From Ulan Ude I followed the main highway south, noticing that the rest areas and passes contain ovoos, or sacred stone cairns.

Rest area on the road from Ulan Ude to Mongolia. The ground surrounding the nearby ovoo was littered with thousands of coins.

A few kilometers from the Russian border town I encountered a road sign in Russian, and also another strange language. My brain churned on it for a few seconds before I realized the second language was English! It was the first non-Russian road sign I’d seen since entering Russia nearly 3,000 miles ago.

The exit from Russia and entry into Mongolia is fussy with forms but mostly painless. $40 for Mongolian liability insurance, exchange rubles for tugrik and I’m in Mongolia.

Just crossed into Mongolia, pointed south toward Ulaan Baatar.

Entering UB, my first impression was…aggressive drivers! Second place was a three-way tie between dust, exhaust fumes and honking horns. Martyn and Ian in Vladivostok recommended a guesthouse called Oasis, and following their directions I continued east through the city center, creeping along two meters at a time in a frustrating stop-and-go pace. (At these speeds, at least it’s fairly safe!) Children smiled and waved from public buses, and a few motorists honked and gave a thumbs-up…before continuing the ultra-competitive jockeying for any small gap in traffic. Eventually I found the Oasis, and settled into a ger for nearly a week.

Cluster of gers behind the Oasis cafe & guesthouse.

The cozy if spartan ger interior. Includes a light, electrical sockets and, next to the door, a small sink with gravity-fed water supply.

One of the nicest things about staying at the Oasis is the number of overlanders I met. There was An and Jo from Belgium, traveling around the world in their highly modified Nissan Patrol. Jo granted me a detailed tour of their traveling home, and I was really impressed with his creativity and craftsmanship. I also met Pete and Tash and Lee, three Kiwis driving an ambulance from Ireland to UB for the Mongol Charity Rally. They had leftover food supplies and allowed me to root through it to add to my larder. Thanks guys! I also met fellow bikers Scott, who is riding around the world on the same route I intend to follow…only in the opposite direction! Scott passed on helpful contacts and advice for my upcoming miles. Thanks Scott! It was nice to connect with like-minded people and have a rest after riding fill-up to fill-up since Vladivostok.

For a diversion we piled into the ambulance for a trip to see a huge statue of Chinggis Khan about 50km west of the city. And huge it is:  40 meters of stainless steel immensity.

The base houses an impressive collection of bronze arrow tips, buckles, tools and decorative items.

A climb up endless stairs gets you into the horse’s mane, rewarding your workout with sweeping views of the countryside.

Today will be my last day at the Oasis — tomorrow morning (Wednesday the 8th), I’ll make an early departure south for the dunes of the Gobi desert.