Mongolia X Journal 4 // Desperate Dispatch from Western Mongolia // Deserts // Flies // Attempted Sabotage

Brian Perić

August 9, 2012 

...I have a few photos to try to upload and running on battery. Took a shower, first in 2 weeks, it felt good...I might ride another 200km to Khovd, but officially, I wanted to announce that I am completed today. Layers of skin peeling off with the dirt and grime, tough place getting here...I almost sent SOS from the desert as well a few days ago, I was trapped in the tent after crossing a dangerous river with strong currents (a Toyota SUV was submerged in the middle, I went a little further and began crossing with the school teacher holding a bag. During this whole episode we are both being swarmed by seething mosquitoes and a few horse flies!!!! I made it across the river, the teacher ran for his truck where his wife had been waiting, and I began pushing the cycle to find a path across the desert.

The only plan possible to escape the mosquito swarms were crossing the mountains and I was 10km off-course riding up with a swarm around me. When I finally started swallowing mosquitoes, I began to choke and scream in panic, I left the bike and pitched the tent. Horse flies stung my back, my hands were numb with bites.

I sent MAY-DAY messages to my wife and friend James...it was insane, I made a break 10km south in a truck, and cycled through a mountain pass, washing my clothes along the way, I went towards Tsagaanuur, the border crossing between Kazazh-Mongolia and Russia, and fortunately met locals who wanted to assist me again (like across Mongolia!!! Impossible without them, bless these wonderful souls, the Nomads, the generous people)...

I had a run-in with a motorcycle gang two nights before in the mountains, stayed with an English teacher in Bokmoron (infested with mosquitoes in that area, and all across the desert oh my God), then ran into Kazakh-Mongolians stopping me with their children, at first, good luck and friendly people, later rough people, a father blocking my path, grabbing the bike and demanding something, glasses, gloves...I told him to move, everyone tried to stop me from moving ahead, some people were friendly, others just nagging for something, ahead the mountain pass and Tsagaanuur.

A bad moment this morning, trying to dodge the locals, a tout came up to me along the road and brought me to his family Ger tent, all was well inside, friendly people, had a cup of tea, outside however, he and his brother were plotting something for me. I went out and they insisted I take a trail instead of the main gravel road, I could even see a bridge in the distance north towards the center of the town. They pushed me to take the "better road" and led me to a fast flowing river, it looked deep as well. They suggested I "take a taxi for 10km to get past the river..." All hard to believe, I tried to fjord the river, and dropped waist deep and shaved both of my shins on some sharp wood with nails submersed in the stream. It was like a trap, I swore and made it out to the otherside, bags completely submersed (with computer in another water-proof and camera on my hip also water-proof luckily) and I left them, injured. I rode a few kilometers on a flat rear tire, the nails that cut my shins also punctured the rear tire (almost bullet-proof Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour 1100g tires).

I wanted to be at a distance from everyone, I never had an experience like this anywhere in Mongolia, I crossed into a cultural divide/new territory where the rules were written differently, people were aggressive (and stupid I might add...) and I made it through and onto the provincial capital Oglii (Bayan-Oglii). It's unfortunate to see these behaviors in western Mongolia as an introduction, but there is pressure here for this cultural minority, and they direct that frustration, need or greed on foreigners passing through.

I finished the last 2600 meter mountain pass with the Mongol Rally Drivers from Europe ahead of me, it was glorious up there, no people hacking at me, a calm, an Ovoo (Buddhist mound used by Shamen) and I calmed myself down. 40km down the track, I entered Oglii and found the small Tourist Ger Camp where I am now, met Mongol Rally drivers that came from Spain, England and Europe...and all is well right now.

I will ride further, but cautious of the people inhabiting these parts, very aggressive but not necessarily dangerous, yet severely annoying and I will avoid them flagging me down or blocking the road, or their dogs, nasty ones in packs trying to bite at me riding past them (dirt, stones are my friends). Interesting turns in the road, all of Mongolia was awesome, this end of the world is much rougher, tougher and seems at times severe.

In the end, a great experience with demands physically and mentally, the calm of mountain passes (too many to count) and the open doors of Mongolians everywhere, the Nomads, the families that supported my journey, the cultural exchanges, the photos, the body languages, the communication open and free with each encounter.

Now, I am really looking forward to seeing my family in Korea, talking to friends and relatives here (FB), and back home, and relaxing back into my teaching routines.

Adventure is out there, but it takes a great deal of endurance to enjoy it day and night long for an entire summer. Some cycle around the world (RESPECT TO ALL OF THEM...I COULDN'T DO IT!!!), that is amazing from what I have seen in only 42 days. I need some rest, sleep and a plan to cross back across Mongolia to catch a flight to South Korea. Counting down, with more riding ahead. 200km to Khovds where I can find reliable transport to the capital Ulaanbataar.

A little diary update. Namaste. Brian (:

Mongolia X Journal 3 // An Dae Gi // Building a MTB touring bike // Lynskey titanium // Repairs with Helping Hands

Journal 3. This photo sequence is just days apart. The story is about equipment failures and helping hands that assisted me throughout the sequence, from a hand-built titanium frame built in the USA, to a local bicycle shop owner in Korea, to a bicycle shop located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

From Gangneung, South Korea to Ulaanbaatar and Beyond -The start of my 45 day Mongolian expedition all began when I contacted AN DAE GI after receiving positive confirmation that I would be riding a LYNSKEY titanum frame for 2012. It was big news, since I am not a professional competitor and world-famous companies do not give out their craft - Machinists built each frame from titanium tubing by hand in Tennessee, USA and comes with a lifetime warranty, you know it's going to be really, really good.

Converting a mountain bike frame into a Touring Bicycle, is it going to be reliable for a journey?

Since the luggage carrier was my domain, it became an enormous responsibility to do it right. Alas, I failed miserably, however, this is where my story turns for something miraculous and the helping hands began reaching out in South Korea and again, once I set down and started riding in Mongolia.

Gangneung Bike Mart, South Korea. Here local bike shop owner and operator AN DAE GI, who has really been supportive and generous getting involved with my efforts through Adventure Cycling on mountain bikes. I trust this mechanic because he really cares about his customers; does all his own maintenance on every customer's bicycle in his workshop; and accepts all walk-ins - regardless of where they purchased their cycles, his service is second to none since I arrived here three years ago. AN DAE GI has an art to his bicycle service, he has taken mangled wheels from completely rusted out bicycles that have been vandalized, searched in his maze for spare parts, rebuilt the wheel and replaced only what was necessary - charging little for his passionate time and professional work - simply, he knows bikes. He loves to ride and locals love his shop - I am definitely one of them. (:

"The bike was built, the luggage carrier attached through my engineering eyes (I need some schooling here, trial and failure - perfect lesson for me), and equipment was chosen, off to Mongolia."

After sorting out my choices of equipment and cycle clothing, next was making a big decision about the mountain bike frame I would use for the mountain journey across Mongolia. After contacting Lynskey Performance, USA and connecting with Dongjin Imports, South Korea - we made a Pro deal on their titanium frame that would change the fate of this journey significantly. Titanium is an incredible metal, both lightweight and durable, it stands as one of the premier metals in bicycle manufacturing today. Lynskey is a famous company, makers of LITESPEED which today is a subsidiary Quintaroo owned by the American Bicycle Group.

How to build the perfect touring mountain bike? This would be a significant question since I would be traveling alone for 2500 kilometers over some of the toughest terrain on Mother Earth, I needed reliable equipment to carry the camping gear, tools, clothing, and electronics across country for the summer.  It would require more than a titanium frame from one of the world's most successful and quality builders - it would require special modifications to fit a custom rear carrier rack and other components from my stable.

Building a perfect touring mountain bike is easy, a frame should have a longer chain stays and seat stays will obviously compliment the symmetry for the perfect rear carrier setup. We did that in 2011, AN DAE GI used my 18" (inch frame, large aluminum OEM Giant frame) and would try to do it again for 2012 using a 19" inch Lynskey titanium frame. However, there was one significant difference between the two frames, "eyelets" and this would lead to some problems fitting the carrier rack, also known as luggage carrier. So, how did we modify the rack for attachment? 

The older aluminum frame I used for the Himalayas in 2011, was simple in design, it has a replaceable rear derailleur hanger, a disc brake mount, and important eyelet holes located near the axle of the rear wheel, where the seatstay and the chainstays meet together and the wheel quick release is tightened to secure the rear wheel. On a newer mountain bike frame, especially titanium, there is a significant difference, the titanium frame was designed strictly for XC (Cross Country) riding, omitting the eyelet holes completely and finished with brilliantly shaped titanium flared wheel axles. The wheel axles are the frame's hook where the wheel hubs meet the frame and secure themselves. Without eyelets, frame like this will require adapter clamps attached to the seatstays and the rack therefore will necessarily rise and have a higher center of gravity.  The higher center of gravity will cause the rack and the bicycle frame to be two points pivotal on the mounting locations, this creates a great deal of stress or flex, on the mounting hardware.

I would learn through the first day of my journey out of Ulaanbaatar that mounting configuration, add heavy load of equipment and the possibility of "flex" between a rigid rack attached to a rigid, hardtail frame can cause damage when stress flex exceeds a limit.  In this case, I used aluminum adapter hardware with rubber inserts which under stress, rough off road conditions and plenty of rain - actually turned away from the frame causing permanent damage to a luggage carrier.

Back to the bike shop, this time in Ulaanbaatar - ATTILA BICYCLES. I navigated from UB through Nairamdal and back to UB again. In this precarious start through the mountain tracks I was introduced to off road conditions throughout Mongolia. The topography and network of dirt tracks are steep, starting out from UB at over 1300 meters above sea level, it rises considerably higher still to pass the mountain ranges surrounding to the north. I rode through Birch tree forests, sighted flocks of wild deer, and spoke to locals as I was reaching a terminal point in the roads, where private land developers had overtaken the tracks and built a new housing community.* I turned out of the mountains and back towards Ulaanbaatar, while the journey was shortened by missing a turn on the highway, the rain and cloud cover thickened above me, it was about to open up the Pacific from above and soak me to the bones. Cold rains, higher altitudes than I am used to, and a seeping pocket on the Arteryx Gore jacket led to more troubles in wait. I swerved pot holes again, once I reached the industrial outstretch to the northwest of Ulaanbaatar.

The roadway disappeared into clay colored trenches, cars and trucks drove past showering brown waters over my head, while I pedaled towards the highway junction. There were cars and drivers immobilized by the roads. The flooded concrete road had so many hidden holes in the surface, unlucky drivers fell into them, losing their CV axles and dismembering their wheels from their automobiles. This was a masochistic situation for motorists trying their luck at missing the unseen hazards, and I would become the roads next victim. Slam! I popped my front wheel in and out of an enormous hole in the road, but the rear went in and didn't come back out. A silent bending of aluminum and twisting had already occurred, I clunked my heels against the rear pannier bags, they were now touching my shoes, pushed forward by the enormous weight of the load I carried. Now, in serious trouble and it was, for the moment, the end of a memorable bike ride in Mongolia.

I knew the journey wouldn't continue, it was an underwhelming experience. I didn't get too distressed, but I thought back about all the trouble it took preparing to leave, sourcing components, arranging a sponsor, working on graphic designs, sharing before the journey in social media, and now here I was at the beginning all worked up, sweating profusely, soaked in flooded street mud and muck and my rear luggage carrier was sinking too deep now, it seemed time to call it quits and head, didn't it?

I thought of the summer back in South Korea, with the kids, with my wife, at the beach, it would be easier on me and the family to be reunited. My spirit for high adventure was dulled by the thump of my shoes against the Ortieb panniers, "thump, thump, thump..." as I tried to pedal along, no use. I walked. Eventually, I came to the intersection where I should have turned West, that was sight to remember without taking a photo so I continued East into the city, now congested and clogged with cars, trucks and buses like a huge centrifuge spinning wildly out of control in a lab, except this was urban Mongolia!

I roamed Ulaanbaatar city while turning pages in my Lonely Planet, and found a music store right off Peace Avenue with an employee who knew English, "Perfect, I am in luck!"  Since, the iPhone was now R.I.P. from the flooded pocket, I needed to pull the SIM card and borrow her phone to find 7Summits my next stop on the search for replacement parts and service somewhere in the labyrinth of a large city. There was also a street person lurking at the bottom of the steps to the music store, located on the corner of the 2nd floor of the department store building with wide stone steps leading up to the entrance. At first pass, I avoided the street man, but when I exited the building the second time - he mugged me! This was all quite perfect timing since my iPhone was dismissed due to rain, the rack luggage carrier twisted aluminum now transforming into rubbish, and of course, now I had been mugged. But what was missing? My cycling gloves. Oh, I hope the street man already has a bike. Farewell my dirt covered friend. I dug into my panniers and donned an old pair from the Himalayas.

After reaching 7Summits, I learned they had no luggage carriers and only a fleet of mountain bikes to rent or sell, all of which was priced MSRP, which is over the market value in any country. The customer rep at 7Summits was really helpful though, directing me to the new bicycle shop across the city. It took a long time to get closer to the shop, over a bridge, out of the central part of the city and into an industrial area again - I thought I was lost. Fortunately, I found a tire repair center at a cross roads, they were genuinely helpful and the lead mechanic spoke fluent English, he had studied in a university overseas in Praque, Czech Republic. We proceeded to unloading the carrier rack and the mechanics twisted the aluminum metal, it was strong, double-walled material - but the twisting reduces the quality and stiffness of the metal - it was finished as a carrier, soon to be recycled somewhere. With a man standing by watching us, he asked in Mongolian if there was something I needed, "a bicycle shop, do you know of one?" And fortunately he did, and offered to assist carrying all the rear luggage inside his Hyundai SUV, perfect timing for helping hands again. Off we went, sweeping through the rough pavement, traffic and chaotic traffic behavior, that is, quite the norm once you arrive in UB. We went though housing block areas, gravel roads turn to dirt and mud, and finally we reach TREK BICYCLES and behind them is the heavenly - ATTILA BICYCLES.

There at ATTILA, I met Naran and Miga, along with a team of mechanics who have been mountain biking in Mongolia for over 25 years. It didn't take long to find replacement parts, I needed a luggage carrier and this time we hard mounted metal-to-metal, the aluminum adapters with 5mm bolts and teflon washer bolt, double-nutted and counter-turned to lock together and never loosen. A great help they all were, many helping hands along the way - getting me back to the expedition in 1 day and I still managed to cover 75 kilometers, it's a good start today. Day 1 complete, just 44 days to the finish!

Thank you for reading the Mongolia X journals. These are a collection of private journals from a summer solo crossing Mongolia on a mountain bike. If you love to ride, you will be entertained here.

More adventures coming soon!  Stand by for more episodes through the X journals in Mongolia. (:

Mongolia X Journal 2 // Mountain Mysteries, The Marmot, the Wolf, the Nomads

X Journal 2
Peaceful tracks, forgiving pastures and then the steep, hardened arid dirt tracks of the northwest. I seem to be making good progress today. I am above the mosquito deserts now, out of the inhaling swarms. I am almost a free bird now and the kilometers have stacked up in my favor. Going back now, the herders and I gathered by the coal stove that cold night, the smoke twisting up and around the tent, the downdraft of plateau winds taking us all inside. I warned them of "carcinogens" but all my words are incomprehensible now, they have been for weeks and weeks.

I might never be entirely successful at communicating without a common language, but I always make considerable efforts to communicate beyond borders, beyond languages, and connect with people of cultures new to me. I believe it's important to consider that all life on Earth has a connection, though there may not always be direct communication. For us humans, we communicate through language, voice tones and intonations, through movements and body languages, and it can be understood. Throughout my journey across Mongolia this summer, I have encountered many people, met their families and we gathered together in a single location - the Ger. The steel pot stoves are at the center, there are usually 2 supporting interior poles inside, linoleum mats for the entrance area then rugs, the women sit on the right and the men sit on the left (visiting too). There is an organization and order about the Ger, it's a sacred place and a living space at the same time, one room.

We gathered around the pot stove, the twigs and branches were all collected from the craggy mountain chasms and boulder areas above us. Now the dry timber wood was starting to "pop, crackle" as the steel pot stove opened and closed with gasps of oxygen surging into the glowing embers. Other Nomad herders were behind me smashing coal rocks into small shards and hand-sized chunks to fuel the fire's hearth. Some Herders were also summering on the 2500 meter plateaus while on their university vacations, their families tended to a herd of 50 goats and a few dozen sheep, they were prosperous holding a Ger store in the camp, they catered to all other Nomad families in this area. We all ran into the motorcycle Nomads here, the alcohol-driven madmen had appeared over the same horizons that I climbed for 12 grueling hours mixed with relief of local Nomad tents, children sawing wood the old fashioned way, or wrestling with each other. The summer is a pleasurable time in Mongolia, it also requires Nomads to keep to their flocks, working longer days, and preparing for the inevitable harsh winters.

I had been lost for a few hours after crossing the divide (2500 meters, 8200 feet). There were 1400 meters now between myself and the deserts below had taken me only to this ledge. Only a few horse single tracks were distinguishable, and I was moving 12km/h cycling or stepping down and walking 5km/h for the past 12 hours. "Soon..." I thought aloud to myself that the end should be in sight. I looked across the mountains, I could easily climb right off and para-glide out for 20 kilometers across the translucent blue sky to reach the valley floor. Checking the Garmin 705 GPS again, a small track is visible here, nothing visible to the north in my gaze, except the visibility of a twin jeep track across the deep valley running from East to Wes,t where I wanted to go. I started the techincal XC mountain descent without tracks or any hesitations, jumping stones, pushing the Fox Racing forks in their element and avoiding the marmot holes. My mind wandered as I wondered about wolves and where this trackless space was heading. The topography of this area was now important because I had no route to follow and needed to take even more care not to become injured while riding off-tracks, alone.

The huge curving mountain luring me below on a grade too steep to see clearly, although the desert floor was always in sight. The pitch increased 200 meters down and over the mesa, it was unrideable to reach the end. I turned my head around and saw the silhouette of a Nomad on a horse over the crest of the mountains. I checked the GPS again, and then my compass, there would be no turning back after another 500 meters out and I had 750cc of water left, so I would need to refill before dark.

Earlier, I amused seeing a white sheep-man hunting. I thought, "What in the world is sheep doing with a gun, haha" I kept pedaling down, catching the surface and cutting lines on the rough 9% grade. The sheep-man leveled his wooden rifle, I took out my camera and he was facing downhill towards me, perhaps a good shot for a marmot, this must be a sport hunter of some kind. When he fired his shot, he pegged the poor marmot standing on it's hinds 50 meters ahead of me, the gun was pointed right at me but the bullet hit the little burrowing creature. Mongolians will blow torch small game like marmot, stringing it up by it's hind feet, they tie off it's orifices with steel wire and use a butane torch and proceed to burn the hairs right off while cooking it. There was no torch needed here, the sheep-man bagged the marmot into a white sack, and shooed me away once I was level with his location, I shouted "Canat-as-ir-sen" I'm Canadian and he motioned that I move up the mountain and not to take any pictures. I was scared when I first saw him laying in the green fields, but relaxed after I passed the hissing bullets in his shooting galley. The hunter was working with other biologists from the WWF (World Wildlife Federation) and was hunting at 2250 meters, collecting specimens for laboratory analysis - the bullets might have been tranquilizers.

The WWF group were Mongolians, based in Ulaangom, and they welcomed me to goat tea, and fried bread. I opened my backpack and shared some "arroz" Mongolian cheese, which to me, is delicious and quite indispensable on an overland journey by mountain bike. We spoke about their work, another man represented the group, his English command was superb, the driver was about 50 years and the others all professional biologists were females in their 40's. The young biologist explained their mission in the area, monitoring the species of marmot and wolf. There were wolf?! He warned that wolf roam the higher plateau's at night and attack game, they would attack someone walking alone, but wouldn't come through a tent setup for the night. Their plan was to pack up and return to the O.T. Ger Camp that was less 10 kilometers up through the mountain pass that I had been trekking for the last 10 hours. 2 hours later, when I emerged from the valley trails, there were no Mongolians in sight and certainly nothing of a Ger camp for tourists, all directions was immense and drifted endless towards the Siberian borders to the north.

I aborted the knobby downhill spin after 500 meters descent, I realized even to camp here, I would do so without chance at all for water replenishment. The WWF biologists spared 500cc of their water for a single Camelback podium bottle, but this wouldn't be enough for the next 12 hours till morning. Disappointing to see the unbelievable moonscape and not be able to continue riding across it. At least for now, I would turn back and climb the mountain again and search for herders and their flocks of sheep, goat, and horses. They would be out there, since the lone Nomad had a horse and he stood on the ridges above me about a kilometer way, then disappeared to where he had come.

What I forgot to mention were all the families, since they were all summering at high 2000+ meter altitudes, it was an ideal time for grazing their horses, those Mongolian bands of sleek horses that trot to the rhythm of the winds. The children gathered together and it was joyous time since we're in August summer days with cool Siberian winds from the northwest always keeping temperatures comfortable.  I feel a little cold here, since this altitude and climate is something I am unaccustomed to coming from Korea or North America, where both geographical locations are - just above sea level. Out here, I am already over 2000 meters above and it's considerably more exposed, windy and barren without any tree in sight. The families were friendly, as were their children. Boys were helping push my bike up the climb but insisted I stop in to meet their families. They keep inviting me into their Ger tents to meet family, to drink salted goat tea and converse through the graphics I take in photographs, or guests write into my journal pages, or with the maps. There is always mystery and excitement in meeting new people from different places, in open spaces, especially in unusual locales like mountains.

Traveling by bicycle is a curiosity to many, sometimes I even surprise myself with what I am doing at any given moment on these expeditions, truly believing in serendipity and those challenges that lead up to it. BELIEVE. EXPLORE. ADVENTURE ON.

Thanks for reading. More journals from the Mongolia expedition coming soon!