Sunday Aug 10,2025. Summer in Mongolia vibes differently; blue clear skies and nice cool breeze made the day heavenly satisfying. I love the spacious landscape of this place. The whole of Ulaanbaatar seems to be “laid out in a bowl” with mountains surrounding it as an edge to keep it warm and cozy in the winter and cool in the summer. On the way back yesterday we saw families put up tents beside a stream along the highway maybe half an hour from the city centre. How cool was that? I mean that’s a perfect summer activity out with family or friends for a weekend of bbq or just chilling outdoors. And you don’t need to go far.
A unique experience about this trip was the opportunity to interact with the locals and experience local cultures and traditions. Yesterday we went horseback riding and played with an eagle at the Kazakh Village.It was an amazing feeling to be on the horse and actually interacted with it. My ass still in pain from that ride; maybe I didn’t sit properly or too stiff position myself on the saddle. As that was not my first ride, I expected more from it. Next time I wanted to go on my own; briskly ride it without the guide. Horses are special animal and very intelligent;once connected it will take a good care of us. Just look into the eyes and pat/stroke the head; and that says “I trust you”.
And then we played with the eagle; an ultimate predator in the sky. So rare to be so close to it as her claws are deadly and sometimes she is moody. The moment was precious and no word could describe the feeling of just holding that eagle. I would love to see how she flew away and then swerved down to catch a prey. Anyway maybe next time.
We met some kids from Kazakhstan that their family operated the horse ranch.Nice to see the locals especially the young ones as they are the future. These kids were pretty rough but living among the horses you must be rough. The older ones already up on the horse back and riding like adults. One of them sang a song and played an instrument for us.
The activities for Sunday were a walkabout around the main square before leaving for the train station in the afternoon(3:30 pm) and shopping for souvenirs.Unfortunately one of us got pickpocketed on the way back.The loss was tragic especially the feeling of being violated. But now I feel no one can be trusted anymore .Among the pretty faces there’s an evil one looking at your backpack. I pray to Allah Kak Su (Dr Suriati) will be strong to endure her loss and stay with us for the rest of this journey. May Allah protect us all through out this journey.
We got on the train around 3pm and the coach moved out of the station by 3:30 pm. The cabin fit four persons; giving just enough space to move your ass around. Some space to perform solat otherwise do it on the bed. Overall comfort level I would put it at 8/10. Except for lacking in space I have no complain. The toilet is clean , modern and smells fresh. My bunking mates were Dato Ibrahim,Faisal and Salimi. A French guy dropped by for a chit chat earlier and the culture of riding a train together started to get into my head. To survive the long hours chugging on the journey you make friends and the conversation just flows. I always wondered how to enjoy the train journey as the views rarely of your choice rather a glimpse of a scenery that you would usually miss to take a shot.
I guess as an old man,this train journey suits me well; I sat, slept, ate and pissed most of the time for hours on end. I didn’t need to move a lot just listened to the wheels chugging away to my next destination. I had plenty of time to reflect on my life and what to do for the time I have left in this world. Maybe sitting on a train like this one not a bad idea after all.
hour by hour on the train….
1/24 : getting on, checking the bed, preparing the bed, checking the toilet, tuck away the luggage and settling down.
2/24 : ice breaking
3/24 : sleeping
4/24 : done sleeping, update journal. no wifi so no posting
5/24: Time for Maghrib/Isya
6/24: Border control to leave Mongolia
7/24 : still in the border
8/24: Border control to enter Rusia
9/24: Still in the border
10/24: Opened and inspected each individual bag
11/24:Border checking completed
12/24:Fajr time (3:34 am)
…,. for the rest of the journey..,,feeling tired,smelly and hungry.
we arrived in Irkuts at 3:20 pm…..
