Modro nebo nad Mongolijo - The blue sky of Mongolia

Ulan Bator, 6.6. 2012

Pa mi je uspelo. Sem v UlanBatorju. Po potovanju, ki je zahtevalo 4 menjave prevozov in približno 35 ur. A občutek je fantastičen! Tako sem se razveselila modrega neba nad Mongolijo (po grozljivem onesnaženem sivem zraku kitajskih mest), da sem ga dala kar v današnji  naslov...

Pa naj opišem tole odisejado, saj se sama težko verjamem, da se je res vse izšlo. Prav po žensko trmasto sem se odločila, da ne bom kupila neznosno drage direktne vozovnice Peking - Ulan Bator, ampak bom šla po delih. Najprej na nočni vlak iz Pekinga do Hohhota (še vedno na Kitajskem). 
Prav pred odhodom sem v hotelu spoznala nenavadno zanimivo skupino študentov, popotnikov, tujcev, od katerih nekateri v Pekingu delajo, drugi so se prišli učit kitajščine, tretji tavajo po mestu, ker čakajo na vizo za naslednjo destinacijo na večmesečnem potovanju ... skratka krasna druščina z vsega sveta, ki pa sem jo morala zapustit skoraj takoj potem, ko smo se spoznali.

Vlak je bil spet super, pa se prispel je v Hohhot pravočasno, kar mi je dalo ravno dovolj časa, da sem našla avtobusno postajo in kupila vozovnico za obmejno mesto Erenhot (ali tudi Erlian). Tam sem s pomočjo dveh fantov in ene mamce našla avtobus, ki vozi samo čez mejo in na katerem sem bila edina neKitajka oziroma neMongolka. To je verjetno zmedlo uradnika na meji, saj mi je pozabil zatežiti, zakaj nimam izhodne kartice (ki sem jo izgubila menda že drugi ali tretji dan in zaradi katere ti lahko, po pripovedovanju drugih popotnikov, kar zagrenijo izhod iz države). Novo sem tako izpolnila kar tam, potem sem se šla pokazat se Mongolcu in bila čez mejo. Vse skupaj je trajalo le malo več kot eno uro.

Avtobus je nato zapeljal do železniške postaje, kjer sem ujela lokalni nočni vlak do Ulan Batorja. 16 ur  na mongolskem vlaku -

bilo je, kot da bi zavrtela čas nazaj. Deli vlaka so leseni in postelje trde kot kamen, v kupeju je komaj kaj zraka, saj se okna le za silo odprejo. Vse se trese, da komaj stojiš, a vseeno je vse skupaj naravnost fantastično. Kupe sem delila s tremi Mongolci, ki so prav lepo pazili name. Eden od njih je znal celo angleško.

Skozi okno je bilo nekaj časa videti opustelo valovito pokrajino, nekoliko še poraslo s travo, kasneje pa en velik nič, razen peska! Bila sem na robu puščave Gobi in ob ritmičnem zvoku koles vlaka sem spala, kot da ne bi imela ene same skrbi pod soncem.

Zjutraj smo bili še vedno sredi ničesar, le vsake toliko se je pokazala vas, sestavljena iz nekaj jurt, pa morda čreda konjev ali ovac. Šele ko smo se približali mestu, je bilo opaziti več znakov življenja. 
Po prihodu sem se tudi tokrat peš odpravila iskat prenocišce. Mesto mi je bilo takoj všeč.

Seveda ne zaradi sovjetsko socialističnega sloga, ampak verjetno zato, ker se ljudje nasmihajo in so prijazni. Posteljo za to noč sem našla v starem socialističnem stanovanjskem bloku in šla takoj na lov za turo v notranjost Mongolije. Ker nimam veliko časa, moram teh nekaj dni čim bolje izkoristiti. Povprašam v dveh turističnih agencijah in se kar obrnem zaradi neznosno navitih cen. Potem pa si mislim: popotniki zagotovo ne plačajo teh cen, torej moram najti druge popotnike. Šla sem kar v prvi guesthouse in imela srečo. Našla sem, kar sem hotela, za ceno, ki mi je bila sprejemljiva. Grem že kar jutri. Obiskala bom Terelj park, nekdanjo prestolnico Karakorum, samostan Erdene Zuu  in mini Gobi.

Ulaanbaatar, 6th of June 

Well, I managed. I'm in Ulaanbaatar after 4 changes of transport and about 35 hours. It feels great! And I was so happy to see the blue sky after horrible grey polluted air of Chinese cities that I put it even into a title...

But let me describe this wild journey. Stubbornly I have decided not to take the obvious (but overpriced) train from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar but rather do it in pieces. First I took a night train to Hohhot (still in China).

Just on my last day I met this super cool community of students and other young people who were all staying for longer time in Beijing, working as teachers, or studying Chinese, or just waiting around for a visa for next destination on their 6-month trip... Such a great group, and sadly I had to say goodbye almost immediately after we met...

The train journey was again very nice and comfortable and I arrived on time in Hohhot (7 something in the morning) which gave me just enough time to board a bus to a border town of Erenhot (or Erlian) where, with a help of some boys and older lady I got the bus which runs only across the border. I was the only Western person among the Chinese and Mongol people on the bus, which probably surprised the immigration officer, who should give me -according to other people's experience - a hard time because I lost my departure card. BUt he just gave me a blank one and stamped my passport. All in all it took only one hour to cross the border.

Once over there, the bus conveniently stops just in front of the train station and I was able to get the ticket for a night local train to Ulaanbaatar. Another 16 hours on a Mongolian train. It was like a step back in time. Wooden panels, 4 beds in a compartment, all shaky, no air, but just fantastic. My travel companions were three Mongolian men who were really courteous to me and one even spoke English. The landscape changed into grassland, some hills, then desert and after a while, into one big nothing. I was on the edge of Gobi desert and with the rithmic sound of the wheels,  I slept like I have not a single worry in the world!

In the morning we were still in the middle of nothing, with occasional village of gers visible from the window. And only when we approached the city there were some more signs of life. I immediately liked the city. It is a bit socialistic in style but feels nice. Maybe because people smile. I found my bed in a guesthouse in an old soviet apartment block and went hunting for a tour. As I have only 6 days I have to spend them smartly.

I asked in 2 agencies where the prices were so outrageously high then I just said thank you and goodbye. I'm saying to myself: well, backpackers certainly don't pay these prices. So, where do I find other backpackers. In other guesthouse. I went to the first one and was lucky. I found exactly what I wanted for a normal price. I'm off tomorrow to visit Terelj park, ancient capital of Kharkhorin, mini Gobi and Erdene Zuu monastery.