Dina MalyanaThis year, as part of my overland journey from Singapore to Europe, I spent a whole week in Mongolia. This was one of the stops along the Trans-Siberian Railway that I was most looking forward to.
I must admit, I was expecting awesomeness. Did Mongolia deliver?
Oh, totally.
This is what I experienced when I visited Mongolia:
As my train rolled into Mongolia, I saw this.
I looked out the window and the endless sandy horizon stretched on and on.
When I woke up the next day, I somehow found myself in winter wonderland. Somewhere along the way, the sun and sand gave way to pastel skies and show-frosted ground.
What better way to explore Mongolia than on a road trip?
As I left the city, I encountered my favourite kind of traffic jam. Move along, cattle!
The landscape was incredibly vast; the greatness and beauty of nature overwhelmed me.
After a long drive, I stopped by a ger in the middle of absolutely nowhere.
From the simple facade, I would never have imagined that it’s so cosy and warm inside.
The toilet was, to say the least, interesting. It has three sides covered and one uncovered, so you basically get to do your business with a stunning view!
Then, I met the cutest nomadic baby I have ever seen! LOOK AT THOSE CHUBBY CHEEKS!
Almost as cute were the baby sheep! Because it was springtime, plenty of baby animals were roaming around.
This one was extra friendly. I don’t even know if it’s a goat or a sheep.
You can pick up these little babies and treat them like pets.
You can even make them kiss – because hey, why not?
Then there were camels that brought me to the sand dunes
It was kind of boring so I decided to ride a horse instead. NO REGRETS! Horse-riding was definitely more thrilling than camel-riding. (Please ignore my dumpling-like appearance.)
Don’t let me get started on the fluffy ger-dwelling cats.
Nighttime approached and I had a romantic evening catching the sunset with these lovely camels.
When I woke up in the morning, the sunrise was spectacular. What a great way to start my day!
Hiking in the land of nothingness was definitely one of my highlights of Mongolia! It was just me and absolute, blissful silence.
I have a confession: I was worried about Mongolian food, but boy, was I surprised! What you see is what you get, and that right there was pretty damn delicious!
Let’s move on to the cultural front. I visited a few monasteries in Mongolia and the interior was intriguing.
My favourite one was located atop a hill.
Just look at the views you get from the window!
History-wise, remember what you learned during history lessons… something about the Mongolian Empire?
I’m sure you remember this guy – Genghis Khan!
And it’s time for me to stop talking already.
Just come to Mongolia to be wow-ed by views like these!
Also Read: Complete Guide to the Gobi Desert Tour in Mongolia
