Masick

In 2010, the tögrög was the best-performing currency world-wide

There are no roads in the Gobi desert, only endless bumpy trails. It seems that during seven days we crossed them all to experience the incredible desert emptiness. We were eight in an old Soviet van: a smiley driver, a cook and her cute daughter, Angeles from Argentina, Claudine from Quebec, Nick from The Netherlands and us. Each night we met a few nomads that hosted us in their spare ger (traditional Mongolian hut made of wood and wool) but unfortunately it was impossible to communicate with them. Not that many nomads though, there are much more camels than people in the Gobi desert! The further we went, the more impressive the landscape became. Canions, bizarre rock formations, sand dunes, dry but colorful vegetation… and even some ice and snow! Every day we were more amazed by the beauty of the scenery. Days were pretty warm but nights were chilly. The last night we froze inside the ger despite the fire that we made with camel excrement (!). The next morning we understood why: it had been snowing… We made the best of the long hours spent in the van talking, playing card games, exchanging food or sleeping. The evenings were short, as we usually went to bed around 9 pm (no light in the ger except a candle). In a week time we only had one shower but that’s ok when you are among people as dirty as you… And Sandra managed to fight the bed bugs she encountered earlier on a Russian train. :-) Don’t forget to have a look at our pictures on the photos page to see what the Gobi looks like.

I can’t get over my dream of Costco pack moleskins.