The Summer: the Gobi is not just a desert. Is a unique region comprising of mountains, sand dunes, grass lands and flat pans. Life here is though not only physically (due to the arid climate) but also mentally: before reaching the mountains and the dunes, the so-called “middle Gobi” is an immense flat pan with no landmarks for miles. It’s mental as it seems to be in an infinite area that will never end. The Spring: the Orhon valley. This is the Mongolia typical postcard. Green land and blue sky dotted with white ghers (the local typical tents) and clouds. Full of livestock, every valley in the region shows the nomadic life of Mongolians that has been going on for centuries. In the town of Karkhorin, very little ruins bring your mind to the era of Chinggis Khan when Mongolians run for more than two centuries the largest empire that ever existed in human history. The Autumn: as we moved North to reach the Hovsgol lake, we had to pass through a range of mountains. The weather turned rainy, grey and cold as if we were on a November day in Europe. Crossing rivers started to became a concern and mud appeared on all trails. Rain never stopped for 2 days. The Winter: on the highest pass the rain became snow. On the Zoolongyin pass, we got stuck with our cars for more than 3 hours. Trying to get the cars out of the snow and mud was though. Eventually we did manage to get over. The Spring again: lake Hovsgol is Mongolian’s largest lake and beach holiday place. Here we abandoned the green Mongolian valley to enter the Taiga, the coniferous forest. We are close to the border with Russian Siberia here
