lying down there barefoot. When I lay down and closed my eyes, it felt quite pleasant. I felt like I might have communicated with the universe? Maybe.

Worshippers who seemed to have come from within Mongolia were lying on the ground while talking on the phone with their families.They were probably sending energy to their families on the other end of the line.

Desert and Doraemon

There was a souvenir shop in a corner of Shambhala Land, and Doraemon figures were being sold there. It felt quite unbalanced.

After that, we got in the car and visited the 108 caves, dinosaur fossils, and petrified wood (fossilized trees). Thanks to the driver's kindness, he took us to see various things.

Dinner was Tsuivan (fried noodles), and watermelon for dessert.
Both were delicious!

After dinner, we took a walk near the ger. It looked like it was raining in the distance, but the sunset was still beautiful.

The stars in the East Gobi were just as incredibly beautiful as those in Terelj. We even saw shooting stars.

The price of a wonderful trip: Staying in a ger while fighting off bugs

After gazing at a starry sky that reached the heavens, we were about to see hell. The bugs in the ger.

The tourist ger room had so many bugs!

Moths and flies drawn to the light, along with countless tiny insects I didn't know the names of, were swarming, and the dead ones kept falling to the floor. There was no way to sleep... I was plagued by the sound of insects all night long. Bugs would even fall onto my face; it was absolute hell...

No matter how much we resisted, there was nothing we could do, so my wife and I just closed our eyes and waited for dawn.

I suppose such magnificent grasslands and starry skies require a price to be paid. I wonder if I should have brought mosquito coils?

[Day 7]

This is the "great grassland" I was looking for

When I lifted my heavy body, feeling like I hadn't slept at all, my mood plummeted as I saw the remains of insects everywhere in the room, from the bed to the floor.

Even so, when we went outside, the weather was nice and the grassland was so beautiful that I was moved.

Breakfast was Western-style as expected, with fried eggs and sausages. The simple-tasting bread was also delicious. I drank two cups of hot instant coffee, took a short break, and then we set off.

"Power charging" again at a mountain where wishes come true

We went sightseeing by car again this day.

It is a sacred mountain called the "Black Mountain," and they say your wish will come true if you reach the summit. Since it was forbidden for women, I left my wife and the guide at a gazebo halfway up and climbed to the top by myself. Does that mean only my wish will come true...

It was a wonderful place with a panoramic view of the East Gobi Desert. My wife wanted to come too, but it was hot and the sun was strong, so I think it was the right decision for her to rest in the gazebo.

A couple in their late 20s and the "Secret Room"

We packed our bags, left the tourist ger, and headed to the Danzanravjaa Museum in the city of Sainshand.

Thanks to the kindness of the museum director, we were shown the “Secret Room” on the second floor of the museum.

We entered the room excited to see what precious exhibits might be there, and to our surprise, there was a photograph of Prince and Princess Akishino. They visited this museum when they traveled to Mongolia in 2002.

According to the director, Prince and Princess Akishino also climbed the sacred mountain (Black Mountain) that we visited and wished for the birth of a baby boy there. (And that is how Prince Hisahito was born.)

So it really is a mountain where wishes come true.

The last meal of the tour was "sheep's tail"

We bought souvenirs at a supermarket in Sainshand and had our final meal together as a group of four with our guide and driver.

A stir-fry of beef liver and sheep's tail fat. It was quite tasty. As we were leaving, the restaurant owner gave us some yogurt snacks. They were sweet, sour, and delicious. It was a happy day receiving kindness from so many people.

We arrived at Sainshand Station in the evening. This is where we say goodbye to our driver. Thank you for taking us to so many places over the last three days!

Just like when we arrived, we took the 9-hour sleeper train back to Ulaanbaatar. We were also well taken care of by our guide for four days. Thank you!

By the way, I am still in touch with that guide. Every now and then, I get a sales email with a photo of a lamb saying, “Come back to Mongolia again!” (lol)

Lesson: Great experiences come with a price.

Camel dung on my jeans and bugs all night long.

That concludes my trip to the East Gobi Desert, where I learned the lesson that great experiences come with a price.

For those considering a trip to Mongolia, I highly recommend being fully prepared for bugs!

Next time: To the Japanese Memorial in Ulaanbaatar

Next time, I will head to the Japanese Memorial.
I would be happy if you followed me and waited for the next post!

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