Now it is Thursday night and I'm sitting in the courtyard of a fairly nice hotel in Erlianhaote the Chinese border town to Mongolia . But let me continue where I left off last Sunday.
Monday morning I started early preparing my departure. That means putting all things in a way they can fly around when I go over bumps, servicing my toilet and filling up on fresh water. Thank God the weather was dry as I loaded again my
Yamaha and my bike. This time hoping without further problems. Well,… almost.
By noon I was ready and after a fare-well Gulyas with Knödel I set off. I managed the atrocious street out of UB and was highly surprised by the quality of the road that followed. That lasted for about 200 of the 670 or so kms. Then a sign pointing left and right told me to make a decision to follow one of 4-5 tracks more or less following the intended route of the road to be built sometime after I drove these tracks. What should I tell you? It was tough. Many times I thought I'd get stuck but didn't, except once. All four tracks suddenly converged into one and that ended in a sand pit which some 4x4s probably made but I even with some momentum couldn't. So I was stuck. But planning is everything and as it was about 5 in the afternoon and the road construction workers were walking to their camp I was able to talk to them (with my hands mostly) and persuade them to get one of those giant wheel loaders to pull me out . 30 min and 30USDs later I was back on the road and had made new friends.
The rest of the day was comparatively boring and I made it to a village about 270 kms from UB when it was getting dark. It had a railway station and a hotel with bar (please refer to the pictures) in front of which I chose to park and spend the night. No, I did not frequent the bar! It was another one of those moments when I was happy about my decision to bring my own hotel…
I left early to continue and for about 120 kms there was a new part of the road which was excellent but the rest was unbelievably bad. Pse refer to the pictures… When after about 10 hrs I finally arrived in Zamiin Uud, the Mongolian Border town the road had ripped out the screws of my bicycle rack as well as two screws of my number plate light and all four screws that held my left rear light and the left side of my bumper and the left plastic cover of the rear light bar of the motorcycle rack … all due to the vibration on the road and the long rear of my vehicle that, of course is not designed for those bumps and steep climbs necessary. But that were minor problems that I easily could fix on Wednesday between 8 and noon all with means that I had available "on board". I must say, I'm quite satisfied that in this respect my planning paid off.
I even found a 'warm spot' ('hot' would be an exageration) that enabled me to talk via Skype (with interruptions) to Dong Mei in Beijing to find out the further procedure (yes, I am too cheap to pay EUR 4,40 a minute roaming charges). So she told me that I could cross the Chinese Border if I crossed before 830. Thank God this time she was wrong! but one thing after the other: so I got up at 5am to be at the Mongolian side by 6…. waste of (sleeping) time… Nobody but me and one soldier are up at this time and he only to tell me that they won't open till 8! So I go back to town checking if another customs office could help… of course not. So I go back to the border and park in a spot where I think I would be first.
A few minutes before 7 activities all of a sudden start. Like on command about 30 Russian build GAZ Jeeps turn up an jockey for places in the line in front of me. My complaint to the now 2 soldiers (who, of course hardly speak English) is met with equanimity and vague confirmations that I will get one of the first places… Between 7 and eight I witness the most amazing scenes as more of those jeeps appear and jockey for better places in the line totally disregarding any orders of the soldiers almost running them over and circumventing barriers by simply going cross country which for them is no problem whatsoever. The soldiers shrug their shoulders and the one I had been talking to tells me that's the way it is every morning… While this is going on, a Mongolian lady (women would be unkind) approaches my car and starts speaking in broken German, telling me she spent 3 years in Jenbach/Tirol. This should prove to be useful later…
So at 8 the line starts to move, except me. At 5 past eight I complain to 'my' soldier who dutifully walks back to his boss only to come back to tell me that he said I should wait… Most of you readers know that patience is the almost only virtue I don't have and so I went back to see the guy myself. Naturally he didn't understand a single word I said but he told me to go with my car. It was clear to me that not understanding me was embarassing to him and he apparently wanted to be asked directly and not via his subordinate. Subtle lessons in psychology…
So I drive to the line and have about 25 of those jeeps in front of me and nothing is moving. So I walk to the front to check if I find the customs office. Yes, it is there but nobody in it. As I get out of it I run into the Tyrolian/Mongolian lady and tell her my complaint, she talks to the officer there and he tells me to jump the line and drive on. Thank God I hadn't followed the urging of the jeep drivers to go 'bumper to bumper' as they do meaning leaving absolutely no space between the cars. As I later found out other drivers tried to squeeze in in front of me, but to no avail, you know me… So I was able to break out and get through to Mongolian customs. There a friendly female officer checked my papers and told me to come to get the exit documents for my vehicles. When we got to the appropriate office she told me that the lady will only come in 1 1/2 hrs at 10. But after half an hr she came back to bring me a bottle of juice, which I must say was totally unexpected and really nice. So it must have been 11 when I finally left Mongolia for the Chinese side about 1km apart.
I came to a different world! As I approached I got an automatic car wash wit desinfectant, I barely managed to close my windows. A nice recently built customs office greeted me and there was even an English speaking friendly immigration officer who did my personal immigration procedure in seconds. Then I had to go for my vehicles' 'immigration' which is far more complicated. To import a dog is a snip against that. Thank God it was the moment Dong May called me and so I could have her talk to the officer which made things easier. Meanwhile I entertained the other customs officers with guided tours of my 'Datcha'… Finally my agent turned up and then things began moving… slowly, mind you, as his friend the customs chief first had to eat his lunch. So did I by making myself some instant noodles which is the advantage of carrying one's kitchen. But his friend's lunch took much, much longer and he also had to convince him that I wouldn't have to leave my vehicle at the customs' pound but could take it to the hotel. So by 4 and a few other bureaucratic details later we were 'through' and on the way to the hotel.
It really is a different world I got to: all of a sudden new attractive buildings, nice roads with paved sidewalks and trees, yes, lots of them. I hadn't seen that many in two weeks and was convinced it was not possible to grow them… and shops everywhere. There the Chinese trading mentality broke through. Granted Erlianhaote is about 10 times the Mongolian town but I have to figure out what it is that makes this place so much more booming and attractive…
I spent the evening walking through town and having a simple noodle dinner and must say I quite like it. Obviously tastes may differ but the architecture is quite pleasant and admittedly more attractive than some of the old buildings still existing but as it looks, not for much longer…
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