Mongolia : The Land of Forgotten Sands

My visit to Mongolia in the late 2009 had given me the opportunity to capture the amazing landscape of a country which seemingly being forgotten by the world. After having travelled to the Western countries and across Russia through the Trans-Mongolian Rail, I was wow-ed by the richness of culture and beautiful nature of Mongolia. At that time, Couchsurfing was a popular platform for travellers, especially backpackers. I was blessed to couch-surf by my Mongolian family host for two nights. Begzsuren is the official ambassador of Couchsurfing in Mongolia and I bunked in a rounded hut(what the locals called, Ger) with his entire family. It was truly an amazing cultural exchange and interaction, especially when I was served with sheep's head for dinner!

Besides that, my experience in the communist-influenced state stretches from Ulan Baatar(the capital) and the inner part of Gobi Desert. It was the beginning of winter, so travelling across the flat land with strong wind was quite a challenge as temperature could go below 20 degree at anytime of the day.

My top experiences :-

travelled long stretch of roads in a hippie Volkwagen for 7-8 hours a day to reach various destinations.
when nature calls in the middle of the desert. Obviously, you can do it anywhere you want
snowing in the desert during midnight
quietness for 5 days. There is nothing much to do if you're travelling alone in the Gobi Desert
photographed a frozen waterfall(check out my pictures)
horse-riding in the desert
ate blend food. Bring your own salt and pepper if you wish to add flavour to your meal
visited the Ancient city(7 hours away from the capital)
welcomed by the warmth of a Mongolian family

Well, my 6 days experience in Mongolia is by far one of the most memorable ones. I would recommend anyone to at least visit Mongolia once in their lifetime. Visiting during summer can be a little uncomfy due to the heat, but it's still great experience. Blue skies and flat lands, you get to see the contrasting colors between the land and the sky. My time of visit was just nice. End of autumn, the beginning of winter.

Picture paints a thousand words. I hope you get a glimpse of my experience through my travel photographs.

That is the capital of Mongolia