Day 22. Thursday June 9.

 Turuun Bush Camp  to Lizard Bush Camp 12

Distance:  101 km

Cumulative Distance: 2406 km

Time: 6 hrs 00 min

Speed:  16.8 km/hr

Feet Climbed today: 535

Cumulative Climb: 47,790  ft 

AHR (Average Heart Rate) 103 bpm

Punctures so far: 2.     

Altitude tonight: 2922 ft

Great to be back on the bike again and feeling energetic. Had a great sleep last night; no wind, no disturbance. It was quite mild when we arose this morning and the extra layer was on for just a short while.

The first 40 km was rough but manageable, without too much sand or washboard. By this stage our average speed was 20 km/ Jr. And promising for the day.

By the way, our road today and for the last few days is marked on the map as the A18. Most of the roads marked on the map are just tracks like these. Very few paved roads.

Had a number of river crossings today. For the first on at 8km while we were still cold enough, I opted to remove the shoes and walk across. Clean feet. After lunch, when temperatures were well up, I just walked across shoes and all. Knew that they’d dry out in a matter of minutes. There were other shallow ones that we just cycled right through.

The principal ingredient in today's cycle was sand. Not the sand of the Gobi but the Lawrence of Arabia type, pure sapping beach sand. For a continuous 32 km it brought us to our feet many times. No option but to walk and push the bike, sometimes up a sandy hill. The sand by the side of the road would do credit to any Blue Beach. Saoirse and Oisin, hope we can get sand like that at some beach when ye are in Tipp in July/August!

Today's cycle was a crossing of the high desert of Uvs aimag, generally accepted as the most northerly sand desert on the planet. We must be some of the first crazy cyclists to cross it. Regularly giant sand dunes appeared on the sides. It was usually when we are stopped or walking that we spotted these. When cycling, full attention had to be given to the few feet in front picking out which track to take.

Only one town on today's route, Zuungovi. It was a typical town with a large gate announcing it well outside the town on a high spot on the road. The first shop I spotted gave me a surprise - it registered with me as “Ryan's”. Had to do a second take to make sure. A park in the centre of the town featured a sculpture of a horse with extra generous tail and mane. I know that these are features of the taiki horse, a wild horse peculiar to Mongolia.

As we halted at the shop, a few boys came by and illustrated how we are under-utilising our machines by limiting them to just one rider.

Between Zuungovi and lunch at the top of a sandy hill we walked right by a ger with kids playing outside. As we tried to engage more and more appeared out from the ger, and then the adults. Had a couple of photos and then I presented them with an Ireland pennant to hang in the ger. They seemed pleased, but better if I had some sweets for the kids. These folk had no English, but last evening a local mother and child dropped by the tents with a good grasp of English, she had learned it in school and wished to practice her English with ’native’ speakers. Literacy in Mongolia is at 98% especially among girls. They go to school in the big towns and reside in dorms. Boys tend to stay at home and help with the livestock.

Lunch was by a large lake in this desert; there are a large number of them in the area.

From 72 km till camp, we were spared the sand but plenty of washboard. Landscape stretched away in the distance on both sides.

 Our campsite in in the middle of a billiard table with little growth but plenty of friendly little white lizards (about 5 cm long) flitting about. 

Two cameras lost today with cards full of photos in them. One gent lost his Canon SLR on some rocky piece. He went back to search but up to 16 tracks across on any stretch of the road. 

Again hoping for a calm night with no wind (not much shelter where we are) and a good refreshing sleep.

Thank God for the health and for the energy.