China 2010

MC-10 - Mongolia and China (Beijing) trip Date of travel: June 26 - July 16, 2010 ITINERARY: Early in the morning on June 26 I am driving from Vista to Los Angeles airport. With United Airlines I take a plane from LAX via San Francisco to Beijing, CHINA, where in the afternoon June 27. After a night in a hotel, we leave early in the morning June 28 Beijing by plane for Ulaanbaatar in MONGOLIA, where at noon. Following day there is sightseeing of the Mongolian capital. The first is Gandan Buddhist Monastery and then the Natural History Museum with skeletons of dinosaurs found in Mongolia. In the evening we are at an excellent concert of Mongolian music and songs including the deep throat and stomach sounds of some singers. Next morning a visit to the Mongolian Historical Museum to see the dresses of various Mongolian tribes and their houses. On the afternoon program there is the Summer and Winter Palace of the Buddhist lords before the Communist era. In the evening on June 30 a flight from Ulaanbaatar south to the Gobi Desert. Landing is in Dalanzadgad. The accommodation is in gers (yurts) in Dungenee Ger Camp. The gers are quite large with several beds. In this camp we are two per ger. Everywhere else we singles are one per ger. Next day we go by bus west through Gobi Altai Mountains. We reach Hogor Sands which is 180 km long strip of dunes. Later a town Bayandalay built from gers. We are in Juulchin Gobi Ger Camp in the mid afternoon. In the evening there is a ride on Bactrian camels. We also look in gers of local people. They have television sets and solar panels to charge batteries. The following morning we drive past town Bulgan. Before noon we reach Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs) known for finds of dinosaur bones and eggs, which we saw in the museum in Ulaanbaatar. They got the name due to their red color. In the afternoon we come back to Dungenee Ger Camp, where we slept a night two days ago. Next morning we drive to Yol Valley and the Gurvansaikhan National Park, where is a spot with ice year round. In the evening we fly back to Ulaanbaatar for overnight. On July 4 we go by bus from Ulaanbaatar in the northeastern direction. Along the way we stop to view a gigantic statue of Genghis Khan that was recently finished. There is a museum in its foundation and a restaurant in the floor above. In the afternoon we come to Jalman Meadows Ger Camp for 2 nights stay. The camp is in Jalman Mountains in the upper part of the Tuul River Valley. Next day is a storm with thunder and lightning. Most of us stay in the camp. We have a lecture about Mongols by our Mongolian guide. On July 6 we leave the Jalman Meadows by our bus and via Ulaanbaatar driving west for the night stop at ger camp in the Hustai Nuruu Reserve. In the evening there is a visit to area with free roaming Przewalski horses (here called “takhi”). The following day we continue west to Hoghno Khan Mountains. In the afternoon we settle in a ger camp there. On July 8 we make a daytrip farther west to Karakorum, Mongolian capital in the mid 13th century. We visit its Erdene Zuu Monastery, which was the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia and it is the most important. Its part was destroyed by the Communists. In the city we visit a market, where the most stores are in the ship containers. The day after we drive in the mountains and see some Buddhist temples and stupas. On July 10 we drive back to Ulaanbaatar. On July 11 and 12 back in Ulaanbaatar we see the “Nadaam Festival,” the major festival in Mongolia. It starts at the main square with solders in historical and modern uniforms followed by an equestrian band. Then we drive to the stadium. There is a ceremonial with speeches and national anthem. Men wrestle. Later we go to the archery range to see the archery competition. In mid afternoon we return to our hotel. On July 13 in the afternoon we fly from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing CHINA where overnight. Next day is a bus tour to the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. There is 50 km to the Great Wall. We visit the Wall at Ju Yong Guan. Back in Beijing for lunch. In the afternoon we visit the Summer Palace. The following day we visit the Forbidden City. We start at its northern gate and proceed through the palace to the Tiananmen Square. After lunch another visit this time to Temple of Heaven. On July 16 we leave Beijing and China. My plane depart before 1 PM and via San Francisco, where I change the plane, to LAX where I land after 12 PM local time the same day. I pick up the car at Hertz and drive home to Vista, where at 4:20 PM. Travel office: Adventures Abroad - Canadian travel company Who took part: There were 10 of us American and Canadian travelers and two guides (one Canadian and one Mongolian). After our return to Beijing we had a Chinese guide there.