Tuesday 17 July 2012

Mandalgovi

This is not a nice place or even very interesting. It is a dusty town in the Gobi with not much going for it. The sort of place you would be pleased not to come from. So why then have we decided to stay another day? Well because we are tired and can't face the 280kms ride back to UB today, particularly as at least 240kms of it is off road.

It is also cold and it rained hard last night. The wind whipped up quite a storm, with windows banging, dogs howling, and sand blasting everything in its path. And there are now puddles and mud to add to the woes, so another day here won't hurt.


We ate again in the same restaurant and were entertained by the town drunk clapping and singing his way through several songs before falling asleep at the table. It was a different giggling teenage staff last night, but we had the same menu wrangle even though we ordered the same food. But the chef came out, saw it was us, and then sent out the same food as the night before, so it worked out well in the end.

Looked at the town sight today - there is just one. A manky collection of Soviet style statues on a hill overlooking the bleak desolation that sums this place up. Can't wait to leave early in the morning.