Ger Camps Save Us

By Rachel

After night #1 we were not so thrilled about camping any more, especially since we were getting into a landscape with no texture to break the wind. Lucky stepped up to the task, and we headed to Ongiin Khiid, where there were several ger camps. We rented a ger for 20,000 tugrugs, or about $17. This ger was ideal: we all fit, there was a table and a few stools, and we could still cook our own food.

It was a Tex-Mex feast.

The next morning we saw Ongiin Khiid itself, the ruins of what had been a huge monastery.

Then we were on the road again, off towards the Flaming Cliffs, the place where the first dinosaur fossils were discovered in 1922. We found a ger camp here too, this one complete with a giant turtle restaurant.

Then we went for a short hike through the Flaming Cliffs. Sadly, no one found any fossils.

We got back in time to see a huge group of camels on the move, fly kites and take walks in the late afternoon light (at 9 pm.) Rob took the awesome kite-flying picture.