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Rocks on the Hill
There is no shortage of rock in Mongolia. On our last day of driving across the country, we lunched in the shelter of the fascinating stone formations and tumbled granite on a high ridge, not far from Nogoonnuur in Mongolia’s western-most province of Bayan-Ölgii.
A serpentine track of crushed rock switches back and forth across the almost-empty Mongolian landscape.
One has to wonder why there are so many bends in a road of ruts and rocks and puddles when it only has to cross a relatively flat plateau! Yet, our Russian UAZ (Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod) four-wheel-drives refuse to follow a straight line – or even a long curve.
I – and a small group of photographic enthusiasts – were in the care of Mongolian guides G and Segi of Shaman Tours, and photographers Jeffrey Chapman and Winslow Lockhart from Within the Frame. We were on the long road west from Ulaanbaatar. On this, our sixth day of bumping across the country towards the Golden Eagle Festival in Bayan-Ölgii, West Mongolia, we set out from Uureg Lake in the Altai Mountains and drove into dustings of snow falling in flat light. Outside our truck windows, granite boulders were coloured by rusty-pink lichen. Rocky plains were punctuated by clumps of sparse yellow grass, stunted bushes in soft rust, sage, and yellow-green, and of course, by rocky cairns and litter.
Always, the litter! Plastic bags, plastic bottles, and toilet paper. The Mongolian landscape – unspoiled by buildings, infrastructure or formal roadways, was never-the-less covered in litter.
It was the last segment of our journey west across this vast landscape, towards our destination in Mongolia’s westernmost province, where we would pitch our ger camp for several days. Our drivers continued to thread their sturdy, utilitarian vehicles through flooded rivers, over rocks, rocks and more rocks, and finally along the side of a gravel mountain that had slid down itself …
Often, it was best to ignore the “road” and just appreciate the scenery!
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Morning on Uuleg Lake
Day dawns cold over Uureg Lake and the Altai Mountains as we set off on the last day of driving westward.
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View from the Truck
Our UAZ follows the winding, pitted dirt tracks west into the snowy hills. (iPhone6)
Rocky Peak
After a long morning of bumping over dirt and gravel, we reached the plateau between Uvz and Bayan-Ölgii provinces …
Rocks Formations
… where we stopped for a lunch break among the fallen granite boulders.
Lichen on the Rocks
Not much grows in this windswept environment: a few lichens on the rough granite, …
Grass in the Rocks
… and clumps of dry grasses tucked into rocky crevices.
Tumbled Boulders
Fallen granite boulders are piled in heaps …
Rocks on the Hill
… and scattered across the sandy ground.
Packing up Lunch
When our meal is finished, our chef Yagaanaa and her team pack up the dedicated kitchen-truck.
Rocks on the Plateau
The mountains stretch off into the distance either side of us.
Rocky River
The landscape on the other side of the plateau, into Bayan-Ölgii province, is subtly coloured: river-rocks and autumnal grasses and trees. (iPhone6)
River Crossing
We have to cross a number of rocky waterways; … (iPhone6)
River Crossing
… several without the benefit of bridges or causeways.
Rivers Winding
Onward we travel, across endless twisting rivers, through flooded valleys, and over rocks, rocks, and more rocks.
Endless Plains
We are sitting at a reasonable altitude here: high in the Mongolian Altay, nestled in that triangle of Mongolia between Russia and China. (iPhone6)
Dead Village
Our next stop is at the ruins of a deserted village. Derelict houses or factories sit at the foot of a gravel hill …
Wrecks on the Foreshore
… and rusted wrecks of cars and machinery lie on the foreshore of a lake – Dund Lake, I think.
Barbed Wire
Rusted Vehicles
It’s as if the rusted bits have been blown against the wire fencing.
Rusted Refuse
The ground at our feet is littered with skeletal bits of animal and vehicle.
City in the Distance
Another hour on the roads, and the provincial capital of Ölgii (Ulgii) swims into view in the distance.
Mosque outside the City
Bayan-Olgii is Mongolia’s only Kazakh-majority Muslim province, and is, therefore, culturally very different from the rest of the predominantly Buddhist country.
Houses outside the City
The late afternoon autumn sun lights up new houses on the outskirts of Ölgii.
Inside my Ger
Finally! I have my room for the next several nights – a large ger on a grassy field. Even with the bare bulb and the fire lit, it is dark: this photo is taken at ISO 25600 on 16 mm at f/2.8 and 1/60 sec, and it still needed boosting in Lightroom!
After a long day of bouncing in our vehicles, it was a relief to get out and explore the markets of Ölgii. The shops had a haphazard, “wild west” feel, but we were able to stock up on necessities, like wine, and blankets and warm socks. We also bought gifts for our host Kazakh family, whom we would finally meet the next day.
Is it possible that I was going to miss all that driving? For the first half of the night, the blazing fire in my wood-heater warmed my ger to sauna-like temperatures, and I slept in fevered dreams of bumping across rough roads …
Until next time –
May your roads be smooth!
Pictures: 27Septembery2016
Bleak but also beautiful.
Thanks! Yes, it reminded me of living in The Prairies. 😀